
On day eight of our trip we headed for Manual Antonio. It is South of San Jose on the Pacific Coast and known for bodysurfing, beaches, state park, and restaurants.
We were very surprised that there was a super highway going there. We passed a couple of toll booths on the way. We took the Gray Line but could have also taken the Interbus. Both charged $49 to get there. There is also a public bus, but it makes a lot more stops. There was only one other couple on the bus with us. The driver, didn’t speak English very well, but enough to get by. When he took us to our hotel, Manual Antonio Estates, I negotiated a ride with him to the State Park. He had to take the other couple to a hotel near the park, so it wasn’t much out of his way. I was so happy that he waited for us to drop off our bags and get a few things before we went to the park.
When we got to the park, we bought an entrance ticket for $10.00. Right away we were approached by park guides to see if they could give us a tour of the park. Because of our previous experience, we knew we probably wouldn’t see much unless we had a guide. We paid $20 each for the guide and started our trek. It was noon and very hot. Thank heavens we had shade from all the trees. Our guide had a telescope so we could get a good view of all the wildlife. The trek was only about 45 minutes, but we saw a lot: squirrel and white faced monkeys, bats, sloths, iguanas, and several birds. At the end of the tour, there was a changing room and then beach #1. We were so hot; we got into our suits and went for a dip. Right after getting out of the water a group of about ten white faced monkeys came out. It was a real treat. We were told that the main beach was #3 and that we could rent two chairs and umbrellas for $6.00. We walked about a mile and came to the beach. It was a beautiful beach with large waves and lots of surfers. We found a couple of chairs on the edge of the beach and sat down. In about a minute someone came to us and asked if we wanted to rent the chairs. We gave them $6.00 and they were on their way. Next we had very persistent vendors selling jewelry and pottery stop by.
We finally got back into the water. Even though the waves were huge, they were gentle. It is a good place to body or boogie board surf. We watched a beautiful sunset: deep oranges turned into dreamsicle oranges, then sherbet and dreamy pinks. After the show we visited a variety of vendors across the street from the beach. Then, time to decide which restaurant to visit. We saw one very nice restaurant on the beach and some smaller ones a little further up. There are a lot of very nice restaurants between Manual Antonio and Quepos. We didn't know enough about them, so we decided to only have a snack.
The city bus stops at the beach and takes you down the hill to the city of Quepos. Even though our hotel’s name is Manual Antonio Estates, it is really in Quepos. The bus is only about a $1 to our stop, but since it is dark, we opt for a taxi. The taxi was about $7.00 to our hotel. When we got back, we spent a little time on the patio. The neighbors were out and clued us in on when the monkeys come out at our hotel, usually around 3:00 pm. We made plans to white water raft the next day. However, we don’t have reservations, so we know we have to get up early to make them.
We were very surprised that there was a super highway going there. We passed a couple of toll booths on the way. We took the Gray Line but could have also taken the Interbus. Both charged $49 to get there. There is also a public bus, but it makes a lot more stops. There was only one other couple on the bus with us. The driver, didn’t speak English very well, but enough to get by. When he took us to our hotel, Manual Antonio Estates, I negotiated a ride with him to the State Park. He had to take the other couple to a hotel near the park, so it wasn’t much out of his way. I was so happy that he waited for us to drop off our bags and get a few things before we went to the park.
When we got to the park, we bought an entrance ticket for $10.00. Right away we were approached by park guides to see if they could give us a tour of the park. Because of our previous experience, we knew we probably wouldn’t see much unless we had a guide. We paid $20 each for the guide and started our trek. It was noon and very hot. Thank heavens we had shade from all the trees. Our guide had a telescope so we could get a good view of all the wildlife. The trek was only about 45 minutes, but we saw a lot: squirrel and white faced monkeys, bats, sloths, iguanas, and several birds. At the end of the tour, there was a changing room and then beach #1. We were so hot; we got into our suits and went for a dip. Right after getting out of the water a group of about ten white faced monkeys came out. It was a real treat. We were told that the main beach was #3 and that we could rent two chairs and umbrellas for $6.00. We walked about a mile and came to the beach. It was a beautiful beach with large waves and lots of surfers. We found a couple of chairs on the edge of the beach and sat down. In about a minute someone came to us and asked if we wanted to rent the chairs. We gave them $6.00 and they were on their way. Next we had very persistent vendors selling jewelry and pottery stop by.
We finally got back into the water. Even though the waves were huge, they were gentle. It is a good place to body or boogie board surf. We watched a beautiful sunset: deep oranges turned into dreamsicle oranges, then sherbet and dreamy pinks. After the show we visited a variety of vendors across the street from the beach. Then, time to decide which restaurant to visit. We saw one very nice restaurant on the beach and some smaller ones a little further up. There are a lot of very nice restaurants between Manual Antonio and Quepos. We didn't know enough about them, so we decided to only have a snack.
The city bus stops at the beach and takes you down the hill to the city of Quepos. Even though our hotel’s name is Manual Antonio Estates, it is really in Quepos. The bus is only about a $1 to our stop, but since it is dark, we opt for a taxi. The taxi was about $7.00 to our hotel. When we got back, we spent a little time on the patio. The neighbors were out and clued us in on when the monkeys come out at our hotel, usually around 3:00 pm. We made plans to white water raft the next day. However, we don’t have reservations, so we know we have to get up early to make them.