Calendar of Events and Posts
Aug
27
The Other Side of the News
August 27, 2008 | Tags: Tourism | Leave a Comment
One of the challenges of writing news anywhere is presenting a balanced view of the community when major stories are often negative — accidents, tragedies, crime, etc.
The controversy over the Tico Times article (see Violence Causes Spotlight to Fall on Puerto Viejo) has caused many to wonder out loud whether this is a balanced portrayal of our community.
I’ve spent the last few hours reading blogs written about visitor’s stays in Puerto Viejo that have been written in the last month — I’ve added links to them on the photos and blog page. And I have to say that a huge majority of visitors seem to have really enjoyed their visit to Puerto Viejo.
Some of the comments from bloggers:
I had an awesome weekend in Puerto Viejo de Limon. I completely fell in love with the place.
We spent most of our time in Costa Rica in a small, Caribbean coastal town called Puerto Viejo. This town is full of backpackers going to and from Bocas del Toro, Panama, and surfers attracted to the 8-foot waves and laid back atmosphere.
We decided to head to the Caribbean side (Puerto Viejo) of Costa Rica and let me tell you it is amazing!! The beach is so warm, there are wild horses just chilling by the ocean and everyone is very kind!
The beach was in a beautiful cove on the edge of the rain forest right out in the middle of nowhere and we had the beach nearly to ourselves with just one or two other families coming and going while we body surfed and floated on the waves. It was such a relaxing day and I was so lucky to be there with 3 very chilled, relaxed and easy going girls who were all just ready to go with the flow, accept that the weather was bad but enjoy it anyway!
I’m staying right across the road from the beautiful beach in Playa Cocles I discovered on my jog the first day, which makes me a happy little camper (though, not literally camping…staying in a dorm room…that I have all to myself as of now! What a score!) Spent the afternoon on the beach, soaking in the sun and recovering my tan that was stolen by the chilly weather in Xela, Guatemala. Watched the AWESOME surfers rip it up on the huge waves that kept rolling in.
So why even go? We all know the answer to that: it’s the beach, and the sun, and the forest, and the monkeys, and the air. I could never breath enough of that fresh oxygen and plants and life growing on every tree and gate and wire and road. It’s incredible. Days on the sand, the kids would loose themselves in play and imagination and sticks and rocks. We lived very much in the NOW; the beach is all about the NOW.
Even those bloggers who didn’t have a 100% great time were pragmatic about their criticisms. Like:
Petty theft is a problem at the beach. Keeping a guard up is just wise. There’s a lot of drug use. It comes with the territory. We were robbed once because someone staying in our guest room on the bottom floor didn’t shut the little wooden shutter at night. Though the guests lost cameras, phones, and clothes, thankfully no one was hurt. But common sense goes a long, long way at the beach.
Can I be honest? I’ve spent the past week or so desperately looking forward to going home. Paradise has felt especially un-paradise-like lately. Nothing has really changed or happened to make me feel this way. It’s just the cumulative effect of a lot of factors that have been in place the whole time. I don’t regret that we’re here. But it’s not paradise. It’s hard, fun, interesting, different, expanding, exhausting, educational… And itchy.
In my experience, people feel motivated to write about their experiences either when they’ve had a great experience or a really bad one (not so much when it was just average) so these entries should encourage us that despite the frustrations resident sometimes feel, the average visitor is having a good time and wants to come back for more!
The latest reviews of area hotels on TripAdvisor bear this out too — most are positive about the service they’ve received and their experience in town. In many places I’ve traveled to I’ve used Tripadvisor only to not know where to stay since it seems like the vast majority of reviews were negative.
So before we get too down with the frustrations of life here, let’s remember to give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done for most of the visitors and hope that we can continue and improve even more!
Aug
7
Getting to Puerto Viejo will be more Expensive
August 7, 2008 | Tags: Tourism, Transport | Leave a Comment
The regulator has approved bus rate increases on long distance bus routes effective in one week.
The rates will increase as follows:
| Route | Old Price | New Price | Approx in US$ |
| San Jose - Limon | 2,180 col | 2,460 col | $4.50 |
| San Jose - Cahuita | 3,455 col | 3,900 col | $7.10 |
| San Jose - Puerto Viejo | 4,020 col | 4,535 col | $8.30 |
The schedules will remain the same.
Interbus and Grayline have also announced rate increases effective Dec 1st, 2008. The rate for hotel-to-hotel San Jose to Puerto Viejo area will go from $35 to $39. The rate from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna/Arenal will increase from $45 to $49. Schedules and the booking form for the shuttles can be found on the transportation page or you can go directly to the booking form here to search routes, schedules and prices nationally.
Finally, prices for private transport between the Caribbean and San Jose will also be going up. The best price we have been able to obtain for our clients between Puerto Viejo and San Jose is going up from $160 to $190 effective November 30th. This is for a 10 passenger van which can accomodate up to 8 people comfortably with luggage. This service is popular with people who want to maximize their vacation on the coast as the driver will meet their flight at the international airport and bring them straight to their Puerto Viejo hotel or vacation rental house so it’s still a bargain considering the option is often losing a day of your vacation waiting in San Jose for the next day’s bus or shuttle. The booking form where you can search rates nationally for this service and make a reservation is here.
May
22
Starting June 1st, Interbus will be offering service to Turrialba from Puerto Viejo, San Jose and Arenal as well as intermediate points.
From Puerto Viejo to Turrialba they depart daily at 6 a.m. and arrive at 10 a.m. From Turrialba to Puerto Viejo the departure is at 8:15 a.m., arriving 11:30 a.m. The cost is $35 for adults and $17.50 for children.
Puerto Viejo Satellite offers booking of any Interbus route (and when we book it, it is easier to make changes or get a refund in case of a cancellation than if you were to book directly on the Interbus site). Click here to search fares and schedules and make a reservation.
Mar
7
MEPE Considering Hourly Bus Service Between Hone Creek and Manzanillo
March 7, 2008 | Tags: Local Business News, Tourism | 2 Comments
Our sources tell us that MEPE, the bus company servicing the Puerto Viejo area, is considering greatly expanding bus service between Hone Creek and Manzanillo and implementing hourly local service. Right now service between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo is limited to 4 buses daily which travel between Limon and Manzanillo (see the schedule on the transport page).
This would be a huge boon for everyone in the Caribe Sur. No only would it make it much easier for visitors to get around, it would provide a vital link for locals to and from get to jobs in Puerto Viejo, Cocles and Punta Uva. Right now hotel and restaurant owners have trouble getting staff because of the lack of affordable housing in Puerto Viejo and the limited transport options to get people to and from Hone Creek and beyond where most locals can afford to live.
Make your opinions known with MEPE that you’d appreciate and support this service. You can find their Puerto Viejo office here.
Mar
4
Health Officials to Monitor Wasterwate on Caribbean Coast
March 4, 2008 | Tags: Environment, Health, Tourism | 6 Comments
 The public restroom at the beach in Puerto Viejo |
The Ministerio de Salud has announced that every establishment catering to tourists and travelers will be asked to open its doors to inspectors who will assess the businesses sewage systems and whether they are contaminating the environment.
The announcement of the inspections comes in the aftermath of the closures of a number of businesses on the Pacific Coast after dangeoursly elevated fecal levels were discovered in the waters of the popular beach resort Tamarindo. Eleven businesses were closed as a result of the ministry of health investigation that followed.
Instances of hotels contaminating everything from rivers to the ocean have been popping up with alarming frequency along the Pacific Coast since this discovery. February saw the closure of Hotel Allegro Papagayo, located on Playa Manzanillo in Guanacaste (not to be confused with our local village Manzanillo just southeast of Puerto Viejo). This hotel was accused of lacking adequate facilities to treat the wastewater produced by the four-star, 600-capacity operation. Instead it was depositing it in nearby streams and in under-equipped treatment plants.
The most recent offense discovered was in Jacó, in a pool known as “Charco Anita.” Blame has fallen on Condominiums Tropical and Paradise, which had not been turning in operational reports to the ministry of health for a year. Owner Randall Van Patten was ordered to block the pipes that carry the wastewater to the site, and has been given 20 days to correct the problems.
The health ministry has promised a national review and the study in the Caribbean is part of that process.
The study in Limón Province only has 30 days for completion, and Inez Muñoz, the departmental environment officer, said that it lacks adequate personnel and transport facilities.
“Each region within the province is helping by making an inventory of hotels and tourist facilities within their area,” said Ms. Muñoz. “We do not yet have these so we do not have an exact idea of how many establishments we will be investigating. Our aim is to make sure everything is in order, and at this point I am quite sure that we will find some things that are not.”
Limón province has not seen a study like this before. In the past, the department of health for Limón dealt with each case of contamination as it occurred.
Since the government had already recognized that the growth in Puerto Viejo had outstripped the capacity of the systems and pledged money to deal with it (see Government Announces Money to Improve Puerto Viejo Water and Sewer, Talamanca News, Sept 21, 2007), it is not clear what action the government will take and whether that could include closures.
