andalus Posted February 9, 2009 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Son and I going off to Costa Rica for a week in March. Anybody been there? Any ideas on best places to visit, stay? I am of course excited by the photo opportunities. Taking my simple gear: MP, Summulux 50 ASPH, Telyt 135 3.4 APO. And a Canon G10.... The MP will be loaded with Velvia 100. I probably ought to have a wide angle, but at my age, 62, I'm none too keen on lugging lots of lenses around. I like the 50mm Lux and an occasional shot with the 135. A raft of different lenses does not necessarily make for a good photo, wouldn't you say? Also kind of curious about other Leicaphiles who make do with a minimum of gear, and really like the 50 Lux. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 9, 2009 Posted February 9, 2009 Hi andalus, Take a look here Costa Rica bound with some questions. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ArtZ Posted February 9, 2009 Share #2 Posted February 9, 2009 Son and I going off to Costa Rica for a week in March. Anybody been there? Any ideas on best places to visit, stay? I am of course excited by the photo opportunities. Taking my simple gear: MP, Summulux 50 ASPH, Telyt 135 3.4 APO. And a Canon G10.... The MP will be loaded with Velvia 100. I probably ought to have a wide angle, but at my age, 62, I'm none too keen on lugging lots of lenses around. I like the 50mm Lux and an occasional shot with the 135. A raft of different lenses does not necessarily make for a good photo, wouldn't you say? Also kind of curious about other Leicaphiles who make do with a minimum of gear, and really like the 50 Lux. Thanks in advance. ¡Hola! I've been there for almost a month last November/December. Send me a private message and I'll send you my email address and, maybe, I can help you (at least to give you some answers and advice). Costa Rica is a beautiful place but OVER PRICED for the service you get. You'll need to rent a 4WD and the American influence is extremely high... If you're an European (¿Español, tal vez?) you might get disappointed. Avoid tourists (and touristic places) and be careful... You need to have cash all the time (credits cards are not accepted everywhere... and when they're accepted, they will charge you in Colones (but the reference prices will be in USD!) + local taxes + 10% commission and the exchange rates are 10-15% higher than official rates.... A typical "Tico" meal called "Casado" (red beans, fried banana, rice and some meat) is normally more expensive than a restaurant in Paris when you pay with a credit card.... For Spaniards is a bit better... but... I haven't used much my wide lenses there, but you will need at least a 90mm plus a 135 will be perfect. I will recommend you a Tri-Elmar 28-35-50 (if you have one, otherwise you can replace it for a 24/28 mm plus a 50mm) plus a 90mm and 135mm (three or four lenses in total). I used a lot my MATE there... and one of my Canons (tsss...) Fast lenses are not really needed. I used a 35mm only once in a restaurant. Saludos, ArtZ (un vasco expatriado) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted February 9, 2009 Share #3 Posted February 9, 2009 Son and I going off to Costa Rica for a week in March. Anybody been there? Any ideas on best places to visit, stay? I am of course excited by the photo opportunities. Taking my simple gear: MP, Summulux 50 ASPH, Telyt 135 3.4 APO. And a Canon G10.... The MP will be loaded with Velvia 100. I probably ought to have a wide angle, but at my age, 62, I'm none too keen on lugging lots of lenses around. I like the 50mm Lux and an occasional shot with the 135. A raft of different lenses does not necessarily make for a good photo, wouldn't you say? Also kind of curious about other Leicaphiles who make do with a minimum of gear, and really like the 50 Lux. Thanks in advance. I haven't been in a few years but have travelled in CR three different times in the past when it was not the tourist trap it sounds like today. The places I visited were Monte Verde for the beautiful rain forests, Playa Tamarindo for the beaches and Tortuguero (check the spelling on that one). In Monte Verde I stayed at a fantastic place called El Sapo Dorado that was owned by a Dutch woman who was also a gourmet chef and had a bar that you could see all the way to Playa Tamarindo. The place had individual cabins you could stay in that were on the edge of the rain forest and her brother gave private tours of the rain forest. In Tamarindo I stayed at a beach resort and don't remember its name but there was a Belgian woman who owned a pastry shop there and her French husband was the baker. There was a line down the street for his bread every morning and her breakfasts were a must. She was also a money changer and gave a fair rate. Tortuguerro is on the Limon side and was only accessible by boat or small plane. It was isolated in the jungle and offered wildlife viewing to the max. The boat trip in was worth the extra time as you will see Sloths, Howler Monkeys, Crocs and a host of other wild life. Forgot where I stayed there but there was a little land crab that lived in a nitch in my shower that would come out when the water was running then scurry back in when I shut it off. I could walk out my front door and sit in a chair and photograph birds all day. The main dish I remember there is called pinto de gallo or gallo de pinto and is a combination of rice, beans and some kind of meat if you want it and was about $2.00 for a huge plate of it. If your a coffee drinker you will be in heaven especially the coffee grown in Monte Verde. Take another small suit case just to bring coffee back in. Hope this helps you decide which lenses to take and you enjoy yourselves as much as I have in CR. