Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [378]
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Activities
CATARATAS Y SENDEROS AVELLÁN
This Tico family-run reserve and adventure camp (8378-7895; admission US$5; 10am-4pm) is an excellent option for adventurers who like a little guidance. Guided hikes and horseback-riding tours (prices vary) explore the extensive, rainforest-covered grounds, including three impressive waterfalls. Camping (US$10 per site) and basic cabins (US$10 per person) and meals are also available.
SPORTFISHING & YACHTING
Golfito is home to several full-service marinas that attract coastal-cruising yachters. If you didn’t bring your own boat, you can hire local sailors for tours of the gulf at any of the docks. You can fish year-round, but the best season for the sought-after Pacific sailfish is from November to May.
Banana Bay Marina (2775-0838; www.bananabaymarina.com) Charters can be arranged, and a full day of all-inclusive fishing starts at around US$750.
C-Tales (in USA 772-335-9425; www.c-tales.com) Operating out of Las Gaviotas Hotel, this company offers a two-day package per person from US$2000.
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Sleeping
Note that the area around the soccer field in town (not far east of the Muellecito) is Golfito’s red-light district, so you’d be wise to spend a few more dollars and stay elsewhere.
BUDGET
Cabinas El Tucán (2775-0553; r per person with/without air-con US$15/10; ) This friendly, family-run hotel is a wonderfully welcoming place to stay, and you don’t have to worry about there being any funny business going on around you. Clean spacious rooms of varying sizes and shapes are clustered around the shady tiled courtyard.
La Purruja Lodge (2775-1054; www.purruja.com; 4.5km south of Golfito; s/d/tr incl breakfast US$30/40/50; ) A delightful Swiss-Tica couple runs this secluded lodge, which is home to five simple but sparkling cabins that have all the necessary comforts. The tranquil and tree-filled grounds are renowned for bird sightings, and the personable owners can organize tours throughout the area.
Samoa del Sur (2775-0233, 2775-0264; www.samoadelsur.com; r from US$40; ) This French-run facility offers handsome lodgings that are outfitted with tiled floors and stylish wood furniture. The bar is a popular spot in the evenings, when guests congregate to play pool or darts. The kiddies, meanwhile, seem content to pass the time in the swimming pool, play area and (on rainy days) the onsite shell museum.
MIDRANGE
Las Gaviotas Hotel (2775-0062; s/d/tr US$65/75/85; ) This decidedly low-key resort hotel comprises a clutch of stucco cabins set amid a lovely tropical garden. Here, you can pass the time in Golfito proper by sipping rum on your private porch or doing a few laps in the inviting pool.
Hotel Sierra Resort & Casino (2775-0666, 2775-0336; www.hotelsierra.com; s/d/tr US$68/80/92; ) Appropriate to its location in the Zona Americana, this place feels like an US-style motor lodge, though its sterility shouldn’t deter you from staying here. Far removed from the grit and grime of Golfito, the Hotel Sierra is a mini-island where you can pass the night in relative ease, especially since there is a good restaurant and a small casino onsite.
Big Thunder Lodge (2775-9191; www.bigthunder-lodge.com; opposite Muelle de Golfito; d from US$85; ) Colorful depictions of marlin and sailfish adorn the walls of this upmarket lodge, which is a pleasant alternative to the more anonymous resorts in town. Backed by the forested hills of the reserve, the property was formerly the home of a banana manager, but now houses just a handful of individually decorated rooms.
TOP END
Casa Roland Marina Resort (2775-0180; www.casarolandgolfito.com; d from US$125; ) A brand-new construction in the Zona Americana, the Casa Roland is now Golfito’s most expensive hotel,