Read more: A.M. Costa Rica: Health officials to survey businesses on Caribbean
Feb
14
Marina Meeting Ends in Acrimony
February 14, 2008 | Tags: Local Business News, Tourism | 1 Comment
The meeting Tuesday at the Casa de Cultura on the proposed marina between community members, the developer and the local municipality erupted into high emotion and ended early with the mayor threatening foreigners wouldn’t be allowed into any future such meetings.
 The Casa de la Cultura in Puerto Viejo on a calmer day |
Around 300 people came to hear the debate about the controversial “Marina Ecologica New World” planned for Playa Negra, a beach that extends north from the center of Puerto Viejo. The crowd spilled out onto the streets as Walter Coto, lawyer for the developers Grupo Caribeño Internacional S.A., opened the meeting at 10 a.m.
Community members had sent two letters to Rugelis Morales Rodríguez, mayor of Talamanca, requesting a meeting with municipality members. They hoped that the municipality would be able to answer questions, mainly surrounding concerns that the marina project would have adverse effects on the marine life and coral in two national parks near to the chosen development site.
Coto explained that the company he represents is still in the stage of compiling the pre-project report, and therefore no technical details for the “Marina Ecologica New World” are confirmed. “Mayor Rodríguez and Paola Mora also gave speeches after Coto,” said Jose Guido Bizet, the opposition’s general coordinator. “They were very vague and did not tell us what we wanted to hear.”
After the official speeches, the audience was informed that only three people from the community would be allowed to speak. Chosen to speak were Guido, Mauricio Salazar, a representative of the Alta Talamanca region who works in ecotourism, and Guillermo Quirós, an oceanographer.
“The municipal lawyer replied to our questions, asking how the area could develop without investments like the marina,” said Guido. “She cited the drug problem here, and also said that the community had no right to express concern about
the coral reefs off the shore while the hotels and restaurants are contaminating the waters with their waste and sewage.
“I replied that the prospective 400 extra boats that could dock here would most likely increase the problem of drug trafficking rather than decrease it, and that it is the job of the municipality to organize programs for recycling and cleaning up the town.”
The municipal lawyer, Ms. Mora, then said that the organizers of the meeting were lying to the community by inflating the number of boats proposed for the marina. She said that the number of yachts the project proposes is closer to 100 than 400. But the third speaker, Quirós, referred to pre-project plans secured from the Comision de Marinas y Atracaderos Turisticos, which show that the pre-project plans do indeed state that the marina would hold 398 boats.
“Quirós said that it was actually the municipality that was lying to the people. Then George Brown, the municipal president, started shouting that they would have to close the meeting early,” said Guido. The meeting was brought to an end amid disapproving chants.
“The mayor was escorted out of the Casa by police,” said Alaine Berg, who works for Asociación Talamanqueña de Ecoturismo y Conservación and attended Tuesday’s meeting. “I don’t know why. I didn’t see anyone making threats to him. It was very emotional. There were people crying in the streets.”
Guido added that Brown made a demand that in future no foreigners would be allowed into similar meetings. Guido said that the community would fight against this decision, as there are many foreigners who legally own businesses in the area who should be able to have a say in developments.
With reporting from: A.M. Costa Rica: Marina meeting in Puerto Viejo upsets residents
Jan
29
Annual Jungleman Race Cancelled
January 29, 2008 | Tags: Sports, Tourism | Leave a Comment
The annual Jungleman off-road marathon and half-marathon which has taken place in Puerto Viejo the last four years has been cancelled. This year’s race was supposed to take place on February 23rd with a route between Playa Negra and Cahuita National Park.
The organizers, Exploraciones Verde y Azul S.A., said that the events leading to the cancellation of the race were totally out of their control. The e-mail spoke of lack of support from sponsors and the government.
Although the organization’s website has not yet been updated to reflect the cancellation, organizers have disabled the registration page. They are also promising a refund of the registration fee to anyone who already registered.
The loss of this event is a loss for the community as well as the race brought attention and a different type of visitor to the area.
With reporting from A.M. Costa Rica: Organizers cancel jungle marathon planned for Puerto Viejo.
Jan
21
Fun Tours Launched to Bring Affordable Group Tours to Puerto Viejo
January 21, 2008 | Tags: Local Business News, Tourism | Leave a Comment
Several local businesses have banded together to create a new association to offer group tours that highlight some of our areas best features! The new association is called Puerto Viejo Fun Tours and has a mission to:
• Provide affordable group tour options on a regular scheduled basis which include transport. Right now, the only option for visitors who want to visits sights such as the Gandoca-Manzanillo Reserve with a guide (the way to make sure you see the most animals and features!) is to arrange their own private transportation and guide which can be both expensive and difficult. With Puerto Viejo Fun Tours, it will be easy: there will be a calendar of events and an easy sign up procedure and multiple pick up points.
