A picture is worth a thousand words.  So my previous post did a lot of talking.

This time, I’m sorta “yelping” about the places I ate, partied, and hung out at in Costa Rica.  If nobody reads this, I’ll just count it as a online journal of what I did in Costa Rica.  Just a quick note about the Tamarindo area: nothing has addresses, so everything is marked by the beach it’s near (Tamarindo, Langosta, etc.) or a certain landmark or road (ie. The Circle).  Check out this map for a general reference.  Just about everything here is touristy, as well.  Without further ado, here it is:

LODGING

Villas Cerca del Mar - Langsota
Beautiful 3-bedroom 3.5-bathroom villas in Langosta.  Amenities include air conditioning, TV, sound system that pipes through the whole villa, cable modem internet (select villas…#3 has it for sure), full kitchen, outdoor grill, swimming pool, and laundry machines.  The showers open to the outside, but still maintain privacy.  Each villa could probably sleep 6 comfortably, seven, if you count the couch.  The even numbered villas have the larger pools before the entrance of the house, which make for a larger patio and entertaining area.  I stayed in an odd numbered one which had a smaller pool and patio in the back.  Keep in mind, these villas are about a 25 minute walk into Tamarindo.  More info here.

FOOD & NIGHTLIFE

Monkey Bar & Restaurant - Best Western Villas - Tamarindo
The food was decent.  Their varied menu had salads, burgers, pastas, fish plates and the like.  Prices seemed a bit high.  I think I paid like $14 for my dish.  I had a seafood pasta with some really fresh ingredients.  However, this is THE SPOT to party on a Friday night.  There’s a live Latin band on one side of the bar, and when they take a break, a reggae DJ fires up the music on the other side and the crowd flows over there till the band starts playing again.  Then people flow back.  Thereby, the party is always moving, literally.  Fridays are ladies night, so, ladies get in free.  Or, you can do what we did and just stayed after dinner to avoid cover.

Walter’s Place - The Circle - Tamarindo
The atmosphere is pretty chill and open air to the beach.  The prices are fair as well.  Note, with almost any restaurant, you can expect nearly an hour wait from ordering to getting your food.  To their credit, we did have a large group.  And, it could be they’re using super fresh ingredients and not pre-prepping much.  I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here.  Their menu is pretty similar to Monkey Bar, but with many more choices.  I had the honey-fried chicken which was oh-so-good.  I also had some ceviche.  If you’re in Costa Rica, order either the seafood or chicken.  You can’t go wrong.

Hotel Barcelo - Langosta
This was the “nice” hotel that was down the street from the villas we stayed out.  We started out Saturday night/guys night out here.  We walked into their casino to get our game on, but was sorely disappointed.  There was a “roulette” table, a card table (I *think* it was blackjack, I wasn’t paying attention), and a couple of slots.  Needless to say, we didn’t game at all.  We ended up downstairs in the hotel’s lounge where we shot tequila and smoked cigars to mark one of the last nights of bachelorhood for groom-to-be Sean.  From there, we moved on to…

Babylon Bar - Tamarindo
Cover charge applies.  Saturday night is ladies night here.  But as someone in our group pointed out, “It looks like it’s just a bunch of guys, waiting for it to be ladies night.”  Perhaps we caught it on an off night.  We also showed up on Thursday for Reggae night where it was a little more popping.  The atmosphere is semi-dark, and semi-outdoors too.  The DJ was playing a strange mix of house, hip hop, and pop.  There was a foosball table for the serious (and I mean serious, the locals don’t mess around), and a broken skate ramp for the bored.  We also met a famous German actor here…though, for the life of me, I can’t remember his name.  Then, from here we went to…

Aqua Discoteque - Tamarindo
Cover charge applies.  The afterparty spot…this place goes till 5am.  This seems like one of the newest clubs in Tamarindo.  It’s got a bumping sound system, trippy lights, and an expensive bar.  It certainly feels upscale.  They have special guest DJs on Saturdays, and on said Saturday, he was playing house music.  It was pretty empty when we were there (2am-4amish).  They also have a moderate sized outdoor seating area/balcony where we hung out until we left.  If you plan to go here, keep note that they’re closed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  We found out the hard way later in the week….twice.

Cala Moresca - Cala Luna Resort - Langosta
Of all things, I had eggs benedict here.  Nothing special.  The bread that accompanied the meal, however, was delicious.  I think I paid $10 for the meal.

Carolina’s - Tamarindo
Upscale dining by Carolina and her Swiss chef husband Hans Peter.  The decor and atmosphere is intimate and quiet.  That of which was broken up by our large, boisterous rehearsal dinner group.  Service is top as provided by Carolina, Juan, and the Italian guy (I forgot his name).  Food is outstanding as executed by Hans Peter.  The yellow curry soup was insanely good.  I have no idea how much the meal cost as the groom’s parents graciously footed the bill.

Cala Luna Catering - Langosta
At least I think they did the catering for the reception.  The food was amazing.  The cucumber & pineapple salad, the fish w/ curry & papaya, and the tres leches cake.  MmmmMm.  The wedding cake was quite decadent too.  Not too sweet, and just the right spongy density.  I’m not sure who made the cake, though.

