Costa Rica's Sodas, Family Run Restaurants, Great Food for Less Money

[caption id="attachment_2359" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A typical Costa Rican family run soda"][/caption]

In the Costa Rica we find small family run restaurants called  Costa Rican sodas. The restaurants have their own individual names, but the general term is soda. Here you can save a lot of money because the food is cheaper and very good.   If you order the "casada " or plate of the day, you get a lot of  food for around $6.  The plate comes with rice and beans, fried plantains, salad of chopped cabbage and tomato,  tortillas, and a meat which is usually chicken or beef.  And believe me when you finish you have had plenty to eat!   Also the sodas serve sandwiches and some of them even have a buffett style meal for very reasonable price.

I alway tell my tourist about the sodas.  They get to know what Costa Rican food tastes like,  plus they save money and time.  The service is fast.

I have been asked.  Is there a lot of hot pepper in Costa Rican food-like in Mexico?  No there isn't, but garlic is used generously.  This really flavors the food and garlic is supposed to be very good for your health.

Ask for one of the delicious natural drinks, made of fresh papaya or pineapple or other fresh seasonal fruit.  This is cheaper than soft drinks such as cokes and is also very good for your health.

Here at Costaricalearn we strive to make your visit to Costa Rica a better one.  We offer advice on how to save money on your vacation.  Please leave us a comment to share with our readers.  Simply click on comment  the end of this article.   Or click on contact us at the top of this page.

Overnighting near San Jose International Airport, Costa Rica?

If you are flying into the San Jose International Airport and need to overnight one or two nights before heading out to other tourist destinations in Costa Rica?  From my travel tips on "how to travel Costa Rica smarter and cheaper, "  I can advise you to do the following,  pick a hotel around the Alajuela area.  Why?  It's only 2 miles from the San Jose International Airport.  The taxi ride is shorter and cheaper. And the hotels are going to cost you less.  The town of Alajuela is slower moving and easier to get around in than the big city of San Jose which is 9 miles from the international airport.  And it is only two miles to the Interamerican Highway or Highway 1 which can take you northward to the many popular tourist destinations.  There are many hotels to choose from in and around Alajuela, and I'm sure there is one to fit your budget.  You can simply  click on google and ask for hotels in Alajuela  and search for  your price range.

And if you have purchased a tour which takes you  east of San Jose such as the Tortuguero Canals tour, the  company's tour bus will pick you up  and bring you back to  the Hampton Inn, located right at the entrance to Alajuela at the San Jose international airport.

San Jose can be very hectic with heavy traffic and hard to get around, especially during rush hour traffic.  Alajuela is less hectic and much much easier.

We at costaricalearn hope to make your travel easier.

Coffee "Costa Rica's Gold"

“Starbucks in New York City serves Costa Rican Coffee.”

Tourist traveling to Costa Rica have asked me, “What is the best gift I can bring to my relatives and friends back home?”  And I tell them, “Costa Rican Coffee.”

The cup of coffee you drink in Costa Rica will be very fresh, recently harvested and roasted.   So the coffee is always good.

You can buy bagged coffee in all the supermarkets and at the gift shops in the international airports.  All the brands are good.  The most popular seems to be Britt which you can buy in it’s organic form.  Also the decaffeinated Britt coffee apparently is processed with water instead of with chemicals.  There are other brands of coffee in Costa Rica that are excellent.  In fact I have not found a bad brand yet.

The coffee beans  grown in Costa Rica came from Ethiopia and Arabia and were brought here by the Spaniards.  It was first grown in people’s yards as ornamental plants with its deep green leaves and pretty white blooms with a jasmine scent, and  big red berries.

Coffee was so easy to grow in Costa Rica, especially in the higher elevations of 4,000 feet in the rich volcanic soil, plentiful rainfall, and warm tropical sunshine.

In the year 1843 Costa Rica made it’s connection to the European markets for it’s coffee.  It so happened that an English sea captain named William Le Lacheur was on a return voyage to England from the west coast of the United States and made a stop on the central  Pacific coast at Puntarenas.  His ship was empty and he allowed Costa Rican coffee to be loaded and taken to England where it was an immediate success.

And now,  over a century later we walk into Starbucks in New York City  and drink a cup of Costa Rica coffee!  You’ve come a long way Baby!

Tourist visiting Costa Rica can take a coffee tour, learn all about “Costa Rica’s Gold”  and take a walk in a coffee plantation.

