Puerto Viejo Forum: Curious about the Caribean coast vs. the Pacific ??

Hi Joel,

I love the Caribbean side!!! There is so much to do here. I've stayed in PV and Cahuita over 5 times and never got bored.

Some of the fun things we did:

Cahuita National Park, hike and snorkel on the beautiful beaches

sloth center - the only one in the world:)

rafting

rent bikes in PV and drive along the coast to Manzanillo passing tons of gorgeous beaches and then snorkel there as well.

surfing, i didn't do it, but my hubby tried:)

These are some ideas. Hope this helps,

Marina K. Villatoro

http://travelexperta.com

I like the Carib Side.

the towns small have a rustic backpacker dodgy charm

that reminds me of Negril Jamaica not developed

the beaches brown-black in many areas some white

lots of flotsam and jetsam driftwood...

Punta Uva www.pachamamacaribe.com my fav.

Small no deluxe hotels or AIs do not expect the Ritz.

Just small towns laid back experience...

The differences are stark, but very hard to put into words. I can tell you it is not as developed... but what does that really mean?

I think it is best you look at photo albums online. Here is one recently done of the Caribbean by a professional photographer that stayed at our hotel.

…smugmug.com/gallery/…603759333_KMvmv

If you have more time to kill at the office, check out all these albums and videos.

puertoviejosatellite.com/photos-blogs.php

Caribbean is not for everyone. If you have been to Pacific a few times and you don't demand high end hotels with North American amenities, you will do just fine.

The Caribbean flavor is just that - Caribbean. Jamaican influences are everywhere. My wife says it reminds here of the old Jamaica she spent a lot of time in years ago. You can't put it into words, some of it is as simple as the smell of fresh bread being sold on a bicycle or a kid holding up a fish for sale on the side of the road. Like trying to describe any flavor, it's best tasted. ;^)

After several years as well going back to the Pacific side - from way up in Guancaste down to the Osa - we finally headed down to the Punta Uva area. And our favorite... definitely the Caribbean side. The flavor.... very, very different. The people living there are even more laid back(if that's even possible), everyone goes on Tico time - a week there makes you feel like you've been away a month. The further south - the better the beaches get.... we ran one morning for almost an hour along the surf and didn't see a soul. There's a wonderful, ecelctic mix of people from all over the world...

If you're lucky to go - make sure to visit the La Pecora Nera Restaurant in the area - absolutely the BEST Italian place to eat in all of Central America. And as someone else mentioned - the Pachamama Cabinas have we think one of the best locations of all.(not to mention the sweetest owners around)It's definitely pura vida down there.... enjoy!

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