Packing, money, contact numbers and directions

Some packing tips:

Your passport, or they won't let you in
Bug spray with DEET
Anti-itch for when the bugs laugh at your spray
Sun block
A light rain jacket
1 pair of long pants for hiking in the deep rain forest
Hiking boots or tennis shoes
Wedding attire (no ties allowed, that's why we're going to CR!)

Money tips:

Jonathan has been to CR before, and says that ATM machines have the best exchange rate. You will be able to get cash in the San Jose airport. Some places don't accept traveler's checks, so don't bother with them, American cash is better than traveler's checks.

Phone numbers:

If you are outside of CR and want to call our villa:
concierge 011-506-2777-5258
host cell 011-506-8932-8956

If you are in CR:
concierge 2777-5258
host cell 8932-8956

We'll all follow each other, so don't let this be intimidating. With the new highway, it's only 2.25 hours and there are crocodiles on the way! The best directions you've ever seen:

The drive from the San Jose airport (Juan Santamaria International Airport) to Manuel Antonio will take about 2 hours and 15 minutes and is fully paved with the new highway in place. We suggest exchanging at least $5 US dollars into Costa Rican colones for the tolls on the highway. Ask the rental car agent to send you off in the right direction, which should be west on Route 1, past the airport. Drive defensively and be aware when two lanes become one, "CEDA" means "Yield".

Note: The first 13 km uses the same "old" route to Manuel Antonio. GPS devices might not be updated and will likely still have the "old" route so do not rely on them to follow the complete recommended route.

Once on Route 1 - follow signs to San Ramon, and continue straight ahead for about 10 km. After the second bridge crossing, get in the right lane and take the next exit (Route 3) for Jaco / Quepos / Manuel Antonio. There is also a sign here for Punta Leona and Atenas. Turn left at the stop sign, crossing back over Route 1.

Follow Route 3 for about 3 km. Look for a large Christian church on the left and then a soccer field and make a left on the road immediately after it. You are on the road to Turrucares. There are no signs and it's a secondary road, so don't think you've made a mistake. It's currently the best connection to the toll highway from the airport.

Drive for another 3 km through this somewhat winding road. Once you arrive at the highway intersection turn left BEFORE the highway. Again, there are no signs here yet. Be careful as it's a narrow two-way gravel access road. After some 300 meters you will arrive at a roundabout. Make a right following the highway signs to Orotina / Atenas.

Drive on the highway through 2 toll booths. Then, take the next right exit to Route 34, follow signs for Jaco / Quepos. This exit forms a loop and then you bypass a roundabout to continue straight to Jaco (another 36 km).

Follow Route 34 (also called Costanera) for a while and you will cross over the Tarcoles River Bridge - there are usually a few cars parked before/after the bridge since it is a popular viewing point for the crocodiles lurking in and around the river. Shortly after this you will see the ocean on your right hand side. Pass Punta Leona and Herradura - you will see the Automercado supermarket on the right hand side of the road.

Follow the signs to Jaco and Manuel Antonio. You will pass through one rotunda, then the road leads directly to Quepos.
Once in Quepos, you will drive past many small shops. The road becomes one lane and you need to turn left just after passing a small park. You will see signs pointing to Manuel Antonio. You are now leaving Quepos and are on the road to Manuel Antonio.

After about 3.5 kilometers, you will see Café Milagro on your left. Then you will see a two-story yellow building on your right. That building has a sign for the restaurant Cafe Agua Azul on the second floor, and a Coldwell Banker sign on the first floor. Our office is the Coldwell Banker on the first floor. Jamie and Jonathan will pick up the keys, so just keep going!

To get to Casa Fantastica and Vista Azul, continue past our office and turn down the first street on your right. The street is called Pacific Canyon Drive and is located about 50 meters past our office. It is right across the street from the Hotel Byblos parking lot. Continue down this road all the way to the very end. The road dead ends at Vista Azul. You do not need to turn off anywhere for Vista Azul, the parking is right in front of the house. The driveway for Casa Fantastica is the last driveway on your left, right where the road ends at Vista Azul. It is a steep driveway. There is space for a few cars, but with more than a few cars down there it can be difficult to turn around.

Flight Info and Transportation Options

We've been following flights to Costa Rica and finally bought our tickets this morning! Priceline.com seems to offer the best deals. I think they are alloted a couple really cheap tickets each day to help attract people to the website, so check it out in the morning.

Here's our departing flight information:

Frontier Airlines
Flight 1048 departs Seattle on August 6, at 6:59PM
There's a quick layover in Denver, Colorado
Flight 86 departs Denver at 12:15AM and arrives in San Jose, Costa Rica on August 7, at 5:30AM

Jonathan and I are going to stay an extra week to tour around the country. The villa rentals are August 7-14, so plan your return flight accordingly. Remember, Manual Antonio is a 3.5 hour drive or a 25 minute flight from San jose.

Here are your options for getting from San Jose to Manuel Antonio:

Bus: $5 and 3.5 hours
Taxi: $120 and 3.5 hours
Rental car: go to paylesscar.com/countries/CostaRica
Puddle-hopper plane to nearby Quepos: go to flysansa.com; Book early because these will fill up: $60 and 25 minutes, first flight is at 8AM

From Quepos to our villas in Manual Antonio it's only 10 more minutes, so you can rent a car (same company as above), take a taxi, or we'll pick you up! http://www.vivalasvillas.com/drive.htm

Destination...check!

We're getting married on the beach in Manuel Antonio. Check out this link for local activities, information on the national park, and to get an idea of where we're going: http://www.manuelantoniocostarica.com/cr/index.html