Puerto Viejo de Talamanca was the first stop on a 2-week adventure trip with my friend Laura in Costa Rica. We immediately tried to separate ourselves from the crazy traffic in San Jose and headed to the coast. Along the way, we got to experience how green and wet Costa Rica can be. The roads were curvy, mountainous, and stop-and-go with traffic. However, it took only a short time (4 hours) before we started smelling the ocean and arrived in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. It also took little time to settle into our hotel, Cariblue Beach and Jungle Resort, and start living the pura vida life.

Cariblue was an excellent choice for our first three nights in Costa Rica. The super cute thatched-roof resort is located in the forest and directly across from Cocles Beach. Cabins and cabanas surround the property, with two pools, a “lukewarm” tub, two restaurants, and even a swim-up bar. It truly makes you feel like you’ve arrived on a tropical vacation when you can see monkeys from your room!

Puerto Viejo – Day One

Cariblue is a short walk from the central downtown area, with many restaurants and shops. Our first stop for food was Tasty Waves Cantina, which conveniently had a lunch special of a burger, fries, and a beer for $9. Our waitress was super friendly, giving us complimentary chiliguaro shots (which reminded me of a Bloody Mary), and there were also cute little doggies hanging out. We grabbed a to-go beer and then took a walk on the beach to scope the surf/scene. My first impression of the waves was yikes. It looked like they crashed hard and fast and weren’t taking any prisoners. We started to reconsider our idea of taking surfing lessons here. I also wanted to do a snorkeling excursion in Cahuita National Park, North of Puerto, by about 10 minutes. We had to change plans when we returned and inquired at the front desk about both things. The waves were too big for snorkeling, and the water was too cloudy, making it not such an excellent time for beginner surfing as well. They said good surfers are arriving here now because the surf is getting bigger. There is a famous surf break in front of town called Salsa Brava, the most intense wave in Costa Rica. Since it breaks hard on the coral reef, surfers will wear helmets to protect themselves. Wowzers Bowzers! Attempting to surf here was not going to happen, at least on this trip. 

Puerto Viejo – Day Two

Since we wouldn’t surf or snorkel, our schedules opened up for leisure exploration. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet with an entertaining omelet guy who did fancy spatula juggling while preparing our breakfast. After filling our bellies we decided to get to know the area in the best way, by walking. We started along the beach and took some trails when we couldn’t pass by the water. There were many fascinating things along the way, including a mega army line of ants with tons of leaves, remarkable trees, and cliffs with crashing waves. We continued walking to Playa Negra, the black sand beach, and Playa Negra Brewing, where we tried local beer. We both had the IPA, which we weren’t super impressed with, but then, for round two, we had a tasty mead and a pretty good ale. After feeling good, we hit Playa Negra Beach and were mesmerized by the black sand. It was soo soft!!

Dinner was beckoning, so we returned to the central part of town to a fantastic restaurant called Stashu’s Con Fusion. It’s off the main street and by the water, so our table had a great sunset view. The servers were super nice, and the food was excellent. They have a lot of curries, and Laura got a chicken tandoori, and I got the fresh catch of the day with a green guava curry. Like art, the plates were beautifully decorated and almost too good to eat. We both got Dark’ N’ Stormy’s, which were also great. Our full day of exploration ended with relaxing by the pool and listening to live music at the hotel. Pura vida baby.

Puerto Viejo – Day Three

We booked a kayak tour at Punta Uva for the last full day through our hotel. After breakfast, we were swept away in a tuk-tuk to meet David, our guide. He had to chase a ginormous banana spider off the kayak and do a minor repair with duct tape, and then we were off. We immediately saw a regal tiger heron and found some iguanas chillin’ like villains. We also saw a couple of sloths before heading out to the ocean, but they were pretty far up in the trees. The ocean waves were a little scary to get into, but they were not too bad. We headed farther out into the ocean to see a natural arch before returning to shore, where David chopped some coconuts with a machete for some coconut water. Ahh! Heading back up the river, we saw some turtles! David ranted about banana plantations after finding tons of plastic garbage from them in the river, which was disappointing. We finished, satisfied with seeing our first sloths, and then returned via tuk-tuk to enjoy a lil’ pool time. The pool had a 2 for $12 happy hour every day. We took advantage and had our first guaro sours (guaro is the Costa Rican liquor made from sugar cane) at the swim-up bar. Happy happy!

The last order of business was some serious shopping to start the souvenir train off right. Slothtoes won the “Who took the most of our money” game with their adorable sloth socks, t-shirts, and stickers. It was a weekend, so a festive vibe was in the air, and street vendors were spilling out everywhere. I insisted that we try a Churchill granizado amidst the frenzy. This dessert, born in the Puntarenas province, consists of shaved ice, a “cola” syrup, condensed milk, and powdered milk. Additional toppings include ice cream, fruit, candy, marshmallows, and more! It was named after some guy who used to order this concoction everywhere in the area, and people thought he looked like Winston Churchill. I don’t care what you call it; I call it darn delicious! Laura and I got one to share (highly recommended) and had no problem taking turns playing Magician and making it disappear. 

Because we’re adults and can, we had that delicious dessert before dinner and eventually ended up at a traditional restaurant called Nema. We both got chicken with rice and beans, and they were huge portions, so we probably should’ve split that, too. Since Puerto Viejo is on the Caribbean side, its food has that influence, so the rice and beans had coconut milk. Yum! 

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca has that carefree beach town vibe that makes you relaxed just by being there. Our three days went by so quickly but served as a good reminder to slow down and enjoy all the little things along the way. This was just the beginning of a two-week La Pura Vida life, baby!

If You Go…

• Where: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica and is about a 4-hour drive from San Jose. We rented a car but there are options to get here on public transportation.
• Where to Stay: We stayed at Cariblue Beach and Jungle Resort and really liked it. There are many resorts, hostels, and even camping to pick from in the area. When I return though, I’m definitely going to check out this Jungle Spirit Treehouse on Airbnb.
• Where to Eat: You can’t go wrong with the delectable choices available here! Our resort had a great breakfast every morning but if it didn’t I would’ve loved to have checked out Bread & Chocolate. We recommend Tasty Waves Cantina for a relaxed lunch and great vibe. Stashu’s Con Fusion has the best sunset view and menu to match. There are many “traditional” places for food and this is where you get the most bang for your buck, along with tasty cuisine. We had dinner at Nema and were not disappointed. For dessert, don’t leave town without trying a Churchill Granizado!
• What to Do: There are so many options here that you won’t have time to do them all! Visiting Cahuita National Park was top on our list but didn’t happen because of the weather. Surfing is also usually a great activity to try here! Rent a kayak at Punta Uva and explore upriver to discover local wildlife. Explore all the beaches! From Playa Negra to Playa Cocles the beaches here are postcard-worthy and you’ll want to spend some time walking and just laying on them. Renting bikes is a popular way to get around in town and to other beaches. When you’re all beached out there is plenty of dining and shopping to support the local economy. The last thing that we didn’t get to do but I heard lots of great things about was the Jaguar Rescue Center. You can get up close tours of precious animals they are helping that wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild.