Puntarenas Overview

After the Spaniards granted Costa Rica a monopoly on tobacco production in the 18th century, Puntarenas appeared on the map as an important port town. When the railway connected it to the Central Valley in 1910, its fate seemed sealed as a lucrative vacation magnet for beach-seeking ticos . However, modern developments have not been kind to this city; its beach has become alarmingly polluted while infrastructure developments have drawn commerce away from its port. Puntarenas is now a shadow of its former self, with vacant lots, eroding buildings, and rising crime rates. On the positive side, the stone church in the central parque and the newly renovated Capitania de Puntarenas are reminders of the city’s former glory. Many ticos still loyally vacation here, especially during fiesta season, but most tourists only pass through to catch a ferry to the beautiful beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula.

Buses: From Av. 1, C. Central/1, in front of the Farmacia Andrea, buses run to Orotina (1hr.; 6, 8, 9, 10am, noon, 2, 5, 6:30, 8:15pm; ¢600). From the stop on Av. 1/3, C. 2, just south of the mercado central, buses leave for Caldera (40min., every 2hr. 7:30am-5:30pm, ¢325). Buses to Esparza stop on Av. Central, C. 9/11 and C. 7/9 (40min., every 45min. 6am-8pm, ¢275). From the stop on Av. 1, C. Central/2 in front of the Restaurant Hong Tu buses leave to El Roble (25min., every 10 min. 5:30am-8pm, ¢200) and to the Barrio Carmen Ferry Terminal (10min., every 20min. 6am-9:30pm, ¢100.) Buses to Barrio Carmen also stop at the southwest corner of the parque at the intersection of Av. Central, C. 7. Schedules change frequently, so its good to ask a hotel manager or other locals. The main intercity terminal is in a blue building on the southeast side of town at the corner of C. 2 and the beachfront road, Paseo de los Turistas. From inside the terminal, buses leave for San José, dropping passengers at the Alajuela airport en route (2hr., every hr. 4am-7pm, ¢1610) and for San Ramón (1hr., every hr. 4am-9pm, ¢785). From the covered stop just across the street from the terminal, buses run to: Filadelfia/Nicoya/Santa Cruz (3hr.; 6am, 4pm; ¢1300); Monteverde (☎2645 5159; 3hr.; 7:30am, 1:15, 2:15pm; ¢1510); Miramar (45min., every 30min. 6am-9:40pm, ¢1000); Quepos (5hr.; 5, 8, 11am, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30pm; ¢1350); Jacó (3hr., 5, 8, 11am, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30pm; ¢1350); and Libreria (☎2663 1752; 5hr.; 5, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30am, 12:30, 2:30, 3:30pm; ¢1300). Buses to Filadelfia/Nicoya/Santa Cruz, Monteverde, Miramar, and Liberia accept payment upon entry, but tickets for buses to Quepos and Jacó must be purchased in advance from the Transporte Quepos-Puntarenas S.A. ticket office located on the west side of C. 4 between Av. 2/Central (☎2661 1345 or 2777 0743).
Ferries: Boats leave from the main dock near Av. 3, C. 35 on the far northwest side of the peninsula. Ferries to Paquera are run by the Naviera Tambor company (☎2661 2084 or 2661 2160. 1hr.; 5, 7:30, 10am, 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8, 10pm; ¢530, children ¢300, cars ¢6230). From Paquera, buses connect with ferries to Montezuma via Tambor, Pochote, and Cóbano. Ferries also leave for Puerto Naranjo from the Coonatramar Terminal (☎2661 1069; www.coonatramar.com; 1hr.; 6:30, 10am, 2:30, 7:30pm; return 8am, 12:30, 5:30, 9pm;¢750, children ¢455, cars ¢5200.). From Puerto Naranjo, buses connect to Nicoya , where you can take a bus to Playa Sámara, Playa Nosara, or Santa Cruz, for connections heading to beaches farther south.
Taxis: Local company Coopepuerto (☎2663 5050 or 2663 3030); national company Coopetico (☎2663 2020). Taxis line the street on the south side of the mercado central on the northeast side of the peninsula. Crossing town from the San José bus terminal to the ferry dock costs around ¢1000.

