Traveling to Quepos, Costa Rica

Arriving in Quepos via the coastal highway from the north on the way to Manuel Antonio you keep to the right instead of turning left at the intersection which leads to Dominical. Not far ahead you will reach a bridge with the harbor and the river estuary on your right. Along this road, which is about one kilometer long, you pass some hardware stores, a nursery, a tile shop and a gas station. There is a bar just before the bridge. Here we begin a virtual tour of Quepos, an interesting coastal town well worth a visit especially so to get a feel of Costa Rican culture. Over the bridge and first up on the left in a little cul de sac you see the Coldwell Banker Costa Rica real estate office and the El Patio Café Milagro, which is an up market cafe and bistro popular with visitors. They have a dedicated coffee grinding outlet near by, next to a cigar shop and a sport fishing outlet called Costa Mar Dream Catcher.

Quepos is more a support and satellite town to Manuel Antonio where you can find the best beaches, hotels, restaurants and vacation rentals.However, it itself is a major sport fishing center with many fishing charter boats being based here, all of which can be booked through a number of tour outlets scattered around Quepos. Presently a major marina project is underway called Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, Costa Rica.

As we continue to drive towards Manuel Antonio on this waterfront road of Quepos we pass a favorite corner soda restaurant, not bad for gallo pinto and fried eggs and steaming hot Costa Rican coffee. Next to the soda is Hidden Bay Realty, a real estate sales office, and Restaurante Grande Escape, a large popular corner joint for both locals and visitors alike.

Quepos downtown spreads along 6 roads that go north to south, with two going south as one way, two are two ways and two going north one way. For this tour we continue along the main harbor road, past another sports fishing outlet, a shop that sells glasses, a T-shirt and clothes boutique, the Best Western Hotel, more clothes shops and a pharmacy until we reach the end of the block where we turn left into the road that leads to Manuel Antonio. The weekly Saturday fruit and vegetable market begins about here on the water front promenade.

Down this road we pass a workshop, a barber, a car parts outlet and a vet before we come to Quepos Tours where you can arrange all kinds of activities. Raw Botanicals Organic markets Costa Rican made bath and beauty products and next to it is Idra Sports Fishing, both inshore and offshore fishing are advertised here. A water purifying outlet follows a local boutique and a laundry. Dani unisex hair salon and a bike rental and sales shop are nearby before we come to Hotel Ceciliano with simple hotel rooms for rent.

Past a small commercial center where we have a dentist and a blood clinic we see Discous Restaurant and a Chicken Bros grilled chicken outlet, an ice creamery and pastry shop and then another sports fishing outlet, this one called Blue Fin Tours. Adobe car rental has an outlet here next to a hair salon. As we come up to a hardware store and a small supermarket with a fresh juice bar on the left, we turn left back into Quepos town instead of turning right onto the road to Manuel Antonio.

At this point, to the right we have a church, then Hertz and Thrifty car rentals, a tour booking office and an apartment block with rooms for rent. Here we arrive at Pali Supermarket, the discount supermarket chain of Costa Rica. Next to Pali there is a small fruiteria and a mini super next door, a Chicken On The Run fast food and a a liquor store, so you can eat and drink pretty well around here but next up is a medical clinic. Not sure why these are all together! ( just a joke) . As we proceed towards a small bridge we pass a wood arts and crafts shop which has some quality furniture and artifacts, an Amnet office, an electrical hardware shop, a number of small supermarkets, a beachwear outlet more geared to kids, and a tiny eatery.

Over the bridge we turn left onto the center of town and there in front of us is the development site for a city park, and turning right towards the waterfront we pass an electrical goods shop, a boutique, an internet café, Musmanni pastry shop, Pizza Miguelitos, Restaurant Marisqueria, Bank National, Hotel Sirena, a mini soda, surf shop Caramela, and just before the waterfront road is the Republic Night Club which is opposite on the corner to the sport fishing outlet called Costa Mar Dream Catcher mentioned earlier.

Turning left into the main road of Quepos now where Best Western Hotel is located, it's all hustles and bustles for the next one hundred meters which makes up the hub of this coastal town. Taxis are parked along most of it so not a worry in getting a cab, and at the end of the line of taxis is the central bus station, surrounded by small eateries, fish and meat and vegetable shops. Opposite the Best Western Hotel is the Catch n Cook restaurant, and  the following as we proceed: the well named Wacky Wonders restaurant and bar where usually you can find some interesting patrons, the Hurricane surf café, a t-shirt shop, a wi fi café and restaurant, a surf shop, a local fresh fish vendor and a butchery, the Pura Vida souvenir shop, Videos and shoes Lourna, the Olas Boutique, a sports fishing tours office, Surf and Skate Mango, a souvenir shop, a baby clothes shop and a household goods shop, the Pura Vida restaurant, a mini super and liquor shop, Century 21 Costa Rica real estate office, the BAC bank, a barber and an Italian restaurant, and a number of bars and restaurants above these shops on the second floor. 

As we arrive at the bus station there is a supermarket called Super Mas and that's where tourists can find a variety of American and European favorites. A major hardware store is next door which specializes in stains and paints. The El Pueblo bar and restaurant and a few local soda restaurants are lined along this part of the street with the Pollo Frito fast food being directly opposite the market complex.

A foot ball field is in front and as we approach it we pass the Bank of Costa Rica, an electrical shop, Hotel Sanchez, Soda Sanchez Fressca, a drug store and a cluster of small shops selling household goods and the likes. Here we come to the end of the main street. There are some interesting shops and restaurants on some side roads that run east to west but we will just cover the main north-south streets in our tour of Quepos.

From the football field we turn left and left again into a car park of the market and bus station complex; there is a row of open-air eateries here with very economical foods. As we proceed towards the waterfront again we pass the INS National Insurance office, Banco National, Jardin Del Mar restaurant and bar, a DHL office, Optica Quepos, Nature Air, a laundry service shop, Hotel May y Luna, Hotel Malinche, and a small commercial center with a sports fishing charter outlet and a fresh juice bar and restaurant. Hotel Ramus is opposite the Spaghetti House Italian Restaurant, with a liquor store and Tropical Sushi before we come to the corner with the Grand Escape Restaurant mentioned earlier.

The last road is next to the Manuel Antonio road and here are Sargento Garcia sports bar, Fenix shoes, Gallo Electrical, Soda Pooles, the deli restaurant El Pollito, a cell phone shop, a small bar and a pharmacy. With that we conclude our quick tour of Quepos.

We highly recommend the following rental properties within the Manuel Antonio Estate for its excellent location, being within walking distance to Quepos on the road to Manuel Antonio and in a peaceful and secured compound with its own full service on-site spa: 

1-bedroom Wood Chalet; 2-bedroom Quetzal Villa; 3-bedroom Toucan Villa; 4-bedroom Mot Mot Villa; 5-bedroom Jacana Villa; 7-bedroom Tanager Villa (sleeps up to 16 guests!)