Lola’s - Avellanas
This is about 30 minutes by car from Tamarindo.  Lola’s is pretty much the only thing on Playa Avellanas.  It’s literally right on the beach.  And when you’re done, you can relax in one of their hammocks or walk along Playa Avellanas. The food is absolutely fantastic.  It’s definitely a tourist spot as the prices show it too.  I had a delicious fish and chips where the fish was absolutely tender and fried to perfection.  Others in my group ordered pizzas, pitas, ceviche, skewers, and salads.  This gets me hungry just thinking about it.  The blended juices are fresh and fantastic as well.  Keep a lookout for Lola the pig!

Pacifico Bar - The Circle - Tamarindo
This was one of the few nightlife spots open on a Monday night.  This night in particular was a bit shady and had prostitutes lined up near the entrance.  The DJ was spinning a mix of latin and reggae.  There was a foosball table upstairs, and a locked-but-lights-on men’s room.  Kind of annoying.  On our way out, saw a cabbie get into it with some dude.  Cops were on hand so it didn’t get out of control.  Good times.  We did return here on Wednesday night to which there were less prostitutes and more of a crowd.  However, the men’s room was still mysteriously locked.

Pasatiempo - Tamarindo
Had breakfast here on Monday (yummy banana pancakes), and came back for the live classic rock cover band on Tuesday night.  No cover!  It’s also open mic, so if you’re feeling nostalgic, get your American Idol on.  They close around midnight, however.  And when that happens, head over to…

La Barra - Tamarindo
No cover on Tuesday nights.  DJ played a bit of hip hop, a bit of reggae.  It’s a fun spot.  Only thing that was annoying was the bathroom door lady.  She would bang a tip jar that you must deposit to get entry to the restrooms.  On Wednesday nights, there’s cover as well as a live Latin band where the locals strut their stuff to.  If you got moves, you can join them, or get embarassed trying.

Frutas Tropicales - across from Witch’s Rock Surf Camp - Tamarindo
Small restaurant serving up food as local as it can get.  Cheap prices too!  Get yourself a blended juice and casados (rice and beans) and you’re set!

La Balula - next to Dragonfly Restaurant - Tamarindo
Flatbread pizzas to die for.  Choose from a variety of tasty ingredients for a 10″-11″ personal pizza for about $8-$9 each.  One specialty that’s not on the menu is a stuffed foccacia pizza, where you can choose any of the topping offerings stuffed into their housemade foccacia bread.  For about $7, it’s quite good and filling.

GROCERIES
Automercado is quite an impressive supermarket on the north end of town with many fresh meats and produce.  You’ll most likely need to cab it out there.

Supermercado is within town and where most of the locals go.  It’s on the bottom floor of a 3 story building.

Spots I didn’t get to check out:

Kahiki - It burned down the week we were visiting.  We saw the smoke and rubble.

Dragonfly - Even though I ate next door, I never made it to supposedly one of the best spots in Tamarindo.

UNIQUE SHOPPING

Papaya con Leche - Tamarindo - (506) 2653 3902
From custom swimsuits and sundresses, Kata and Cristina will take care of your beach fashion needs.  Their seamstresses are just upstairs in their shop, so, you can pick out a fabric and design, and they’ll create a custom swimsuit ready in about 24 hours.  If you want a truly unique souvenier or gift that’s one-of-a-kind and is made right in Tamarindo, this is it.  Make sure you also check out their bags and dresses made from recycled trash.  They’re quite interesting.

ACTIVITIES

Pinilla Canopy Tours - Pinilla
These 8 ziplines are about a 20 minute drive from Tamarindo.  It’s not as exciting as the half mile zipline out by the volcano, but it’s still fun.  Book through a tour guide to set this up.

Blue Dolphin Catamarans - Tamarindo - Pickup on beach near El Pescador - (506) 2653 0446
Five hour long catamaran tour along the coast.  $75.  Inquire at various stands and offices around Tamarindo or phone them.  Jeff, the owner of the company, and a SF Bay Area native, graciously picked us up near our villa.  There’s food, snorkeling, and an open bar on-board.  Though, make sure you eat a bit before you get on board, as it’s not a substantial meal.  The staff is very friendly and helpful.  Unfortunately for us, the windy conditions made for good sailing, but murky snorkeling.  We stopped by a black sand beach along the way, which was amusing.

Surfing - various - Tamarindo
We rented from Banana Surf Club, Matos Films, & Iguana Surf Shop.  They’re all about the same.  Though, Iguana has lockers you can use to lock up some of your stuff.  Grab a board and go!

USEFUL FACTS

Tour Guide: Don Grant will take care of you for canopy tours, boat and fishing trips, surf lessons and more! He’s been guiding since he was 13 and knows the best places, and can get you the best prices.  Call him at (506) 8839 0561 or email at toursprofile@yahoo.com .

Cabs: It’s about $5 each way to get you anywhere in Tamarindo and Langosta.

Tipping: the first 10% is included as a standard service, you should still tip an additional 10% if you found service to be satisfactory.  We were kindly educated on our trip by a server.

“Do you want something….?”: At the bars, it’s pretty common to be solicited for drugs. The dealers are usually near or in the bathrooms. They’ll usually pass you up if you say no.  Just don’t make a scene. Unless you do want some drugs…then I purchase at your own risk as I have no experience with it.

Maps: I didn’t get a decent map of Tamarindo till almost the end of my trip. Get a good one here.

Until my next trip, Pura Vida!

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