Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [415]
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Eating
One of Tortuguero’s unsung pleasures is the cuisine: the homey restaurants lure you in from the rain with steaming platters of Caribbean-style food. Listings are from south to north.
Soda Doña María (2709-8050; dishes ₡1500-3000; 7am-8pm) Recover from a hike in the park at this riverside soda, serving fresh jugos (juices), burgers and tasty fish casados. It’s about 200m north of the park entrance.
La Casona (casados ₡3200, mains ₡3000-5600; 7:30-11am & 1:30-8:30pm; ) On the northern edge of the soccer field, it serves a variety of Italian specialties, including a well-rendered lasagna made with hearts of palm.
Miss Miriam’s (2709-8002; mains ₡4400-11,000) Right next door to La Casona is this little place, bursting with flavor and character. Run by Miss Miriam’s friendly and fabulous daughter, it’s so good you’ll want to eat all of your meals here. Don’t miss the well-spiced Caribbean chicken (the best we tasted on the entire coast), served with heaping sides of sautéed fresh veggies and Caribbean-style rice and beans.
Restaurante Tortuguero (dishes ₡2660-9600; 5am-noon & 5-10pm) A big log cabin offers what the owners claim is ‘the Best Breakfast in Costa Rica,’ which will set you back ₡1700 to ₡4280. Credit cards accepted.
Buddha Cafe (2709-8084; pizzas ₡3200-4000, dishes ₡3500-9000; noon-8:30pm; ) A riverside spot keeps a hipster vibe with ambient-club music on the sound system and Buddhist ‘om’ symbols stenciled onto just about everything. It’s a lovely spot, with excellent pizzas, rich coffee and scrumptious crepes (both savory and sweet). Grab a table outside or plant yourself in a deck chair for a prime view of the yellow-bellied flycatchers zipping over the canal. Credit cards accepted.
Dorling Bakery (8876-2263; pastries from ₡900; 5am-10pm) Outstanding homemade banana bread, lemon cake and other pastries get you even more wired when combined with a shot of espresso. In the evenings, it sells BBQ meats – of the sort that will keep your mouth watering – along with the mouths of all the local stray dogs. Good times.
Miss Junie’s (2709-8029; mains from ₡8500; 7-9am breakfast, 11:30am-2:30pm & 6-9pm) This is Tortuguero’s best-known restaurant – serving a bevy of local specialties: chicken, fish, lobster and many other dishes, all served in flavorful Caribbean sauces, with traditional rice and beans.
You can grab groceries at a number of little markets; our favorite is the Grupo Morpho Pulpería (2709-8110; 6:30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm Sun) – which is the best stocked and most reasonable. Look for super tasty ‘Mmmio’ ice-cream bars in the freezer. It’s across from the public dock.
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Drinking
La Taberna (11am-11pm) Adjacent to Tropical Lodge, overlooking the canal, this popular tavern is mellow in the afternoons, but draws the party people after dark, with cold beer and blaring reggaetón. The highlight, however, is the decor: namely, a life-sized statue of Jar Jar Binks.
La Culebra (8pm-close) The town’s only nightclub is a barren concrete space where thumping music makes for a good dance floor, or hang out at the waterside bar area for beer and bocas. This place rocks during turtle season. It’s next to the public boat dock in the center of town.
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Getting There & Away
It’s not hard to get here on your own (see boxed text). However, if you don’t care to go it alone, these package tours can take care of everything from the moment your plane lands in San José. Costs vary widely depending on accommodations and transportation.
Exploradores Outdoors (2222-6262; www.exploradoresoutdoors.com) Primarily a rafting outfit, this company organizes overnight excursions from San José, Arenal and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (per person US$169).
Jungle Tom Safaris (2280-0243; www.jungletomsafaris.com) Offers recommended one-day (US$90), overnight (from US$115) and two-night packages (from US$147) or just round-trip transportation (US$45) –