A stunning and relaxing Caribbean town that will take your breath away with crystal clear waters and beautiful greenery. Puerto Viejo has a hippy Caribbean vibe with great food and drink as well as being very easy to get around. I felt truly relaxed in this small beach town.
How to get there: Caribe Shuttle
Caribe is the best way to get around Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. They offer wifi and if you are lucky, you may even have the van to your self. We came from La Fortuna and it was a direct bus with a quick stop where we changed drivers.
Accommodation: Playa 506
506 is located near the Selina (A popular hostel chain in Latin America) in Puerto Viejo. It is a fair hike outside of the town centre but it is truly beautiful. You have a relaxing area that backs on to the beach (image above), the beds are comfortable and private and it has it’s own restaurant. I wish I had have spent more time at this hostel as it is such a chilled out place with a cool vibe.
Accomodation: Hostel Sel et Sucre
A good enough hostel with its best feature being safety. A big gate is locked at night so you feel really secure here. This isn’t necessarily needed in Puerto Viejo in my opinion, I felt safe in the town including walking around at night. The hostel is a bit of a mess and the check-in desk is surrounded by crap and it is a bit of a turn off. I would recommend this hostel as a stop over or basically if you don’t plan to have any fun. The location is spot on though and is in the middle of the town.
Things to do:
Go to the beach: On all of my overseas trips I find myself back in the Caribbean – I just cant stay away and Puerto Viejo offered my what I love about the Caribbean. Crystal clear water, soft sand, and Insta-worthy pictures. The beach is beautiful here and the town travels along the beach so you can see something different each day you go.
Koki Beach Restaurant & Bar: Such a cool restaurant. They have great cocktails and seriously delicious food that has a Caribbean/Latin twist. During the day the view is beautiful as it faces the beach and at night the lights set a great vibe. Make sure you check Koki out while in PV.
Markets: Markets EVERYWHERE! There are some good things but a lot of it I feel you could just get in Thailand (avoid products with elephants on it). Typical to Costa Rica though, things are quite expensive considering you are shopping at a market. You still have to check them out though.
Travel Guide 