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After this lovely time out, we went to the southern part of the Nicoya Peninsula. The quality of the roads is improvable here, but the government is about to change that.
Arrived in Mal Pais at Casa Chameleon , we soaked up the surfer vibes for some days. The area is very secluded, but very calm and relaxed. The view from Casa Chameleon towards the Pacific and the sunset is second to none.
After three more days, we left the Nicoya Peninsula by car ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas. It is best to reserve the ferry online.
We enjoyed this part of our 14 day Costa Rica route the least. Quepos is really not a beautiful city and the national park is completely overcrowded even in off-season. People try to sell you some overpriced crap on every corner and the animals in the small Manuel Antonio National Park are rarely seen. No wonder with the mass of visitors.
Our Costa Rica travel tip at this point: Give Manuel Antonio National Park some space to breathe and choose Uvita further south and visit Corcovado National Park from there by boat.
Which brings us to our next and last stop on our 14 day Costa Rica itinerary.
Uvita the city with the whale fin - fantastically beautiful and worth living. Here, we stayed in Vista Celestial. A dreamlike accommodation high up in the mountains with a great view of the famous whale fin. This is a good base to join some really unique trips in the area.
In Costa Rica, there is food on every corner. The best way to buy cheap fruit is at the small stands on the side of the roads. There are small shops everywhere, where you can always buy cold drinks and snacks.
The prices in official restaurants are relatively high, especially in the tourist regions - comparable to those in Europe. You eat significantly cheaper in so-called sodas. These are small bistros that are run by local women. Typical dishes in these sodas are Pico de Gallo (tomato salsa), Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), Pollo Fritto (fried chicken) and various egg dishes with cheese or platanas.
In the following we would like to share our good experiences with restaurants and food:
Tenorio Region - Restaurante La Terazza: Delicious tico meal with monkeys and toucans.
Arenal Region - La Ventanita: Delicious burritos and excellent cocktails.
Mal Pais on the southern Nicoya Peninsula - Caracolas: Here we had the best meal on our route in Costa Rica. Be sure to try the tuna tartare.
Uvita - Here we can recommend Mystic Sushi (Japanese) and Al Chile (Mexican).