Manuel Antonio

On this tour we will firstly detail those properties on our right starting from the 6-km road mark at Quepos towards Manuel Antonio National Park, then we will turn back and detail those properties on our right on the way back to Quepos.

Up the hill just outside Quepos downtown, signage and signboards continuously line the road; already the first sign of a surf school, this one called MA Surf School or MASS, followed by the Gato Negro Restaurant and El Paraiso Spanish School. There are apartments for rent at the Castillo de la Riviera next up and simple hotel accommodation at the El Mono Azul Hotel (Blue Monkey Hotel) whose restaurant is located just before La Selvita Nature Park and Biological Reserve which offers camping, hiking and a waterfall. A local bus stop comes before Hotel Villa Teca and the Villa Club Terranee, followed by the Bijagual Restaurant that has an ornamental oxcart in front of it.

Carrying on towards Manuel Antonio National Park we come across Quepoa Expeditions who has a tours outlet next to Villa Bosque, with Ronny’s Place Restaurant about 800 meters from the turnoff at the sea front. Next up are Colina Hotel and B&B. The Vista Serena Hostel is nearby as is the Mar Luna Seafood Grill.

A small commercial complex houses Vida Realty and a pharmacy. After another bus stop Pacifico Colonial Rentals and a Spanish school are found next to one of the best known resort hotels in Costa Rica, the Tulemar Resort, with a Tapas Bar next door.

As we progress, the Ylang Ylang Ocean View Villas overlook the ocean on the right as we get higher up into the hills of Manuel Antonio, and there are three restaurants nearby namely Silvana, Barba Roja and Karolas.

A signage at the entrance of a small side road signals the turnoff for a few upmarket hotels such as the La Mansion Inn, El Parador Hotel and the Issimo Suites. The same road also leads to Manga Moon B&B and Nature Beachfront Aparthotel. Bypassing the turnoff, a small café called Agua Azul follows.

As Manuel Antonio is the most visited tourist destination in Costa Rica, it is no surprise that there is such a wide range of hotels and resorts and vacation rentals options on offer.
As we get closer to the park, on the right on the Pacific Ocean side are Villas El Parque, Spa Uno, the Anjali Condos and Villas Nicolas, all next to a shopping complex that houses the Serenity Spa, Claro Que Seafood Restaurant, Rico Tico Bar and Grill and the Regalame Gift Shop.

One of the most established resort hotels in Manuel Antonio, Si Como No, with an al fresco restaurant and ocean view, is located just before Hotel Villa Roca and Villas Del Sol.

Manuel Antonio, like Tamarindo, offers much more variety and style of restaurants than elsewhere in the country, second only to San Jose.

Casa Tolteca and El Avion Restaurant are up next; you can’t miss El Avion as it has a model plane as part of its building design. Hot dogs, beer and live music are advertised by El Wagon, near Hotel Arboleda, followed by Raphael’s Terrazas Restaurant and Villas de la Selva with cabins for rent. Hidden Bay Realty has a prominent a sales outlet here with signs on both sides of the road.

After Cabinas Piscis, the site for Jade Beach club approaches, next to Hotel Verde Mar and Cabinas Ramirez. Here just before the beach we find an area devoted to many beachwear and souvenir shops.

We are now approaching the first beach known as Playa Espadilla which is great for swimming and walking. Traffic is heavy here on weekends as locals from all parts of the Central Valley flock here to spend the day on the beach.

At the end of the road that runs parallel to the beach there is a turnaround and a car park for day visitors to the National Park. This area is well managed by traffic and tourist police. The Park entrance is a short walk from the car park just behind the high tide mark.

A couple of restaurants come up just after the turnaround on the right, one is called Café del Mar and the other, what else, Restaurant Manuel Antonio, followed by the only hotel on this beach, which caters to young budget travelers.

What follows in the next 30 meters or so is a typical beachfront promenade scene; as one would expect, it has restaurants, bars, tourist information centres, souvenir shops, supermarkets, fish shops, icecream parlours, cafes and liquor stores.

After the bus stop you pass on the right (on the left as we come in) the Coco Beach Hotel advertises TV, Pool and Wi FI, followed by Hotel Pura Selva and Villas del Puente development.

Again we now drive pass a range of Manuel Antonio hotels and villas for rent, starting with the Costa Verde Hotel, Hotel Casita Eclipse, The Falls Boutique Hotel, and the future Jade Hotel which is a condo hotel complex. You can sense by now the great number of choices you have when looking for hotels in Manuel Antonio.

A wildlife refuge is spotted next, opposite Villas Nicolas and just before Hotel Byblos, which has simple cabins for rent for about $100 a night, with a lively bar, a pizzeria and a small casino.

Latitude 9 Real Estate follows with the Mandarina Hotel and Café Milargo next, before coming to Hotel Divisamar and Casino opposite Restaurant Karolas.

Next up is a small building which houses BCR bank, Economy Car Rentals and the office for Vacation Villas of Costa Rica or VVCR, which offer luxury rentals and tours for those looking for more than a hotel room; you can find many of their rental properties here on Costa Rica Bedfinder vacation rentals website.

Up next are Victoria’s Gourmet Pizza and Pasta House, the famous Kapi Kapi Restaurant, a supermarket, Costa Sur Real Estate, a simple Tico soda and Hotel Flor Blanca.

As we drive down the hill towards Quepos we see Hotel Pacifco Lunada, next to the Canopy Restaurant, Casa Villa Roland, Babaloo Inn and Verona Beach Club.

Before reaching the entrance of Gaia Hotel and Reserve, which is a member of Small Luxury Hotels (a worldwide marketing brand) are Tres Banderas Hotel, Sirenas Night Club and Marlintini’s Restaurant and Bar. After the entry to Gaia, a complex houses Pizza de Marco, La Hacienda Restaurant and Bar and Plaza Yara Hotel.

On the last stretch back to Quepos are Hotel Mimos, Hotel El Mirador del Pacifico, Villas Paraiso Azul and a steak house. We then arrive at the entrance to Manuel Antonio Estates, a private real estate compound with several luxury villas for vacation rentals which are popular with large families and groups, with a dedicated Spa on site.

Past Manuel Antonio Estates we are back at the starting point of the 6-km road that connects Quepos and Manuel Antonio.

So that’s the tour, come and enjoy!