Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [200]
Banco Nacional (2679-9296) At the junction of the short road into the town center and the Interamericana; has a 24-hour ATM.
Banco Popular (2679-9352) In the town center, has an ATM.
Cruz Roja (2679-9004, emergency 2679-9146) A small clinic just north of the town center on the road toward the border.
Internet Cafe (2679-8190, 8838-8128; per hr ₡560; 8am-7pm Mon-Sat)
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Sleeping & Eating
La Cruz may possibly have the most helade-rías (ice-cream shops) per capita in Costa Rica, for which you’ll be glad when the mid-afternoon heat smites you. Pick up groceries at the neighboring Almacén Super Único and SuperCompro La Cruz, on the east side of the plaza. There are a handful of sodas scattered around town; otherwise, La Cruz is a gastronomic wasteland.
Hotel Bella Vista (2679-8060; per person with fan/air-con US$7/10; ) With a lovely mosaic-bottomed pool and breezy restaurant at the top of the hill, this Dutch-run hotel is a great place for a beer in the evenings, although it’s a bit run-down. All rooms have private hot-water bathroom, and those upstairs are a bit brighter with partial views of the bay. There’s also an attached restaurant (open for breakfast, lunch and dinner).
Cabinas Santa Rita (2679-9062; s/d US$9/13, with air-con US$15/23; ) The best budget option in town has clean, though dark, rooms with private bathroom and is popular with migrant workers. Across the street, the newer annex has frillier rooms with private bathroom, cable TV, hot shower and air-con.
Amalia’s Inn (2679-9618; s/d US$20/35; ) By far the best place in La Cruz to kick back with a cool drink at sunset, the shared terra-cotta terraces at Amalia’s look out on to huge, stupendous bay views. The white stucco house on a cliff isn’t a bad place to spend the night, either – cozy, homey rooms are decorated with anything from white wicker to modular leather, each with private hot-water bathroom and air-con. Walls in the meandering house are hung with modernist paintings by Amalia’s late husband Lester Bounds. Amalia’s niece is now the lady of the house, and short of offering meals, she’ll make you feel right at home.
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Getting There & Away
A Transportes Deldú counter (7am-12:30pm & 1:30-5pm) sells tickets and stores bags. To catch a TransNica bus to Peñas Blancas, you’ll need to flag a bus down on the Interamericana. Buses to the beaches depart from the bus terminal just up the hill from Hotel Bella Vista; a taxi to the beach costs about ₡7000.
Liberia (Transportes Deldú) ₡1000; 1½ hours; eight departures per day from 5:30am to 6:30pm. Alternatively, catch any San José–bound bus.
Peñas Blancas ₡580; 45 minutes; 10 departures per day from 5am to 6:30pm.
Playa Jobó ₡560; 30 minutes; departs at 8:30am, 11:15am, 2pm and 5pm.
San José via Liberia (Transportes Deldú) ₡3400; five hours; departs 4am, 5:45am, 8am, 10am, 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm.
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BAHÍA SALINAS
Bahía Salinas is the second-best place in all of Costa Rica (after Laguna de Arenal) for windsurfing, and is arguably the best place in the country for kitesurfing because the vegetation around Arenal can be quite dangerous for kiters in the air. The bay otherwise happens to be a bit under the radar, so you’ll often find that you have an entire jungle-edged crescent of white-sand beach to yourself. The bay is also home to Isla Bolaños, which protects a large colony of seabirds, including the endangered brown pelican (present from January to May).
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Sights & Activities
A dirt road (normally passable to cars) leads down from the lookout point in La Cruz past the small coastal fishing community of Puerto Soley and out along the curve of the bay to the consistently windy beaches of Playa Papaturro and Playa Copal. If wind isn’t your thing but sunbathing is, head around the point to Playa Jobó, a perfect horseshoe of a bay with calm water, or Playa Rajada just beyond. Boats can be rented in the village