From eTripTips Wiki
Liberia is the capital city of the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
- Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (IATA: LIR)(ICAO: MRLB), is called Liberia Costa Rica Airport, 13km west of the city. Daily flights arrive in Liberia on several US airlines. Nature Air and Sansa Air, the domestic airlines also land here. A bus travels between the airport and city center between 6AM-6PM.
[edit] By bus
A large public bus network services Liberia and connects it with San Jose, the beaches and the Nicaraguan border.
[edit] By car
Liberia is at the cross section of the Interamericana that stretches throughout Central America and the Route 21 that heads to famous beaches such as Tamarindo.
[edit] Get around
Public bus or on foot. Liberia is a small city where everything you are likely to wish to see is within walking distance.
- Kuru is the only nightclub. A little bit dingy but very popular with the local Ticos. Goes on until everyone leaves at the weekend.
- LIB is a second story bar in the Plaza Santa Rosa. Modern design and sometimes modern music.
- Casa Pueblo on the Calle Real is popular with students. Relaxed atmosphere, funky decor and western indie and rock music.
- Elements, Calle 3 between Avenidas 3 and 5. The trendiest bar in town. Theme based in the four elements. 2 Bars, restaurant area, 1 lounge and 1 VIP area. Very popular among the staff of the Four Seasons resort, tourists and local crowd. Excellent service. Happy tunes.
- Best Western El Sitio. Right on the intersection and in walking distance of the town and 10 minutes drive from the airport. Simple rooms with air conditioning. Gym, casino and pool on site with large area for sun lounging. Double costs $76 and includes breakfast.
- Allegro Papagayo, Manzanillo beach. With 300 standard rooms and 8 suites, this hotel gives you all the luxury and accommodations of a four star hotel. The rooms are provided with private baths, hair dryers, direct dial telephones, satellite TV, and electronic safety boxes. Three restaurants and three bars. The pool had a swim up bar with a wheel to spin to hhelp select your drink. They also had access to a small private beach accessible by small boat. Kids enjoyed the banana boat rides. The people in the "towel room" can help arrange side trips. The favorite was the ATV rental and trip. I loved the horseback riding which was across the gulf. It provided a peek into many of the locals life and the terrain was beautiful. The horses were responsive instead of simply plodding after the one in front. The people were very nice too! We hired a driver to take us to a surfing beach, Tamarindo, where our teenagers rented equipment and got a lesson. He also drove us to a beautiful waterfall where we were the only visitors and swimmers! The zip line tour was not as spectacular as I had hoped but definitley a "to do". The slide they had on the premises was rough, kids got scratched and it didn't look very safe. I'm glad we didn't go to the volcano as the roads are SO poor that the length of time and discomfort would have not seemed worth it.
- Best Western Las Espuelas, 2 km from the city, heading south on the Interamericana. A spacious, tranquil hotel. Pool and all the usual amenities. $76 a double.
[edit] Get out
The road infrastructure in Costa Rica is POOR so any small side trip can take much longer than you think. The short trips that we did take were rather uncomfortable due to potholes and dodging oncoming traffic that came in our lane to avoid their potholes, which were more like craters!
Personally, I think the volcano was highly overrated. Horseback riding, zip line tours through the canopy, surfing, and white water rafting are all trips that can be managed from you base in Guanacaste.
