Cocos Island - departure point in Puntarenas

[cathm]

Hi, I´m going to Cocos on the 29th Oct with Sea Hunter, but I´m also backpacking Central America so will be in Costa Rica from tomorrow. I´m a little undecided about staying in one of the pick-up hotels as they´re quite pricey, so one option is for me to go direct to Puntarenas and stay thenight there. I´ve asked where the boat leaves from, and it´s apparently "from the dock in Puntarenas". Is there only one dock there, and will it be fairly easy to find? Given it´s a port I was under the impression there may be a number of docks and different areas it could leave from.

Also, will I be missing out not getting picked up with the rest of the group and spending the night in the hotel the evening before? If I do stay in a hotel, I was thinking of the Best Western Irazu, which appears to be the cheapest. Thanks.

 

[fairybasslet]

I stayed there. It was a good hotel, but try to get a room not in the basement. The free wifi doesn't work too well in a basement room.
Also, they have free international phone calls. And, if you're a AAA member, you get 20% off the price of the room. You get a free breakfast at a restaurant next door. Maybe it was a Dennys? I can't remember.
If you go in a day early, you can take a tour. I went to the Poas Volcano. There's a Grayline tour place right out in the lobby and again, if you're a AAA member, you get a discount.
I don't think there are too many place to stay in Puntarenas. From what I remember, it's more like a fishing port than a resort port.
Have you been to Cocos? It is awesome.

 

[Manuel Sam]

You asked: Also, will I be missing out not getting picked up with the rest of the group and spending the night in the hotel the evening before?

To the extent that chances are you already paid $60 for the roundtrip transfer as part of the trip cost, you may not get all of your money's worth. Beyond that, you will sort of miss out on (1) the stories and anecdotes told by the host from Fiesta Tours who escorts the group during the ride to Puntarenas, (2) getting to know your fellow passengers upfront, and (3) the chance to play with Pinocchio the toucan when they make the highway bathroom and snacks stop.

I always stay at the Hotel Don Carlos - it's about $75/nt and includes a continental breakfast. I don't know how that compares with the BW-Irazu. The bus can and will pick you up there - after all, they pick us up when we do our Cocos trips.

http://www.doncarloshotel.com/

Just make sure that you tell the Sea Hunter people or your trip organizer beforehand that you are staying there and they will usually FAX you at the hotel with the pick-up time in the morning. You'd be safest if you try to call Alan at Sea Hunter upon arrival in San Jose to let him know, since you're leaving tomorrow.

As far as trying to find them in Puntarenas, I've never tried to find their dock on my own but I am sure that a local cab driver would be able to. All I can tell you is that the dock area is quite long with multiple entry points that are not necessarily marked. As I recall, access to the Sea Hunter dock is only from the road - you can't come in from the adjacent dock.

One lady on my recent trip who did something similar to what you are doing also overnighted in Puntarenas - she did not have any unusual experiences but she did not describe it as a pleasant experience either.

Good luck.

 

[cathm]

Yes, it's the stories/ getting to know the other divers thing I felt I might be missing out on, not as concerned about the transfer fee as I'd not be paying much to catch the ferry from the Nicoya Peninsula. I'll probably go with the BW Irazu, as I can get that for $79 on the Costa Rican website. Is there email available via a hotel computer - one issue is I don't have a laptop but would like to check my email the night before I leave.

 

[fairybasslet]

I remember there was a business center with computers but I never went in there because I brought my laptop with me.

 

[Rivermonkey]

El Nino starting fairly soon so get to Cocos before the sharks head for cooler waters! The hammerheads almost always disappear from Cocos during an El Nino event.