Search Results For : Costa Rica

Almirante - Boat to Bocas Del Toro Seating
MARCH 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my way from Granada to Puerto Viejo and stayed in Puerto Viejo for 1 week. From Puerto Viejo, I had to make my way to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. PLEASE NOTE: At the time of writing, US$1 = C$570 (Costa Rica Colon) and US$1=P$1 (Panama Balboa). THE PANAMA ‘EXIT TICKET’: To enter Panama, you must have an onwards ticket. Information online differs. Some say that they will accept a return bus or shuttle ticket from / to Costa Rica as long as you can show that you have an onwards flight […]

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica – to – Bocas Del Toro, Panama – Journey

MARCH 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The official exchange rate at time of writing was US$1 = C$570. I made my way from Granada, Nicaragua to Puerto Viejo (PV) by 2 long distance buses: Granada to San Jose and San Jose to PV. I arrived in PV late at 11:30pm and took the first hotel room that I could find. My room was at the Sel et Sucre. I got an attic room up a ladder that had a double mattress on the floor, a mosquito net over the bed, no furniture, no space to open my […]

Puerto Viejo – Costa Rica – Information

MARCH 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: After being stranded for 3 days in Big Corn Island (and overnight in Bluefields), I finally managed to get from Big Corn Island to Granada. From Granada, I had to make my way to Puerto Viejo on the Carribean coast of Costa Rica. On paper, this involved: A long distance bus from Granada to San Jose (about 9 hours) A long distance bus from San Jose direct to Puerto Viejo (about 4.5 hours) At the time of this post, US$1 = C$580. I planned to leave Granada early enough for me to make […]

Granada, Nicaragua – to – Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica – Journey

DECEMBER 2017: Read our Retirement Reviews to find good places to retire on a budget. OVERVIEW: I spent 1 week on Ometepe Island. I stayed at the Hostal Tecali near Santa Cruz. I wanted to get from Ometepe across the lake to San Carlos to spend a few days going down the Rio San Juan to Greytown. Alas, the ferry that used to go from Ometepe to San Carlos no longer operates … I was told that I needed to go back to Managua (a 1.5 hour ferry from Ometepe to San Jorge followed by 3-4 hours on busses from there […]

Ometepe – Nicaragua – via Costa Rica – to San Carlos

CLOSED: My tour of Costa Rica is done, at least for now. Please SEARCH FOR ‘Costa Rica‘ to find all of my Postings, Travel Budgets and Retirement Reviews. I am sure that there are many great places in Costa Rica and that this is demonstrated by the number of expats from North America who already call Costa Rica Home. HOWEVER, Costa Rica is too expensive for GRANDPAckers. Meanwhile, here is some general information not already covered in my postings … GENERAL: Costa Rica is highly Americanized and is NOT ideal for budget travellers. The “high prices” can be a surprise, […]

Costa Rica

GENERIC: IS DRIVING IN LATIN AMERICA A GOOD IDEA? I really liked the idea of buying a 4WD so that I could Drive In Latin America with all of the extra freedom that this would provide. However, it fell into the “too hard basket”. The perceived freedom of movement may not be a reality… It is a lot harder than Driving In Europe. It is all over the internet that the roads and the drivers are “unpredictable”. I come from a country that drives on the left and I didn’t want to have to take on driving on the right […]

Drive In Latin America

GENERIC: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: For detailed information about how costs are constructed, please read About – GRANDPAcking Costs. These GRANDPAcking Holiday Destinations have a Cost Of Existence (COE) of US$60 per day (or more) for 2 people: Costa Rica – Puerto Viejo – US$61 (2018) Ecuador – Ayampe – US$63 (2018) Thailand – Andaman Sea – Island Hopping – US$64 (2023) ♥ Ecuador – Central Highlands Tour – US$65 (2018) ♥ Romania – Sibiu – US$66 (2019) ♥ Panama – Bocas del Toro Island – US$66 (2018) Colombia – San Andres Island – US$71 (2018) Ecuador […]

Over US$60 / day

2018: OVERVIEW: “Panama’s major draw is its Pensionado (pensioner) visa, where qualified retirees achieve residence status fairly quickly. The program entitles visa holders to discounts on medical treatment, dining, movies, and more.  Most expats in Panama regret they didn’t come sooner, as many say they chose Panama for the friendly people, its rainforest, its plentiful beaches, and the choice of secluded or city living lifestyles. Panama is definitely the hidden gem of Central America. It has coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean and is one of the most attractive emerging tourism destinations in the world. It […]

PANAMA REVIEWS

APRIL 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The official exchange rate at time of writing was US$1 = P$1 (Panama Balboa). Panama uses US$s and only uses Balboa as coins for small change. I stayed a total of 3 weeks in Isla Bastimentos and Bocas Town, Isla Colon. Throughout Latin America, hotel costs can go crazy in Easter / Holy Week / Santa Semana … with some hotels tripling their prices. So, I decided to leave Bocas Town and get back to the mainland to take refuge in Changuinola for a few nights (before moving on to […]

Boquete – Panama – Information

MARCH 2018: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The official exchange rate at time of writing was US$1 = P$1 (Panama Balboa). Panama uses US$s and only uses Balboa as coins for small change. I made my way from Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica to Isla Bastimentos, Panama by Shuttle Bus(es) and Boat(s). On Isla Bastimentos, I booked a GRANDPAcking Double Room for 4 nights at US$31 / night (Bubba’s House). The room was expensive, basic and ‘tired’. The shared kitchen was small and almost unusable. I needed to get my costs down and find somewhere with a […]

Bocas Town – Panama – Information