Welcome to the Caballitos del Mar blog.

This site is intended to provide more information for our guests who are staying at our homes in Dominical, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, or for anyone traveling to that area. Please feel free to visit our vrbo.com listing. Caballitos del Mar consists of three homes one km south of Dominical, owned by the Bernardi and Hawley families. Our property manager is Neil Harding, who is a wonderful resource when planning a trip to the South Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. We hope you enjoy the site.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Driving to the Villas from SJO

This route is relatively new, and there have been reports of road closures after heavy rains. When driving in Costa Rica, always try to anticipate a city in the direction of travel so that you’re prepared for junctions. Drivers are generally courteous, but may not yield to faster moving traffic by staying to the right. It’s common for the right lane to merge left, and you do not have any rights when this happens (Ceda El Paso). Merge early and carefully.
Take CA (Central America) 1 to the west about 4km. This requires that you leave the airport, exit to the right, then merge with westward traffic from the left. 
Exit at Radial El Coyol. Cross over highway on overpass. Take second exit at roundabout to continue on main road. This will go through several other roundabouts, and will eventually give you an option of Costa Rica Highway 27. 
CR 27 is a toll road and will cost about 1500 Colones total, at three toll booths. There are very few navigational choices to make, but you want to go in the direction of Orotina, Caldera, and Puntarenas. The road is frequently being repaired, so look out for slower traffic and temporary lane adjustments.
About 6km beyond Orotina, and immediately after the third toll booth, exit right following the signs to Jaco. You’ll be on this road for 90 minutes. The roadside restaurants are cheap and convenient. Continue past Jaco to Parrita, Quepos, and Dominical. 
At Dominical, you’ll pass over a large concrete bridge. Continue south for about 1.5km, past the Caldwell Banker office, the Resaurant Carreta, and the Restaurant Roca Verde. Our driveway is about 200 yds beyond Roca Verde on the right. It is marked by two reflective posts on either side of the driveway, and a red/white/blue utility pole that is visible during the day. You should be able to see the houses beyond the driveway. The driveway is steep and a sharp right hand turn, so put on your blinkers and take your time. At the bottom of the hill, turn into the driveway to the left or have the security guard open it for you. Each home has off-road parking so that no one is blocked in. This link should give you a good route using Google Maps.
This route is longer, but it travels over a high mountain pass which allows you to see the ecological diversity of the country. You’re above 9,000 feet for about an hour. Not for the faint of heart; there is truck and bus traffic which can be intimidating, along with slow vehicles and few safe places to pass. Take your time and get there safely. If it's foggy or rainy, really slow down!
Take CA 1 towards San Jose for about 12.5km.
Take the off ramp to CR 39, “Escazu” and “Hatillo”.
Stay on CR 39 for 10.5km. At the fifth traffic circle in Zapote, take highway 215 on right.
Travel in the direction of Cartago and Tres Rios. Highway 215 becomes CA 2 (Central America Route 2). This is also known as Carretera Interamericana.
Stay to the right through two junctions and continue to San Isidro de General on CA 2.

After 90 minutes, you’ll descend out of the mountains into San Isidro de General. Look for Route 243 to Dominical on the right.
Continue on Route 243 for 30km. Turn left on Route 34. You’ll cross a concrete bridge and be in Dominical. Here's a link from Google Maps.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Villas of Caballitos del Mar

Location
In the jungle, but right on the beach...
The villas are located about 1km south of Dominical, Puntarenas, Costa Rica between the Costanera Sur (Southern Coast Highway) and the ocean. We were fortunate to find property in the Maritime Zone, which allows us to build close to the ocean, but with restrictions to protect the spectacular Costa Rican environment. The three villas, owned by two close families, are virtually identical. This makes Caballitos del Mar ideal for multiple families that want to vacation together, yet have separate accommodations.

Great kayaking in the mangroves 15 minutes away
Dominical is a popular small town that appeals to visitors interested in surfing, eco-tourism, or the excellent Spanish language school, Adventure Education Center, or AEC. The town is not built-up like some of the coastal cities to the north, and has fewer than 1,000 residents. It has the feeling of Kauai or some of the South Pacific island chains, with a laid-back tempo and friendly people.

The town's location makes it convenient for many south coast destinations, including Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, the Corcovado Peninsula, Uvita, and a large number of secluded beaches and surf spots.