Orientation And Practical Information

Puntarenas is a long, skinny peninsula 115km west of San José. Over 35 calles run north to south across the city’s 1km width, while only 5 east-west avenidas span its length. The center of town is marked by the parque central, which houses the Puntarenas cathedral, and is bordered by Av. Central to the south, Av. 1 to the north, and C. 7 and 3 to the west and east respectively. Along the peninsula’s southern border runs Av. 4, more commonly referred to as Paseo de los Turistas because it holds the upscale restaurants and hotels once popular with wealthier tourists. Travelers should note that no part of Puntarenas is safe after dark, especially around the mercado central and the western point of the peninsula. If you must go somewhere at night, it’s best to take a cab.

Tourist Office: The main tourist office (☎2661 2980) is located above the Banco de Costa Rica opposite the main pier (Muelle) on the paseo and distributes tourist maps, changes currency, and provides information. Open M-F 8am-5pm, Sa 8am-noon.
Banks: The peninsula’s banks cluster along Av. 3 between C. 3 and Central, with branches on the eastern end of the paseo near the main tourist office. All have 24hr. ATMs. BAC open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 9am-1pm. Banco Popular open M-F 8:15am-3:45pm, Sa 8:15am-11:30pm. Banco Nacional open M-F 8:30am-3:45pm, Sa 9am-1pm. Banco de Costa Rica open M-F 9am-4pm.
Laundry: Lavandería Millenium (☎2344 7199) is located behind a thick white fence on Paseo de los Turistas. The fence is locked, but call out to Luisa the proprietor and she’ll let you in. Machine wash (up to 10 lbs.) ¢1300, dry ¢1300. Detergent and softener ¢300. Drop-off service charge ¢700. Open daily 8am-6pm.
Public Toilets and Showers: Toilets and showers available in a large, blue complex halfway down the Paseo de los Turistas (¢300). Toilets available in the main bus terminal on the southeast side of town (free).
Police: (☎2661 4869 or 2661 4839, emergency 911), on the northeast edge of town behind Banco Nacional, north of the post office.
Red Cross (☎2661 1945 or 2661 0184) is located 250m west of the northwest corner of the parque . Open 24hr.
Medical Services: Farmacía Puntarenas (☎2661 5558 or 2661 5559), next door to Palí supermarket, is well stocked. Open M-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8am-5pm. Hospital Monseñor Sanabria (☎2663 0033), 8km east of town. Take any bus for Esparza, Miramar, Barranca, El Roble, or Caldera.
Internet Access: The convenient Internet Café Puntarenas (☎2661 4024) lies east of the church in the parque . ¢500 per hr. Open daily 10am-8pm. The fastest most reliable access is at CIBER NET (☎2661 3181); where tech-savvy kids come to play RPGs and instant message in the modern, air-conditioned cafe. ¢500 per hr.
Library: The public library, inside the Museum in the parque . Open M-F 10am-6pm.
Post Office: (☎2661 2156), Av. 3, C. Central/1, look for the sign across from the BCR. Open M-F 8am-5:30pm, Sa 7:30am-noon. Postal Code: 5400.

Accommodations

Camping on the beach in Puntarenas is unsafe and unsanitary, but plenty of good budget accommodations are available; rooms range from clean and spacious cabinas with full amenities to dirty dives that charge by the hour. Be careful about where you choose to stay. Tourists who wander into the wrong hotel are easy targets for cockroaches and unscrupulous owners alike. Paseo de los Turistas is generally safe with a few good places near the parque central, but try to avoid the mercado central and areas that aren’t heavily populated.

Hotel Cabezas, Av. 1, C. 2/4 (☎2661 1045), a cozy place with pink walls and tropical decorations. Over 30 small rooms with fans and communal cold-water baths. You might find yourself watching hours of Spanish programs from the rocking chairs in the lobby. ¢4000 per person. Triple with private bath ¢15,000.
Hotel Chorotega, C. 1, Av. 1/3. (☎2661 0998), diagonally across from Banco Nacional. Offers spacious rooms with cable TV. Singles ¢9000, with bath ¢11,000, with bath and A/C ¢13,000; doubles ¢12,000/16,000/17,000; triples ¢16,000/20,000.
Hotel Don Robert, Av. 1, C. 3/5 (☎2661-4610), across the street on the north side of the parque central . This hotel’s scenic location near the parque and dark wood paneling add a more homey feel to the spacious rooms and bathrooms. All rooms feature cable TV, Wi-Fi, private cold-water baths and fans. Singles ¢10,000, with A/C 14,000; doubles ¢18,000/ 20,000; triples ¢24,000/27,000.

