To the Beach! Potrero, Costa Rica

To the Beach!

On the way to the beach, I took the first shift driving as we left Monteverde. Being behind the wheel was much better on my tummy on the curvy roads as we came down the mountains. On each stretch of the ride, we were strategic with arranging the seating in the car for navigation and motion sickness. 

Like many of the roads in Costa Rica, these were also in rough condition. Parts of our drive had pavement and others just gravel. In some places, there were tons of potholes and damage from runoff. In the mountainous area, we needed a little “peep peep” on the horn to alert other drivers that we were coming around a tight curve. In some places the road was quite narrow and two vehicles just couldn’t pass.

We stopped for a quick lunch near Caña, just before Liberia. Here we were on a solid highway until we turned off towards the coast.

On the final stretch before the beach, the GPS indicated that we should follow the dirt road across a river. The pickup truck ahead of us drove across but we didn’t dare. We tried to take another loop. That road was also challenging, to say the least, and I’m not sure how they qualified this stretch as a road on the map. The road was barely a single lane with all the erosion and runoff ditches crisscrossing the path. At two points we needed the passengers to get out of the backseat so the car could make it up the hill. Even with this detour, we needed to cross two streams. We popped out to assess the depth and chose the better (or less worse) route across the water. But, in the end, we made it to Potrero. 

Our Place in Potrero

Our AirBnB at the beach was an apartment in a shared compound of eight apartments. All the units were in two lines facing a central garden and pool area. The security staff opened the gate and directed us up to our place. 

At this place, we had air conditioning which was a real treat for our last stop on the trip. It also had a full kitchen and an outdoor grill.

Playa Potrero

After settling in, we went straight to the beach to take in the afternoon sun. The town of Potrero was located just over a kilometer from the house, so we decided to drive to save time. Plus, on the way back, we stopped for groceries, so the car was a perk.

The beach was chill. There were a few vacationing families, people walking dogs and playing soccer in the sand. It was great to slow down after so many busy days of adventures. We stayed until sunset and found a spot for dinner.

Playa Prieta

The next day we opted for Playa Prieta, on the other side of Potrero. This beach was even quieter. We arrived early in the morning. I spent a few hours walking the beach and reading a book in the shade.

To San Jose

Eventually it was time for me to hit the road. While the girls would return to Liberia for a flight back to Minneapolis, I needed to travel to San Jose for a flight to Guadalajara. I showered and packed up before taking a touristy shuttle bus to the capital city. 

Wow! Costa Rica was an amazing ten days of tropical and cloud forest adventures and relaxation. I am so appreciative to travel with this amazing group. Where will we go next?