Directions:
We know that travelling to a new country and finding your destination can sometimes be a stressful time. We will try to provide you with all the information you need to make this more of a positive n adventure than a negative experience. This page contains information on location, a country map, flying into San Jose, flying into Liberia, driving from Liberia to Nosara, driving instructions printout, GPS way points from Nicoya to Villas Canadiense, links to Google Earth and Google Map. Simply click on the subtitles below to jump to the appropriate section. If you are still nervous, drop a quick email to our Reservations Agent with any further questions.
| Location | Country Map | From San Jose to Nosara | San Jose Highlights | Flying into Liberia |
| Flying into Nosara | Driving - Liberia to Nosara | GPS Way Points | Google Earth |
Location
Villas Canadiense is located on the Pacific Ocean on the West coast of Costa Rica in the Nosara Project in the Nicoya District of Guanacaste Province. On the map, you will see Nicoya located on the Nicoya Peninsula. For those folks who sail or who can use a GPS receiver, the region is approximately 10 degrees above (i.e., North of) the Equator. To be a bit more precise, we are located at North 9 Degrees, 56 Minutes 40.0 Seconds and West 85 Degrees, 40 Minutes 3.5 Seconds more or less allowing for small shifts in the tectonic plates. This data courtesy of the President of Geodyssey Limited, John M. Russell and three GPS receivers, circa December 2004. Other referential locations include the following:
Our condominium units are located within yards of Playas Guiones - a long, gently curving sand beach. We are near the center of the beach. The North and South ends of the beach feature rocky points of land, separating Playas Guiones from the next beaches. Hotel Playas de Nosara is located at the North end of the beach.
Between our place and the beach, there is a narrow wildlife preserve. No one is actually allowed to build right on the beach. The nature preserve area was originally designed as a golf course fairway as part of the subdivision. The golf course was never built and a group called the Friends of Nosara acquired the property and deeded it to the national parks system so it will always remain as a nature preserve.
You can drive closer to the beach via a short connecting road but no vehicles are allowed on the beach. You can hear the relentless surf but you would have to be a really tall person to see the beach from our place. To reach the beach, you merely walk down a wee trail through the trees of the nature preserve and voila! No hills, no cliffs, just the beach! You are on the warm sand looking over the Pacific Ocean.
The picture below is a good shot of Playa Pelada (sometimes referred to as Olga's Beach) which is just a nice walk around the point at the North end of our beach. And how about the live Arenal volcano (about 4 hour's drive northeast from Nosara). That puff of smoke above the cone is real!
Our map is courtesy of Geodyssey Limited, makers of geospatial software and data tools, including the amazing Hipparchus spatial data engine. For more details, visit their website.
Flying into San Jose, capital of Costa Rica and driving to Nosara
You can fly into Costa Rica to one of the two international airports. The larger airport (recently has undergone a major expansion (more gates, more retail, large arrival baggage facility, controlled access, etc.) is located in San Jose, the capital of the country. San Jose is located in the geographic centre of the country and is about a 4 to 5 hour drive from Villas Canadiense (we are located at North 9 degrees, 58 minutes, West 85 degrees 44 minutes if you are travelling via GPS receiver). The roads are paved except for the last 20 or so miles. You will find commercial traffic heavy but the trip is interesting and the roads are well marked. If you fly into San Jose, you may want to take part of the first day and arrange your car rental, etc. If this is your first trip, we might suggest that you stay overnight near the airport. We like the Hampton Inn which is just beside of the airport property. They provide an airport shuttle service. The Hampton Inn is a major international chain of quality hotels. You can readily find them and book rooms by phone or the Internet. The phone number in San Jose, Costa Rica is 011-506-8443-0043. They have English service at the front desk, a pool, a small gift shop, shuttle services and an excellent continental breakfast. There is also a great chicken restaurant right next door and several "typical" restaurants only a short couple of blocks north
If you choose to drive to Nosara from San Jose, the roads are well marked and the new bridge across the Gulf of Nicoya is now open. Financed by the Taiwanese goverment, this bridge bypasses the old ferry service (used to be lots of fun but sometimes necessitated a bit of a wait). Plan your trip if you can to drive the last 20 miles in the daytime. If you have not driven this road before, it is best to drive it during daylight hours. Remember, the sun comes up around 6:00 am and goes down at 6:00 pm. Do not worry about food. You will find dozens and dozens of restaurants along the way where you can stop to eat. Below is a picture of the eastern entrance to the new (i.e., 2003) bridge.