Food

Several mid-priced restaurants serving seafood and típico fare line Paseo de los Turistas. A small strip of sodas draws those waiting for a ferry on the other side of town while others are scattered throughout town. Palí (☎2661 1962) is the largest and best-stocked supermarket in town. (Open M-Th 8am-7pm, F-Sa 8am-8pm, Su 8:30am-6pm.)While many of the restaurants and sodas aren’t worth mentioning, there are several noteworthy exceptions.

Soda La Maravilla (☎2661 1586), on the south side of the mercado central serves satisfied tico customers all day long. A dozen different pinto breakfasts (¢1300) and a dozen more casados (¢1500-1800) grace the billboard menu. Mild, homemade salsa tops nearly every meal. Open M-Sa 6am-5pm, Su 6am-3pm.
Restaurante Hong Tu, Av. 2, C. Central/1 (☎2661 2753). While Chinese food may seem out of place in Central America, Hong Tu is one of the best eats in town. A/C, framed silk paintings, and a large TV keep patrons comfortable and entertained. Chinese casados (¢2900), Cantonese rice (¢1600), and fried egg rolls (3 for ¢1800) are favorites. Takeout available. Open daily 10:30am-11pm. MC/V.
El Fela Restaurant and Marisquería, Av. 3, C. 1/3 (☎2661 3132), serves seafood and more typcial Costa Rican fare. The small bar in front gives way to a deck overlooking the Río Naranjo Estuary with great sunset views. Arroz con pollo (¢2200), spaghetti (¢2200), and numerous fish filet dinners (¢2750-3500). Open M-Sa 10am-10pm.

Sights

Museo Histórico Marino De La Ciudad De Puntarenas (Casa De La Cultura). The museum is located in the parque central and recently underwent a renovation during summer 2008. The museum highlights the history of Puntarenas and its inhabitants with exhibits on archaeology, customs, local artistry, and trade relations, as well as a brief display on the region’s natural resources. Bilingual information panels stress the city’s importance as a cultural melting pot, while pre-Columbian artifacts are used to scrutinize and examine ancient funeral rituals. Additionally, exhibits of skeletons re-create a macabre array of burial postures. An exhibit on Isla San Lucas, Costa Rica’s island prison, includes pictures and replicas of its graffiti. (☎2661 0387. Open M-F 10am-6pm. Free.)

Beaches

Playa Puntarenas. Running along the south side of the peninsula is Playa Puntarenas, a long, dirty-brown beach that gets cleaner as you move west along the coast, but has powerful currents. Locals frequent the beach on weekends, but few swim because of the dirty water. A 15min. bus ride takes you to a cleaner and less crowded beach located behind Cabinas de San Isidro, 7km from Puntarenas. (Take any bus toward Barranca , or El Roble from the stop on Av. 1, C. Central/1, and ask the driver to let you off at the beach. 15min., every 10min. 4:15am-10:25pm, ¢120.)

Playa De Doña Ana And Playa Boca Barranca. Playa de Doña Ana, 14km from Puntarenas and 2km from the port of Caldera, is the only beach in the area that is even slightly developed for tourists. You’ll find picnic tables, toilets, showers, and a bag guard (¢300). Two pink pillars mark the way to a ticket booth and the entrance to a short trail to the beach. Just 500m north along the highway (take a left after the bridge onto the sandy road) is rocky Boca Barranca, enticing surfers with a left break from the cliff between Barranca and Ana to the Fiesta Marriott Hotel. However, without a swell, there isn’t much appeal—dirty water, strong currents, and the occasional dead cow keep most visitors away. Beware of nets from the local fishermen. The long, skinny strip of beach at Puerto Caldera, 3km south, is frequented mostly by tico families or local surfers. Watch out for strong riptides. (When someone’s on duty, Doña Ana is open daily 7:30am-5:30pm. Both Doña Ana and Barranca are accessible via the Caldera/Mata Limón bus, leaving from Puntarenas at Av. 1/3, C. 2. 20min.; every 2hr. 7:30am-5:30pm, return from Caldera every 2hr. 6:20am-4:20pm;¢325. Beach admission ¢1000, vehicles add ¢600.)