Before breakfast we drive to Carrillo Beach “as usual” for swimming and beachcombing. Unfortunately for the last time because today we have to say good bye to Samara.
We leave at 10:30 a.m.. The drive to Manuel Antonio is not very exciting and takes us 5 ½ hours. We only interrupt it for two short stops, one for filling up the car and the other one for buying some food and water. Except 10 km (6 mi) of gravel road the roads are fortunately in a pretty good condition. So the drive is not that bad, but it’s still tiring.
Therefore we are happy when we finally at 4:00 p.m. arrive at the Falls Resort close to Manuel Antonio National Park. From the outside it is not very attractive, but inside it shows its better side. What a beautiful resort! It looks almost like a small subtropical garden. Our standard room, situated in the rear part, is spacious and comfortable. It has a giant bathroom and a private patio with a hammock. We are very pleased with that room.
At the reception we make a reservation fo a guided park tour the next morning (40$ per person). Then we walk around to discover the surrounding area. We turn to the right towards Quepos and after a few hundred meters we find Bar Azul on the left side of the road. It stands in an elevated position and provides a nice seaview. We stop for two Mojitos and a bite to eat (chips & salsa).
Later for dinner we go to restaurant El Avion which is adjacent to our hotel. The eyecatcher there is an old military plane which obviously has served as name giver fort he restaurant. The plane is now hosting a bar.
Unfortuately the quality of this two-story reatuarant is only mediocre as far as food is concerned. The service however is very good. The restaurant seems to be specialized in serving large groups, and some of them are dining here tonight.
Travelogue Costa Rica — Day 15, Thursday, 2nd Dezember 2010