Day 4 - Wait...THIS is Costa Rica?

After five trips to Costa Rica, I thought I knew her. Then I reached the Caribbean coast.

The closer I got to Puerto Viejo, the more something felt...

different.

The road changed.

The scenery changed.

Then the music changed.

And somewhere between wiping the last evidence of my highway therapy session off my face and pulling into town, I started noticing the people.

Brown skin.

Curly hair.

Locs.

Caribbean faces.

Island music spilling out into the streets.

Wait.

Where am I?

Because this did not feel like the Costa Rica I knew.

And I had been here four times before.

Apparently, Costa Rica Had Been Keeping Secrets

Maybe I should have expected it.

Puerto Viejo sits on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, after all.

But knowing something geographically and experiencing it are two very different things.

I wasn't prepared for how different the energy would feel.

The rhythm was different.

The food was different.

The faces were different.

The whole atmosphere had shifted.

And for the first time in five trips to Costa Rica, I found myself surrounded by people who looked like me.

There was something about that I hadn't realized I'd been missing.

I hadn't come looking for it.

I wasn't traveling to find some grand sense of belonging.

But after spending hours in the car grieving what had been familiar to me...

I arrived somewhere completely unfamiliar—

and found familiarity waiting.

Well.

Hello, Puerto Viejo.

Also...

Ahem...there were some very attractive people here.

This was supposed to be Eat, Pray, Love.

Nobody said anything about Stella Got Her Groove Back.

We Will Be Staying Focused

Now listen.

I had left approximately 2% of my itinerary available for a devastatingly handsome Caribbean man to derail my spiritual journey.

I'm only human.

Did I actually expect this to happen?

No.

Was I currently practicing celibacy?

Yes.

An unfortunate logistical issue for imaginary island bae.

But was the idea fun?

Absolutely.

And after the year I'd had, fun felt good.

Light felt good.

Not every part of healing needed to involve crying into a body of water.

Sometimes you need a little distraction too, because lawd knows healing isn't linear.

Anyway.

We have a hotel to find.

Focus.

About That Dirt Road...

I'd booked Kanik Apart Hotel for my first few nights in Puerto Viejo.

And according to Google Maps, we were almost there.

Wonderful.

Except Google Maps then directed me down what can only generously be described as a road.

Long.

Dirt.

Remote.

And getting farther and farther away from all that lively Puerto Viejo energy I'd just gotten excited about.

Interesting.

The property itself?

Beautiful.

Peaceful.

Private.

The kind of place I'd absolutely recommend for a couple looking to disappear together or someone who specifically came to Puerto Viejo for solitude.

There was only one problem.

I had already done solitude.

I wanted to explore.

I wanted to walk around.

Hear the music.

People watch.

Ogle.

Eat things.

See things.

Be in Puerto Viejo.

And this location was going to require a little more effort than I'd anticipated.

Was it a bad choice?

No.

Was it the right choice for this particular version of me on this particular trip?

Also no.

And that distinction matters.

Sometimes a hotel can be lovely and still not be right for the trip you're trying to have.

Lesson learned.

Bags dropped.

Room inspected.

Now let's eat.

Obviously, We Start With Food

My first real order of business in Puerto Viejo was dinner.

Because spiritual journeys require calories.

I headed to the famous Lidia's Place, grabbed a seat at the bar overlooking the street, and did one of my favorite things to do in a new place:

Absolutely nothing.

I sat.

I ate.

I watched.

People moving through town.

Music in the background.

Locals breaking into live music.

Conversations.

Motos.

Tuk tuks.

The sounds of a place going about its evening.

No itinerary.

No rushing.

Just taking it all in.

And then my food arrived.

Caribbean chicken.

Now...

I had seen Caribbean chicken popping up on menus since arriving.

So obviously I needed to know what was going on.

Stewed chicken.

Coconut rice and peas.

And these thick tostones that were not playing the same game as the little thin ones I'd eaten elsewhere.

Excuse me?

Where have these been?

This meal had my attention. So much that I failed to snag a pic.

My apologies. I was busy eating.

And apparently it would not be my last Caribbean chicken of the trip.

At the time, I didn't know I was beginning an investigation.

But history would show...

we had research to conduct.

Nightlife? In This Economy?

After dinner, Puerto Viejo was very clearly not ready for bed.

There was music.

People were out.

The town had energy.

I could have stayed.

I could have found somewhere else to have a drink.

I could have mingled.

Perhaps given imaginary island bae a fighting chance.

Instead?

I went said hello to the beach.

And then I went home.

Because:

A. I'm traveling solo.

B. I'm over 40.

And C. tomorrow was beach day.

I know my priorities.

Besides, I hadn't driven all the way across Costa Rica to sleep through the Caribbean sunshine because I was outside trying to prove I could hang until 2 a.m.

Absolutely not.

Your girl requires beauty sleep.

So back down the long dirt road I went.

Into bed.

Because tomorrow we had work to do.

We're Going to Need More Bathing Suits

I hadn't come to Puerto Viejo with one particular beach in mind.

I wanted to see as many as I could.

Because how else am I supposed to come back here and tell you which ones are an absolute must?

This is journalism for the people!

And Puerto Viejo isn't one tiny beach town where everything sits on the same little block.

The area stretches along the coast, with beaches and communities scattered along the road.

Stay near the heart of town and plenty is walkable.

Want to explore farther?

You're going to need a car.

A bike if you're healthy.

Or a ride.

Me?

I had wheels.

I had bathing suits.

I had sunscreen.

And I had questions.

Tomorrow, the investigation began.

Beaches.

Bakeries.

Surfers.

Sunshine.

And, for reasons that will become increasingly difficult to defend...

more Caribbean chicken.

Pura vida por vida. 🌴

The Details

🏡 Puerto Viejo Stay — Kanik Apart Hotel. Would I stay again? The property itself was lovely, peaceful and private—but for this trip, I wanted to be closer to the action. I'd recommend it more for couples, travelers with transportation, or anyone intentionally seeking solitude.

🍗 First Puerto Viejo Dinner — Restaurante Lidia's Place. Would I order it again? Caribbean chicken + tostones? Hell yes. First impression: We may have a problem. And by problem, I mean I'm probably ordering this again.

🚗 Getting Around Puerto Viejo. Where you stay matters. If you want restaurants, shops and nightlife within easy reach, pay attention to exactly where your accommodation sits along the coast—not just whether the listing says “Puerto Viejo.” If you're staying farther out, having a car, bike or reliable transportation makes exploring much easier.

💡 Travel Note: A beautiful hotel isn't automatically the right hotel. Think about how you actually want to spend your days. Sometimes location matters more than the room.

Next Stop

Day 05 — Let the Land Hold You. Three bathing suits, a Puerto Viejo beach crawl, and an increasingly serious investigation into Caribbean chicken.