I'm happy to say was have a great new space in Ojochal for both great food and live music nightly. The Hotel Alma de Ojochal has opened a new bar/restaurant noted to have some of the best fish and shrimp tacos in the area but the real news is that they offer live music every night. The new digs are called "The Bamboo Room" and not only do you get a great sunset view, poolside dining and great food, you can enjoy it while listening to live music 7 nights a week. Here's a photo....
Starting January 14, there's a new Pilates class being offered at the Lookout Hotel. Offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Hotel Lookout in Playa Tortuga, just off the Costanera Highway across from the Ferretaria (hardware store) just a bit north of the entrance to the town of Ojochal. The classes are $8 each but you can join for less. There's food available at the Lookout so you can come earlier and have breakfast or have breakfast after the class. Bring a yoga mat, water and a towel and come enjoy the great ocean view while working out. There's plenty of parking available and if the lower lot gets full, there's room in the lot above. Now that we are in full high season, it's a great time to visit Ojochal on one of our tours, see the details at the visit us page. Tour dates can be found at the bottom left side of the page as well as the link to sign up. Tours are 4 days, 3 nights all inclusive for just $299 per person
Tags: Ojochal, Discovery Tour, Costa Rica, discovery property tour, Pilates
So You are thinking of visiting Guatemala and wanted to know if it is safe, worth the trip or someplace you might consider relocation to. so I went and took a look, here is my report.
Let's start with a bit of history
Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in the Americas but also one with the largest population. In 1966 a civli war broke out that lasted for 30 years, mostly controlled by the right wing political machine that comprised the military ruled government. In the yaers between 1982 and 1984 a genocide took place by a man called Mayor Tito who is now rumored to be the recently deposed president of Guatemala, The recently deposed President is already in jail,. accused of participation of the genocide with most of the massacres and disappearances taking place between 1982 and 1984. Now it is suspected that Mayor Tito was actually the former President Otto Fernando Perez Molin. Most of this genocide was against the Mayan residents in the countryside. These peace loving people were not a threat but were the target of torture, massacre and more that led to the deaths and disappearance of nearly 250,000 people.
Now the civil war is over, what's going on there now? First thing I noticed when flying into Guatemala City was the huge number of private jets, helicopters and private planes. These are mainly the result of corruption. Keep in mind that Guatemala's per capita income is less than $3000 per year. It is not unusual to see police in full riot gear, carrying pump shotguns and automatic weapons. But times are changing and Guatemala is now attracting a fair share of tourista and expats looking for a lower cost of living and inexpensive vacation experiences. The areas around Lake Atitlan attract lots of tourists, mostly younger backpack type tourists but this group is typically the leading indicator of a larger inflow of middle class tourists and baby boomers. In the area around Antigua, the prior capital of Guatemala before a massive earthquake heavily damaged the city in the 1700's whe the capital was moved to Guatemala City. Guatemala has a sp9ine of mountains and volcanoes, many active, running north to south through the center of the country. Much of the road infrastructure is of fair to poor condition and switch backs are necessary in many areas to traverse the terrain.
The poeple were very nice, calm, appreciative of tourists and helpful when needed. The country is truly third world once outside the capital city and things like hot water are hard to find even in better hotels. The food is traditional mayan with better restuarants showing up, nice large haciendas appealing to the small wealthy class and tourists. The ruins of Tikal are famous but difficult to get to from Guatemala city, I'd visited in the past but from the Belize border side. I also visited the western Pacific coast to the towns of Puerto San Jose and Quetzal, mostly a shipping terminal for containers and oil but with a small tourism economy aimed mostly at "Guate's", those from the capital city. It was easy to find nice hotels but pricing was comparable to other capital cities. The city suffers from urban sprawl but the streets are all nicely signed so getting around was easier than in many other central American capital cities.
The people of Guatemala were happy...
CONCLUSION:
It was a nice place to visit on vacation, albeit a bit rough around the edges but not somewhere to be afraid of visiting. I would not want to relocate there however
Ojochal - We are in the village of Ojochal, a town noted for having great restaurants. Ojochal has about 1800 year round residents and more in the winter months. Although we don't have much of a downtown and our roads are gravel, we have nearly 35 restaurants and bars in town as well as 11 hotels. Most are on side roads off of the main road. We have a super market, a gourmet food store, wine bar, liquor, gas station, clothing store, etc. The next town north of us is Uvita where there are a number of large commercial plazas selling everything from furniture to appliances, a farmers market on Saturday, two very modern supermarkets, banks, etc.