Doka Four Generations Coffee Tour is located in the central valley just 5 miles north of Alajuela.  Here you can learn about the life cycle of the coffee plant, and tour the plantation.  Coffee is harvested and processed November through January, but the tour is open all year . You also learn how coffee is processed, roasted, and  packaged, visit the gift shop and buy coffee to take home,  and have a delicious Costa Rican lunch.  plus taste the different flavors of the Four Generations coffee. Learn more at www.dokaestate.com

Britt Coffee Tour is  located near the hillside town of Heredia between Jan Jose and Alajuela.  The special treat here is theatrical presentation about the history of coffee in Costa Rica, a fun way to learn all about coffee. Also Britt grows coffee organically and here you will learn how this is done.   Find out all about Britt Coffee Tour at www.coffeetour.com

Here at costaricalearn we strive to provide our readers with interesting and educational topics of interest to the traveler.  Got something to say about Costa Rica coffee?  We'd love to hear it.  just click on comments at the end of this post and tell us.

Traveling to Costa Rica? Tips on Handling Money

Are you planning on traveling to Costa Rica?  Costaricalearn is going to offer some tips on handling money. Don't change dollars to colones  which is the Costa Rica monetary unit  BEFORE leaving your home country.   Change it when you arrive to Costa Rica but DON'T  change it in the airport because the exchange rate is poor.  Taxi drivers will allow you to pay them in dollars from the airport to your hotel.  Just be sure you have small  bills on you so you don't get confused when the taxi driver gives you change in colones.  Good tip is:  write on a 3x5 card the exchange rate for $1  $5   $10  $20   $50  $100   That way you can quickly figure it in your head.

The front desk of your hotel will change a small amount of your money into colones, usually $50  at  a rate close to the official exchange rate at the bank.  So I go ahead and change this much at my hotel.  Then I ask at the hotel front desk  directions to the nearest bank.  If it is within walking distance sometime later I go to the bank and change some more money at the official bank rate.

I never carry a large sum of  cash money around with me, and I carry it in a money pouch-under my clothes.

If you are shopping in a central market for crafts etc.  you can ask for a 10% discount by paying in  cash colones

Some places will surcharge you up to 6%  for paying with a credit card.   An example of this is small hotels,  so it's better to pay them in cash.  Best thing is to ask ahead of time-when you make your reservation.  So there are no surprises.

American Express credit card is NOT accepted everywhere in Costa Rica so be aware of this.  Mastercard and Visa  are more widely accepted.

ATM machines?  Yes you can find them.  At the major banks and in areas where there is heavy tourism.  However, they are closed at night for security reasons and I have heard stories of the ATM machines not working.  The ones located adjacent to the banks almost always work, so those are your best bet.

Debit cards?  I have tourist tell me that yes they were able to use a debit card, but on the other hand ,  they  tell me that in some stores they were unable to use a debit card.

Traveler's checks?  You can change these at major banks but there is a fee involved.   Hotels that take travelers checks also charge a fee.    And there are hotels which simply will not take travelers checks  SO check with your hotel before leaving home.

Costa Rica Spotlight: Molino Rojo Hostel Opens On Paseo Colon, San Jose, Costa Rica

[caption id="attachment_2322" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Molino Rojo Hostel San Jose Costa Rica"][/caption]

If you are traveling to San Jose Costa Rica and want a great location that is not far from the San Jose International Airport and very convenient to all the sights in and around San Jose, a new hostel named Molino Rojo Hostel has recently opened on Paseo Colon and Calle 32, diagonal from Kentucky  Fried Chicken .   Very well priced at $10 for a dorm and $25-$40 for  private room and  bath. And yes, there is hot water!   And it comes with continental breakfast and free use of the Internet.  Their tour desk will help you with setting up day tours to all the wonderful places to visit in the area.  There are volcano tours to Poas Volcano National Park,  Irazu Volcano,  tours to an organic coffee plantation,  and in a few minutes you can be downtown San Jose to visit the museums such as the Gold Museum,  The Jade Museum, and Costa Rica's National Museum.  And additionally, Molino Rojo's location  makes it easy to experience San Jose's night life.    Plus it's easy taxi ride to the public bus stations where you can take a public bus to almost anywhere in Costa Rica.  And to Nicaragua and Panama.

The owners share their story of how they completely renovated this structure, with most of the work being done by themselves.  They were inspired to open a hostel when they passed by this beautiful building and saw it in disrepair and thought, "This is a great place to open a hostel"  To give travelers the opportunity for a reasonably priced and comfortable accommodations right in the city.  So they immediately went to work with their saws and hammers,  paints and brushes and a lot of hard work, sweat and tears.  The end results was worth all the effort!

Read more about about Molino Rojo Hostel at www.molinorojohostel.com

At costaricalearn.com like to share  interesting places and interesting stories.  Do you have an interesting story?  Share it with us.  Just click comments or  click reply at end of this article or you can click on "contact us"  at top of this page.

Costaricalearns "Costa Rica Travel Planning Expert", Unique Journeys with Ann Cabezas "Best of Costa Rica's Natural Wonders"

Would you like to travel to Costa Rica on a Spectacular Vacation?  Experience the best of Costa Rica's natural wonders. Explore  the rain forest, active volcanoes,  monkeys, exotic birds,  learn how coffee is grown on a real coffee plantation,  learn how orchids are grown in a real Orchid Botanical Garden, experience the jungle in a comfortable jungle lodge,  sun bathe on the most gorgeous Costa Rica Beaches.

