Karl Kahler - Frommers EasyGuide to Costa Rica 2017

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5 4 3 2 1

Frommer's Star Ratings System

Every hotel, restaurant and attraction listed in this guide has been ranked for quality and value. Here's what the stars mean:

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and buses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about these hotels, restaurants, museums, and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karl Kahler was born in Arkansas and grew up in California, Venezuela, Canada, Mexico, Alaska, and Bolivia with globe-trotting parents who worked in public and private schools. He has been visiting Costa Rica since 1994 and is currently the travel editor of the Tico Times. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California in history and journalism, he worked for the San Jose Mercury News in California for 25 years, starting as a copy editor and leaving as national editor. He has two grown sons, a lawyer and an actor.

Acknowledgments:

I am greatly indebted to Eliot Greenspan, the previous author of this book, for the rock-solid infrastructure he left me to build upon. His research, writing, and experience in Costa Rica are unparalleled, and they pervade every page.

ABOUT THE FROMMERS TRAVEL GUIDES

For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24 percent of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.

Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.

We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.

And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.

I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.

Arthur Frommer

THE BEST OF Costa Rica

C osta Rica is one of the hottest vacation and adventure-travel destinations in Latin America, and for good reason. The country is rich in natural wonders and biodiversity, where you can still find yourself far from the madding crowds. Costa Rica boasts a wealth of unsullied beaches that stretch for miles, jungle rivers for rafting and kayaking, and spectacular cloud forests and rainforests with ample opportunities for bird-watching, wildlife viewing, and hiking. In addition to the trademark eco- and adventure-tourism offerings, you will find fetching resorts, plush spas, and spectacular boutique hotels and lodges. This chapter provides an overview of the highlights so you can plan your own adventure.

Costa Ricas best Authentic Experiences

Taking a Night Tour in a Tropical Forest : Most Neotropical forest dwellers are nocturnal, so nighttime tours are offered at rainforest and cloud forest destinations throughout the country. Some of the better spots for night tours are Monteverde ().

Soaking in a Volcanic Hot Spring : Costa Ricas volcanoes have blessed the country with a host of natural hot spring spots. From the opulent grandeur of Tabacn Grand Spa Thermal Resort (), mineral-rich, naturally heated waters are waiting to soothe what ails you.

Spotting a Resplendent Quetzal : The iridescent colors and long, flowing tail feathers of this aptly named bird are breathtaking. This rare species can still be regularly sighted in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve () and the San Gerardo de Dota region.

Meeting Monkeys : Costa Ricas rainforests and cloud forests are home to four species of New World monkeyshowler, capuchin, squirrel, and spider. Your odds of seeing one or more are very good if you visit Monteverde ().