After three months mostly exploring cities and historical sites in Europe, we were ready for a change of pace. Costa Rica, known for gorgeous white sand beaches and rainforest biodiversity, was the perfect destination.
In October, the majority of the country is in the rainiest month of the long rainy season, so we decided to head to the Caribbean coast, which has its own microclimate and doesn’t experience the rainy season. We stayed in a tiny, laidback town called Puerto Viejo in an Airbnb apartment attached to a small hotel across the street from the beach.
This side of Costa Rica is off the typical tourist route and features more of a hippy, reggae/rasta vibe than the rest of the country. The town is a popular backpacker stop and has a kicking nightlife. We were definitely the old farts at karaoke night at Hot Rocks, but we had a blast listening to some amazing singers and laughing at the total bombs. In addition, this side of the country supposedly has the best cuisine because of the flavorful, Caribbean influence. Although we wouldn’t be able to see some of the volcanoes and national parks that the country is famous for, we were in a great spot for chilling, partying, and eating. We were far from the hordes of tourists with plenty of wildlife, jungles, rivers, and beaches to discover.
Most Beautiful Beach on the Caribbean Coast
We started our time in Costa Rica with a bang. We went to Cahuita National Park, the only national park on this side of the country, for a snorkeling and hiking tour.
Not only was this one of the prettiest beaches we saw in Costa Rica, but we were pleasantly surprised at the spectacular coral reefs and ocean life that we got to see. Having traveled to some of the best snorkeling spots in the world, like the Great Barrier Reef and Indonesia, we have become a bit harder to please. But, Cahuita, which has the best coral reef in Costa Rica, totally came through. We saw reef sharks, nurse sharks, squid, sea anemones, sea fans, and rays in addition to colorful fish and pretty coral.
Our favorite fish here, which we don’t think we have ever seen in other parts of the world, was a black fish with bright neon blue polka dots. What a beautiful fish…and also too fast to get a good picture! After what seemed like a hundred attempts, this was my best shot.
Swimming through giant schools of fish and hunting for the coolest coral design in warm, crystal clear water never gets old.
After snorkeling, we got to enjoy some fresh pineapple on the beach and then a hike down a sandy trail through the jungle to spot some wildlife.
Our mission in Costa Rica was to see a sloth close-up in the wild. Our guide was able to spot a few of them in the towering trees, but they were so high up that they just looked like furry lumps. Multiple iguanas were high up in the trees too but would hide on the other side of branches when they noticed us approaching. We saw lots of smaller critters close-up like brightly colored snakes (read: poisonous) and leaf-cutter ants.
It wasn’t until we left the national park that we finally got our wish. One of the sloths decided that a spot on the deck of a local bar looked better than the trees in the jungle.
Day one in Costa Rica was a success, and we still had seven more days to live the motto of the locals, Pura Vida (pure life. simple. no worries.)
Best Mode of Transportation
One of our favorite ways to pass the days was renting bikes and riding up and down the coastal road checking out different beaches, activities, and ocean-side restaurants.
There is nothing like the freedom of riding your beach cruiser through the jungle and down tiny dirt roads in search of your next adventure. Pura Vida! Liberating, relaxing…I was just soaking it all in and then BAM! A giant road construction cone jumped out in front of me, but luckily, I managed to hop the cone and stay upright. Jimmy saw the whole thing coming and just laughed at me and wouldn’t let me live that one down as the cyclist in the family. Mental note, I can’t be looking up into the trees in search of sloths and monkeys the entire time!
Speaking of monkeys, we often felt like we were in Jurassic Park thanks to the exotic plants and the loud howler monkeys.
The first time we heard them, I thought a velociraptor was about to dive out of the forest to attack us. True to their name, these monkeys are the loudest land animal and can be heard for miles thanks to an enlarged hyoid bone. We spotted the howler monkey multiple times but weren’t able to get any decent pictures. They are easy to find because of their loud, guttural howling and the commotion in the trees as they swing about.
Biking around gave us great opportunities to discover this part of Costa Rica on our own at a slow pace.
Favorite Wildlife Activity
Just a couple miles outside of Puerto Viejo, our first stop on our beach cruising expedition was the best spot for seeing the diversity of wildlife in Costa Rica. At the Jaguar Rescue Center, injured and abandoned animals are rehabilitated and released back into the wild when they are ready. Our guide was fantastic – fun, kind, and a wealth of knowledge about the animals in Costa Rica. She even wrote her thesis about sloths!
Aren’t they so cute!??! We became as obsessed as she was. We also got to see a baby monkey, a baby anteater, toucans, parrots, snakes, a pelican, and a pig that acts like a dog.
The finale of the tour through the rescue center was the baby area. Quite possibly one of the ugliest animals as an adult, the opossum is adorable when still tiny.
Of course, the highlight of the day was the baby sloths.
Best Beach for Lounging
Just a little bit south of Puerto Viejo is Cocles Beach. We voted this beach as the best for lounging.
We found a beach bar/restaurant that belonged to La Cameleon boutique hotel and allowed non-guests to eat and drink on the beach here. This may be the only place that you can have someone bring you drinks on the beach as the Caribbean coast avoids the high-rise, tourist-heavy vibe with luxury resorts exploiting the beaches. This boutique hotel just had a handful of lounge chairs and hammocks on the public beach, so we were surprised to have the place practically to ourselves.
This spot made killer specialty mojitos. One day, I had a passion fruit mojito, and the next day, I had a coconut mojito. Mojitos can be hit-or-miss, and I must say that every place we went in Costa Rica was spot on with the mojitos.
