Quepos

Introduction

Quepos

© Lindahaugv

Quepos is a city in Costa Rica and the main gateway to the fantastic Manuel Antonio National Park.

Getting There

Buses are taken from Tracopa Bus station downtown San Jose. Ride prices are US$8, trip takes between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours, depending on the bus you take.
You can hire a tourist-oriented private van or bus, which usually carries between 7-30 people, depending on the size and presence of air conditioning. Expect to pay up to US$40.
You can take a plane, which is a 40-minute flight. Cost is around US$90 one way. Quepos airport is a $20 cab ride into town/Manuel Antonio Park. You will need to pay a $3/person airport entry/exit fee when using the Quepos airport (though it does have free Wi-Fi).

Getting Around

Local bus leaves every 30 mins during the day between Manuel Antonio and Quepos. Costs ₡315 (~US$0.60) and the bus driver and can provide change but may not accept dollars. Also renting scooters is an option or renting a taxi.

Eat

• Aqua Azul, Great mix of typical and American plates. Good prices and chilled atmosphere. Amazing views at sunset.
• La Cantina, Great kebabs and steaks done over an open grill.
• Sunspot Bar & Grill, After Quepos on Main Road to Manuel Antonio Park (Turn right at Cafe Milagro and follow signs), ☎ +506 2777-0442. 11:00-22:00. Sunspot Bar & Grill offers international and local specialities prepared on the grill. Adults only. Fabulous sunset views. US$5 & up.
• El Mirador Restaurant, ☎ +506 2777-2777, e-mail: [email protected]. Fusion cuisine. Guest chef series with chefs from around the world. Within walking distance of Manuel Antonio. Ocean view. Located next to a pool. Serving breakfast and dinner. US$12-30.
• Soda Sanchez is a great place to eat breakfast. It's across from the Widemouth Frog Backpacker's Hostel. Cheap prices, friendly people. Also serving lunch and dinner.
• El Gran Escape serves up some wonderful dishes, but prices rise steeply.
• Escalofrio, Downtown Quepos. Wonderful brick oven pizzas and homemade gelatos makes this great night spot.

Drink

• Karolas
• Barba Roja has ladies night on Saturdays.
• Wacky Wanda's has cold drinks and air conditioning.
• Pescadores bar has cold drinks and an open atmosphere. Five TV's and nearly every NFL game.
• Dos Locos is very popular downtown and may have live music, but not always great music.
• Sargento Garcia's is usually jumpin' and is a tourist favorite.
• Billfish Sportsbar & Grill (Byblos Sportsbar), Main Road to Manuel Antonio Park (3 km from Quepos on left), ☎ +506 2777-0411. 18:00-24:00. Billfish Sportsbar & Grill is a place for watching international sports on their large screen TVs. It offers the usual sportsbar fare, and dinner specialties off the grill. Located next to the Byblos Casino. Monday night is Ladies' Night. $3 & up.
• Bambu Jam (Klaus Thalau), Carreterra Ma-Antonno, ☎ +506 2777-3369. 07:00 till late. International cuisine, moderate price. There will be live music Tu and F (no charge

Sleep

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.

External Links