[caption id="attachment_2309" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Poas Volcano National park where we will visit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2310" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Arenal Volcano National Park where we will visit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2311" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="canals of Tortuguero National Park where we will visit"][/caption]

Explore the rivers and canals of  Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, an area rich in exotic tropical plants and flowers.

Ann has fifteen years experience  in designing and planning individualized vacations to Costa Rica and has lived in Costa Rica for eight years.  She does vacation planning for individualized, fmailies, honeymoons,   and also for groups. She and her husband Ken now share their time between the Blueridge mountains of Virginia  and Costa Rica.

Yes,  let Ann, "The Costa Rica Travel Expert" help you plan and design you perfect Costa Rica vacation, with no extra charge to you.

It's just that easy.  Ann gets paid by commission from the hotels and tours she books for you...and you will not pay a peeny more.  In fact you will save time and money because Ann knows the most popular tourist destinations and can guide you thru your vacation planning.  One of the biggest errors  tourist make is because they do not know the distances and the great amount of time it takes to drive the mountainous roads.  Ann designs your vacation so you will not spend most of it driving or riding in a bus.

So with no obligation contact Ann today and get started!  anncreed23@gmail.com

 

Costa Rica Spotlight: Mawamba Lodge and the Little Village of Tortuguero, A Unique Place in Costa Rica Costa

Mawamba Lodge on the Tortuguero Canals  of Costa Rica  is a very special place.  What is so unique about Mawamba Lodge? First of all the setting.   It is located between the Caribbean Sea and the Toruguero River, in the mist of  a remote jungle.  Awake to the sounds of monkeys and  tropical song birds.   The grounds are covered with exotic tropical flowers and plants,  not seen in other areas of Costa Rica . The restaurant is open air surrounded by one thousand shades of green.    The food is delicious and fresh, very typical Costa Rican with natural drinks made from fresh pineapple and papaya. Butterflies  and humming birds of all colors fly near by.  The swimming pool  is a great place to take a dip and cool off from the tropical heat. A short walk and we are on the long stretch of black sand beach where the green sea turtle comes at night to lay her eggs.  We are lucky that we are here in July, the month when we are certainly sure to see the turtles.  If we could stay for 10 weeks we could see the baby turtles hatch and raise up out of the sand and run to the sea.  That would be something to see!

The big treat is the tour of the Tortuguero Canals, some of these canals make up part of Tortuguero National Park which was created to preserve this  ecosystem of fresh water lagoons, creeks, wetlands and secondary rain forest. The wildlife here is abundant because of it's remoteness.  We see monkeys, crocodiles,  jesus christ lizards, turtles, and so many birds.

Situated between the Caribbean Sea and the Tortuguero River, only a mile  from the Mawamba Lodge is Tortuguero,   a small village which take us back in time.  Narrow dirt pathways lead  to quaint  houses all made  of wood and painted in hues of blue, yellow, and red, reflecting the

[caption id="attachment_2296" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Remote Tortuguero canals by boat"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2297" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Tortuguero River Costa Rica"][/caption]

influence of their  neighboring Caribbean Islands.  Another pathway leads us  to the blue and white one room school house where twenty five students , grades one through six,  with one teacher,  attend  morning classes .    We continue our walk which leads us to the ocean with it's  dark sand beachs and loud roar of the waves.   And  here at night we can see the large green sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand. This community is a self sustaining community. Being very isolated from the rest of the outside world the people live simply.  Tourism is the biggest money maker.  Here they fish, hunt, and grow a lot of their vegetables, and eat the fruit that grows wild, like bananas, papaya, and pineapple.

Near the waters  edge are located several small hotels where we see tourist sitting by the river's edge drinking coconut juice-from a hole cut in the top of the coconut.    No one in a hurry here!  No super highways, no jet airplanes. Only the sounds of the river, the ocean, and the rain forest.

The school boat docks nearby.  It has brought the school kids up river for their day at school.  The are all neatly dressed in navy and white uniforms.

There will never be a shortage of food here, no worry of going hungry.  Bananas, coconuts,  mangos, papayas, all growing wild and a small vegetable garden in every yard.  The unpolluted river is abundant with fresh fish and of course there is no shortage of good drinking water with so many natural springs.   Rain falls all year round making all the plants and trees a verdant green.  So the people here at Tortuguero led a very simply life.   No need for cars because there are no roads, only dirt pathways.   This is a real life self sustaining  community.  We as tourist are privileged to take a  peek into their  lifestyle  and wish we could take a little of it back home with us.

Here at costaricalearn we would like to hear from our readers .  What do you think.  Have you visited this unique place?  comment and replies at the end of this article  Thanks.