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| Ojochal is located approximately 4 1/2 to 5 hours south of San Jose on the Pan American Highway. From San Jose Airport via 4x4 car you travel south to San Isidro de General on the Pan American highway (3 hours), and then head west to Dominical (1 hour). From Dominical, it is less than 30 minutes south on the four lane coastal highway. We have added driving directions via the "ring road" in San Jose should you decide to drive to Ojochal. An attractive alternative is to fly Nature Air or Sansa from San Jose to the air strip at Palmar Sur. Those flights depart every morning around 9:30 am and it is a very scenic flight. Round trip airfare is approximately $200. From there it is a 25 minute drive to Casa de Ventanas. Sansa flies from Juan Santamaria International airport (your arrival airport) and is more "hassle free". Nature Air flies from an airport that is a 20- 30 minute cab ride from the International Airport. Given the status of Costa Rican roads in general, this alternative takes almost all of the "issues" with reaching the southern zone out of the picture. The air service is very reliable, reasonably priced and the car rental folks in Palmar Sur have NEVER let us or our clients down. From Palmar Sur to Ojochal is a great road and under 30 minute drive. Since all of your activities are within 30 minutes of the house, we highly recommend this alternative for first time visitors. Typical arrangements would be to fly in to San Jose one evening, spend the night and take the morning flight out to Palmar Sur the next day. No muss, no fuss. To assist you in locating Casa de Ventanas and the nearby villages of Ojochal, Uvita and Dominical, you can follow this link for "Google Earth" maps of the area. Solid Rent a Car can arrange to have a 4x4 ready for you upon arrival. Advance reservations would be required. They will meet you at the airstrip with your car, both upon arrival and prior to your return flight to San Jose. Please note that due to the gravel driveway at the house as well as the beaches and roads of the area 4WD VEHICLES ONLY should be rented for your stay. They are routinely available with minimal price differences. If staying over in San Jose to fly out the next morning on Sansa or Nature Air (Sansa flies out of the same airport as your international arrival; Nature Air does not), we recommend Hotel Aeropuerto and the Trapp Family Inn. Here are photos of the lobby and dining area of Hotel Aeropuerto. It is comfortable, air conditioned, inexpensive and the staff is extremely friendly. Simply get a cab from the airport. The hotel will pay the cab fare when you arrive and the next morning on your return for the Sansa flight to Palmar Sur. Similarly, Trapp Family Inn will likewise reimburse you for your transportation to and from the International Airport. To make reservations at the Trapp Family Inn, email Karin Trapp. If you fly in to San Jose in the morning and are interested in a wonderful hotel experience, the Marriott is located 5 minutes from the San Jose airport and is Conde Naste rated as one of the top 4 hotels in Costa Rica. This alternative will truly get your Costa Rican vacation off on the right foot! |
 The map above of the village of Ojochal indicates the proximity of Cinco Ventanas to the village of Ojochal. For telephone use, there is a pay phone at the Cinco Ventanas gas station. If you have not already purchased a phone card at the baggage claim area of the airport, the Supermercardo at the Ventanas strip center sells phone cards. For dinner, we highly recommend Exotica. It is shown on the map above. However, reservations are required for dinner at Exotica. Please email Lucy and Bob and let them know you are Jay's guests. You can expect not only great food and excellent service but a warm, friendly greeting from Lucy. Also, we recommend Citrus which is located just inside the entrance to Ojochal from the Coastal Highway. You may also follow this link to other restaurants in Ojochal. If you do not mind the short drive towards Dominical, we highly recommend two restaurants located across the highway from each other just south of Dominical. La Parcela has incredible ocean views and has outstanding lunches and dinners. La Macha, is a "tico" restaurant that serves outstanding fresh caught fish at very inexpensive prices. Each of these restaurants deserves your patronage. Another spot worthy of your patronage, immediatly south of the bridge in Uvita, 200 meters off the coastal highway towards the beach is "La Fogata". It serves excellent bbq chicken and pizzas. Very unassuming and casual, it is a great spot for lunch after a morning at the beach at Playa Hermosa, or on your way back to Ojochal from Uvita or Dominical. Another great pizza spot in the village of Ojochal is El Jardin de Tortuga. Although a german owned restaurant, they serve outstanding traditional italian pizzas. In addition to the restaurants, there is a Supermarket and liquor store in the Cinco Ventanas strip center at the entrance to Cinco Ventanas. There is also a new supermarket, La Corona, as well as a bank (BCR) in Uvita. Just to the north of the supermarket is a well run "Carneria" or meat market. If interested in bbq at the house, we suggest purchasing your meat and poultry there rather than the grocery store. We have also included some information and a link to an informational website as well as an interactive map that you can browse to learn more about Ojochal and southern Costa Rica For reservations for all local activities, we would recommend that you go to Crocodive in the Delfin Plaza – (which is near the main entrance of Ojochal). If you are flying in to Palmar Sur, there are supermarkets in Palmar Norte (directly over the bridge from Palmar Sur) for your convenience.  |
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