take a guess where Gruvi may be flying to...

kayak is alright. go to kayak, and type in where you wanna fly out, and where you're flying in, and compare. in my experience it's cheaper to fly out of newark than philadelphia. it's not a given, and might not always be the case. might depend on what flight or where exactly you're flying into.

nice one though gruvi. i'm pretty jealous. i'm going to oahu like we do every year. my girl, and i. i go in march for my birthday for a week, but this year we're going for two weeks. pretty excited, and counting down the days until that. the last two years once we got back the weather always seemed to get nicer back home too!

are you taking a board with you on the plane? that sometimes will cost more on some flights than others.

 

Whoah! hes still alive! Welcome bro!

 

Fly into Liberia airport, you and your friend picking you up will be thankful you did. will cut hours and much stress off the drive. Free cocktails on taca airlines. (at least last time I flew with them.) board rentals are a breeze in costa rica , every break (nearly) has a couple of shops. last year prices were around 10 to 15 $ a day lots of decent boards (types, sizes). Nosara is a nice break be sure to travel north along the coast at some point . Your located close enough that a day trip to tamarindo, grande, avellenas , ect would be easy and fun way to surf and explore. Good luck have fun .

 

+1 on flying into Liberia. It's so much more convenient than San Jose.

 

go directly to tacas' website. booking a flight is easy and they always seem to be cheaper

 

YESSSS your back Gruvi!!!

the price does not sound too bad-it could be worse for last min... get on it bro!

 

airfare is really expensive right now, so that $700 doesn't seem unreasonable. I've been seeing some cheaper flights offered on airfare.com compared to other sites. Have fun... shouldn't be a problem for you to rent a board or buy a used one pretty cheap.

 

word of advice - ticos as Costa Ricans are called - are very friendly people. However when it comes to Gringo tourists they are complete and unrepentant petty thieves. All of them, as in every single one of them, will not hesitate to steal everything they possibly can from you given the slightest opportunity. Not talking about stickups or muggings, I mena if you leave your stuff unsecured, or even secured but in plain sight, it will be took. The maid will take your camera and empty your wallet from the hotel, and when you report it to the manager he'll express sympathy offer to call the cops and make mental note to remember to ask her for his cut. They will tromp through a 1/4 mile of overgrown brush to take a 99 cent pair of shower shoes and a towel off the beach while your surfing.

 

Spirit has the best prices to San Jose by far......I live in the south so its closer to Ft. lauderdale where Spirit is based. Spirit does fly from Newark so check...you can usually get prices low at the last minute. Check spirit air.com As far as ticos being thieves... just as bad at your local break. Be smart and don't give anyone a reason to steal from you. Leave it on the front seat and you deserve it. Ticos are great people...don't knock'em. Theres alot worse here at home. Have fun and enjoy the Pura Vida lifestyle!!!

 

Wow, way to apply a characteristic of a small subset of the population to the whole thing. Because petty theft happens there a lot, it must mean that every single person there is a thief. WTF? Theft happens in the in the US too. Does that mean every single person here is a thief? I've been to CR...Nosara specifically. Don't leave your stuff unattended and don't leave valuables in your car and you won't have any problems. Leave your sandals and a towel on the beach and go surfing, your **** will probably not be there when you get back. Leave your camera sitting on the front seat of your car, and someone will probably break in and steal it. It's a third world country with lots of poor people. Try the same **** in any poor neighborhood in the US and you'll likely have the same results. It doesn't mean every single person in the neighborhood is a thief.

Ticos are super friendly and most will go out of their way to help you - be smart and you will have an awesome trip.

 

I've never had a 5 year old pair of sandals stolen off the beach here in the States or a camcorder from a hotel room- the funny thing is when you go to the surf shop there in Nosara and they have a 55 gallon drum full of used (and by used I mean stolen) sandals for sale for $5 ea.

make sure to get a massage from Jessie at Bhudda Massage- she's super nice, gives great massages that will help you recover so you can surf more & better and she rips.

 

Not all, many. Some will let you into their homes and even their quivers. Some Costa Ricans do actually live the pura-vida.

 

ARGH! Damnit Gruvi. Just Go man! Rent a friggin SUV when you get there. Some of us can't do these spur of the moment trips anymore due to caring for the yung-uns and such. Live life now!

 

be sure to let us all know when you find that flight.

 

I once asked a Tico why they were like that, and his reply was simply "because Gringos can afford it"