Playa Ballena-
Playa Bahía Ballena, right by the town of Uvita, is the home of the famous whale tale. The beach here is beautiful and goes on forever. In addition to the beach there is also a Ballena National Park which is a protected area of beach and jungle where you can enjoy wildlife. The town of Uvita is really small, but has everything you could need. Also close is the towns of Dominical and Dominicalito where you can find lots of good food and surfing.
On place is stay in Ballena is The Flutterby House, a great hostel run by a woman from California. It's usually full of gringos and has a nice, laid-back atmosphere. There are tree houses, bunks and cabins to choose from, and the kitchen and lounging areas are really comfortable. From the Flutterby it's only about a 5 min. walk to the beach, 5 min bike ride to a little store and 15 min. bike ride to Uvita. They also rent out bikes and surf boards.
In Uvita, I highly recommend eating at La Creperia. As the name implies, they serve main dish and dessert crepes, and really good ones at that.
*Not to be missed in Ballena: Walking out to the whale tale, but only at low tide.
To get to Uvita by bus you have two options:
1) From San Jose take a buts from the TRACOPA staition to San Isidro and then a bus to Uvita. Takes about 3.5 hours to San Isidro and another hour to Uvita.
2) The direct bus from the Coca-cola station to Uvita. This goes through Quepos and down the coast. Takes about 6 hours.
La Fortuna- Volcán Arenal
I'm really lucky to live about an hour, in car, from La Fortuna. On weekends when my host family is free we sometimes go to the hot springs there. Swimming in water heated by a volcano is pretty cool, you have to admit.
Volcán Arenal-
The only cone shaped volcano in Costa Rica, Arenal is quite an impressive sight. The town of La Fortuna sits right at the base of the volcano so from anywhere in town you can see the volcano towering over you. Arenal is supposedly the most active volcano in the world. It has been consistently erupting for many years, the eruptions have not been anything too extreme but lava is usually flowing down the sides of the mountain. Unfortunately for visitors the eruptions stopped a couple months ago so there's no lava, but smoke does still come out of the top.
While you can see Arenal from anywhere in La Fortuna if you go to Lake Arenal the view from there is pretty good, as well as from the patio at the entrance to the hanging bridges.
Hot Springs-
Called "aguas thermales" or "thermal water" in Spanish, these are one of the biggest attractions in La Fortuna. There are many, many establishments with pools billing them as "natural hot springs", keep in mind that what they mean is that the water is naturally heated and that the pools are all man-made. Most places have hot and cold pools, as well as a variety of in-between temperatures. As for the best places to go, I'll comment on ones I've tried and note others I've heard good things about.
- Los Laureles- This is definitely a place for local flavor. Obviously everyone is welcome, but it can usually be found entirely full of Ticos who come because it is much better priced that the other offerings. With one big cold pool, a waterfall hot pool, a kids pool and a complex of 6 or so pools that flow into each other ranging from scalding to tepid, this place has lots of options. There are covered picnic tables with BBQs and electricity for cooking/warming things up. I don't remember if they have food, but pretty much everyone brings their own. Open until late, so when the volcano is erupting you can watch it in the night from the pools. Price: 4mil, $8/person
- Baldi- A great choice for a place to enjoy the thermal waters. Here there are 25 pools, swim-up bars, 3 water slides, cascades to sit under for massages, 3 restaurants and a spa. The pools are all different designs and temperatures and you feel like it would take all day to try all the pools. The water slides are fun too, if a little questionable by American safety standards, also they are really fast... be prepared. The food in the bar is reasonably priced by tourist standards, but if you really want there is also a white tablecloth option. Views of the volcano from almost anywhere in the place and nice patios and chairs to lay out on. Go early because you'll want to stay all day, you can also come and go once you've paid. Price: 14mil, $28/person
- The little hot spring under the bridge by Tabacón- OK, so this isn't really an establishment, it's just where the hot river passes under the bridge, but it's worth mentioning. Called by my friends the "Poor man's Tabacón" this used to be a charging hot spring, but it's not anymore. Now it's open to anyone who is willing to climb down to it. It's a really nice little spot with truly natural hot pools. There is nothing impressive about it, but it's charming in it's lack of development and you feel like you're kind of in the jungle because there's a tree cover over you. There is also a "water slide" of sorts. It's really just the water passing under the bridge in a cement canal, but the warm water passes fast enough that if you run and slide it's kind of like a slip n' slide. Super fun, though it has earned this place the nickname "The Big Scrape" in my host family from our experience there. (You throw yourself down a cement canal, think about it) All in all it's fun, and free!
- Other places I've heard good things about
- Tabacón- Nice but known to be the most expensive
- Los Lagos- One day I'm supposed to go with my host mom and her friend, I'll update later
I haven't had a chance to try any of these things, but they come highly recommended by friends and aqaintences.
- The hike to the waterfall at Lake Arenal. I guess it's like 300 steps down, but well worth it.
- Horseback riding around the lake and to the waterfall. I'm not sure if it's the same waterfall, because I don't want to take a horse down 300 steps, but it's supposed to by fun anyway.
From San Jose you can take a bus from the Zona Norte station, a few blocks from La Coca-Cola, directly to La Fortuna- 4.5 hours
You can also go to Ciudad Quesada (3 hours) and catch a bus from there to Fortuna- 1.5 hours
Buses leave both cities about every hour and a half.
