Travel #4: Puerto Viejo

How to get to Puerto Viejo from San Jose           

Some websites—including Lonely Planet—say you can travel from San Jose to Puerto Viejo by taking a bus from Terminal del Caribe. Here's how to actually travel to Puerto Viejo: take the bus to Puerto Viejo from Terminal San Carlos—AKA Terminal Coca-Cola—which is about 6-7 blocks from Parque de la Merced—AKA "Managuita". It's fine to walk during the day, but I would recommend taking a cab in the evening. You want to take the MEPE bus, which is the line recommended by other sites. When I went in June 2013 the buses left at 6 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM (Sunday only), and 2 PM. The trip is around 5 hours long and costs $10 (might be cash only). Consider showing up about an hour early so that you know you get a ticket and aren't stuck waiting two hours for the next bus. Buy the ticket ahead of time only if you can be absolutely certain you're going to make your bus; the only thing worse than waiting 2 hours for the next bus is waiting 2 hours for the next bus after missing the trip you already paid for.

The bus ride isn't so bad despite being so long. It's like an American charter bus, but with no restroom or air conditioning. The bus will stop in Limón about 3.5 hours into the trip. There are decently clean restrooms for use for 150 colónes, as well as some little restaurants (I recommend an empanada de carne for a cheap snack). The bus stops again in a dirt parking lot in Cahuita, which is about 20 minutes before the last stop in Puerto Viejo. Some people prefer Cahuita to Puerto Viejo because the beaches are slightly less crowded and there is a lovely national park, but there are more accommodations in Puerto Viejo.

The beach & town of Puerto Viejo

Honestly I found myself agreeing with the Spaniards in that I much prefer the Pacific Coast. The beach vibe in the town of Puerto Viejo is cool and not exclusively for the gringo tourists (when I went there were more Ticos around). There are lots of souvenir shops and restaurants of different varieties and price ranges. A lot of the restaurants have Wifi, too. I've heard that the fusion cuisine in Puerto Viejo is awesome, but honestly I didn't get around to trying it since I ate at the same Italian pizza & pasta restaurant next to Rockin' J's twice because it was so good (owned by Italians). I noticed too that besides all the European ex-pats there are lots of Jamaicans, who originally were brought by the fruit companies that used to own and develop most of Limón as labor on the railroads and plantations. So, interestingly enough, loads of people speak English. It's Creole English, but I could understand it when I heard it.

The beach in Puerto Viejo is good for casual, laid-back swimming. Some areas are rocky, which makes it difficult to walk far out. I would think it's bad for surfing though, because there aren't many waves, and no big ones. Unfortunately the beach is pretty dirty from litter and plant material washed in from the ocean, plus litter from beachgoers, so make sure you have shoes and wear them until you are out of areas shaded by trees. Hookworm larva can get in your foot in those shady areas, but the sunlight on sand kills them.

Survival Tips/Travel Tips for Puerto Viejo

• Withdraw a lot of cash for your trip. With the exception of some grocery stores, very few places will accept credit/debit cards. If they do, there will definitely be a fee (between 10% and $10) and maybe a minimum transaction amount (as high as $16 in one place). None of the small souvenir vendors will take cards, and few of the rental places will either. The ATM is about 2 blocks from the bus stop.
• Don't walk around at night, especially alone. The U.S. Embassy sent an email out a few weeks ago about a slight increase in armed robberies of U.S. citizens in the Puerto Viejo area. This is because people think you have cash, and if you're trying to buy anything anytime soon, they're right. Sun sets around 6 PM, and it would be a poor choice to walk around after that without a group of at least 3 people, or at all after 8 PM. There are taxis everywhere (official "rojos" and the "piratas"), just do that if you need to bar hop.
• Bring bottled water. The water outside of the Central Valley (provinces of San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia) is not safe to drink. You can maybe risk small amounts to brush your teeth or something, but you absolutely must have bottled drinking water. I would buy it ahead of time, because it's expensive there since people know you have to buy it.
• Bring bug spray, with lots of DEET (though I think over 40% is dangerous even for humans). There are lots of bugs (mosquitoes) all over Costa Rica, but especially at the beach, in greater number and variety. There is also a higher risk of contracting a tropical disease from an insect in the coastal regions, especially on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. One of the biggest worries is dengue, which has increased 300% this year (read an article here).

My review of Rockin' J's Hostel

If you're looking for specific information about the rates and stuff at Rockin' J's, you can see their website here: . Basically you have four options (in ascending order of price, though it's all cheap): hammock hotel, tents, dorm, private cabina.  It tends to receive rave reviews from everything including the Lonely Planet guide site, but here's my description of the accommodations:

Hammock: You couldn't pay me to sleep in those hammocks. They're covered from rain but there is almost zero bug protection, and little air circulation besides a few oscillating fans. I can't imagine they are washed frequently, and certainly aren't between individual customers. You might as well pay the extra $2 to get a tent and not get malaria. 

Tent: The tents are just normal 2-person camping tents, which are decently large vertically and horizontally. Inside is a double mattress (with sheets). Since you can't lock a tent, the staff will assign you a large locker for your stuff that you want to put away. I wouldn't worry about theft there, but obviously better safe than sorry. You can also camp there for hardly any charge if you bring your own tent (though there isn't much grass to put a tent on, but plenty of gravel).

Cabina: The cabinas go from one bed to 4, and there are "suites" that have room for 6. All that's in there is the selected number of bunk beds (with sheets), an oscillating fan, and lights. They have a window, which you'll want to leave open for air (and unfortunately, bug) circulation. I stayed in the "observatory" cabina built on top of one of the hammock areas, which was cute and more spacious but was not completely protected from rain and only partially from bugs.

Overall: All the mattresses have sheets and pillows, though if any rain or much humidity has gotten inside the place they will feel mildewed and even damp. If this is the case, you can ask the staff to replace them with a more recently cleaned set. The water is cold and not safe to drink. I'm not certain how it's safe to wash dishes/clothes/hands in non-potable water, but whatever. If you want to completely isolate yourself from it, the hotel has clean water you can use to refill empty bottles for fairly cheap (~1000 colones for 1 litre). There is Wifi, but only in the table areas downstairs, near the restaurant. There are also plugs there to charge electronics, and inside the cabinas. The restaurant/bar has good food from 8 AM to about 11 PM, but pricey. Another reason to have cash: there is a $10 fee if you try to pay with a card.