Driving time from Juan Santamaria Airport or San Jose is about three hours by way of the coast, and four hours by way of the mountains. We've driven both routes many times, and while we prefer the coast route, we recommend that you experience the mountain route at least once to see a different aspect of the country.

On the beach, but secluded. View from the terrace.
The homes are all three bedroom and either three or four bathroom, two story, and approximately 2,200 sq.ft. (200 m^2) living space. Each home has a pool, laundry facilities, a full kitchen, and lots of ceiling fans to keep the air moving. The bedrooms are air-conditioned, although it's not necessary for most of the year. See these VRBO links: Villa 1, Villa 2, and Villa 3. If you prefer, you can look at them on Airbnb: Villa 3 on Airbnb.

The homes face the ocean and it's a 30 second walk to the semi-private beach. Dominical is a 20 minute walk by the beach (low to medium tide), where you can find restaurants, a beach with lifeguards, groceries, surf schools, and the language school.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Flying To and From Costa Rica from the U.S.

Getting There

While there has been the promise of a “southern” airport for more than a decade, your only choice is Juan Santamaria Airport in Alajuela, a city near San Jose. The airport code is SJO. Your airline choices are American, United, Continental, Frontier, Taca, Alaska, Southwest and a few others. We generally fly American via Dallas or Miami. From the West Coast, it takes about seven hours in the air, regardless of which route you take. From the East Coast, it can take a five hours in the air via Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Gateway cities, depending on the airline, include Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami.
Many flights end up departing from the US around 5:00pm, and arrive around 8:30pm, in Costa Rica. Incidentally, Costa Rica is in the Central time zone and does not change for daylight savings time, so it is permanently UTC -6 hours. While it’s possible to drive to Dominical after renting a car at night, we don’t recommend it because the roads are not well marked in many cases, and it can be difficult to find your way. (Relatively new Highway 27 and the improvements to Highway 34 have mitigated this warning somewhat, but perhaps wait until you're second trip to drive at night from the airport.) We recommend, instead, to stay near the airport overnight and get an early start the next day. Alternatively, you can take an early flight from Miami or Dallas, and arrive in Costa Rica before noon. Or take the redeye options from Los Angeles which arrive at 6:00am or so in SJO.

Alaska Airlines now serves San Jose (and Liberia) with a single flight per day out of LA. Interestingly, this takes off around 9:00am, and lands mid-afternoon, then returns an hour later. Prices were about $400 r/t in the "green season". 
If staying near the airport, consider the Marriott (extremely nice, about $200 per room per night) or the Studio Hotel in Santa Ana (about $100, and a tremendous deal).


Renting a Car

All major agencies are represented in the area surrounding the airport. We’ve had good luck with Toyota Rent-a-Car, which is very close to the airport and offers competitive rates on Rav4s and Prados (like a Land Cruiser in the US). We don’t recommend the compact SUVs due to poor crashworthiness, terrible performance, small cramped cabins, and the noise.
Arrange to be picked up when you make your reservation. As you exit the airport, you’ll be enveloped in a sea of men who offer taxis, other transportation, and all sorts of help. While a little intimidating, we’ve found them to be extremely helpful in contacting the rental car agency or just solving problems. 500-1000 colones (one to two dollars) is a good value for their services. Our experience is that they are there to serve your needs, not rip you off.

Getting Back

Many flights depart at 9:00am and 11:00am. While the 9:00am flight seems like it would be too early, you can leave Dominical around 4:00am, drive up the coast and get to the rental car agencies around 7:00am, and still have time to spare at the airport. The sunrise is beautiful as you drive up the coast, and there is little traffic. You’ll encounter some rush hour traffic as you get close to San Jose. We still think it’s the best option, and we’ve never missed a flight. Plus, you avoid the cost of an airport hotel.
You can get gas before returning your car right off the highway leading to the airport. As you drive north, you’ll pass the Firestone factory on the left. Take the next exit and turn left as you get to the surface streets. There will be a gas station immediately on your left. It’s equally easy to get back on the highway.

The airport tax is around $28.00, and can be paid in American dollars. Pay the airport tax before getting in line at the airline counters. American Airlines now (2016) includes the airport tax in their ticket price, which is a big convenience. Other airlines may have followed suit; the lines at the "tax counter" were dramatically shorter than in previous years.