• Support local businesses, guides, transport providers by providing a regular reliable source of income.
• Support ATEC with their goal of promoting sustainable tourism in the area. With every tour sold, a donation will be made to ATEC.
The goal is to have a complete weekly schedule so that there will be something fun to do every day of the week! For right now, they are starting with a Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge Hike every Saturday. The cost is $39 per person and includes van transportation to and from Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo, a four hour hike with a trained naturist guide who will make sure you have the most opportunities to spot wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, iguanas, snakes, toucans, hummingbirds, owls and much more. The guide will also give information and show off our exotic flora such as bromeliads and orchids. The tour includes the opportunity to learn about local Afro-Caribbean customs too.
Each Saturday morning this tour will depart from one of our pickup points:
- Hotel Banana Azul, Playa Negra, 7:30 am
- ATEC, Puerto Viejo Center, 7:45 am
- La Costa de Papito, 8am
- Maxi’s in Manzanillo, 8:15am.
Advance booking is required and only a limited amount of spaces are available so that the group doesn’t get too big for everyone to have a great experience. You can find out more or book your space at www.puertoviejofuntours.com or by asking at Banana Azul, ATEC or La Costa de Papito.
Local businesses who are interested in finding out more about selling this tour to their clients, can contact tours@puertoviejosatellite.com.
Jan
12
Tourism Chamber CATCAS Reorganizes; Opens it’s Doors Wider
January 12, 2008 | Tags: Community Calendar, Community News, Tourism | Leave a Comment
| January 28, 2008 | ||
| 3:30 pm | to | 5:30 pm |
The local Chamber of Commerce/Tourism (Camara de Turismo del Caribe Sur or CATCAS) has announced some changes which were approved in their general meeting in October.
 Local artisans are invited to join CATCAS |
1) The new CATCAS will accept tourism-related business as before but also now is inviting all other businesses or artisans operating throughout the region to join;
2) They will now be representing the communities/subregions of Cahuita, Hone Creek, Upper Talamanca, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo;
3) They will nominate a new executive council which will have representatives from all of the communiites/sub-regions.
4) Each sub-region as well will nominate a commisson of persons from that community who will present to the excecutive council the issue or problems that require attention, and
5) They will establish a foundation (FUNDAPROCARIBE) with persons of integrity, honesty and prestige. This foundation’s fundamental objective will be to raise funds and donation for specific educational and social projects in our communities.
They are inviting everyone who would like to become part of the new CATCAS or who would just like to know more to come to a meeting Monday January 28 at 3:30pm at the Casa de la Cultura in Puerto Viejo.
This information was supplied by and more information can be solicited from Rolando Soto J., the president of CATCAS.
Dec
15
Want to “Explore Costa Rica”?
December 15, 2007 | Tags: Local Business News, Tourism | Leave a Comment
There’s so many guidebooks about Costa Rica - it’s difficult to pick one so we at The Talamanca News thought we’d share our insights with you. For the most part, the big titles, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Fodor’s, etc have pretty much taken over the market. But there are a couple of independents hanging on. One of them is Harry S. Pariser’s Explore Costa Rica, now in it’s 5th edition (copyrighted 2007 but with research done probably about a year ago).
Harry kindly sent me a copy of the book to review. One thing I’ll give this book is that it sure is comprehensive! While other guidebooks have, for example, covered Puerto Viejo by listing a dozen or so hotels in the area and a handful of restaurants, this book includes 26 hotels and 23 restaurants in Puerto Viejo alone, as well as listings in sections for Cahuita, Cocles, Punta Uva and Manzanillo.
This comprehensiveness could hopefully prevent “Lonely Planet Syndrome” where you arrive at what Lonely Planet describes as an “undiscovered treasure” only to discover that everyone is there already, the prices have gone up, the service has suffered and they’re still full! (Not that anyone in PV would boost their rates just because of a favorable mention in a guidebook!). Of course, if you’re looking for strong opinions on where to stay or eat, this might not be your book, it mostly lays out what’s offered and let’s you make up your mind.
Unfortunately though the weak point of this book is that both the photos and maps are rather lacking as compared to the big fish in the guidebook pond. Rather than finding places on a map, you’ll mostly have to rely on descriptions of how to get there. Of course as anyone who’s every showed a map to a Tico and asked for directions based on the map knows, you might get better results with directions than with a map. (Tico directions are always given relative to other places which are well-known in the locale; the spatial sense of a map doesn’t seem to come across well).
