FAQ

Nosara is a beautiful little beach community, off the beaten track but not so removed that you won’t find access to all the amenities you need. Wifi, shops, restaurants and the latest sports results can be found at all times, but can also be ignored if you came down here to escape all that. Great surf, long sandy beaches, diverse wildlife, fantastic flowers and gardens, wonderful people and a laid back lifestyle. Yoga, horseback riding, zipline tours are all right here in Nosara. A lot of our visitors arrive in Nosara and immediately start daydreaming about how they can live down here!

November - May is dry season, known as summer here and has the best waves. Keep in mind that everyone else knows this too, so it’s also a lot busier at this time of year. If you’re looking for a quiet time in Nosara, come in May/June or September and October, though expect to see some rain. We recommend if you are planning a trip at that time of year, to stay for at least a week, so you don’t get completely rained out. It’s possible to get rain for a few days straight, but we always get some sunshine too, you just need to wait it out. This is the time of year to take advantage of empty beaches and great bargains on hotel stays. July and August is our “Mini Summer” when we get less rain, good waves again, and lots of families taking advantage of summer holidays back home.

If you are planning on arriving during high season (Nov-May, and July/August) you should book at least a month or two ahead, more if you’re planning on visiting during international holiday weeks. If you’re not fussy about what type of room, and are amenable to changing rooms midstay if necessary, we can often squeeze you in for a few days here and there last minute. Low season you can generally get a room without a reservation, but we appreciate your letting us know if you plan on visiting us.

There are plenty of flights daily from many different hubs in the US and Canada. Fly into Liberia for a shorter drive, or fly into San Jose if you can get a flight that coordinates with a Sansa or Nature Air flight.

Delta, Continental, American Airlines, US Airways, and Lacsa from the US or Canada (transfer in New York, Atlanta, Miami or Houston). Also from Canada, direct charter flights with SunWing, Thomas Cook, CanJet and Air Canada during high season, and Air Canada has regular scheduled flights into San Jose all year long.

We recommend our friends at Hotel Out of Bounds,  they are reasonably priced and have nice, modern rooms in the lovely area of Escazu, about a 20 minute drive to the airport. Miranda or Mateo will organize taxis for you there.

If you’d prefer to be closer to the airport, stay in Alajuela at Hotel Villa Dolce.

Nosara is hot year round, there is no need for a wardrobe of long sleeves or long pants, bring one pair for that very occasional cool night, or if you’re here during rainy season (it’s moderately cooler Aug-November) or if you’re here so long that you begin to acclimate! Otherwise, pack swimsuits and board shorts, sarongs, flip flops, t-shirts and tank tops, casual dresses, avoid high heels (our roads are not paved and are very bumpy!) mosquito repellent, sunscreen, and a hat for shade. Bring a camera, and if you need to stay connected, bring your laptop or PDA as there is free wifi at the Gilded Iguana.

Check in is at 2pm, though you can check in earlier if your room is ready for you, later check ins of course are no problem, if you arrive after ourrestaurant closes, our security guard will show you to your room, where you can relax for the night, and fill in the paperwork the next morning.

Check out is at 11 am, though we can usually accommodate a slightly later check out if you let us know ahead of time, and there is no one waiting to check into the same room.

This sounds like a silly question, but actually, a lot of people confuse Gilded with Guilded. Gilded means golden, or gold plated, and the Gilded Iguana is named for the great big Iguanas of that color, not for it’s membership in a writer’s guild.

Costa Rican food is deliciously simple, not spicy, and quite healthy. Rice and beans are a staple here and all meals are accompanied by it, either separately, or mixed together in Gallo Pinto, the  national breakfast dish. Here at the Gilded Iguana we are pleased to offer a menu that consists of Costa Rican dishes as well as a wide variety of International favorites. Have a look at our extensive menu here to preview some our great plates.

