Where to Eat, Sleep, and Play in Montezuma, Costa Rica
Montezuma’s easy to love, with coastal trails to follow, interesting eateries, and a thriving community spirit. Here’s where to go, what to eat, and where to rest your head.
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Montezuma was easy to love. Between its jungle-lined coastal trails that lead to gloriously empty beaches and freshwater pools to its interesting eateries, refreshingly present community spirit, and frequent hellos from the thriving capuchin monkey population, this is a place where every day - scratch that - every moment is a new adventure. I’m selfishly glad it’s a bit hard to reach because just maybe this Costa Rican beachtown can hang on to its authenticity and charm awhile longer. If you do make the trek to this gem at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, here are my recommendations for where to eat, what to do, and where to sleep.
First Things First: Getting to/from Montezuma
By Public Transport
From Santa Teresa: It is possible to travel by public bus between Santa Teresa and Montezuma, however, it will turn what could be a quick 30-minute drive into a 2.5- to 3-hour journey, and that is if you time the bus in Cóbano right. The benefit is it will only cost you a mere $4USD total. To do it, you’ll first have to hop on a Transportes Cobano bus along the main road in Santa Teresa and take it to Cobano (ask a local for the latest schedule as it’s always changing). From Cobano, you’ll transfer to a bus headed towards Montezuma, again with Transportes Cobano. Here’s the latest schedule.
From Puntarenas: There is a ferry from Puntarenas, which is “near” places like Jaco and San Jose, that will drop you in Paquera in the Nicoya Peninsula. From Paquera, you’ll take a local bus to Cobano. From Cobano, you can get a bus to Montezuma.
From Samara and points north in the Nicoya Peninsula: This is a trip I do not recommend you take and one that should really just be done by shared shuttle or private transport (I recommend searching Bookaway or 12Go’s routes first). Doing this by public transport involves far too many transfers and it’s a very roundabout way to get there. But if you want to do it, here’s how: Take a bus from Samara (or your point north) to Nicoya, then a bus from Nicoya to Cruce de Barranca, then Cruce de Barranca to the ferry port in Puntarenas. The ferry will drop you in Paquera. From there, you’ll take a bus to Cobano and then another bus from Cobano to Montezuma.
By Private Transport or Shared Shuttle
Uber does work in Costa Rica, so you could always check that first. Or check out the routes on Bookaway or 12Go, two reliable sites that aggregate vetted local transportation operators and that offer the added benefit of 24-hour live support should anything come up during your trip.
Explore Bookaway’s routes to/from Montezuma and beyond
Explore 12Go’s routes to/from Montezuma and beyond
Restaurants
Things to Do
Hotels
Onward Travel (and how to do it)
If your plan from Montezuma is to head for places like Jacó, Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Uvita, or Dominical, read my how-to on navigating the public transport (to include the ferry) and/or booking a shared shuttle. The step-by-step is included at the end of my Montezuma travelogue. There’s also information in there on how to get to/from Uvita from Jacó.
Useful Links
Guide to Montezuma (Sightseeing, Tours, Activities, Dining, Lodging) via Montezuma-CostaRica.com, Montezuma’s own non-profit community initiative.
If you found this Montezuma guide useful and would like to say thank you, one of the best ways to do so is by booking your hotels, transport, tours, and trip insurance through the links you find on my site or on my Travel Resources page. This sends a bit back my way at no additional cost to you and helps to keep this blog up and running. Thank you for your support!
If you found this post helpful, one of the best ways to say thanks is by booking your hotels, transport, tours, and trip insurance through the links on my Travel Resources page or by clicking any of the trip-relevant links below. This sends a bit back my way at no additional cost to you and helps to keep this blog up and running. Thank you for your support!
Accommodations: Booking.com, HostelWorld, Trivago
Tours & Experiences: Viator, GetYourGuide, EatWith, TripAdvisor
Trains, Buses, & Transfers: Bookaway, 12Go, BusBud
Car Rentals: DiscoverCars.com
Trip Insurance: Squaremouth, WorldTrips
Learn Spanish: Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Pimsleur
Uvita is the stuff of legends, or so it was for me. This beach town was the one spot consistently recommended by what felt like every traveler I met. Here’s where I ate, drank, slept, and explored in this infamous spot.