Duty Free Appliances - There is a duty free port in Golfito, about an hour away where we can buy things like flat screen televisions, sub zero fridges, high end stoves like Viking, Jenn Air, DCS and Wolf and any really high end appliance you might want like Bosch dishwashers or Fisher and Paykel Washers, Roper or Maytag Front loaders, etc..
The Closest Major City - The city of San Isidro, also known as Perez Zeledon, is about a hour's drive from us has a Walmart, owned by Walmart but having a different name in Costa Rica, a mall, numerous large furniture and clothing stores, specialty stores and just about everything you'd find in a big city in north America. You can see more about the city and offerings at www.perezzeledon.net
Tags: San Isidro, Perez Zeledon
Complete Custom Homes - You have no time limit to build and can even build your own house if you want to. You will have to meet all local building codes and permitting requirements. You are also welcome to hire any other builder of your choice however most of our clients use us to build their home. After all that is one of the biggest advantages in buying in our developments in the place. We are like using the "Easy Button". Building retirees custom homes in Costa Rica is our specialty.
We are building custom homes in our developments in Costa Rica for our clients starting at $100 per square foot. Here is a list of the standard building features you will find in your construction. These, along with our qualified workmanship, are your guarantee of superior quality and beautiful results.
Dominical is a surf town, you will have a blast. Just be careful of a few things. One is that the ocean on the Pacific Costa has some strong undertows. If you ever found yourself being drawn out to sea, don't fight it, swim Parallel to the beach and try swimming in either further up or further down the beach. In Dominical the beach is pretty shallow for a ways out so you won't have a problem unless you get out over your head. There are also lifeguards stationed at that beach, one of the few beached in Costa Rica to have them. They are there since this is a popular surfing beach and surfers sometimes get in trouble, hit by a board, etc and also because there is a known undertow in Dominical. Watch the size of the waves, sometimes they are fine, other times they are gnarly.
The second concern is just to keep an eye on your stuff. Don't leave anything expensive at the beach while you go swimming, don't leave stuff in a car when not there, etc. Lock your room, lock the windows, etc since this is a tourist town and there are some people trying to live the surf bum life and not have to work and crime is easy on unsuspecting tourists. Dominical is loaded with kids.
Here are the high points you want to do while in Dominical. Go to Hacienda Baru (there ar tours from nearly every hotel) and do their zip line. It is only about 10 minutes from Dominical and costs about $35.
Eat lunch at Maracatu (mostly vegetarian) restaurant and go there for ladies night (I think it is Tuesday. They have live music there.
Check out San Clemente (tons of broken surfboards, a shrine to Elvis, a hippy bus, cool place).
Go to dinner at the hotel Domilocos at the restaurant "Con Fusion" mostly pastas and pretty cheap but great food.
Go to the dance club "Roca Verde" on Saturday night (on the highway just up the road from the main entrance to town and about a $3 cab ride. Great place, good dancing, packed.
Go to Paz Azul Waterfalls to swim one day, ask someone how to get there. You can also go to Don Lulu's Nauyaca waterfalls if you are bored and want to do something one day, ask about tours from any local hotel, huge waterfalls that you can swim in, huge, did I say huge, but you have to ride horses for 2 hours each way and the cost is maybe $45 per person including lunch.
In terms of warnings, be careful of Tico guys that want to take you to their house (I'm thinking like you are my daughter), and wear bug spray at dusk (prime time for bugs) or stay indoors around then. If you are taking the bus from San Jose, again just watch your stuff while you are moving around. The same as you would in any big city.
Also make a color copy of your passport page that has your picture and other information on it. People like to steal passports in foreign countries, keep the copy with you and leave the real one hidden in your house but don't forget it when you leave. Stay together, Be smart....
Tags: Dominical restaurants, Paz Azul Waterfall, Maracatu, Dominical, Dominical Costa Rica, Don Lulu's, Nauyaca Falls, Haciena Baru, Costa Rica
Cafe Exotica in Ojochal for lunch or dinner, closed on Sundays
Citrus Restaurant in Ojochal for lunch or dinner (I think they are closed Mondays)
Go into Dominical one day and look around
There's a great dinner restaurant at Hotel Domilocos
There is a good waterfall to swim in (called Paz Azul) on the road almost directly across the road from La Parcela restaurant, other side of the road, the first road heading back to Dominical, turn in this road kind of a V off the main road, not straight in, passing through a neighborhood of small homes close together, stay left at end and cross the small river and take a right and head up the hill, you will see an obvious parking area on your left as you head up the hill, Park, on the side of the street opposite the parking area are some cement stairs, short walk to waterfalls. Don't leave valuables visible in your car anywhere, same as anywhere else. tourists sometimes forget...
Pay the $10 fee and do go to the whales tail beach (playa bellena), your admission ticket will get you in and out all day.
