family Archives - A Year in Costa Rica

October 4, 2017October 4, 2017

Il Forno Pizzeria & Restaurant

This is a favorite for anyone craving good pizza. We went there tonight for Shane’s birthday and we were not disappointed! We had the Tica Pizza, Focaccia garlic bread and the Greek Salad. All were very good. The pizzas are 13″ and have a thin, crispy crust. One pizza will feed two people, especially if you get a salad or garlic bread to go with.

The service was also really great. It’s rare to have a server come back shortly after your food arrives to ask if “todos esta bien?” but ours did several times. I also felt she knew some English but sensed we wanted to speak Spanish so continued to speak it with us throughout our dining experience.

Price wise it was pretty reasonable. The pizzas were between 5,500 and 6,300 colones each and the Greek salad – their most expensive – was 4,500. Our total bill came to about 23,000 colones for 4 people and we took some pizza home.

On the south edge of Brasilito, it’s located dangerously close to where we live in Reserva Conchal. While we didn’t have the pasta, TripAdvisor has a lot of reviews for Il Forno (even though everyone insists on calling it El Forno) giving it high marks. We will be back here for sure!

Be sure to check out other restaurants and bars we like in Costa Rica!

Il Forno Restaurant and Bar in Brasilito

September 24, 2017October 4, 2017

Favorite Adventures in Costa Rica

Smaller falls at Llanos de Cortes waterfall

We’re living in in Costa Rica for a year with our family so plan to visit many places during our stay. Here we’ll list them all out with a short summary and you can link to any you wish to learn more about.

Catarata Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

This is an awesome day trip if you’re within two hours. Easy drive and an easy, short hike in rewarded by a gorgeous waterfall you can swim in and walk around. What’s not to love?

Ostional Turtle Nesting

We haven’t been yet but go during the arribada (the darkest days before the new moon) and you’ll see hundreds (maybe even thousands) of sea turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs. It only occurs during the green season – August to November.

The Monkey Trail

It’s a typical Costa Rican road with rivers, ruts, inclines and declines. Fun to take if you have a four wheel drive. Kind of a short cut to Liberia from Potrero. Appropriately, the route is 911. Don’t be scared.

Las Catalinas

Tamarindo

September 23, 2017September 24, 2017

Catarata Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

The Catarata Llanos de Cortes Waterfall is a must-see if you’re in the area for a week or more. It’s an easy drive from Brasilito – about an hour and a half.

It’s about 20 minutes outside of Liberia with freeway access almost the entire way. The last part of the drive is a gravel road but it was pretty well maintained and an easy drive when we were there. A sedan could easily drive to the parking lot.

At the parking lot, you’ll find a stand where you can buy cold drinks, snacks and souvenirs but I’d recommend taking a cooler with a picnic. The walk down into the falls is made of stone stairs so even the old a

nd young can pretty easily get down into the falls – and you can also carry a cooler pretty easily as well.

The water beneath the falls is not very deep so you can walk most of the way. If you want to walk behind them, you can take the rocks to the left side but they are very slippery so get your footing before making the next move. This part is not recommended for the elderly!

You can also walk and swim out to the falls and get up on the rocks to get behind it that way but, again, it’s slippery!

Don’t miss the short hike around the left side to a smaller waterfall as it’s just as gorgeous but much more serene than the major waterfall.

Behind the Catarata Llanos de Cortes waterfall

This is an easy day trip from Brasilito and if you want to make it a little more adventurous, take the Monkey Trail!

Directions to to Catarata Llanos de Cortes:

On the Pan American Highway, head south towards Bagaces, It’s a 20-minute drive from Liberia.
On your right hand side there is a dirt road about 3 miles before Bagaces with a small sign for Llanos de Cortes. It’s kind of at the top of a hill and there aren’t typical exits from this freeway so be ready!
There’s a sky/pedestrian bridge over the road at the turn off so when you see that, slow down and be ready to take a quick right.
If you cross the river you went too far. You will see a sign that says “Waterfall.”
From here, follow the signs to the parking lot. You’ll have to pay 1000 colones for parking.

Just want to map it – here you go!

Check out more of our favorite places to visit in Costa Rica

Catarata Llanos de Cortes waterfall Costa Rica

September 23, 2017September 24, 2017

Costa Rica Sailing Center Restaurant on the Beach in Potrero

Costa Rica Sailing Center Restaurant and Beach — Costa Rica Sailing Center

One of our favorite restaurants is the Costa Rica Sailing Center. The name doesn’t imply restaurant because they offer so much more – surf, kayak, SUP, bike rentals, chartered boat excursions, sailing lessons – an exhaustive list you can find on the CRSC web site or at the rental hut on the property.

But this post is about the restaurant and why it’s one of our favorites. First and foremost, it’s the venue. Situated on the beach in Potrero, Guanacaste Costa Rica, it offers beach front dining with direct access and viewing of the beach. From the tables on the beach, you can also see the pool and grassy area away from the beach. This is why it’s perfect for the kids. If your kids like the water as much as ours, you’ll never catch them at the table until their food comes – and that will last about 30 seconds. They spend their time moving back and forth from the ocean to the beach to the pool to the grassy area – and they never stop.

The staff is extremely nice and offer great service.They offer a small kids menu that has chicken strips, corndogs and a hot dog. The adult menu offers many options – fish or shrimp tacos, fish and chips, casado, etc. If you went out on a fishing boat and have some fish, they’ll even prepare it for you for a small per-person fee (~$6 each) that includes sides.

Passion Fruit Margarita at Costa Rica Sailing Center

The specials are great as well and they often have cocktail specials like this delicious passion fruit margarita.

Add to that the rare opportunity to score an IPA and you have all the makings of the perfect restaurant for both kids and adults.

IPA at Costa Rica Sailing Center — IPAs-few and far between

Costa Rica Sailing Center is also a great place to enjoy a chiliguaro or two with your adult friends. Bottoms up!

Chiliguaros at the Costa Rica Saling Center — Chiliguaro toast

Check our more restaurants we love in Guanacaste, Costa Rica!

And more of our favorite places to visit in Costa Rica.