This wild, often overlooked coastal stretch, an 11-mile-long necklace of little sandy coves located in southern Limón province, may be in two of Costa Rica’s poorest areas, but it’s also two of the most diverse, populated by a blend of Costa Ricans, English-speaking Afro-Caribbeans, indigenous Cabecar & Bribri Indians, & lots of expatriates, from French fashion designers to elderly French hippies.
SOME holiday destinations attract tourists. Others attract disciples. The surfer town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca & the little beach communities southeast of it, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, are of the latter variety.
Drive south beyond the little village of Puerto Viejo, a little grid of streets lined with scrappy surf bars & cafes with names like Peace & Love & EZ Times, & you’ll find pristine beaches where palm trees bend & sway over the water’s edge. Reggae music emanates from cheerful pastel-painted shacks that line a rutted, mostly dirt road. An old-growth forest, often yards from the shore, is alive with sloths, toucans & monkeys.
For soul-searching world travelers who tend to plant roots & stay, it’s this laid-back, untamed vibe that has made the Caribbean-side strip, between Puerto Viejo & the equally little town of Manzanillo, an attractive alternative to Costa Rica’s more touristy Pacific coast.
Even the local surfers tend to be fanatical about the area — &, more specifically, the famous wave known as Salsa Brava (Wild Sauce), which breaks a few hundred yards from Puerto Viejo’s shore. When this Hawaiian-style barrel swells, it’s thought about the most powerful wave in Costa Rica. It’s also an appropriate analogy for the surrounding area: pretty & wild. The surfers who ride it tend to be hardcore adrenaline addicts.
“Coming here is about living with nature,” said Nicolas Buffile, a French expatriate who owns the Shawandha Lodge, a chic “neo-primitive-style” property. “We’re not like the Pacific side, where everything is air-conditioned & tamed.” His daughter Paola, who manages Residencia Las Casas, a luxurious holiday rental in the area, added: “People who go to the Pacific side don’t need their life to modify. The people that come here need to modify their life.”
The Costa Rican government is also investing in the region. Over the next few years about $80 million has been allotted for development in the province, focused on Puerto Limón, its shabby main port town, about 35 miles northwest of Puerto Viejo. & attention is already turning to the town. Last year it served as the finish line for the Transat Jacques Vabre yacht race; this year two cruise lines — Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Holland The united states & Carnival Cruises — added Limón as a port of call.
Needless to say, neither Salsa Brava nor Puerto Viejo is for the traveler who likes to be indulged. In fact, for years, careful travelers & tour operators avoided the region thanks to its reputation as a frenetic, rough-and-tumble kind of place. & while petty theft is still an issue, a boom of new restaurants & hotels catering to a more sophisticated traveler has softened the edges some. & upscale tour operators like Wildland Adventures have decided that the Caribbean Costa Rican coast is now safe to start tours in the area.
An example of this new luxury is Le Caméléon, the area’s first luxury boutique hotel located south of Puerto Viejo, which was inaugurated a year ago by the president of Costa Rica, Óscar Arias, himself. The property has 23 all-white rooms spread out among two two-story glass & wood buildings that embrace a palm-lined pool. Another low-lying building behind the lobby houses a trendy bar & restaurant, & across the street is an exclusive beach club, with curtained day beds & bar service. Although the complex is designed to blend in to the landscape, its Miami-style design sticks out like an Armani-clad banker among barefoot bohemians.
More characteristic to the scene is Jungle Love, an intimate open-air restaurant owned by two American expatriates, Yamu Myles & Poppy Williams. Situated behind some thick foliage across the road from Playa Chiquita, at night it gives off a cozy glow. The soundtrack tends toward soul & funk tunes, while the menu offers healthy comfort food like chipotle chicken & tuna in a tamarindo sauce with wasabi & brown rice.
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