San Isido del General, Costa Rica

For many expatriates who live in the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica San Isidro is the ideal gateway town; accessible, safe, friendly locals and vibrant commerce. Anything and everything are available here; there are half a dozen super-sized supermarkets, a handful of large department stores, countless pharmacies, internet cafes, hardware stores, computer shops, shoe shops and a mind-boggling variety of restaurants. Best of all, the ‘feria’ or weekly farmers market in San Isidro is easily the best in the southern region, not least because it is enormous, with aisle upon aisle of fresh produce trucked in by the farmers themselves from their communities in the mountains.

It has been reported that San Isidro is the fastest growing city in Costa Rica in terms of populace; a visit to the weekly feria sees the best evidence of that. The swelling population is not limited to ticos moving in from the central valley but increasingly due to the growing number of North American and European expats, who choose this congenial city to be the base for their retirement or semi-retirement.

For many years before the opening of the coastal highway between Quepos and Dominical, in 2010, tourists who are headed for the south Pacific coast or Osa Peninsula would invariably pass through San Isidro, stopping to eat and shop; and they would return to San Jose the same way. These days, with both the coastal road and the mountain road being equally viable, the best route would be to do a loop, that means coming via Jaco and Quepos on the coast and returning via San Isidro and Cartago over the mountain, or vice versa. This way, they really get to see the best of both worlds.

For those who plan to take a break in San Isidro on the way to a vacation rental home in Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal or Puerto Jimenez, this is the perfect place to get stocked up. For supermarket we recommend Maxi Bodega or MegaSuper. If it happens to be a Thursday or Friday, get the fresh veg from the farmers market; it would be an interesting cultural experience. For lunch, we recommend restaurants ‘Citrus’ if you want to indulge a little, or ‘Boozooka’ if you want simple American-Tico fusion food. If you are in a rush, MacDonald’s is in the heart of town and it offers drive-thru.

San Isidro is not an international tourist destination; vacation rentals are unheard of and lodging options are limited to two and three star hotels, mainly catering to domestic tourists and business travelers. Hotel del Sur, about 3 miles out of town has a good restaurant and a casino. Hotel Diamante Real is conveniently located near the intercity coach depot. Less than an hour from San Isidro on the way to Chirripo National Park, Hotel Monte Azul was the region’s best kept secret until it was selected by Conde Nast Traveler for Hot List 2010. 

Hotels and Resorts in San Isido del General

Lodges and B&Bs in San Isido del General