Montezuma

Introduction

Paa vei til Montezuma

© Inamyh

Montezuma is a popular coastal town in the Puntarenas Province in Costa Rica, located along the Pacific coast on the Nicoya Peninsula.

Sights and Activities

• Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve - Take the 8:00am bus there to ensure you have enough time. 2-hour hike from visitor's center to the beach. US$10 entry fee per person.
• Waterfalls. There are 3 sets of waterfalls flowing into each otherwith pools to swim in on the bottom of each one. It's a very steep, somewhat dangerous climb to the 2nd part of the falls. Shoes are best but it can be done in sandals. To get to the falls just follow the creek up for 15 minutes and you'll see them. Ask any local for directions.
• Horseback riding
• Hanging out on the beach -Walk south from the village to get to some very nice and more secluded beaches.
• A variety of tour companies in Montezuma offer ATV/dirt bike rentals (about US$65 a day), horseback riding, and snorkeling tours.
• Take the trail heading up the hill from Amor de Mar to get you to a beautiful three-tiered waterfall. Many jump from the top of the second one about 21 metres into the pool below, but catastrophic injuries are not uncommon.
• Proyecto Montezuma - TEFL Certification, Surf School, Spanish Classes, Tour Agency.
• Isla Tortuga Diving Club s.a (Next to hotel Lys), ☎ +506 8823-0831, +506 2642-0544. 10:00-18:00. Diving in Montezuma with Isla Tortuga Diving Club. Great team of friendly Italians will take you out to Tambor Bay and Tortuga Islands. For a two-tank dive expect to pay $90 per person, for a single tank $50. They will arrange for you to be picked up at your hotel and driven to Tambor where the diving boat is. US$50 for one tank $90 for two.
• Los Delfines Golf Course, Playa Tambor (Beside the Tambor airport and minutes away from Montezuma).
• Montezuma Yoga (at Hotel Los Mangos), ☎ +506 87041632, +506 2642 1311, e-mail: [email protected]. 08:00-18:00. Daily yoga classes & retreats at Montezuma Yoga, located at Hotel Los Mangos, on the main road towards the waterfalls. Yoga classes led by experienced teachers for all levels; beginners are welcome, mats are available. US$14 single class.
• Costa Rica Color Photography Tours (Photography Tours & Classes), Montezuma, ☎ +506 8334-9976, e-mail: [email protected]. Learn how to use your digital camera and improve your photography skills. Half and full day digital photography tours available. Daily and weekly digital photography classes offered as well.

Getting There

Take the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera (a couple of US dollars per person, or about $9 per car), and then drive or take a bus. The road from Paquera is Cobano is pretty well paved, though from Cobano to Montezuma the road is rather poor. By car, it will take about one hour to drive from Paquera to Montezuma. Obey the speed signs, as you may encounter traffic police.

Alternatively, you can fly from San José to the small airstrip at Tambor and then take a taxi. Nature Air and Sansa have daily flights, which take around 30 minutes. The cost of flying is much more expensive than using ground transportation, but if you are short on time, flying is the way to go. Coming from Tamarindo or anywhere further north on the Nicoya Peninsula, there are shuttles available for the trip.

Getting Around

The town is very compact and walking is the best way to get around. There is very inexpensive bus service from Montezuma to Cabo Blanco National Park and Mal Pais.

Eat

If you are coming in from other parts of the country, be prepared for high prices. Even the casadas will cost you US$5 and up. The majority of restaurants/sodas cater to an American audience with hamburgers, muffins, sushi, pancakes, and pizza on the menu. Not your regular Costa Rican food.

• Playa de los Artistas, great decor and great food, the menu changes daily.
• Cafe Organicos, vegetarian and vegan food.
• Chicos. Located in the heart of Montezuma, this restaurant serves up overpriced fare at painfully slow rates. Plan on waiting somewhere in the ballpark of 90 minutes for your food, regardless of time of day.

Drink

• Chico's Bar - Chico's is in the center of town. Great place to hang out with locals and other tourists.

Sleep

• Anamaya, ☎ +506 2642-1289. Anamaya is a luxury boutique hotel and yoga retreat center, with organic food, and located right next to the Montezuma Waterfall. Primarily used for yoga retreats, yoga and surf camps, and yoga teacher trainings, but often a room or two will be available for hotel guests as well. Rates range from US$150 to $250 per night + tax.
• Hotel Amor de Mar, ☎ +506 2642-0262. Located a short walk outside of town, across the road from the waterfalls. Absolutely gorgeous setting right on the ocean, with hammocks and chairs on the lawn, and a small tide pool that provides surprisingly good viewing of fish and other marine life. Variety of room types (some with shared bathroom, some with private). Rates range from US$45 to $90 per night + tax.
• Lucy's is north of town, and on the beach. US$10 per person.
• Hotel Lys. Right on the beach, this place is a little overpriced (US$15/night) but has a great location and offers family style dinners each night. In peak season, try and book ahead of time.
• Hotel 3 Monkeys, ☎ +506 2642-1033. A short distance from the beach. Quiet peaceful setting. Avoid the crowds and the noise. Easily accessible. Rates range from US$40-70.
• Casa de Hermano. This hostel consists of two beautiful big white houses, one of which has a lovely view over the sea. Monkeys can occasionally be seen in their well-maintained gardens, and some very large iguanas have favorite basking rocks around the houses. There is free use of the kitchen, but there is no hot water available on the premises at all. If you are an early riser you will be treated to the owner singing her morning vespers. To find it: at the bus stop, with your face towards the sea, go right. The road goes to the left, the hostel is on the corner. It is across the road from Hotel Lys. US$10-25.
• Hotel Casacolores, Apdo-180, 5361 Cobano de Puntarenas (on the main road 1 km before the village), ☎ +506 2642-0283. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Family hotel in a quiet area. Swimming pool, Wi-Fi, hamocks, veranda, safety box, fully equipped kitchen and window screens, fans. US$40

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Keep Connected

Internet

It's easy to find internet access, and although you can still can find a lot of internet cafes, wifi is growing fast in the country. The further away you get from San Jose, the slower and more expensive it becomes when you are using an internet cafe. Wifi is generally free of charge at most places though and apart from off the beaten track parks, jungles and mountains, the connection generally is ok. Some internet cafés also offer international calls via either phone or IP using services like Skype.

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. International calls are fairly expensive. The cheapest way to make them is over the internet using a service such as Skype at an Internet café. But making short calls using the domestic calling cards (you can make international calls using these but the denominations of the calling cards are quite small so your call will be short!) or the international calling cards available within Costa Rica (all from the government phone monopoly ICE) is the next best deal.

Those travelling with a mobile phone and willing to pay the roaming costs should ensure it supports 1,800 MHz GSM network. Note that the GSM phone systems in the United States and Canada use different frequencies and that travelers from there will need a "world" handset, such as a tri-band or quad-band phone, if you want to use your existing cell phone. If you want to use a local Costa Rica number, you can rent cell phone service, and of course anyone can buy a cell phone. If you have an unlocked cell phone (either one from home or bought in Costa Rica - all cell phones sold in Costa Rica must be unlocked), prepaid (prepago) SIM cards can provide a local number and service can be purchased throughout the country by anyone with a passport from any country. Try using companies like Grupo ICE under the Kölbi brand, TuYo Movil, Movistar and Claro.

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, FedEx, DHL or TNT.

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