Drive next to the town of Nicoya which is not far from the big bridge. From here to Nosara, follow the detailed driving instructions found below entitled "Nicoya to Nosara".
San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica is an interesting place to spend a few days. It is a large, busy city of over two million residents. Traffic is insane and worse on occasions. But, it has some unique fascinations nevertheless. Below is a photo of a bazaar in downtown San Jose. You may want to visit the city, take in some shopping, entertainment and some of the tourist attractions. It is a large city with the accompanying large city problems. For example, watch out for pick pockets. Nevertheless, the Gold Museum, the National Museum and the Opera House are definitely worth seeing. For an interesting dinner, we can suggest La Monastere Restaurant located high on a mountain overlooking the city. The second photo is a view from the luxurious Villa Real subdivision in San Jose. The third photos is a shot of the inside of the Opera House, The last photo was taken outside the entrance to the Gold Museum, five floors of amazing exhibits, all underground! Click on the last two photos for a larger view.
Flying into Liberia on the northwest coast of Costa Rica
The smaller airport (i.e., only a couple of "gates") is located just west of the town of Liberia on the west coast of the country in Guanacaste province not far south of the border of Nicaragua. Historically, only charter flights landed here so check with your travel agent for available charters to Liberia. Recently, regularly scheduled flights with Continental, American and Delta Airlines have begun to service Liberia. The airport is about a 2 hour drive north of Villas Canadiense and the roads are paved except for the last 20 or so miles. Again, the trip is really interesting (i.e., all the different scenery, the strange food and fruit they sell along the roads, the signage and more) and the roads are well marked. Please note that the speed limits are reduced upon entering any of the many small villages along the way and there is always lots of radar on the paved roads. You can also take a taxi from Liberia to Villas Canadiense for about $100 US depending on the number of passengers.
You can also arrange for Three Monkies Tours , a tour company based in Liberia, to drive you and your group from Liberia to Villas Canadiense. Ask for Rigo or Alejandro and mention that Benno and Ellie from Villas Canadiense referred you. These folks will do transfers from anywhere to anywhere in Costa Rica, with or without a guide. They are incredibly reliable and their rates are reasonable. They have vehicles of all sizes and can transport large and small groups of people. They will stop in Santa Cruz or Nicoya along the way for you to do some light grocery shopping if you wish. We like these folks a lot.
If you choose to rent a car, we suggest you take a shuttle to the Hilton Garden Inn and stay overnight . It is a brand new hotel with a swimming pool and a good restaurant. Other restaurants with "typical"food are located nearby in the town of Liberia. One of the major car rental agencies, Tricolor Car Rental , is located right next to the hotel.
You can rent a car from any of the major car rental agencies (Budget, National, Alamo, Avis, Thrifty, etc.), as part of your travel preparations and it will be ready for you when you arrive. Typicallly, a rental agent with a placard will meet you at the exit from the airport terminal. They will drive you to the rental agency office to get you into your rental vehicle. If you choose to go by taxi, and decide at a later date that you want to rent a car for some local touring, you can have the rental car delivered to Villas Canadiense for a nominal drop fee. Alternatively, there are several car rental agencies located in the Nosara Project. You can also rent a four-by-four vehicle if you plan more adventurous tours as part of your vacation but this is not normally needed to get to Villas Canadiense. Gasoline costs vary but at last check the price for regular gasoline was about $4.00 USD per gallon
Flying into Nosara Village, Costa Rica
The Village of Nosara has a small airport that is used for commuter flights from San Jose and other regional airports throughout the country. The runway has recently been resurfaced and the site has also been refenced (to keep the cows, kids and dogs off the runway). We now even have a small "terminal building". This is actually only an open enclosure with a metal roof, benches and a dirt floor but we take each of these things as valued improvements.
The cost for one person one way from San Jose to Nosara is about $100 USD. You can make
these short hop arrangements by
contacting Nature Air or
Sansa Airlines .
