Exotic Costa Rican Adventures for the Entire Family

Montezuma

Located on the Pacific coast at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula, Montezuma will satisfy any sun worshiper with crystal clear days essentially from December through May. However you don’t just “pass though” Montezuma—it takes a little bit of dedication.

After a two-hour ferry crossing from Puntarenas, then a couple more hours to the end of a long and bumpy dirt road, Montezuma has that magical quality that makes you forget that there was ever life at the beginning of the road. It also inspires a population that comes and forgets to leave. If you’ve ever wondered where the Deadheads went after Jerry Garcia died, wonder no more.

If you visit during the December and New Year’s holidays, book well in advance as rooms tend to sell out quickly. Otherwise, you shouldn’t have any problem finding lodging. Several hotels and guesthouses line the main roads through town with prices ranging from $15 per night for a rustic backpacker experience to more than $150 per night for luxurious comfort.

An excellent place located slightly outside of town is the Hotel Horizontes de Montezuma, with tasty meals and super clean, spacious rooms with balconies that overlook the rainforest, making it easy for early-morning bird watching. Rates start at $45 per night for standard doubles during the low season.

• A local winged guest joins a visitor for breakfast in Montezuma, which boasts abundant bird life.
• Donna M. Airoldi

There also are plenty of excellent restaurants in Montezuma, not least because of all the ex-patriot Italians living in the town.

Tour operators can set you up with everything from surfing lessons to guided hikes through the surrounding parks, as well as your ground transportation back to San José. Costa Rica is a magnet for virtually any kind of adrenaline junkie, except perhaps downhill skiers. This has not only set up an industry catering to the adventurer, but also an industry to put the adventurer back together when the pursuit of adrenaline doesn’t go so well. In Montezuma, after a wave demonstrated the perfect pile driver maneuver on my brother, we found firsthand that Costa Rica’s medical system is excellent. But even though our Montezuma experience came to an unexpected halt, don’t let that stop you from tackling the world-class waves.

Editor's note:  While many of the hotels, restaurants and shops take credit cards, make sure you have back-up cash on you. The nearest bank is in Cobano, 7 kilometers away, open only Mon.-Fri., 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., so be sure to catch the morning bus to make it in time. Bring your passport. While there is an ATM in Montezuma, it sometimes runs out of money, as it did during my stay there.

So Many Places, So Little Time

Costa Rica offers so many destination and activity options, that it’s difficult to cover them all in one article, or in one trip for that matter. Additional places in the country worth visiting are Manuel Antonio  National Park on the Pacific coast with its beautiful stretches of white sandy beaches and jungle trails, the remote Osa Peninsula, Peninsula Papagayo in northern Nicoya for five-star luxury resorts, and more.

• Family fun at Manuel Antonio Beach.
• Mike Baird

There’s something different to do every day and never a boring moment. Use this to your advantage. Let the kids help you shape the itinerary. This will give them some ownership and add to the excitement when they see the red lava spewing out of a volcano, or see the outline of a camouflaged alligator. Just don’t be surprised when some of your best memories are when the friendly Ticos let you pose with their pet toucan or pick fresh bananas from their tree.

Quick trip tips

Most visitors from North America stay in Costa Rica for less than 10 days, while many Europeans have the good sense to enjoy the country at a more leisurely pace. If you have only a short time to enjoy Costa Rica’s wonders, make sure that you give the following five destinations a place in your itinerary:

1. The Monteverde Cloud Forest—a five-hour drive from the capital of San José.
2. Volcán Arenal, the active volcano in the middle of the country—an eight-hour drive from the capital, and not too far from Monteverde. Most people loop from one to the other, then back to San José.
3. The Pacific side’s popular surf spots: Mal País and Jaco. Mal País is near Montezuma and Jaco is easily accessible from San José.
4. Tortuguero, with its population of turtles on the Caribbean coast, is an oasis that you won’t want to miss.
5. The Rio Pacuare has been named by National Geographic as one of the top 10 river trips in the world. One-, two- and three-day class III and IV whitewater rafting are yours for the taking.

Additional information provided by Donna M. Airoldi for the San Jose and Montezuma sections.