Americas - Central America
Messages: 44,942 - Threads: 5,967
May 14, 2013 9:29 AM
RoamingRome
last reply
May 17, 2013 12:37 PM
Mott2
10 replies
267 views
location:
Costa Rica
Advice on getting from Alajuela to Tamarindo
I fly into SJO late Friday night so I am going to stay in Alajuela. I am looking to make my way over to Tamarindo the following day.
Is it necessary to go into San Jose to catch a bus to the coast or is there somewhere I can get a ticket and get on a bus from Alajuela.
Could someone please advise on the best way to do this?
Thank you!
May 14, 2013 9:18 AM
catmandave
last reply
May 22, 2013 7:06 AM
catmandave
4 replies
236 views
location:
Belize
Caye Caulker to Placencia
Fellow Travelers,
I'm going to be on Caye Caulker for a few days at the end of November and then off to Placencia. Has anybody taken the Ragamuffin's sailing trip from CC to Placencia? I'm considering this as a way to get to Placencia and am interested in what the experience was like. I believe they are now using a catamaran for the trip but I am also concerned as to how many people they put on the boat.
Thanks for comments and suggestions.
Dave
May 14, 2013 8:46 AM
oldrusty
last reply
May 16, 2013 8:29 AM
MrEd
6 replies
270 views
location:
Panama
Fire safety in Panama hotel
I was a guest in the Sheraton Marbella Hotel in Panama City from May 8-12/13.
The hotel was a case study in chaos!
The front desk could not find my reservation for over an hour and subsequently mis-spelled my name despite having a copy of my passport and being informed that they had spelled my name incorrectly. My 2 friends who arrived separately the same day had identical experiences. Consequently all callers for me and my friends were told we were not guests.
On the night of May 10-11 shortly after midnight the power went off and as this was not uncommon, I went to sleep.
At 1 or 2 am I was awakened by a burning smell and called the front desk. They informed me "they had a little problem that was now solved" and wished me good night.
I awakened in the morning but the burning smell was still present.
I called switch board and asked to be connected to my friend's room but wa...
more »
May 14, 2013 7:55 AM
SuzPrins
last reply
May 15, 2013 5:06 PM
MrTim
4 replies
174 views
location:
Costa Rica
Samara tips?
Hey everyone,
I'm looking into going to Playa Samara next weekend.
Does anyone have any tips? Hotels/hostels/trips?
Thanks, Suz
May 13, 2013 9:13 PM
Akro12345
last reply
May 15, 2013 1:50 PM
hermosajoe
8 replies
243 views
First time backpacking I need some help planning
Hello, I'm a 20 year old male from Chicago and am looking to go backpacking for the first time at the end of this summer for 6 weeks from the first few days of Augast to the Middle of September. I was thinking about doing Central America... I have a budget of $2000 to $2500 including airfare for the trip. I would like to see rainforest, beaches, volcanos, temples, and scuba diving. One place that I would really like to visit is Utila. I am a big nature lover so any recommended destinations would be appreciated. I don't really know where to start. The language barrier won't be a huge problem because I'm pretty good with Spanish. Any places I should go, where should I start? Also, is safety going to be a big issue for me?
May 13, 2013 7:04 PM
pumchupacabra
last reply
May 14, 2013 7:44 AM
misterbee
2 replies
108 views
Placencia to Tikal/Flores
I'm looking for some additional travel options to go from Placencia to Tikal. I know we can take the early morning buses or tropic air, but can someone recommend a shuttle service that we could use instead? Thanks.
May 13, 2013 6:24 PM
ournow
last reply
May 22, 2013 5:49 AM
MrTim
4 replies
204 views
location:
Costa Rica
Family Trip to Costa Rica
We're a family of four heading to Costa Rica as the first stop on a round-the-world trip. Our kids are aged 9 and 11. We're planning on spending 2 weeks in Costa Rica and would like advice on a good itinerary. We'll be there in the month of mid-late November. I've been to Costa Rica once already on a surfing trip. We spent a week in Playa Grande but didn't see much of anything else besides some great surf. Would love any advice for our family.
Need honeymoon advice for 1 traveler and 1 tourist
My now wife and I are looking to plan a trip from NYC to...somewhere, in early to mid August.
She's not traveled a whole lot, and i have, but not for a long while. So i guess what we are looking for is something that will offer a relaxing beachy time, as well as some options to explore and be able to do a little on your own type of adventure, if interested. I think one of the problems is choosing a place that "sounds" like more of a household name.
