Costa Rica (Travel and Food)

I just got back from a week in CR. We split half the week in Tamarindo and half the week in Arenal.

We booked a fishing charter through Tamarindo Sportfishing. They run 3 boats. They tried hard but we didn’t have a good fishing day unfortunately. I wanted to catch a rooster fish but that didn’t happen. I only boated one Mahi Mahi. That’s it. They may be a good charter but I don’t have enough of a sample size. Some days the fish don’t cooperate.

We had some good meals and some bad meals while there. I will check back on this thread when I get a chance and give more information as needed.

Look into some restaurants off the beaten path while you're there. We stayed at the Riu Palace in Guanacaste this past summer and ate at a nearby restaurant called the Monkey Bar. It was a run-down shack kind of place, but the seafood-stuffed lobster I ate there was one of the most incredible fresh seafood dishes I've ever had (likewise for my son's whole fried snapper). I'd put it in my top 5 meals ever, and you'd never guess that from the looks of the place. Had to fight flies off the whole time while eating outdoors, but it was well worth it. It's not in the area you're staying, but I'm sure there are places like this all over Costa Rica. We had some great meals at the fine dining restaurants at the resort, but Monkey Bar is the meal we'll remember for a lifetime.







ETA: And yes, it's called the Monkey Bar for a reason.

You fricker, how about a NSFW on that snapper...at least right before lunch.

Lots of meals with beans and rice. The one thing I enjoyed most while being there was the guanabanas. frick those things are delicious when pureed.

Was there in October. Stayed outside of Jaco. Fished with Maverick Charters. Completely struck out aside form a huge hen Mahi Mahi. Had a group stay in Los Suenos. Had two other groups stay outside Jaco on Playa Hermosa.

Gorgeous place. But we didn’t go for the food. Hiked up into the mountains. Hit some Class 4 rapids on the way down them. Brought a personal chef out twice. He nailed the Mahi Mahi for us.

We found a beach front surfing hostel outside of our neighborhood on Playa Hermosa that had an open air bar and restaurant beachfront. We ate there for breakfast and dinner several times. We cheated a bit in that we had a guide/driver through our charter service who knew every single place to get a bite or walk us through a menu. But as previously stated, expect beans and rice as they’re a staple. Banana pancakes for breakfast was legit af.

Cannot recommend CR enough. Just an amazing trip and a beautiful country. They drive on the right side of the road. Don’t expect English.

Oh...if you’re in Jaco, Los Suenos has several great, familiar dining options near the marina. They also have a nice wine/liquor store with great options.

If you are thinking of going, it’s a $518 flight to go round trip on Delta Comfort+ with a connection in Atlanta. Ridiculously cheap. Cannot recommend you guys head out that way enough.

ETA: I'll add in an Easter Egg here. If you're in the Jaco/Playa Hermosa area, find your way to Playa Mantas. It's a locals beach according to our guide. Seemed to bear out to be true as we went mid-day during the week and were the only people on the beach.

It was something out of a travel brochure.

ETA 2: All pics taken with an iPhone XS Max

Wow. Beautiful fish. That’s an amazing story.

I hope you tipped that deck hand.