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National Theater San José
19 Reviews On Monday, one of the things we did was a tour of the National Theatre (which was being renovated, so it wasn’t really a tour, and we didn’t pay for it because the guard at the entrance wasn’t there)...
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Museo Nacional-National Museum San José
11 Reviews Although not its most modern museum, this is San Jose's best museum. It houses a substantial collection of pre-columbian artifacts along with colonial and national treasures. The museum is housed in...
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Mercado Central - Central market San José
6 Reviews On our first day in San Jose, we walked through some of the Central Market but did not see anything worth buying. Friday morning March 1st we went to the Mercado Artesania. We did our last souvenir...
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Pedestrian Mall - Avenida Central San José
4 Reviews There is a very nice car & bus-free walk down the main street, Central Calle. It’s about 8 blocks long, no cars and no buses mean the diesel exhaust is a away from you. There are a couple plazas, the...
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Museo de Oro, Banco Central - Central Bank's Gold Museum San José
4 Reviews The entrance to the Museum is close to Central Park----There was a crowd of school kids so we just followed them to the Museo del Oro, which also includes exhibits about coins and archeological sites...
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Jade Museum San José
8 Reviews When we were in San Jose in 1996, this museum was free and it was open on Monday when the Gold Museum was closed. It was on the 11th floor of an insurance company. The jade part takes up about 25% of...
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Plaza de la Cultura - Square of Culture San José
4 Reviews Under the not very exciting park you find the Gold Museum, a vast collection of pre-Columbian gold figures. A must see in San Jose! The museum opens from 9:00 to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday,...
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Correo Central - Post Office San José
3 Reviews Constructed in 1917, the main post office is still functioning today. On the first floor is the Museum of Stamps with free admission. A small park parallels the building across the Calle 2 pedestrian...
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Parque España – Park of Spain San José
2 Reviews The closest you can get to the jungle and still be in San Jose, this park holds tropical trees transplanted from around the country. The entrance to the park features a fountain and a statue of...
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Parque Francisco Morazán San José
3 Reviews Surrounding the park is an iron fence with ornate gates. The park itself contains and assortment of greenery, statues and busts. Central to the park is the Temple of Music, a pavilion that serves as a...
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Catedral Metropolitana - Metropolitan Cathedral San José
4 Reviews The Metro Catedral is close to Parque Central and lovely on the outside and the inside. There was a service at the time we walked past, and we stopped inside for a peek---the congregation was singing...
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Carnival San José
2 Reviews Around christmas time there is a festival in San Jose with a big parade, rodeo and market. I dont remember the name, but they have one every year. I have never seen so many horses in my life! There...
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Spanish Classes San José
1 Review Spanish lessons at the Montana Linda Spanish School Montaña Linda is a low budget backpacker's youth hostel and a Spanish Language School, with probably the cheapest Spanish Classes around Costa Rica.
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Another activity we wanted to try while in Costa Rica was horsebackriding. While we were in Sámara, we again touched bases with our friends at Anywhere Costa Rica to setup the excursion with the Sámara Adventure Company located at #75 on the map of Sámara, and off we went on a private tour of the area for almost 3 1/2 hours.
I've always wanted to be fluent in multiple languages. Call it a bucket list item.Signed up for 2 weeks of study with CPI in Costa Rica. Also requested to stay with local families to get a more intense experience, meet a few locals and see how they live. Interacting with locals is the hardest part of being a traveler, but with a home-stay, an opportunity to learn about daily life and local customs is offered. Highly recommended.The first week, I did 4 hours of Spanish classwork every weekday followed by 1-3 hours of homework nightly. This was my first introduction to Spanish on any level outside watching Spanish TV stations in Texas. 100% beginner. No Spanish in high school or introductory classes before this. I studied a different language previously. On Friday, there was a test to ensure that I was prepared for the following week. I had to study hard the night before - I passed.Four...
As you can tell, we really had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. Our last adventure involved sea kayaking and snorkeling. On our last full day in Sámara (as well as Costa Rica), we got up early, had breakfast and got ready for our sea adventure. We again had made our reservations with Anywhere Costa Rica and they had set everything up with the Sámara Adventure Company. There were nine people in our group, so down to the beach we went and into the water we traveled. Overall, a fantastic experience and looking forward to doing it again.
