Puntarenas

Introduction

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Although discovered in 1519 the city of Puntarenas and port was not developed until the 1840s because of the coffee industry. This nice city has homey old town and has wonderful beaches that surfers love. This is a great place to relax and spend a day or two.

Sights and Activities

• Football catch a local football game while in town.
• Beaches are great places to relax and these ones never let down.
• Surfing is a big activity on these wonderful beaches.

Events and Festivals

• Carnaval is one of the largest celebrations every year and is held in February.

Weather

Puntarenas' climate is on average about the same as many other places in Costa Rica. Tropical conditions mean high temperatures and high humidity. Average daytime temperatures are around 30 °C, while nights generally are still above 20 °C. The wet season lasts from May to November, making the months of December to April a better time to visit.

Sleep

Budget

Keep Connected

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

• The country calling code to Costa Rica is 506.
• To make an international call from Costa Rica, the code is 00.

There are plenty of phone booths around and you will get the best rate using a pre-paid international card (can often be purchased in internet cafés and other small stores). There is usually a connection fee making short calls extra expensive. Those travelling with a mobile phone and willing to pay the roaming costs should ensure it supports 1800 MHz GSM network. You cannot get a prepaid SIM card for Costa Rica.

Post

Correos de Costa Rica (website in Spanish only) is the national postal services of Costa Rica. You can find post offices (correos) in almost any city and town and they are generally open from 7:30am to 5:30pm or 6:00pm Monday to Friday and 7:30am to noon on Saturdays. There are not that many mailboxes, so it's best to ask your hotel or go directly to the post offices. Services tend to be slow but generally reliable and on the whole cheap regarding letters and postcards. It costs about US$0.20 to the USA and Canada (taking about 1 week to 10 days), US$0.25 to Europe (about 2 weeks) and US$0.30 to Asia and Australia (3 weeks or even more). All in all, if you can try and arrange your mail from the capital San José as it's generally quicker from there. Small packages are also no problem, though take them to the post offices unpacked for inspection first! Otherwise, arrange things through private international courier services like UPS, DHL or TNT.