Definitely go to La Fogata, in Uvita, wood fired barbecue chicken and ribs, excellent.
Brand new restaurant on the Perezozo road, (first left after the turn in to Ojochal as you head south, steep hill and sign for El Buena Vista Hotel) the restaurant is about a mile in on the left, I think the name is El Fuego., steaks and such.
There is a French bakery in Ojochal,
Go to the Ventanas beach, cool caves with ocean in them, don't swim in them if it is rough and watch the tide, watch for the sign on the highway as you head south from Uvita, right side of the road, drive in and park and walk the trail.
an Indonesian restaurant called Ylang Ylang (was not a favorite of mine but I seemed not to like Indonesian food according to my wife) ,
an Estonian restaurant at hotel Adelante (never eaten there).
Check out the Cuna del angel hotel and I recommend their restaurant at lunchtime.
A great restaurant in Dominical for lunch is Maracatu, mostly vegetarian, kind of funky, great wraps, fish tacos, healthy food.
Interesting eco tours at Oro Verde, horseback riding and such.
Driving into the town of Sierpe (south to Palmar, cross the river, take first right and follow the road straight, ends in Sierpe, here is where the river boats take people to the resorts only accessible by water in the Corcovado National Park, the Osa and Drake Bay. If you go to the restaurant Las Vegas you can ask about a boat ride in the river if you care to see migratory birds and monkeys and such.
Hacienda Baru is a reserve just before Dominical as you are headed south (south of Quepos and Manuel Antonio) at the Hacienda Baru they have a good zip line tour, not a thrill ride, a good canopy tour on a zip line, very safe, as well as some trails and eco activities.
If you want to sport fish, Quepos is where you want to go from and you want to be on the Magic Moon owned by Luna Tours (Jerry - American) and their office is in the Kamuk Hotel. Sport fishing is expensive but we have always caught at least 6 sail fish on a bad day, ofter big tuna and huge (over 500 pounds) Marlin. Will cost close to $250 per person on a shared boat with 4 people. less if there are 6 but less fishing per person.
There is a farmers market in Uvita at the covered soccer field on Saturday, best to get there earlier rather than later, the good stuff goes fast.
You might want to make a early day trip to Manuel Antonio, clearly one of the best national parks in the country (CLOSED MONDAYS), don't go on a weekend unless you plan to get there before 9:00 since they limit the number of people they let in, bring a camera and bathing suit, they sell nothing in the park, no water, no food but they have outdoor showers and good bathrooms to change in. Your ticket gets you in and out all day.
In fact I think the same ticket will get you into any national park on the same day so you might be able to check out Playa Bellena (whale's tail beach) in Uvita when you come back from Manuel Antonio.
If you go to Maneul Antonio eat lunch at the Marlin restaurant at the beach, not cheap but good quality food.
If in Manuel Antonio at sunset, go to the Mariposa Hotel.
Check out the Cristal Bellena Hotel in Uvita/Ojochal, short drive off the highway.
Be sure to stop at the Ceviche Stand on the highway south of Uvita that has the blow up shark hanging from the tree. It is the one on the hill, right hand side, headed south, now advertising fried fish as well.
Try to find the Chef's table, do so during the day so that when you go at night you won't think you will be lost for the rest of your life. Pricy but a great experience.
Heading south on the highway past Ojochal you will come to a bridge with signs on the left for the Jungle pet lodge and El Pavone tilapia restaurant. Take the left, drive about 2 miles in, pass the first tilapia restaurant (immitator who opened his restaurant trying to steal the business of the good one further in) until you come to the El Pavone restaurant, on your right. Ask after lunch how to get to the waterfall to swim in, which directly across the street, you pass a small sign on your left just before you come to the restaurant, another easy walk in. Be careful in all waterfalls for SLIPPERY GREEN ROCKS
La Parcela restaruant in Dominicalito (about 8 miles back toward San Jose from Uvita) for lunch. They will try to sell you real estate, they are in a battle over having built some town houses in an illegal maritime concession zone.
Tags: food and drink, Ojochal restaurants, Dominical restaurants, Paz Azul Waterfall, Manuel Antono national park, La Mariposa Hotel, Maracatu, La Parcela, El Pavone Tilapia restaurant, Las vegas sierpe, hacienda baru
Tags: Home Owners Association
Tags: Environment, Weather
Our water is artesian spring well water plumbed to all of our home sites, unfiltered and testing better than nearly every municipal water system in the US. It comes from the top of the mountain above us, there are two wells and holding tanks as well. Average water bills in town run less than $50 per year further contributing to our low cost of living.
Tags: Infrastructure, cost of living, Costa Rica
