From Montezuma or Mal Pais to Samara Beach by shuttle

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MingTze275

Toronto, Canada

posts: 1

From Montezuma or Mal Pais to Samara Beach by shuttle

Nov 23, 2011, 4:17 AM

I am planning a trip to Costa Rica in late January 2012.

Part of my plan involve spending some days in Montezuma or Mal Pais, then going to Samara Beach for a few days, before going back to San Jose to fly home.

Since I will be travelling alone, I will be relying on public shuttles for transportation. (Public buses on this route seem very inconvenient, and a taxi is too expensive.)

It appears that demand for this route (Montezuma or Mal Pais to Samara Beach) is not very high. Of the shuttle companies that I've checked, Interbus and Greyline do not operate this route, Montezumer Expedition and EasyRide require a minimum of 2 or 4 passengers to operate.

I do not want to risk being stuck in Montezuma or Mal Pais without any public shuttle running and being forced to use an expensive private shuttle, so I want to make sure before finalizing my itinery.

So, my questions are:

Are there any reliable shuttle companies that run this route without the minimum passenger requirement?

January being the high season, is the possibility of being the only passenger requesting this route on a particular day a realistic concern?

Many Thanks!

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yellabrickcr

Montezuma, Costa...

posts: 538

reviews: 8

1. Re: From Montezuma or Mal Pais to Samara Beach by shuttle

Nov 23, 2011, 8:11 AM

It's an awkward route for sure, and there is no guarantees there would be other passengers on a given day, even in high season.

However the bus/ferry from Montezuma/Malpais to Puntarenas is easy and safe. I do it by myself all the time

Maybe you would have better luck from Puntarenas with a shuttle? Even if you had to grab a taxi to the highway (the Baranca crossroad - around $20), a shuttle coming from San Jose could stop there for you. There is a nice little cafe there where you can wait.

But one more question for you, why bother going to Samara at all? It is a nice place, but not so different from the Montezuma Malpais area - they both have beaches, restaurants, etc.

From Montezuma/Malpais there is a direct bus back to San Jose that even stops at the airport. Cost is about $13 including ferry and again is easy & safe, or direct shuttles that will for sure pick you up at your hotel and take you to San Jose for $40/45$

I only ask because it seems like you are going to have hassle & expense & spend a full day of your holiday in transit for not much change of scenery.

Cheers,

Yellabrick

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crfan

Chicago, Illinois

Destination Expert

for Costa Rica

posts: 3,945

reviews: 18

2. Re: From Montezuma or Mal Pais to Samara Beach by shuttle

Nov 23, 2011, 9:32 AM

I would second yellabrick's suggestions and recommend that you split your time between Montezuma and MalPais/Playa Carmen/Santa Teresa as the 2 areas a very different and both are facinating. A few days in each would be a perfect beach break IMO.

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