Hotels in Limon, Costa Rica

In the south Caribbean coast of Limon, if you are traveling with kids, Cahuita is the best place to go. We enjoy excellent Caribbean cousine in a local restaurant called Ricky's and stay all afternoon at the beach, inside Cahuita National Park. We felt safe walking in the downtown area. The locals were very nice when we ask for a good place to eat. We will return to Cahuita as soon as we can.

Tortuguero is a small village in the middle of a national park. Very peacefully and with lovely people. It exists only through tourism and this shows in the prices. To arrive at Tortuguero you have to take first of all a bus from San Jose to Cariari, from Cariari to Pavona another bus and at Pavona there is a boat waiting, which brings you to Tortuguero. The bus company and the boat comany are working together. Also you can take another Route: from Limon or Puerto Viejo to Moin and from there to Pavona. If you are travelling through easter or christmas: arriving and leaving could be difficult. Ask at the busstations or the boatstation. If you need a phone number here in Costa Rica you can call 1113. Also you can ask in your hostel or hotel for help. In my experience the people are very lovely and try to solve your problem. There are restaurants for tourists, expensive but beautiful and on the other side cheap ones, which are called "Sodas". They do not look that beautiful but the food is equally good. Also you can buy everything in supermarkets and cook which is the cheapest possibility. A tip: in Tortuguero does not exist an ATM, so you have to pay with your credit card or bring enough money. While we were in Tortuguero we participated in a canoe tour in the national park in the morning. It was perfect! We saw a lot of animals: a Kaiman, sloths, a lot of birds (for example Tucans and parrots), Iguanas, spiders and so much more. The tour costs 20$ and the entry to the national park 15$. The entry to the park is for the whole day, so we went after the tour in the national park hiking. The trail is 8 km long and very easy. Also: in Tortuguero you can go to the beach but the sea is very dangerous. There are a lot of currents. I hope you enjoy your trip!

Puerto Viejo is filled with Limon's traditions, if you like Caribbean food, you're gonna have a blast. The local food is rich in textures, flavor and aromas. But also if you have a more refined palate, please go visit Koki beach, a piece of culinary heaven in a tropical paradise. Also ask for Milko's italian place in Playa Chiquita, as the sign says "with love from Palermo" . The beauty of the beaches, combined with the flora of the Caribbean make Puerto Viejo a place where you can not only relax, but enjoy every little detail, its fauna is diverse, froms sloths to tiny frogs Puerto Viejo offers it all. The night life is a blast, and you have many places that you can visit, if its dancing and drinks and wild parties they have it. If its an early dinner and a movie, they have that too. It´s for all ages, from kids to seniors. Just pick the right place to stay. Enjoy your trip and have as much fun as I did.

It is a city that is good for a very short time. We only stayed there for one night as we needed to be in limon to catch a flight back to San Jose. Not very touristy, but it worked.

Tortuguero is a must on a visit to Costa Rica, but I was a little disappointed about the amount of wildlife we saw. We did of course see lots of birds, a few caimen and a distant sloth high in a tree but they are not as prolific as the nature programmes would lead you to believe. The Jaguar Trail (2.5 km walk) was not really worth doing.....it was just a muddy jungle full of mosquitoes - saw no wildlife whatsoever. We were there in early December. I do recommend the boat trip from Tortugeuro to Moin (Near Peuto Limon), it is a 3 hour speedboat ride, through jungle canals which break out to the sea in two places (although you dont actually go on the sea). Although slightly long we found it an enjoyable adventure.

Puerto Limon is a port city, period. Unless you are there solely for business meetings, there is no reason to spend the night there. The water is inaccessible, the city itself seems quite dangerous, it is not beautiful, and the food is processed, pre-packaged type food - not authentic, not healthy, not tasty. We spent 2 full weeks in Costa Rica and Puerto Limon is the one city that we could not wait to leave, and regretting choosing to spend a night there. It is interesting, however, to drive though the town to see the port, the ships, the massive scale of the mono-cropped banana farms, and the miles and miles of shipping containers. Drive through, but stay on either side of the city. Cahuita is less than an hour and WONDERFUL!

The city itself is of course an industrial container port but beaches south of Limon Are lovely. The surf was very high the day we were at Westfalia Beach Resort, magestic and roaring! If driving from San Jose to Limon, leave as early as you can and be prepared for slow truck traffic at times through the mountains and nearing Limon. Leave no later than 10:00 am driving Limon to San Jose to be ahead of bulk of semi trucks.

Try to avoid local holidays if you are bothered by litter. It can look a bit rough around the edges but I found that when the sun shines the place takes on a completely different character. Locals are friendly and helpful. Go to the quayside and ask for a boat to be arranged by the parks authority. They are so helpful. We were sorted out with a boat even though the last one had departed to the snorkel site already. Terrific and skilful driver got us back ahead of a great downpour. He was so cool and laid back our concerns of capsizing changed to one of exhilaration as he handled his boat so well on a rough sea. Make sure you go to the national park and explore it with or without a parks guide. Saw an eyelash viper and loads of other stuff despite the numbers of people around. When locals offer help...take it. They are genuine and not after money like so many other places Ive been before. Don't linger in Limon and visit Puerto vieja if you want for a day but linger in Cahuita. It grows on you.

Puerto Limon is just not a place for tourists, nothing to do and it's poor and commercial, not fun to stroll around. But the Playa Wesfalia, a 10 minute taxi away is lovely, good restaurant, nice pool, clean rooms and wonderful staff. Quiet and relaxing getaway.

Only an hour by bus from limon but a much more relaxing place to stay. The park close by is wonderful and worth exploring. Donations accepted to help keep the park in good shape.... trails, etc.