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Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica vacation, travel and tourist information by reviewer Janette Higgins.
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Costa Rica
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Cabinas Tropical
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Rolf and Juana Blancke
Puerto Viejo, Limon
Costa Rica,
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| Phone: 011 506 750 0283 |
| I loved being in Room 8. Its seating area was a bit more private and this was the view from my hamaca. |
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Review by Janette Higgins
author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide
Six editions of the book were published to critical and popular acclaim. Janette now publishes her B&B
reviews and holiday reports online.
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The first night we were in Puerto Viejo was a Sunday and the Baptist Church was jumping. Parishioners and onlookers spilled into the street and patrons from the bar across the street couldn’t help but be drawn in by the gospel music. It was a fitting introduction to this funky Jamaican-style town full of dogs, pot-holes and probably not a little ganja weed. I loved it.
Surfers come for the big wave, beach lovers for the miles of sandy beach and those in the know for a break from Costa Rica’s ubiquitous gallo pinto (rice and beans) – the food here is great. Jamaican know-how heats things up; the seafood is fresh and those from ‘away’ have added their own good eats to the mix.
As for places to stay there are lots of mid-priced cabinas, or small lodges, but you can hardly do better than Cabinas Tropical. Owned by Rolf Blancke a German Botonist with many published books to his credit, and his Guanacaste-born wife, Juana, the cabinas offer up a variety of lodging options in a quiet area of town. The original building comprises a row of five rooms with small verandahs, looking out over the gardens, each with two wooden chairs and a hamaca.
The Blanckes have built a two storey addition at one end. I stayed in Room 8, a large room in the addition’s lower level with a somewhat more secluded porch. Also recommended, depending on your situation, is Room 9 actually two levels with double beds in each. Both levels have walkout porches. Room 10 above mine even has satellite TV. My favourite room though is at the other end above the office and the family’s living quarters. There’s an outside staircase to a large wicker-furnished covered deck and the room itself has vaulted ceilings with a belvedere for air circulation.
Rolf’s a professional gardener and it shows – the grounds’ tropical landscaping is kept up beautifully. Fascinating plants in natural log containers hang from a large outdoor thatch-roofed gazebo; a pleasant place for a picnic or to gather with other guests. Rolf is also a guide so with his extensive credentials coupled with his grasp of several languages, he’s a good choice. He takes early morning tours out to the Manzanillo reserve 13 kms south near Costa Rica’s border with Panama. Breakfast and rubber boots are included. Bring lots of bug spray and you’ll come away with an enhanced appreciation of the area’s flora and fauna.
As for other things to do, most tourists end up, as we did, renting bikes from one of the many rental operations. We struck out south of town for a bit of beach action and afterwards stopped for lunch at a place I’d spotted earlier. Miss Holly’s was not only charming in appearance, but served delicious fare. I liked the homemade ginger ale so much I downed two. My stomach later protested but it was worth it. It’s made by boiling ginger root and cane sugar into a syrup and adding ice, water and lemon juice.
Other food highlights included the seafood and divine panne cotte dessert at Stanford’s, our Indian-inspired choices at El Loco Natural and Boy-Boy’s jerk chicken at the Sunset Bar. Boy-Boy sets up her barbecue when the mood strikes and was recommended by Kyla, a young Calgarian I’d met. We washed the chicken down with a cerveza while sitting under a thatched roof in the pouring rain (a fact of life here!) with the darkness barely illuminated by candlelight
Then it was next door for Kyla’s dessert recommendation; homemade ice cream at Lecheria Las Lapas. I had choco macadamia. Intrigued by the delicious taste I queried the owner. Turns out she’s Pennsylvania Dutch who along with two of her twelve siblings has a small dairy farm elsewhere in Limon province. See www.lecherialaslapas.com for their fascinating story.
I spent five entertainingly delicious days in Puerto Viejo at Cabinas Tropical but finally it was time to leave. I was up early for the bus and had planned how I was going to get to the early-opening Bread and Chocolate for one of their French-pressed coffees to go along with a toasted bagel with cream cheese and homemade strawberry jam. As I settled into the bus for the ride back to San Jose I drank the coffee and bit into the bagle; truly a fitting send-off from this food-lovin’ town.
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Reviews of Janette Higgins'
favourite places beyond Ontario
Janette Higgins' reviews
of Ontario's best bed and breakfasts
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Cabinas Tropical, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
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| Tell your hosts Janette Higgins sent you! |
| E-mail: |
Click Here |
| Website: |
http://www.cabinastropical.com |
| Best to call: |
Anytime |
| Languages: |
English, German, Spanish, French |
| Season: |
All year |
| Rates: |
USD S $25-30, D $35-45 to be confirmed |
Currency converter
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| Cards: |
cash only to be confirmed |
| Facilities: |
8 rooms; en suite bathrooms; double beds with mosquito nets; each room has covered outdoor seating with two chairs and a hamac |
| Parking: |
enquire |
| Breakfast: |
coffee and tea service from 6 AM |
| In Residence: |
well-behaved German Shepherd is kept in host quarters |
| Location: |
At the edge of town (meaning it's quieter than some locations) but still close to everything; two of the best sodas are half a block away and bicycle rentals are 1.5 blocks away. |
| Directions: |
Obtain when booking |
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