Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [236]
Aside from the hotel restaurants, your best option for cheap eats is to head to nearby Paraíso, though there a few small spots on the beach, including the locally popular Bar y Restaurant Junquillal (dishes ₡1700-3500) and Rudy’s (2658-8114; mains ₡1700-4000; breakfast, lunch & dinner), a mellow little bar and restaurant serving Tico standbys and casual fare.
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Getting There & Away
Buses depart from Junquillal to Santa Cruz (₡400, 1½ hours) at 6am, 9am, 12:30pm and 4:30pm; you can catch the bus anywhere along the main road. Buses from Santa Cruz’s Terminal Diria to Junquillal depart at 4:45am, 6:45am, 10:15am, 12:15pm, 2:15pm and 5:30pm.
If you’re driving, it’s about 16km by paved road from Santa Cruz to 27 de Abril. From there, it’s another 17km on one of the best roads we’ve seen in all of Costa Rica; it even has separate bike lanes!
From Junquillal, it’s possible to drive 35km south to the Nosara area via the legendary surf spot of Marbella. However, this is a very rough dirt road for 4WD only and may be impassable in the rainy season. There are no gas stations on the coastal road and there is little traffic, so ask before setting out. It’s easier to reach beaches south of Junquillal from Nicoya.
A taxi from Santa Cruz to Junquillal costs about ₡20,000.
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SANTA CRUZ
A stop in Santa Cruz, a sabanero (cowboy) town typical of inland Nicoya, provides some of the local flavor missing from foreign-dominated beach towns. Unfortunately, there aren’t any attention-worthy sights in town, so most travelers’ experience in Santa Cruz consists of changing buses and buying a mango or two. It doesn’t help much that Santa Cruz (with Liberia a close second) holds the dubious title of being the hottest city in Costa Rica (we’re talking temperature, not sex appeal). However, the town is an important administrative center in the region, and serves as a good base for visiting Guaitil (see boxed text).
About three city blocks in the center of Santa Cruz burned to the ground in a devastating fire in 1993. An important landmark in town is a vacant lot known as Plaza de Los Mangos, which was once a large grassy square with three mango trees. However, soon after the fire the attractive and shady Parque Bernabela Ramos was opened up 400m south of Plaza de Los Mangos.
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Information
Kion, on the southwest plaza corner, is a Wal-Mart–style department store selling English-language newspapers and more. There’s a gas station off the main intersection with the highway. There is one ATM and at least three internet cafes facing Plaza de Los Mangos. Change money at Banco de Costa Rica (2680-3253), three blocks north of Plaza de Los Mangos.
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Festivals & Events
There is a rodeo during the Fiesta de Santa Cruz in the second week in January, and on July 25 for Día de Guanacaste (see boxed text). At these events, you can check out the sabaneros, admire prize bulls and drink plenty of beer while listening to eardrum-busting music.
Santa Cruz is considered the folklore center of the region and is home to a longtime marimba group, Los de la Bajura. The group plays traditional bombas, a combination of music with funny (and off-color) verses. Keep an eye out for wall postings announcing performances, or ask hotel staff for information.
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Sleeping & Eating
Any directions that mention the ‘plaza’ are making reference to Plaza de Los Mangos. Note that all of the following places have cold showers, though you’ll wish they were even colder.