Sorry it has been a while since my last post, however half of December and January were taken up with going back to England! It was fantastic, but winter in the UK was somewhat irrelevant to this blog...
Anyway, I have been back in Costa Rica for almost a month now. The summer has officially started and the rainy season is over, which is a bit of a shock having spent a good month in one of the coldest winters that Europe has seen for a while. Temperatures in San José seem to stay in the comfortable mid-twenties and the sun comes out nicely most days.
This last week I was lucky enough to go up to Guanacaste and visit Johnny where he's working at Playa Potrero. We spent a couple of days there and went to Playa Prieta, where we saw a cool lizard:
The beach itself was almost deserted, apart from one tico family having a picnic. Unfortunately the waves were a bit to big to have a relaxing swim, but it was a good place to start for a tan!
After having spent a couple of days at Playas Potrero/Penca and Prieta, we decided to make our way down the coast to Sámara, which is a bigger and slightly more touristy beach. The three buses we had to catch to get there took a while, but I would say it was worth it in the end! The beach and smallish beach town felt completely different to Potrero and Brasilito up North, but it had a nice vibe to it. We stayed in a small hotel called Posada Matilori, run by an Italian called Stefano. He was a good host, and very helpful, and in fact the person who's Spanish I have understood the best since being in Costa Rica! (good enunciation)
We spent the next three days lying and relaxing on the beach, and using the body/boogie-board provided by Stefano. This is where we spent most of our time:
We had a lovely time in Sámara, and went to various bars and restaurants in the evenings, however there was one thing that remained puzzling... in all the bars and restaurants that we visited, we were practically the only customers! It is supposed to be high season now for these beaches, however I would like to know where all the tourists - both Gringo and Tico - were, in the evenings, at the weekend, during the high season. I am not complaining of course, I am just quite puzzled!
I would definitely recommend Sámara if you want to visit a different beach on the Pacific Coast. It wasn't the cheapest of places, but the size of the beach meant that there was plenty of room for everyone. I hope that I will be able to return soon!
Anyway, I have been back in Costa Rica for almost a month now. The summer has officially started and the rainy season is over, which is a bit of a shock having spent a good month in one of the coldest winters that Europe has seen for a while. Temperatures in San José seem to stay in the comfortable mid-twenties and the sun comes out nicely most days.
This last week I was lucky enough to go up to Guanacaste and visit Johnny where he's working at Playa Potrero. We spent a couple of days there and went to Playa Prieta, where we saw a cool lizard:
 |
| Cool Lizard seen at Playa Prieta |
The beach itself was almost deserted, apart from one tico family having a picnic. Unfortunately the waves were a bit to big to have a relaxing swim, but it was a good place to start for a tan!
After having spent a couple of days at Playas Potrero/Penca and Prieta, we decided to make our way down the coast to Sámara, which is a bigger and slightly more touristy beach. The three buses we had to catch to get there took a while, but I would say it was worth it in the end! The beach and smallish beach town felt completely different to Potrero and Brasilito up North, but it had a nice vibe to it. We stayed in a small hotel called Posada Matilori, run by an Italian called Stefano. He was a good host, and very helpful, and in fact the person who's Spanish I have understood the best since being in Costa Rica! (good enunciation)
We spent the next three days lying and relaxing on the beach, and using the body/boogie-board provided by Stefano. This is where we spent most of our time:
 |
| Sámara Beach, on the right you can see a surf school |
We had a lovely time in Sámara, and went to various bars and restaurants in the evenings, however there was one thing that remained puzzling... in all the bars and restaurants that we visited, we were practically the only customers! It is supposed to be high season now for these beaches, however I would like to know where all the tourists - both Gringo and Tico - were, in the evenings, at the weekend, during the high season. I am not complaining of course, I am just quite puzzled!
I would definitely recommend Sámara if you want to visit a different beach on the Pacific Coast. It wasn't the cheapest of places, but the size of the beach meant that there was plenty of room for everyone. I hope that I will be able to return soon!