Yes, in fact, 10% is included in most restaurants that comply with the law, check to see if it is, and ask if you’re not sure. If the service is good, feel free to tip as you would at home and leave extra, it is not considered an insult and is in fact greatly appreciated by servers.

There are two banks in Nosara, one within waliking distance that does not accept MC cards, and another a short drive from the hotel that accepts both Visa and MC as well as Plus, and Cirrus debit cards. You can exchange US dollars here for Colones as well, though most places will accept US dollars, check before hand if they accept credit cards.

We recommend you eat at the Gilded Iguana of course, but you should definitely check out these great restaurants if you’ve rented a car:

• La Luna
• La Dolce Vida
• Rancho Tico
• Pacifico Azul
• Il Basilico

We welcome groups and families, make sure you reserve with plenty of time for us to accommodate tor group.

Absolutely, children are welcome at the Gilded Iguana, we have a complimentary “pack and play” crib for guest use, two high chairs in the restaurant and a special kids section on our menu. If your child prefers something not on the menu, let us know, and if the kitchen staff can make it, they will be happy to oblige.

Six of our 12 rooms are equipped with air conditioning, and six are with fan and lots of breezy windows. Determining whether you need it or not is a personal decision. It does get quite hot down here, for some people that are not used to the heat, air conditioning can provide a welcome reprieve. For others, the open, breezy non air conditioned rooms are all they want, and some even ask for a blanket at night. The air conditioned rooms are newer and are located further back from the restaurant area, so some folks prefer them for the quieter atmosphere.

No, cable TV has not hit Nosara yet, but satellite has, so we do have a TV in the Restaurant and one in the Pool Bar for sports broadcasts. There are plenty of hammocks and pool loungers to relax on with a good book or magazine.

There is free wifi at the Gilded Iguana, and family and friends can contact you in the event of an emergency, but we do not have phones in the rooms, or available to guests for non emergency use. Our staff will be more than happy to call and book a tour or taxi for you if you like, and if you need to use the phone for calls home or to the office, Nosara Net across the street from us has International phone service for 15 cents/minute.

Yes, the Iguana is 200 meters from one of the best, most consistent beach breaks in the country, no need to drive, just walk with your board down the road to check the waves.

Surfing is the big draw to Nosara, but there is more to do than just surf. At low tide there are beautiful tide pools towards the South end of the beach, great for playing in with the kids. Build a sand castle, throw a frisbee, or join in a casual game of soccer. Runners love our 4 mile (6k) stretch of flat beach early in the morning or at sunset, if you’re not into running, walking it is a beautiful way to spend an hour or two.

There are also several great non beach activities and tours; horseback riding, ATV tour, Zipline, kayak trip up the river, or hike to the waterfall or Biological Reserve behind Playa Nosara.

Playa Guiones is a great surf break, and good swimming beach, but be careful, the waves are powerful and the rip can sometimes be quite strong, make sure you go with a buddy if you are not a confident swimmer of surfer.

Yoga is very popular in Nosara, the Nosara Yoga Institute, Yoga House and the Harmony Hotel all offer daily classes at all levels.

Nosara Surf Academy, a ISO trained surf school is located onsite, and can teach you how to surf, daily lessons, aor justa  refresher class, whatever you need.  If you want to organize lessons ahead of time, send them an email.

You can rent one at Nosara Surf Academy, the Frog Pad, or Juan Surfo’s, all three are on our street, with the Nosara Surf Academy right on our property.

You’ll likely see some Howler monkeys, iguanas, coatimundis, raccoons and hummingbirds, all right at the Iguana and surrounding area. At the beach you might see turtles (especially if you go to Ostional, but occasionally on Guiones as well), pelicans, plenty of fish, crabs etc, and on a river tour you might see crocodiles, caymans, flamingos, and herons.

You can rent a car or travel by local bus to get around the country, and if you want to do some exploring around Nosara or head out for some nightlife, a rental car for here is not a bad idea. Another option is to rent a bike for your stay here, available at the Frog Pad. We also have atv quad bikes available for rent right here at the Iguana, a fun way to explore the less traveled roads. Book ahead during peak season as they are often all booked out.