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtZ Posted February 9, 2009 Share #4 Posted February 9, 2009 I haven't been in a few years but have travelled in CR three different times in the past when it was not the tourist trap it sounds like today. The places I visited were Monte Verde for the beautiful rain forests, Playa Tamarindo for the beaches and Tortuguero (check the spelling on that one). In Monte Verde I stayed at a fantastic place called El Sapo Dorado that was owned by a Dutch woman who was also a gourmet chef and had a bar that you could see all the way to Playa Tamarindo. The place had individual cabins you could stay in that were on the edge of the rain forest and her brother gave private tours of the rain forest. In Tamarindo I stayed at a beach resort and don't remember its name but there was a Belgian woman who owned a pastry shop there and her French husband was the baker. There was a line down the street for his bread every morning and her breakfasts were a must. She was also a money changer and gave a fair rate. Tortuguerro is on the Limon side and was only accessible by boat or small plane. It was isolated in the jungle and offered wildlife viewing to the max. The boat trip in was worth the extra time as you will see Sloths, Howler Monkeys, Crocs and a host of other wild life. Forgot where I stayed there but there was a little land crab that lived in a nitch in my shower that would come out when the water was running then scurry back in when I shut it off. I could walk out my front door and sit in a chair and photograph birds all day. The main dish I remember there is called pinto de gallo or gallo de pinto and is a combination of rice, beans and some kind of meat if you want it and was about $2.00 for a huge plate of it. If your a coffee drinker you will be in heaven especially the coffee grown in Monte Verde. Take another small suit case just to bring coffee back in. Hope this helps you decide which lenses to take and you enjoy yourselves as much as I have in CR. Andalus, for one week, I would recommend Guanacaste traveling from Montezuma to the border with Nicaragua by the Pacific coast, especially at this time of the year... because the rivers are dry ! In November/December... it was very "hot" for me... Three times I thought my Toyota 4WD could never get out there... and when you find yourself floating on the rivers with no control of the car... it's very scaring! Playa Tamarindo is indeed a very nice place but one of the most beautiful beaches in CR is Playa San Miguel (you won't see many tourists around). Tortuguero is nice and you can see at night the turtles (they arrive on full moon nights). Just before Tortuguero (5 Km), you have Playa Pelada (I've seen the most beautiful sunset of my life there. Everybody meets at the the beach and/or a restaurant very evening to see the sunset). All these places are between Montezuma and Nicaraguan border. Sierpe is also a beautiful place... and Volcán Arenal. Forget "Gallos" at $2.00... The best coffee grows at "Volcán Poas" (near Heredia and Alajuela) and you should visit "Doka Estate - Tres Generaciones" Doka Estate was recommended for my friends from the Costa Rica Coffee Institute where I met the daughter of one of the owners... but in Costa Rica it's difficult to drink good coffee (european style, I mean)... because they don't drink coffee... you will find very week coffee only (american style)... difficult to get an espresso... in fact, the worse coffee I've drunk in my life was in CR... but I brought with me 8 Kg from Doka Estate (4 Kg French Blend and 4 Kg Espresso)... and it's WONDERFUL when you put the necessary quantity of coffee in a espresso machine ! Cheers ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted February 9, 2009 Share #5 Posted February 9, 2009 Check out Hacienda Pinilla. Developed by H.G. Pattillo from Atlanta. 4,600 acres, three miles of Pacific Coast Beaches. Horseback riding and much wildlife on the property. The JW Marriott just opened. Great Golf Course. Over 4,000 howling monkeys on the property. Right next to Tamarindo for fishing and surfing. Hacienda Pinilla Costa Rica Guanacaste Luxury Beach Real Estate and Costa Rica Worldclass Golf Gated Community. Future site of JW Marriott Costa Rica.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