If you want to grab a copy of the book for yourself, you can buy it direct from the publisher Manatee Press at what they promise is the best price on the ‘net, $20 including shipping (to the US, other destinations are more).
Sep
25
$40 Million Marina Project Announced for Puerto Viejo
September 25, 2007 | Tags: Community News, Entertainment, Tourism | 14 Comments
 The barge at Playa Negra, Puerto Viejo which used to be a marina. The new project is planned for the same area. |
The consortium Grupo Caribeño Internacional S.A. has announced a huge marina project for Playa Negra with berths for 384 boats. The plan includes the building of 2 breakwaters, a commercial zone, administrative offices, a artisan’s marketplace and yacht repair and maintenance facilities. The investors behind the group plan to invest $40,000,000 in the project and say it will create about 2,000 jobs.
The consortium is made up of American and Costa Rican investors from the real estate and agriculture sectors. Their legal representative, Walter Coto, said this is their first marina project. He added that the first draft of the project proposal was presented two weeks ago to the Comisión Interinstitucional de Marinas y Atracaderos Turísticos (Cimat).
Coto said that the work will begin in 8 months if the permits are attained in line with their projections. The construction stage would last 2 years. The estimate of 2,000 new jobs includes the personnel necessary to operate the marina and the supporting commercial enterprises.
According to Coto, Puerto Viejo has the best natural conditions for a marina. “Studies by a consulting firm determined that the depth of the water and the marine currents in this zone are optimal.” Currently no marinas exist in the Costa Rican Caribbean.
Cimat also has another proposal under consideration for construction of a marina in Moín, near the existing cruise ship terminal in Limon.
Coto stated that the objective of the business would be to develop a project with the least possible environmental impact. “We want a construction which project the Caribbean identiy, that reflects the culture, the form of life and the feeling of the residents of this area.”
Rugeli Morales, mayor of Talamanca, noted that 88% of the Canton of Talamanca is a protected zone. “We don’t want a development which wouldn’t be harmonious with the natural environment.”
Other local residents were concerned with the type of tourism that the development would bring, specifically big money tourists and sportfishermen. Colin Brownlee, owner of the local hotel Banana Azul, worries that “the marina could attact a crowd which not as culturally diverse and tolerant as has historically been drawn to the area. Other Costa Rican resort towns seem to be predominantly American tourists. The visitors who come here often have environmentalist-leanings or are they’re lives are not primarily driven by financial gain. These visitors have contributed to this environment by volunteering their time with local organizations and helping make this area the leader in areas such as recycling, organic farming and other green initiatives.”
The plan needs the support of the municipality as well as Cimat. However the council has already declared the development “in the interest of the local public” on their meeting on the 29th of March. According to this agreement the municipality would be responsible for the construction and administration of the breakwaters.
Cimat noted that there are actually applications in process for 22 new marinas in Costa Rica. Half of these projects are in Guanacaste.
With reporting from La Nacion: Empresa pretende construir marina con 398 atracaderos en Puerto Viejo
This project could be the biggest change to ever come to Puerto Viejo. Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to make their voices heard on this issue. One way to do so is to leave a comment on this article.
Sep
7
Puerto Viejo featured in Conde Nast Traveler magazine
September 7, 2007 | Tags: Site news, Tourism | Leave a Comment
 Herschel Lewis  Cycling to Salsa Brava Photos by Christopher Wray-McCann, Condé Nast Traveler |
The prestigious Conde Nast Traveler magazine has featured Puerto Viejo as a destination in their September 2007 issue.
The article by Alison Humes is entitled The Coast of Utopia and covers the Caribbean coast of Central America from Belize down to Bocas del Toro in Panama. Puerto Viejo gets a lot of the attention — this is a huge boost for the community from what many would consider to be the world’s premier travel magazine and one which usually caters to the luxury market.
The local businesses recommended in the article were Banana Azul, Tree House Lodge, Aguas Claras, Shawandha Lodge, Samasati Nature Retreat, La Pecora Nera restaurant and Hershel Lewis’ Caribbean Surf School and Tours. Cahuita National Park and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge were also recommended.
In addition, the Puerto Viejo Satellite site itself was recommended as the place to do research on Puerto Viejo and it seems evident that this is where the author herself started her research.
Way to go Puerto Viejo! We’ve hit the big time.
If you can’t find the printed magazine, you can read the article online here.
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