Reserve by the room or the whole house!
You guessed it! My real estate investing business, represented by the image I have tattooed on my back, is live at www.risingphoenixpremier.com! Proceeds support my new clinic in Nairobi! Rising Phoenix Premier, LLC is the name of my business, and Rising Phoenix Oasis is the name of the listing for my entire home in Costa Rica on Airbnb. You can rent the whole house or a room individually.
The individual rooms are listed as:
The listing for the entire house can be view here: Whole House.
I’m in the greater Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area, on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, between Puerto Viejo and Hone Creek.
Puerto Viejo is cosmopolitan! You can get excellent Italian gelato, pizza, seafood, Chinese, sushi, Thai, Indian, and of course, Caribbean food! You will not, however, find a McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc. You can find some of these things in Limon, if you actually want to. That’s an hour away, but you have to drive through it to get here from San Jose (SJ) when you fly in—unless, of course, you take a puddle-jumper flight from SJ to Limon. Then, you land just on the outskirts of Limon, towards Puerto Viejo. You will find people from Europe speaking French, German, and of course, Spanish. A lot of people speak English as well, but if you literally know zero Spanish, you’ll want a hotspot and a phone you can use for Google Translate and/or those swanky translating earbuds with a hotspot. You’ll find more Americans on the Pacific side, but the Caribbean side is way more peaceful. Coincidence?!?
People drive on the right side of the road here. I can comfortably drive from San Jose to here. Admittedly, I don’t enjoy driving in SJ proper, but the low population density and the slower speeds here mean that I can honestly say you can rent a car and safely drive here. Just don’t drive like a maniac on the way here, because lanes end, merge, etc. You can also get a shuttle here for about $50-65 USD per person and ride in air-conditioned comfort with wifi, enjoying the views. See www.caribeshuttle.com! I recommend getting a taxi from the SJ airport to the Denny’s in Alejuela—maybe five minutes from the airport. Caribe Shuttle picks people up there, and you can eat there if you like and, if necessary, get a room at either the Holiday Inn or the Hampton Inn next door overnight. You can’t beat a motorcycle to get around quickly, but I would not recommend them for the 100 km (62.1 mile) drive from SJ. It also won’t help you when you need to buy a bunch of groceries or bring luggage. You can easily find places to rent bicycles and scooters here in PV though!
Amazing attractions nearby include:
- Cahuita National Park—BEST BEACH EVER!!! Go early, because the park closes at 3:30 PM, and they’ll start removing people from the beaches from the farthest away from the entrance towards the closest beaches to the entrance around 2 PM.
- Manzanillo National Park—WONDERFUL HIKING AND BIRD-WATCHING!! The beaches are less spectacular for swimming here, but great for surfing! The town of Manzanillo is also super cool, and has it’s own Caribbean flavor as it’s right next to Panama!
- Punta Uva—9 km or about an 18 minute drive by car from Puerto Viejo. The SECOND BEST BEACH EVER, BUT THE BEST IF YOU WANT TO RENT A KAYAK OR A STAND-UP PADDLE BOARD OR EAT AT A RESTAURANT BY THE BEACH OR BUY LOCALLY MADE SOUVENIRS!!
- Sloth Sanctuary of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca—‘Nuf Said!! It’s actually a bit closer to Cahuita than PV, but check it out!
- Jaguar Rescue Center—They do not always actually have jaguars there, but you can still take tours and see amazing wildlife!
- Playa Negra—Black sands and space to yourself! I can show you some more private, secluded spots if you want!
My Favorite Restaurants:
- Ice cream/Gelato: Deelite Gelateria—Hands down, the BEST!!
- Seafood, Mediterranean food, quiet dinner for two: Como en la Gloria. I had amazing swordfish here!
- Thai, sushi: Chili Rojo
- Breakfast: Bread and Chocolate—The Caribbean pancakes are AMAZING! Check out their desserts too! The coconut cream pie is the BEST EVER! Like a lot of places, this restaurant closes on Mondays.
- Cool Vibes: The Kat House—creative adult beverages and great food with a beach view! Opens at 4 PM.
Best Grocery Stores:
- Cheapest—The Pali in Hone Creek
- Has Everything, but Expensive—Super Negro in Hone Creek, right next to The Pali. Sometimes, they have good specials on beer.
- Others: Mega Super and Diamante Supermercado in Puerto Viejo are less expensive than Old Harbour, but Old Harbour is easy to find and right next to a couple of banks with ATMs.
Gyms that let you pay by the day:
- Old Harbour Gym: Right above the supermarket. It’s a nice gym with good A/C and it has the most things, but it can be super crowded and a great covid-spreader. Cardio options: 5-10 spin bikes with classic spin-bike seats, two treadmills, and a single elliptical machine on the second floor.
- Gym in Hone Creek: A bit harder to find, because it’s actually north of/past Hone Creek in a small shopping center, but it’s much less crowded and more peaceful. No functional A/C though—go in the evening. Cardio options: a couple of spin bikes, and a poorly-functioning treadmill that you can’t reduce or eliminate the incline on. NEITHER GYM HAS MUCH FOR CARDIO, BUT I HAVE EXERCISE VIDEOS, MATS, AND WEIGHTS IN MY HOUSE!
