Palmares Overview

Driving west on the Interamericana Hwy., a turnoff leads to the small town of Palmares. To Costa Ricans, Palmares is synonymous with a 10-day-long fiesta beginning January 14. The town starts planning its annual party, Las Fiestas de Palmares, during July, and the payoff is tremendous. The palm-filled park and gray stone church (made with whole slawbs of stone and a special eggshell cement) are here year-round, but there’s not much more for visitors to see.

The main road through town connects to the Interamericana Highway about 2km north of the town center. Facing the church, north is to your left and south to the right. The mercado is west of the parque. Return buses to San Ramón leave from the bus stop 100m north and 25m west of the parque every 15-30min. (¢170). Most of the town’s services are clustered right around the parque.

Accommodations

The only hotel in Palmares is Hotel Casa Sueca , 1.5km toward San Ramón on the main road. Reserve a room before December 15 if you want to stay during Las Fiestas. Rooms are simple, with a mirror and bath. (}/fax 2453 3353. ¢5000, ¢7000 for larger rooms.) During Las Fiestas, it may be a better idea to stay in San Ramón or Grecia and commute to the fairgrounds.

Food

While there is plenty of food to go around during the January fairs, there aren’t many places to eat in town during the rest of the year.

• Navcafé (☎2452 1700; www.navcafe.com), 1km north of the town center, offers a variety of beverages and light meals. Bright couches liven up the room, while glass-covered tables filled with dried coffee beans give new meaning to the term “coffee table.” Coffee ¢500-800. Salads ¢1500-2500. Sandwiches ¢2000-2400. Open daily 9am-9pm.
• Soda del Río, 200m north of the park on the highway. Has a standard menu and gets crowded during lunch. Casados ¢2500. Open daily 9am-11pm. US$/¢.
• Lle’s Café (☎2453 0334). For good, cheap eats, head here, a small fast-food joint with long counters and 3 TVs. Nachos ¢1700. Hamburgers ¢800-1200. Personal pizza ¢2000. Open M-Th 9am-midnight, F-Sa 9am-2am. AmEx/MC/V/US$/¢.

Festivals

The biggest event of the year in Palmares is its 10-day Las Fiestas de Palmares, which begins on January 14. The festival is welcoming, well-organized, and fun for everyone, especially young people and those looking to consume vast quantities of Costa Rican beer. The tope —a procession of purebred horses—kicks off the week; fairgrounds north of the town center are transformed by fireworks, roller-coaster rides, outdoor concerts, soccer games, dancing, and other sporting events. Palmares hosts its own running of the bulls and a Costa Rican-style bullfight in which the bull chases the people and ends up unharmed.