For example, I just heard Nicargua is a beautiful place that is kind of on the cusp of becoming a real touristy area, and she looked at me like I was crazy. The problem is budget is kind of limited, we would like to spend close to 4K USD, but would go as high as 6K. So i think we need to expand our options. She'd probably be very happy to go to an all inclusive place or on a cruise, but i feel like i need a little more freed...
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May 13, 2013 3:32 PM
dalehaslem
last reply
May 16, 2013 6:17 AM
MrEd
4 replies
211 views
location:
Honduras
honduras bay islands
I understand the Bay Islands have been designated a free trade zone and no taxes are charged on purchases in the islands. Does this mean there are no taxes of any kind added to purchases whatsoeer?
May 13, 2013 10:20 AM
mez88
last reply
May 14, 2013 12:48 PM
hermosajoe
7 replies
216 views
9 weeks Cancun to Panama
Hi
We are a couple planning a trip to Central and South America for the new year and wanted some advice on timescales and budgets.
Our itinery is Fly to Cancun (Chichen Itza, Playa del Carmen), overland to Belize (Caye Caulker), through Guatelmala (Tikal, Flores, Antigua, Atitlan), to Honduras and Bay Islands, through Nicaragua (Leon, Granada, Ometepe), Costa Rica (monteverde, Arenal, Manuel Antonio) and finally Panama.
Is 9 weeks enough time to do this area properly? or should it be more like 3 months?
What are peoples estimates on budget (we will be doing some diving in Belize and Honduras), I was planning on a maximum of £1000 per month (excluding the intitial flights). We will mostly stay in guesthouses etc and travel on coaches rather than chicken buses
Cheers
May 12, 2013 1:48 PM
betomas
last reply
May 16, 2013 1:02 AM
adriling
16 replies
725 views
location:
Guatemala
Safety outside the main tourist route
Hi all,
I'm planning a central america trip and thinking about Guatemala. Safety is an obvious concern and I've read some past posts about the situation; however, most seem to focus on the most popular destinations: Antigua, Atitlan, and Tikal. I've been to Antigua and Atitlan so my focus would be mostly on the somewhat less visited areas, like Nebaj, Coban, Xela, Todos Santos, Livingston, etc. I'm wondering if anyone can speak to the safety situation for tourists in these areas, or generally about the situation outside the most touristy areas. I've traveled quite a bit in latin america and generally speaking the rule seems to be that big cities can be sketchy but smaller towns and rural areas are safe. However, in a country affected by drug violence like Guatemala I'm not sure if this is the case.
Also, does anyone compile actual data (rather than anecdotes) about crime against...
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May 12, 2013 12:12 PM
Shahjakhan
last reply
May 14, 2013 6:20 PM
travellingaid
4 replies
172 views
location:
Panama
Mogue/Sambu Independently?
Greetings TT'ers. A group of friends and I wanted to check out either the village of Mogue or maybe some other villages along the Rio Sambu for maybe 3-4 days. However, we were not too keen about going through an agency and doing the whole organized tour deal. Is it possible to get to these villages independently and spend the night?
We will likely be flying to La Palma, and we were curious to know if it's possible to hire a boat there to take us to the villages. Also, is it possible to catch a boat back to La Palma from these villages?
Finally, does one need to give advanced notice if planning to spend the night at these villages? Or is it OK to just show up and request a hut?
Forgive our ignorance on the subject and thanks in advance for any tips.
Just about to book-Advice Please
I just come across some seriously cheap flights and I'm tempted to book tonight but wanted some opinions from you lot,good and bad.
I want to go the Central America for 3 months starting in January.
The plan is to fly from the UK to Cancun and head straight down to Belize on the Ado bus then work our way down to Panama over the 3 months before taking a flight from Panama to Cancun to pick up our flight back to the UK.
The price I'm getting is £1200 for 2 adults and 1 child (aged 10)....i think thats an amazing price for the 3 of us, right?
The considerations are....
I have nowhere near enough cash to fund the 3 months of travel but I should have by the time we go,i work in sales so i'll just graft for the next 6 months.
We've only just started to consider going travel and aside from reading this board every day i've done little research.
The flights i found are wi...
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Palo de MAyo
Where in Nicaragua can I see that? Is it only in the Corn islands? Dates?
Having only 6 days in Nicaragua (aiming mostly Grenada and Ometepe), would you assign 3 getting to the Corn islands?
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