Flying time is about 40 minutes and allows you to skip the 4 to 5 hours of driving
from San Jose even if the scenery is delightful and interesting. Luggage weight
is limited and if you have too much, there is a surcharge. Sometimes your bags
might have to follow you via a different route.
Some of the car agencies (for example, Alamo) will have a car waiting for you at the airport in
Nosara for a small (about $50) drop charge. Following are a couple of recent
photos of our local airport, the waiting area and typical planes that use this
convenient facility. For a larger view of these photos, click on the image and then
click on "Back" in your browser to return to the normal sized photos.
Gallery of Nosara Village Airport Photos
When you leave Costa Rica, there is an exit fee (around $28.00 USD) that you must purchase as part of your exit process. At the San Jose airport, these are available from a row of well organized and computerized agents inside the airport. In Liberia, there are a couple of service windows at the airport main entrance for you. Drop your bags at checkin and proceed to here to get your exit certificate and then proceed to immigration and security.
Driving Instructions - Liberia to Nosara
Click to print out the driving instructions.
Liberia to Nicoya
The trip from Liberia to Villas Canadiense takes about two (2) hours (with no stops). Leaving the Liberia airport terminal, you will drive down a divided road with small trees and grass planted in the median. This median strip is irrigated and drained. Coming to a "T" intersection you will see one of the many ancient round stone spheres found in Costa Rica. This one has been donated by a local family and sits in the median right near the intersection. The stone object is about a meter in diameter (see the first photo on the Local History link on this web site). If you turn left, this will take you into Liberia. If you turn right, this will take you South on an interior paved highway to Santa Cruz and onto Nicoya. The Hilton Garden Inn is located straight ahead across the road as is Tricolor Car Rental.
The first leg of the drive from Liberia to Nicoya will take you about one hour (road signs indicate about 79 kilometers) and is on good quality paved road all the way. There are a couple of traffic lights along the road as you pass through the town of Santa Cruz. Watch for the changes in the speed zones along the way. Radar is a common tool for the traffic enforcement folks and there are lots of them - pay close attention to the speed zones marked in paint on the pavement.
Nicoya to Nosara Subdivision
The second leg will also take you about one hour for the approximately 58 kilometer trip from Nicoya to the Nosara Subdivision. Once you reach Nicoya, drive right through the town. There is only one stop light in front of the Nicoya Hospital in the centre of town. The hospital will be on your right and a large Pali grocery store will be on your left (both slightly elevated from the roadway). Please drive carefully through town as the road is somewhat congested with lots of stops, parking on both sides, cyclists, other vehicles and pedestrians. At the south end of Nicoya, you will cross a small bridge as you pass out of the town and after a couple of miles, be on the lookout for three sets of "Sleeping Policemen" or "Policia Morte" or large speed bumps right on the outskirts near a school. You will also find two more of these large speed bumps in the first small hamlet of Caimital where you will have to make a 90-degree turn to the right.
Travel south on paved highway in the foothills (very scenic) for about 30 kilometers (18.4 miles). At this point, you will drive up a small hill and drive along a ridge and you will see a regular-sized CASTROL gas station on your left hand side (two pumps, a covered overhead roof for the pumps and a garage building in behind with a couple of repair bays, normal amount of parked vehicles, etc.). A few hundred yards past this gas station, the road has a paved exit to the right. If you stay left, it will take you south to the village of Samara on the paved main road down a hill. The right hand turn will take you west to Nosara. Unfortunately, the pavement to the right does not last long. At this stage the road to Nosara changes to gravel and you will go down a long, steep hill. Keep following this gravel road but please be careful and watch for the following:
The last stretch of road has improved tremendously in the past few years but it can still be best classified as a "work in progress". The local description is "If you think you are on the wrong road, you are on the right road"!
At approximately the 39-kilometer mark (or 23.8 miles), the road will split at a stop sign. You will make a right hand turn and continue towards Nosara. The road veering to the left will take you to Samara. You will be passing though a number of villages and hamlets and finally through the ocean front village of Garza. You will reach Garza at about the 46-kilometer (or 27.9 miles) mark from Nicoya. You can see the ocean on your left at this point. Garza is an interesting little place with scores of small fishing boats and an active fish market. Driving through Garza you will next reach the village of Esperanza. You are now only a couple of kilometres away. The next stop will be the Nosara Project subdivision.
