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B&B has eight quiet, immaculate cabins in its garden, each with fan, private hot-water bathroom, hammock and outdoor table and chairs. It’s also situated on the edge of the rainforest, so there are plenty of opportunities for bird-watching while you sit outside and eat breakfast. The newest accommodations option is a funky living tree house with bathroom and canopy-level balcony from which you can spy on the sloth family living in the nearby trees. The owner, Alex Martínez, is an excellent, amiable guide as well as a passionate frontline conservationist who runs an onsite ecotourism center (for details, Click here).

MIDRANGE

El Gavilán (2766-6743; www.gavilanlodge.com; d standard/superior US$60/75; ) Sitting on a 100-hectare reserve about 4km northeast of Puerto Viejo, this former cattle hacienda is cozy, quaint and a bird-watching haven. Each of the spacious rooms has a big hot-water shower and fan; all rooms have porches, some with river views. The grounds feature 5km of private trails and a good restaurant, plus a nice outdoor Jacuzzi to relax in after a long hike. Although the accommodations don’t quite live up to the price, bird-watching and boat trips are the draw here. Trips range from short jaunts down the Río Sarapiquí to overnights in Tortuguero. Multiday package deals are available that include meals, tours and transportation from San José.

Hotel Ara Ambigua (2766-7101; www.hotelaraambigua.com; s/d/tr incl breakfast from US$65/75/82; ) About 1km west of Puerto Viejo near La Guaíra, this countryside retreat offers cozy rooms that are well equipped with private hot-water shower and cable TV. The superior rooms feature log-style furniture and flagstone floors. There are also a few standard rooms that cost US$17 less. The real draw are the varied opportunities for wildlife-watching – you can see poison-dart frogs in the ranario (frog pond), caimans in the small lake, and the birds that come to feed near the onsite Restaurante La Casona, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hotel El Bambú (2766-6005; www.elbambu.com; r standard/deluxe incl breakfast US$67/79; ) You really can’t miss the sign for downtown Puerto Viejo’s finest lodging, which caters mostly to package tourists looking for a clean and comfortable base when they’re not out on ‘adventure tours.’ Rooms are all equipped with air-con and hot water, and there’s a big, inviting pool and a popular restaurant open to the main road. Spring for one of the quieter deluxe rooms out back, whose raised platform paths take you through the trees.

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Eating

Most of the lodgings in and around Puerto Viejo have onsite restaurants or provide meals.

There are several sodas in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, including the excellent Soda Judith (mains ₡1160-2320; 6am-7pm), one block off the main road, where early risers grab brewed coffee and big breakfasts or an empanada (turnover stuffed with meat or cheese) to start their day. Or you can grab a coffee and fresh bread at Panadería Cafetería Musmanni (snacks ₡100-600;4:30am-8:30pm), across from the bus terminal. Restaurante La Casona (meals ₡2320-5800; breakfast, lunch & dinner) at the Hotel Ara Ambigua is particularly recommended for its oven-baked pizza and typical, homemade cuisine served in an open-air rancho.

There’s also a Palí supermarket (8am-9pm) at the west end of town, and the local Super Sarapiquí on the way to the port.

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Getting There & Away

Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí has been a transportation center longer than Costa Rica has been a country, and is easily accessed by paved major roads from San José, the Caribbean coast and other population centers. There is a taxi stop across from the bus terminal, and taxis will take you to the nearby lodges and Estación Biológica La Selva for ₡2320 to ₡4060.

BOAT

The small port has a regular service to the Trinidad Lodge in Trinidad, and you can arrange transportation anywhere along the river (seasonal conditions permitting) through independent boat captains. Short trips cost about ₡5800 per hour per