ONE LOVE

THE PSE

Happy Trails

The PSE Gang

Happy trails.

Great night / Great Music in Monteverde

Getting to Monteverde from San Jose or the Airport area by rental car:

Driving from San Jose or the airport has gotten a lot easier and should take about 3 hours or less.  Departing from San Jose or the airport area you will head towards Escazu in order to connect with the new Caldera highway going to Puntarenas.  Ask your hotel or car rental agency for the best directions to the Caldera highway for Jaco and Puntarenas. Passing through Puntarenas follow the signs for San Jose/Liberia and head north on the Pan American Highway.  Approximately 15 minutes after connecting with the Pan American and heading towards Liberia you will come to signs for the turn off for Monteverde/Santa Elena and Sardinal.  At the soccer field in Sardinal you need to turn left and follow the signs for Monteverde.   It is super fast.

The same thing is true for beaches in the south like Manuel Antonio / Jaco / Playa Hermosa / Dominical after getting on the new highway from any of these beaches it is a easy and fast to connect with the Pan American and head to Monteverde or beaches furhter North.

Happy trails

 A direct bus departs the San Carlos terminal in San Jose at 6h30am and 2h30pm and arrives in Monteverde at 11h30am and 7h30pm.  Your belongings are safe under the bus but use caution with your valuables inside the cabin.  Do not store them above you in the overhead bins and take them with you when you depart the bus for breaks.  Also, use a taxi to get to this terminal from your hotel because the neighborhood is not safe.  There are also shared shuttles and private transportation departing daily from San Jose and the airport area in the morning and afternoon.  They do require reservations and costs vary depending on departure time and operator.   Contact the Pension Santa Elena for any questions.

Happy Trails

The PSE

Having just spent a wonderful night in El Castillo in front of Volcan Arenal I have decided that if the adventurer is looking for the road less traveled and a more authentic Costa Rican experience then El Castillo is a nice change of pace from the more touristy La Fortuna/Arenal area.  We stayed at a great little place called Essence Arenal.  Nice people and the staff are very informative.   The owners and staff are genuine and enthusiastically share their Costa Rica with anyone.  Their energy is refreshing and is sometimes hard to find in Costa Rica.

El Castillo is a small village located on the lava side of the volcano approximately 40 minutes from the town of La Fortuna .  So, you get incredible views of the lava without having to pay for a tour.   The drawback is that unless you have a car it is difficult to get around and walking around town can be a strenuous workout.  The owners of Essence Arenal offer affordable transport to La Fortuna but if you have to take a taxi expect to pay about $20 one way.  This also means that when it comes to sitting in a hot spring it can be difficult without a car.  Again, many of the hotels in the area offer cheaper transport to the main attractions in the area and we were pleased to see the staff at Essence give options for free springs and hikes.  

It has been some time since I have visited the area and I was pleased to see that El Castillo has remained small and quaint.  You can see the beginning of development in the area but it is nothing compared to the over development and bustle of the La Fortuna/Arenal areas.   Possibly in the future the hotels in the El Castillo area will get together and offer some affordable transport options but maybe this will change the funky feeling of the town.  Transportation and paved roads certainly changed our little bit of heaven in Monteverde.   Keep up the good vibes and keep it weird. 

Ran

Good drinks and Good vibes are awaiting

We are about to launch a new site, maybe as early as tonight. We hope that we will be better able to share information with our guests and friends. Come back soon to see as the changes come up!