Entering the Nosara Subdivision
You will see many signs advertising the local restaurants and accommodations as you enter our subdivision or project. The first likely recognizable property will be the Nosara Yoga Institute on your left. Next, you will encounter the Café de Paris also on your left hand side. On the hill on your right hand side you will see a real estate office and Marlin Bill's restaurant. Drive on a bit further and take the next exit to your left (a long curving block just before the Giardino Tropicale pizza place on the corner). The following pictures show the signs you will encounter in sequence, all on the right hand side of the road except for the last photo.
Follow the arrow shown on the sign and this will take you down towards the beach and to Villas Canadiense. The road slopes gently for about two blocks. This exit will be at approximately 53 kilometers (32.2 miles)mark from Nicoya. Our oasis will be awaiting you on the left hand side just past Corky Carrol's Surf School (which is on the right hand side). We know that once you settle in at Villas Canadiense, you will not want to leave! Below is a picture of our main entrance to let you know what the front gate looks like and where you will park. Click on the picture for a larger view.
GPS Way Points Along the Road from Nicoya to Villas Canadiense
We have captured a series of "way points" that will help you find your way to Villas Canadiense if you are GPS-equipped. Of course, lots of folks carry the small portable GPS units these days. Below is the latitude and longitude along with a brief description of the way point. If you are following these way points, they will guide right into our place. We start our journey in the town of Nicoya. You will be able to find this town readily on any Costa Rica roadmap.
| # | Latitude | Longitude | Description |
| 1. | N10 8 54.6 | W85 27 9.9 | Traffic light in front of the hospital in Nicoya |
| 2. | N10 8 23.8 | W85 27 0.0 | The market on the south side of Nicoya |
| 3. | N10 6 50.3 | W85 27 6.1 | Sleeping Policeman on the road outside Nicoya |
| 4. | N10 4 1.8 | W85 28 23.5 | Entrance to the small town of Caimital |
| 5. | N10 1 46.9 | W85 30 13.2 | Small town of Belen opposite the soccer field |
| 6. | N9 55 15.1 | W85 31 25.5 | Castrol Gas Station on LHS, soon you leave the pavement |
| 7. | N9 55 13.0 | W85 31 32.0 | Top of big hill off the pavement heading to Nosara |
| 8. | N9 54 1.2 | W85 35 13.1 | T-Intersection, left to Samara, right to Nosara |
| 9. | N9 54 37.3 | W85 38 26.9 | Eastern entrance to the seaside village of Garza |
| 10. | N9 56 19.6 | W85 38 59.6 | Dolce Vita Restaurant, west of Esperanza Village |
| 11. | N9 56 21.7 | W85 39 11.6 | Supermarcado Dos Lorenas on RHS and Dos Lorenas Restaurant |
| 12. | N9 56 32.8 | W85 39 38.6 | Carico Real Estate sign in Nosara subdivision |
| 13. | N9 56 44.2 | W85 39 48.6 | Cafe de Paris, restaurant, bakery and Internet on LHS |
| 14. | N9 56 56.7 | W85 40 25.3 | Giardino Tropicale - left 1 block to Villas Canadiense |
| 15. | N9 58 0.0 | W85 44 0.0 | Paradise! Villas Canadiense |
Google Earth and Google Map Links
If you would like to see a Google Earth photo of our place, click on the link below. In the centre of the photo, you will see our pool and ranchito. Closeby, you will see the two symetrical duplexes with the office building in the centre of the two. All the buildings have terra cotta colored roofs. When this satellite photo is eventually updated, the roof color will be changed to leaf green. For context, the beach is located in the lower left corner, only 200 paces away. Note the extent of the nature preserve located behind our pool. Originally, this was designated as a golf course that wound throughout the subdivision. Note also that there are no buildings on the beach. This is one more unique aspect of our little slice of paradise.
Google Earth viewGoogle Map to the Tico village of Nosara (about 5 miles from Villas Canadiense)
