Another Article From A Travel To...
Roughing It On Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula
by Judith Schwader
A Travel To... Costa Rica
Sitting on the private terrace of the cabina, shaded from the tropical sun by a palm leaf fringe, I examined the scorpion on display in the drinking glass. The night before, it had been crawling on the crimson bedspread. Now, it was dead; squashed flat by panic, and a shoe.
I looked from the scorpion to the bamboo-covered ceiling of the cabina, (a perfect habitat for insects and arachnids); I noted the unscreened windows and doors, wide open to allow a breeze in the mid-day heat. Then I shrugged. If I wanted an air-conditioned room and freshly painted plaster, I could have stayed at home.
Costa Rica has long since been "discovered" as a tourist destination, but there are still places like Garza Beach - a remote stretch of Pacific coastline on Nicoya Peninsula - where the traveler who prefers to leave home at home can enjoy the flavor of Costa Rica, the culture and natural beauty that exists regardless of the tourism trade.
Most visitors arrive via the airport in the modern capital city San Jose, centrally located in a high, temperate valley. Around San Jose, the Costa Rican tourism industry has made it easy for visitors to enjoy themselves. Cloud forest zip-lines, canopy tours, butterfly farms, and volcano parks are set up to handle tourists, and are worth visiting.
However, on this occasion our days in San Jose revolved around the business conference that had brought us to the country. When the conference was over, then it was time to travel.
Destination: Garza Beach on the Pacific Coast
In April, (the tail end of the dry season), Nicoya Peninsula is accessible from San Jose - a five hour Jeep ride on rough roads that become virtually impassable during the rainy summer months. Nine of us from the business conference decided instead to book a 40 minute flight on Nature Air, Costa Rica's eco-airline. Landing at the isolated airstrip near the town of Nosara put us within half an hour's drive of our destination: the Villagio Resort at Garza Beach.
In the early days of Costa Rica's emergence as a destination country, the Villagio had been a stylish resort, with a casino and beachside disco. But the cabinas scattered around the five acre beachside property didn't have air conditioning, or telephones and televisions, or reliable hot water. The 120 guest capacity hadn't been filled in a long while when hurricane Mitch arrived seven years ago. The havoc Mitch wreaked along the Pacific coastline included washing the Villagio's disco out to sea.
When the new owner applied for permits to rebuild, he discovered that the resort had been built in the 1960s without proper documents. Things have changed: eco- awareness characterizes Costa Rican development policy today. Unable to get repair permits for the resort, he sued the prior owner. Now, seven years later, the case is still in litigation, and the resort has been casually kept open to keep the palm-fringed cabinas from rotting away in the rainy season and the blue-tiled swimming pool from cracking open in the dry season.
Mario, the caretaker and our host, told the story in lightly accented English. "The case will be settled soon, and once it's done, I'll probably leave. They'll get busy fixing up the cabinas, adding air conditioning, re-opening the casino." He gazed past my shoulder, past the patchy lawn, to the ocean. The sun shone on the water's white- crested turquoise waves. We listened to the soothing roar of the surf. "And when they make all those improvements, this place will be so changed, I won't want to stay."
The nine of us were the only guests; Mario let us select our cabinas. They were built more than 40 years ago, and had only received bare maintenance since then. Stepping through the louvered doors of the private terrace onto the cool interior tiles was like stepping into another time. Enjoying the effect, I scanned the water-stained bamboo ceilings and the warped built-in shelves and drawers - patchy and peeling now, but once painted a light green. The tiled shower had no hot water.There was no seat on the toilet. The bidet had corroded itself right out of business. No modern San Jose amenities here; I was definitely traveling now.
Things To Do Around Garza Beach
Mario acted as our major domo in addition to his duties as staff supervisor, menu planner, bar tender, and general repairman. For those of us who wanted to deep sea fish or ride horses on the beach, he made arrangements. He organized surfing lessons followed by a bit of snorkeling. He suggested a trip to Playa Ostional to watch giant sea turtles emerge to lay eggs; but when he called the turtle refuge office, they advised us not to bother making the journey that night. The full moon that made the ocean glisten during our beach bonfires and evening strolls also made the turtles shy of appearing on-land in bright moonlight.
I was content for days to lounge on my private terrace, drinking from a chilled coconut, lulled by the surf and the ocean blue. When it's time to go, what traveler is ever ready to leave?
I heard howler monkeys on the drive back to the airstrip by Nosara. A three-foot lizard sunned itself in the middle of the road. I absorbed the dust and the dense coastal heat flowing through the open window as we bumped along the rutted dirt road.
The plane arrived about the same time we did, a relief since the "waiting room" was a metal bench, sizzling in the sun. I wondered where passengers waited during the rainy season, and blessed the clear blue sky.
Our Nature Air pilot, a young woman in blue uniform with hair up in a tight bun, boarded her passengers efficiently, and 40 minutes later deposited us safely back in San Jose. Back in the tourist zone, and that has its attractions, too.
Traveler Judith Schwader loves to travel and tell stories about her traveling adventures. She reviews popular destinations and lodging accommodations as well as the more off-beat places to explore. Visit A Travel To... Costa Rica for travel tips, inspiration, and resources.