![]() ![]() If you’re a solo female traveller looking for a place to escape all of the stresses of the daily grind, this is the place for you. Samasati is an off-the-grid yoga retreat set in the jungle-clad mountains that surround Puerto Viejo. Nevertheless, it was an excellent budget option. There was also a weird guy who wouldn’t leave the hammock outside of our room – everyone’s room had a hammock outside, but he wanted ours. Just like the sign says, this place was clean and cheap. We stayed in her cabins, which were brightly painted, clean and with a shared kitchen (that had a blender and coffee sock!) attached. Veronica has both a hostel with dorms in town and cabins attached to her house on the edge of town. When we first arrived in Puerto Viejo we headed to Veronica’s Place, the local vegetarian hostel (yes, this is also where we had our cooking class). There is every kind of accommodation you could want, from backpackers’ hostel beds to off-the-grid luxury nature retreats. We were really fortunate to get stay in a whole host of really good, though very different, places in the Puerto Viejo area. Where to Stay in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica The cafe also has a great book exchange (trade in 2 for 1) which gives it the appearance of a dusty castle constructed of books. You can get a pasta bowl sized portion of fruit and granola and a good coffee while being watched by a portrait of the Queen. In Puerto Viejo town, you’ll want to check out Cafe Rico for an early breakfast, the only place in town open at 5:30am. Puerto Viejo is also big on organic, vegetarian and vegan foods with plenty of quirky cafes around to fill the hole. The coconuty, warming spicy flavours of the Caribbean food are completely different from the usual Tico cuisine. When it comes to destinations for foodies in Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo definitely wins the prize. Local chocolate, cacao nibs, basil pesto, organic veggies, and natural soaps can all be found here. I strolled over at 7 or 8am, though the market continues until around midday. The market can be found tucked into a side lot en-route to Como en mi Casa Art Cafe. Puerto Viejo hosts a very small but well stocked farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. Not only is Veronica an incredible Caribbean cook, but her family is among the friendliest you will ever meet. You can take a vegetarian, vegan or even raw cooking class with Veronica for $35 per person. Suffice to say, they were completely different but equally delicious. We took our first vegan cooking class in Vietnam and this was our second. I absolutely love to cook and always jump at the chance to take a vegetarian or vegan cooking class. Green and black dart frog spotted at La Kukula Vegan Cooking Class You’ll pass Playa Cocles where the beach is really quite large, the pretty little Playa Chiquita where the cafes are all delicious, Playa Punta Uva where you can stop for a pipa fria, and Manzanillo which is a favourite weekend spot for the locals. Grab a bicycle in town for around $5 per day and start cycling. The road from Puerto Viejo runs all the way down the coast past plenty of yellow sand beaches. The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is all about taking it easy. There’s no need to rush around the Talamanca area – and you certainly won’t find anyone else doing so. After almost three weeks of lazing around – I mean, travelling – eating and sleeping in the Puerto Viejo area, I’ve definitely got some favourites. One of the small handful of towns on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, Puerto Viejo is overflowing with vegan cafes, young rasta guys on bicycles trying to sell you weed and lazy stretches of yellow sand beaches. Colourful Creole houses, laid-back Caribbean vibes and coconut rice and beans make Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica right where I want to be.
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