Not necessarily, though during Christmas week, the Miss Sky canopy tour can be quite busy, you might want to organize that ahead of time.

Volcan Arenal and Monteverde are two areas most often visited by guests looking for something more than just a beach trip. These are great stopovers to or from San Jose. A third option is our recommendation for a great escape,  a rustic lodge in the mountainous area of Volcan Tenorio and the Rio Celeste, La Carolina Lodge. Experience a stay in a lodge with minimal electricity and meals cooked in the traditional way, on a wood fired stove. The Caribbean side and Osa Peninsula are another completely different experience worth checking out if you are in Costa Rica for two weeks or longer, if you only have a week, keep your stay to one area as travel times are longer than what you’d expect, and you don’t want to spend your whole vacation driving.

November - May is dry season, known as summer here, it rarely rains at this time, but the occasional brief downpour once in a month is not unheard of. The lack of rain on a dirt road can make our area quite dusty at this time of year. If lush and green are what you are after come in July or August, our “Mini Summer” when we get lots of sunshine, but more frequent rain, usually once in the afternoons, keeping the dust down and plants looking beautiful. May/June is moderately rainy, but September/October, is when we see the most rain We recommend if you are planning a trip at this time of year, to stay for at least a week, so you don’t get completely rained out. It’s possible to get rain for a few days straight, but we do get some sunshine too, you just need to wait it out.

We get mosquitoes here at the beach, they are worse in the rainy season, but like everywhere, some people are more susceptible than others, so if you’re prone to getting bit, bring a big bottle of bug juice. If you forget to bring some, you can buy it at “the Mini”, down the road from the Gilded Iguana.

We are about an hour’s drive to Nicoya, the nearest hospital, but there are doctors that live in Nosara, on call 24 hours, a walk in clinic open during the daytime, and in the event of a serious emergency, a plane can be chartered to get to a hospital in San Jose with modern equipment and internationally trained English speaking doctors.

No immunizations, shots, inoculations or vaccinations are required to enter Costa Rica. The only notable disease problem reported in some locations of the country in the last few years is occasional localized dengue fever (spread by mosquitoes in certain urbanized locations with stagnant water and a history of the disease). However, it would be wise to check with your personal physician for individual recommendations. Some physicians prefer for their patients to obtain typhoid immunizations and persons who plan to visit certain coastal areas are advised to take malaria pills. Reported cases of malaria in the Caribbean lowlands and coastal zone have occasionally been noted in recent years, so it would be wise to take preventive measures. Up-to-date recommendations on such preventive measures are issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC office issues health advisories via FAX for travel throughout the world. (Information provided by ICT

Yes, we accept Visa and MasterCard, but not American Express.

We require a deposit equivalent to one night’s stay for each week reserved, payable through PayPal to guarantee the reservation. The deposit is applied to your stay, and deducted from your bill at time of check out provided the reservation is completed (not canceled or cut shorter than booked). Full refund will be given if notice of cancellation is received by email two weeks before arrival date for reservations of one week (or less),  and three weeks before arrival date for holiday weeks (Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year’s and Easter Week) and reservations of two weeks or longer.  Insufficient notice of cancellation will result in loss of deposit.

Early check out (except in the case of medical emergency) is considered a cancellation and will result in loss of deposit.

The capital of Costa Rica is San José located in the Central Valley.

The currency used is the Colón.

Costa Rica borders Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north.

The population is about 4 million inhabitants.

There are 7 provinces, 81 counties and 463 districts.

Costa Rica covers about 51,000 km2.

38% of the country is in protected areas or National Parks.

Costa Rica has no army, choosing to use these funds for education and culture.

The national flower is an orchid calledGuariaMorada(Guariantheskinneri).

The national Tree is the Guanacaste(Enterolobiumcyclocarpum).

The national bird is the Yigüirro (Turdusgrayi).