Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [404]
Hotel Miami (2758-0490; hmiamilimon@yahoo.com; Av 2 btwn Calles 4 & 5; s/d/tr US$22/28/31, s/d/tr with air-con US$29/39/43; ) A clean, secure place with welcoming staff has 34 tidy rooms painted mint green. All are equipped with hot private showers, cable TV and industrial-strength fans. The best value in town.
MIDRANGE
Limón proper offers nothing remotely upscale. Find nicer hotels at nearby Playa Bonita.
Hotel Acon (2758-1010; cnr Av 3 & Calle 3; d/tr US$45/56; ) The ’60s-style Modernist building is in a ramshackle state, but the place is generally clean. The 39 rooms are basic: bare linoleum floors and aged wood furnishings, some with creaky air-con units, though all have hot-water bathrooms.
Park Hotel (2798-0555, 2758-3476; Av 3 btwn Calles 1 & 2; s/d standard US$45/59, s/d superior US$49/69, s/d deluxe US$53/69; ) Downtown Limón’s most attractive hotel has 32 rooms in a peach-colored building that faces the ocean. Units are tidy, clad in ceramic tile, furnished with wood beds and sporting clean bathrooms with hot water. Superior rooms have ocean views while the deluxe ones come with private balconies. Credit cards accepted.
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Eating
Soda Restaurant Meli (Av 3 btwn Calles 3 & 4; casados ₡1400-3800) One of many sodas surrounding the central market. It’s popular for its low prices and big servings of fried rice and casados.
Restaurant Brisas del Caribe (2758-0138; Av 2, east of Calle 1; mains ₡1500-6000; 7am-11pm Mon-Fri, 10am-11pm Sat & Sun) The best view in town isn’t over the waves, it’s over Parque Vargas, where outdoor tables and a breezy balcony make for good people-watching and decent Caribbean fare.
Taquería y Antojería Yenori (2758-8294; Calle 7 btwn Avs 3 & 4; mains ₡2000-5000; 9am-9pm Mon-Sun) A cute little Mexican spot serves tacos (₡600) and casados (₡2000). You have to ring the bell to get buzzed in, where you’ll find clean tables, chilled soda and a blaring air-con unit.
Caribbean Kalisi Coffee Shop (2758-3249; Calle 7 btwn Avs 3 & 4; mains from ₡2200; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat) A tidy, unremarkable-looking family spot serving a wide variety of local specialties, including Caribbean-style chicken with rice and red beans.
El Cevichito (Av 2 btwn Calles 1 & 2; mains ₡2800) The outdoor patio along the pedestrian mall is one of the city’s more pleasant spots. You’ll find locals gathering here to guzzle beer, talk soccer and devour tasty garlic fish.
Restaurante Bionatura (2798-2020; Calle 6 btwn Avs 3 & 4; mains ₡2900-3800; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat; ) In a town where everything seems to be deep-fried, this restaurant stands out for its focus on healthy vegetarian cuisine, including fresh fruit salads, veggie burgers and bistek de soya (soy steak) casados. There’s a health-food store next door.
Park Hotel (2798-0555; Av 3 btwn Calles 1 & 2; mains ₡3100-14,000; 6:30am-midnight) Sporting a 1970s Miami vibe, this semi-swanky (for Limón) eatery inside the town’s top hotel has bright pink and green linens and ocean views. There is a long menu, but the specialty here is seafood, including fish brochettes, shrimp-studded rice and sea bass served countless ways.
For the cheapest budget eats, hit the central market (6am-8pm Mon-Sat), which has several sodas and plenty of groceries. The big supermarket Más X Menos (cnr Av 3 & Calle 3;8am-9pm), across the avenue, is useful for self-caterers.
For breakfast, you can’t go wrong with the baked goods at Musmanni (Av 3 btwn Calles 5 & 6; pastries from ₡600;6am-6pm), near the cathedral.
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Drinking & Entertainment
No one in Limón need ever go thirsty, considering the wide selection of bars. Those by Parque Vargas and a few blocks west are popular hang outs for a variety of coastal characters: banana workers, sailors, ladies of the night, entrepreneurs, boozers, losers and the casually curious. The standard warnings for solo women