I found one random stump out closer to the water’s edge that became my “contemplating life” stump. A couple other people were out on the beach practicing yoga, so this was definitely the spot for finding one’s center.
Listening to the waves crashing against the beach was quite peaceful. I made a new friend who seemed to like my spot too.
Best Beach for Activities
Further down the road lies Punta Uva Beach. Not only is this the best beach for swimming, but we had a blast exploring in a kayak and hiking around the point. From the beach, we kayaked down a small creek in search of wildlife and adventure.
We saw lizards, turtles, fish, and ducks but no sloths or monkeys. Jimmy showed some serious kayak maneuvering skills as he artfully steered the boat around fallen logs and through the widest gap to limbo under a large branch hanging low over the creek. I was in charge of photography and pointing out upcoming obstacles. Unfortunately, I lapsed on my double duties as we got stuck on fallen branches a couple times while I was busy trying to compose the perfect shot. I was actually terrified that we would run into some giant spiders and sticky webs when we went through areas with vines, leaves, and branches hanging into the water.
Luckily, I am happy to report that we did not see or run into any scary spiders. We saw plenty of giant webs with tons of huge spiders in trees and powerlines along the roadway and am so relieved that they seemed to not like the area above the river.
After kayaking the creek, we went into the open ocean to hang out with the pelicans and explore the rock formations out by the point.
At the end of the kayaking adventure, we were rewarded with fresh coconut water straight from the coconut.
On a different day, we visited Punta Uva again and explored the jungle from the beach out to the rocky point.
Again, I was ecstatic that I wasn’t attacked by any giant spiders and got to see a ton of crabs on the cliff instead. The sun was starting to set, and I wished we could have sat on the point until the sun went down. But, we didn’t have lights on our bikes and figured it would be best to get home before the sun went down. The sunsets in Puerto Viejo were quite lovely anyways.
Best coffee shop
Just a short bike away from Puerto Viejo and across the street from the beach is the best coffee shop. As most of you probably know, I am not a coffee drinker, but I am a chocoholic. At CariBeans, you can hang out near the beach and sip on pure chocolate.
This company produces their own cacao beans high up in the mountains and, similar to wine, makes different chocolate bars with distinct flavors due to the changes in the terroir of various areas. Just like all restaurants and coffee shops on the Caribbean coast, CariBeans is an open-air establishment to enjoy the ambiance of the great outdoors. However, the chocolate is kept in a walk-in, refrigerated section that you can enter and taste all the different chocolate bar flavors.
After tasting, you can select your favorite to be made into a chocolate drink or a coffee with chocolate drink. Mmmm…I wish I would have discovered this place before our last day. I totally could have sat here every day sipping on different chocolate drinks and listening to the crashing ocean waves.
Puerto Viejo Cuisine – The Best in Costa Rica?
As per usual, our blog would not be complete without a mention of the local cuisine, and, from what we heard, the Caribbean coast has the best cuisine in Costa Rica. Just like how I felt at home in Germany with food similar to how my mom cooks, Jimmy felt right at home in Costa Rica. The typical plate is rice, beans, plantains, and either eggs for breakfast or a flavorful meat for dinner and is very similar to what Jimmy’s mom makes when we visit her in Florida.
Even though we didn’t find the local cuisine super exciting and novel, every meal was extremely tasty and bursting with flavor. The local hotspots Miss Lidia’s and Tamara’s were both outstanding.
Normally, we try to stick to local cuisine during our travels when we are not cooking at home. However, one of the interesting aspects of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and Puerto Viejo in particular, is the blend of cultures. The vibe is different from the rest of Costa Rica with a combination of the local indigenous Bri-Bri tribes, the Ticos (as Costa Ricans call themselves), and then the Afro-Caribbean groups. In addition, we were surprised how many expats call Puerto Viejo home. They have established themselves as part of the community and have built some of the best restaurants in the area.
We met Stashu, a local legend from Guyana, who has dominated the food scene here for years with multiple different restaurants. His current endeavor, Stashu’s Con Fusion, serves delicious Thai, Indian, and Caribbean fusion cuisine.
We had a Caribbean-influenced pad thai and tandoori chicken in a coconut sauce. Both were delicious and definitely had a unique Caribbean spice to them.
We also met Jack, an Aussie who traveled the world for over 20 years gathering all kinds of random collectibles. He created Outback Jack’s Beach Bar N Grill and decorated with his eclectic souvenirs creating an interesting eating experience. Surrounded by colorful, whimsical décor, we enjoyed our time chatting with Jack and crushing some of the best ribs and shrimp-on-the-barbie anywhere.
For our 13th anniversary dinner, we went to a fancy Italian restaurant created by three brothers from Rimini, Italy called Viejo Cafe. We enjoyed their signature lobster ravioli topped with shrimp and calamari and a perfectly prepared steak in a red wine-balsamic reduction.
No matter where we ate from fancy Italian to the small local diners, across the board the food was delicious and far exceeded our expectations for a tiny town on the sparsely populated Caribbean coast.
The delicious, diverse cuisine definitely created a cool dining experience in Puerto Viejo. The laid-back vibe of the expat owners blended in nicely with the cool attitude of the locals to create a unique place. Everyone here truly embraces Pura Vida!
We had a wonderful time living the slow life in Puerto Viejo. Grab a drink, sit on a swing or a tree stump, dip your feet in the water and just enjoy being alive.
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