One of the activities we wanted to do while in Costa Rica was ziplining. We had tried it in San Diego and loved it, so why not do it again, but this time from the southern face of Volcán Arenal with fantasic views of Lake Arenal as well as the rainforest (get a taste of what we experienced by looking at the video on our Costa Rica page) and believe me, you wouldn't want to miss this!!! The company running the zipline is called Sky Trek and we booked it through a tour company called Anywhere Costa Rica, both outstanding organizations and highly recommended.
On our way into the Braulio Carillo National Park, we came upon the amazing sight of the confluence of the Rio Sucio and Rio Honduras -- Rio Sucio is the "dirty river" melding with Rio Honduras, aka "Rio Blanco" or "Rio Claro" which is a clean river. The phenomenon occurs because, at least for some distance, and though becoming one river body, each river keeps its own characteristics of dirty and clean side by side as the new river meanders.Rio Sucio has a distinctive brown, almost gold color as it carries suspended material down from the Irazu Volcano and Rio Honduras carries clean mountain water. Unfortunately for us, the day we traveled along Route 32, the Guapiles Highway, it was raining steadily. Our bus crossed the bridge above these rivers but we were unable to stop for good photos due to traffic and the weather. The result are my 2 subpar photos of each river. ( I have included a...
If you are a coffee lover, don't miss the Cafe Britt "Coffee Lovers Tour." I found Cafe Britt online before leaving for Costa Rica, and booked the "Coffee Lovers Tour" which included transportation hotel pick up and return, an in-depth educational tour, tour of the Beneficio Tierra Madre Coffee Mill museum, lunch, barrista demonstrations and unlimited coffee tasting for $60 per person (2012 price).We were picked up at our hotel for the 30+ plus minute ride to Cafe Britt located near Heredia. With good humor, our guides, Maria and Luis did a marvelous job of educating us about Costa Rican coffee history and culture, and on all aspects of coffee from how it is grown and harvested, to how beans are selected, roasted and packaged for gourmet coffee. It is a labor intensive process and also quite technical --- the result is Cafe Britt's own brand which is made from Arabbbica beans and the...
Costa Rica's capital of San Jose has its fair share of sights and museums, but the place which ranked high on my list of "must sees" was its famed "Teatro Nacional." Located on the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura and adjacent to the Hotel Gran, the Teatro is the country's most treasured public building and rightfully deserves that sentiment.It's more glorious and lavish than I even imagined. Adorned with marble, gilt, artwork, carved wood and more, artisans from Europe were commissioned to create a theater which would rival any in Europe and which would host the great operas, musicians and performers of the time. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned neoclassical facade that is flanked by statues of Beethoven and Calderón de la Barca, a 17th-century Spanish dramatist.The Teatro's most famous painting is "Alegoría al café y el banano", which depicts an idyllic scene...
By far the most fun adventure EVER! We did this tour through Desafio (the best) and I can not say more good things about it. They pick you up, drive you up a mountain, get you set up with gear (helmets, harness, etc.), and take you on a hike where you repel down mountain sides and walk through the rainforest. It was unforgettable for sure... fun and safe for all skill levels.
White water rafting through Desafio was so much fun!! We felt safe while testing our limits for adventure. They put you in groups of 4 and assign a Desafio white water rafting guide to each boat. Our guide was particularly amazing, having my friend sit on the front of the boat to "ride the bull," showing us where we can jump off of rocks, and letting us jump out of the raft to swim in the deeper spot. It's a great opportunity to meet people too. I highly recommend white water rafting with Desafio!**Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen for the areas of your skin exposed to the sun (thighs, nose, etc)
Ziplining through the rainforest canopies was a lot of fun. We didn't get to do this activity through Desafio, and there was a difference. I would recommend doing all activities through Desafio because they are really friendly, make you feel safe, and it seems like they try to make your trip as fun as possible!! Ziplining should definitely be a must-do on your list. The views are unbelievable and it's really fun!
Hotel AmaTierra Provincia de Puntarenas
222 Opinions
Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa Provincia de Guanacaste
1 Review and 1239 Opinions I don’t know how many of you have stayed in an all inclusive hotel before... but this resort was so...
Hotel Santo Tomas San José
4 Reviews and 292 Opinions Very friendly an to other d helpful staff. The newer rooms are excellent. good value relative...
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