felipe-m Posted February 10, 2009 Share #6 Posted February 10, 2009 If you pay more for a simple meal or "casado" in CR than in a restaurant in Paris, it's probably your own fault, credit card or not... tourist traps are pretty much everywhere in the world, one just needs to be a bit careful and try to be as informed as possible. And a mayority of businesses do accept the mayor credit cards, except in small or remote places. But always having a BIT of cash is good advice, as well as always minding your belongings... Costa Rica is indeed more expensive than other neighboring countries, and not only for the tourists, but that is probably a direct result of the overall higher standard of living compared to its neighbors. In my opinion, not taking a wide angle seems like a mayor mistake in such an outdoors and landscape-rich place, but then again, it depends on your style of photography... One week is not long, but you can try a combination of inland and beach: Inland: The Arenal-La Fortuna area is packed with stuff to do, with forests, a spectacular active Volcano and a big Lake: hiking and sightseeing, thermal springs, canopy rides, horseback riding, windsurfing, white-water-rafting, etc. The hotels with a direct view to the side where the eruptions occur are more expensive, but worth it, especially at night if you're lucky with the clouds, (read: long exposure of eruption scenes, which happen daily). Monteverde is not far away from there either. Other real mountain areas (Central, Talamanca and Guanacaste Mountain Ranges are also great and very diverse but usually more physically demanding and not as tourist friendly, except maybe for day trips to the Irazu and Poas Volcanos. For the beach part, take your pick...! Pacific or Caribbean? Tortuguero on the Caribbean, as mentioned by others, is fantastic and, as for most of the Caribbean, you get the amazing combination of the dense jungle ending right where the beach sand starts. The Guanacaste province on the North pacific is probably the most tourist-friendly if you want to feel comfortable, and with lots to choose from... The weather is also drier than in the Caribbean. The Quepos-Manuel-Antonio region (South-Central pacific) is also easily accessible and lovely. Basically all of those are off course tourist hot spots, and March is still high tourism season, but for just a week, I don't know how much exploring of the more remote-not-so-touristy areas you really want to try... For example, there is nothing quite like the Osa-Corcovado region, the most biodiverse place in the World, according to National Geographic, but that can be a "harsher" kind of tourism... Enjoy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted February 10, 2009 Share #7 Posted February 10, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Andalus, for one week, I would recommend Guanacaste traveling from Montezuma to the border with Nicaragua by the Pacific coast, especially at this time of the year... because the rivers are dry ! In November/December... it was very "hot" for me... Three times I thought my Toyota 4WD could never get out there... and when you find yourself floating on the rivers with no control of the car... it's very scaring! Playa Tamarindo is indeed a very nice place but one of the most beautiful beaches in CR is Playa San Miguel (you won't see many tourists around). Tortuguero is nice and you can see at night the turtles (they arrive on full moon nights). Just before Tortuguero (5 Km), you have Playa Pelada (I've seen the most beautiful sunset of my life there. Everybody meets at the the beach and/or a restaurant very evening to see the sunset). All these places are between Montezuma and Nicaraguan border. Sierpe is also a beautiful place... and Volcán Arenal. Forget "Gallos" at $2.00... The best coffee grows at "Volcán Poas" (near Heredia and Alajuela) and you should visit "Doka Estate - Tres Generaciones" Doka Estate was recommended for my friends from the Costa Rica Coffee Institute where I met the daughter of one of the owners... but in Costa Rica it's difficult to drink good coffee (european style, I mean)... because they don't drink coffee... you will find very week coffee only (american style)... difficult to get an espresso... in fact, the worse coffee I've drunk in my life was in CR... but I brought with me 8 Kg from Doka Estate (4 Kg French Blend and 4 Kg Espresso)... and it's WONDERFUL when you put the necessary quantity of coffee in a espresso machine ! Cheers ! Not sure why ArtZ quoted me in my post to your inquiry about CR, if it was a rebuttal of some kind it really wasn't necessary as I was trying to be helpful based on my experiences in CR. I would say that if you miss Gallo de Pinto you will be missing out on a traditional dish and sampling local foods is a part of the travel experience. There are many fine places to get food in Costa Rica as it is a cosmopolitan country and some of the best I found in a place run by a Canadian expat right in San Jose. As far as coffee goes I've had good and bad coffee all over the world, Europe included so European coffee is not a benchmark as some of the best organic coffee is grown right here in California where I live. The hotel I stayed in in San Jose had a good eclectic mixture of travelers and we all agreed the coffee was excellent. I would highly recommend you try the Monte Verde coffee if you go there as it is excellent. I went to CR both times in April and had a mix in the weather so it is always a good idea to take something waterproof to put your camera in or under. As far as lenses go I would take a portrait focal length lens for people and at least a 35 or wider for the scenic landscape and architecture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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