|
 |
|
| On a whim, we decided to take our first surf-specific trip. We had heard that Nosara is a nice, quiet surf town in Costa Rica. We looked into it a bit and made the decision to give it a try. This was a very different kind of vacation for us -- on several levels. This was not a photo trip, and this was not an all-inclusive resort trip. We were a bit unsure of what we were getting ourselves into, but we were very happy with the way things turned out. The town of Nosara has a small population of locals and a large population of surf and yoga tourists. Almost every tourist we met was in town for one of those two things, and the local businesses all cater to those tourists. This makes for a very interesting ambiance! This town is pretty much out in the 'sticks'. The roads in the area are all unpaved. This means that it is muddy when it rains and dusty when it doesn't. We timed our trip to fall just at the beginning of dry season, and wound up getting a bit of left-over rain. Still, we only had one day that was a wash-out. One thing that really struck us was the lack of litter anywhere. The roadsides, the town, and the beach were all amazingly free of liter (considering the number of tourists that constantly visit the area). We looked over a couple of resorts and hotels in the area and decided on the Harmony Hotel. This hotel is a bit more upscale then some other surf-hotels in the area, and we were very pleased by the luxury of the accommodations. Breakfast is the only meal included with the room price, but it is a very grand breakfast (not just toast and coffee). The menu included a wide variety of eggs, pancakes, and fruit dishes -- all made really well. The in-house restaurant also served lunch and dinner, with great choices there also. We often went to the on-property juice bar for lunch. Situated near the spa, the juice bar offered some wonderful and eclectic choices for sandwiches, smoothies, and snacks. For dinner, we left the property twice to try other local restaurants and were very happy with those excursions. The amazing Dolce Vita is a must for anyone that likes Italian food. Outstanding! There were several other places within walking distance for lunch choices, and we often enjoyed sandwiches at the local bagel shop. We would occasionally see howler monkeys traveling by as we walked around. Happily, these monkeys did not throw anything at us (at least that we noticed). We really weren't sure about renting a car during our stay. Our research indicated that accidents and mishaps are not uncommon, and the recommended insurance is fairly costly. This being our first time to the area, we decided to not rent and arranged for transportation to and from the airport through Morpho Vans. Transit rides can be booked directly through Harmony Hotel, but we didn't know that until we got there. Part of our decision not to rent was based upon the fact that about half of the 3 hour drive from the airport is on dirt roads with... less than exceptional road signs. More about the resort... Our room was well appointed with a wonderful king-sized bed and AIR CONDITIONING. Yay!! The room also had a small fridge with items for purchase (as well as some snacks for purchase). We would have enjoyed a little more storage space, but we made due just fine with what was there. The room included indoor and outdoor showers, but we never used the indoor version. The room does not have a TV, but it does have a phone and the room cost includes unlimited calls (I believe, but we did not put that to the test). The room was kept incredibly clean, and we never spotted any critters in our room. We've come to appreciate such things in our more... venerable years. The hotel is truly set up well for surfing (although we have been told that it is also a very nice choice for yoga enthusiasts). There is a local surf shop right next door. For less than half of what it would cost you to bring your own surfboard down you can rent a 'premium' surfboard for an entire week. Boogie boards were also available for rent. If you don't like your choice of board, just bring it back and swap it for another. Most of the people in the shop are super-nice, although there was one guy that kept shooting us evil looks every time he saw us (not good for business, dude). Once you pick out a board, just bring it over to the first security station at the hotel and put it in the rack there. There is a guard there 24/7. Whenever you want to surf, just grab your stick and walk down the path to the beach. At the beach is yet another security station where you can leave valuables while you hit the surf (the guard may not be there yet if you hit it early early -- like us). The beach itself is a huge beach break. No coral, no urchins, but skates and rays aplenty. Shuffle your feet for safety! Personally, I found the surf to always be close to my limit in size. The locals all said the surf was running a bit small. Zoiks! The smallest session out there still had overhead sets coming through every now and again. Mornings were always the best for clean waves and slightly offshore winds. Weekends were more crowded than weekdays, but there was only one session when I thought it was a bit too crowded. More than once I was practically alone out there. We did take one excursion for the zip lines, and that was a great experience. Sadly, it was raining a little that morning, so we did not bring a single camera with us. Fortunately, some nice folks from the tour emailed us some of their photos to share with you. A huge thanks to both Rebecca Gregory and Melanie Hogan for taking and sharing their pictures with us! Also, the young people running the tour did a really great job of managing us tourists. We would highly recommend this excursion to anyone in the area. In closing, we want to give a shout-out to the Harmony Hotel staff. Everyone was super-friendly and helpful every day. Most of the staff spoke English extremely well (which was a big help for us). Even the guys working the grounds were really nice. One group of men cutting down coconuts (from impossibly-tall palm trees) called us over to sample the coconut milk straight the source. That type of friendly attitude was shared by the entire staff. The resort in itself is wonderful. When coupled with such outstanding staff, it's easy to have a truly fantastic vacation! For better or for worse, we took very few pictures during this trip. Blame it on the time we spent in the surf! We still managed to snap a few, and we have included them here for your viewing pleasure. Happy trails! Mike & Hali LINKS: Map of Playa Guiones beach Harmony Hotel Zipline Tour TripAdvisor for Dolce Vita |
| Email Mike | Email Hali | Help |