Only 20km south of the Nicaraguan border at Peñas Blancas, the town of La Cruz is home to an equal mix of nica and tico residents. Despite the tensions that immigration has brought to Costa Rica, the breezy streets and charming plazas of La Cruz maintain a peaceful air that hearkens back to earlier days. Though the old-world buildings around town convey its age, no one is quite sure where or how its history began. Some say it was named for a mule driver who died working on the cliffs, while other say it honors the infamous Cruz de Pierda in nearby Parque Nacional de Santa Rosa. La Cruz escapes Costa Rican tourism even though it makes a great base for daytrips to beaches at Copal, Jobo, and La Rajada. The only time you’ll find crowds here is on La Cruz Day in early May, when the town hosts a rodeo.
The bus station is on the north side of the town, about three blocks north of the parque. Transporte Deldu buses from San José to Peñas Blancas via La Cruz (6hr.; 10 per day 3:30am-7pm, last bus stops in La Cruz; ¢3000). You can catch a Deldu bus from Liberia to Peñas Blancas via La Cruz at Estación Central in Liberia (1hr., every 2hr. 5am-7pm, ¢900). Taxis to Peňas Blancas are US$10.
From La Cruz, buses go to San José (6hr., every hr. 4am-6pm, ¢3000) via Liberia (1hr., every hr. 5:20-6:50pm, ¢700). Transportes Deldu office is in the bus terminal. (Open daily 7am-2:30pm and 2:30-5pm.) Buses to Peñas Blancas leave every hr. 6:10am-7:40 (20min., ¢500). Buses to the local beaches of Soley, Copal, Morro, and Jobo leave from 100m west of the northwest corner of the parque at 5, 8, 11am, 2:30, and 4:15pm; they return at 7, 10:15am, 12:30, 3, and 6pm (15min., ¢400-600). Taxis line up on the north and south side of the parque (¢5000-15,000 to the beaches, ¢1500 around town).
The town of La Cruz sits on a sharp cliff overlooking the bays, beaches, fincas, and mountains of the region. Playa Soley is 10km southwest of the parque; farther along are Playa Moro (1km), Playa Jobo (15km), and Playa Rajada (19km). Banco Popular is located 50m east of the parque. (☎2679 9352. Open M-F 8:45am-3pm, Sa 8:15-noon.) Banco Nacional is across the street from the police station on the Interamericana Hwy, which is 400m east of the parque. (Open M-F 8:30am-3:45pm.) The police station is next to the Clinica de la Cruz. (☎2679 9092. Open 24hr.) The Red Cross is 200m east of the parque. (☎2679 9146. 24hr. emergency service.) The main pharmacy in town, Farmacía La Cruz, is on the main road in the direction of the bus station. (☎2679 8048. Open daily 8am-8pm.) The Clínica de la Cruz is next to the police on the Interamericana Hwy. (☎2679 9116. 24hr. emergency service.) Internet Moroni, 20m east of the parque and next to Banco Popular, offers Internet access on new IBM computers at ¢500 per hr. (☎2679 9801. Fax, copies, and international calls. ¢50 per min. to the US.) The post office is 50m west of the southwest corner of the parque. (}/fax 2679 9329. Open M-F 8am-noon and 1-5:30pm.)
Cabinas Maryfel , across the bus terminal, offers the cheapest lodging in town. The friendly owner and welcoming family provide a clean, bug-free home for people and animals alike, with rooms full of social travelers and a backyard full of whistling parrots, rabbits, and dogs. Singles with fans and private baths fill up the cute yellow and maroon building next to the church. (☎2679 9747. Singles ¢4000; doubles ¢5000; triples ¢8000; quads ¢10,000. US$/¢.) Amalia’s Inn is next to the Ministerio de Salud, 100m south of the parque. From their position on a hilltop, the pool and porch provide a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and beaches. The leather couches, antique collectibles, and the numerous contemporary wall paintings in each large room make you feel as though you have rented a fully furnished apartment for the night. Gates close at 10pm. (☎2679 9681. Triples US$20, with bath US$35. US$/¢.)
There are four supermarkets in town: SuperCompro, on the east side of the parque (open M-Sa 7:30am-8pm, Su 8am-6pm; AmEx/D/MC/V); Supermercado El Único, next to SuperCompro (open M-Sa 7am-7pm, Su 8am-1pm and 3-6pm); and Super Palí, across from the bus terminal and Mini Super and Licorera Jauga, 20m east of the parque (open daily 8am-10pm; MC/V). The best restaurant in La Cruz is La Negra , on the road 10km north of town. The unassuming exterior and steep prices should not deter visitors from sampling its spectacular seafood menu. Here, la negra herself prepares jumbo shrimp in garlic (¢5000) and lobster tails in butter (¢6700), served in an intimate dining room with only seven tables. (☎2677 0150. Open M-Sa 10am-10pm. US$/¢.) A jazzed-up comida típica restaurant next to the gas station, La Orquidea , 50m north of the parque toward the bus terminal, is one of the only authentic sodas in town. The cafe is owned by a Nicaraguan couple, who have lived in La Cruz for 26 years and still open early to serve specialties like arroz con pollo for ¢1600. (☎2679 9347. Open M-Sa 6am-5pm, Su 6-11am. US$/¢.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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