I normally research heavily before deciding to travel somewhere. But I based my first trip to Costa Rica around set dates of a yoga retreat, so I didn’t bother doing the research about the best time to travel there. It turns out that October is during their rainy season. And it’s the worst month of rainy season.
Before heading to Peace Retreat in Playa Negra a few weeks ago, I decided to spend two nights solo in Tamarindo. It’s a small surf town on the Pacific Coast only around 20 minutes from Playa Negra, so it seemed like a good side trip. I arrived to torrential rain and felt like an idiot when I learned that I came at the worst time of year. No wonder the chic hotel room was so affordable.
On the downside:
- I was supposed to go on a half-day boat tour, and it was canceled due to rain and choppy seas. It was going take a group of us around the coast to see lots of wildlife, secluded beaches, etc. I was so sad it was canceled.
- Many of the town’s shops were shut down for the rainy season.
- Even when the rain stopped, the beach was soaking wet and there was nowhere to sit.
But on the plus side:
- My hotel room overlooked the ocean and a beautiful land mass (that you could see when it wasn’t raining quite so hard).
- I saw howler monkeys on trees from my balcony. They weren’t terribly close, but I had never seen monkeys in the wild before, and it made me feel like a giddy little kid.
- It gave me plenty of time to read. I buried myself in the Stieg Larsson trilogy. I spend most of my waking time writing for a living, so I don’t get to read for pleasure very often. It was lovely getting to read crime thrillers for hours on end.
I stayed at Hotel El Jardin del Eden. It’s a modern and affordable hotel with an ocean view and a short walk from the beach. I spent a little extra to treat myself to a room with a large oceanview balcony. I got to spend some time out there, but it was often raining so hard that I couldn’t go out there without getting soaked. It had a beautiful view of the water, tropical trees, and verdant landmass.
On the first evening, the rain stopped for a bit, so I decided to walk around town while it was still light out. But I quickly discovered that it is very dark by 5:30, and pitch black by 6, so by the time I got to the main street, it was hard to get a feel for it. Most stores were closed and the restaurants empty.
I ate at Walter’s, where there were only two other groups there. It overlooked the beach, but it was so dark I couldn’t see it. I was mad at myself for not even thinking to ask when it got dark, because I would have come earlier so that I could have enjoyed the view. The streets were wet and dimly lit, and several local men were hanging around staring at me and cat-calling me. I didn’t feel very comfortable, so after dinner, I headed right back to the hotel room and read.
The next afternoon, there was a lull in the rain, so I walked down the street to check out the beach. There were homeless dogs running around, which broke my heart, and the sand was soaking wet. I was hoping there would be a bench or chair I could sit in, or even a spot dry enough to put a towel down, but no such luck. A handful of people were out, but everyone was just walking along the beach–there wasn’t really anything else to do. I went back to the hotel room.
That evening, I didn’t feel like going back to town for dinner, and my lunch at the hotel restaurant the day before was really tasty, so I decided to go there for dinner. I ordered the pesto sea bass steamed in a banana leaf, topped with asparagus, snap peas, and other veggies. It was divine.
This trip reminded me that I should always research when it’s the best time of year to visit a place. Yes, I came when things were more affordable and less crowded, but the weather prevented me from doing nearly anything outdoors in a place known for its endless outdoor activities. My experience at Peace Retreat was amazing, and I’ll be writing about that soon. While the downtime was nice, my trip to Tamarindo was a bit of a disappointment. But travel is full of surprises and rarely goes exactly as planned. Sometimes that’s the beauty of it.
