Tourists have been complaining vociferously of late over the under-staffed and glacial process of clearing immigration and customs upon arriving in Costa Rica. The situation is particularly bad most evenings between 8pm and 10pm, when some six different international commercial flights arrive. Passengers on all but the first flight or two often face waits of up to two hours to complete the process.
Nature Air (tel. 800/235-9272 in the U.S. and Canada, or 220-3054; www.natureair.com) has begun offering flights to Granada, Nicaragua from San José and Liberia, Costa Rica. The flights run three times weekly, and can be purchased as a package with a hotel stay in the colonial lakeside Nicaraguan city.
San José
Downtown San José has taken its very first baby steps towards urban renewal. The current administration has made significant strides in clearing downtown clutter, by aggressively removing unauthorized signs and billboards, relocating phone and electricity cables underground and evicting unlicensed street vendors.
In a busy area close to the downtown Parque Morazan, the Hotel Del Rey and Club Colonial Casino have both begun major expansion projects that should add over a hundred new hotel rooms, as well as several new restaurants and commercial spaces.
The Italian restaurant Felini has closed and been reborn as a fine French restaurant La Brasserie Parisienne (tel. 222-3520; Calle 36 and Avenida 4).
A little further east, El Fogoncito has been remodeled and turned into the country's first true Moroccan restaurant, La Mamounia (tel. 253-8105; 150 meters east of the San Pedro Mall), serving a variety of couscous and tajin dishes.
Meanwhile, on the western edge of downtown, the new Bangkok (tel. 296-6110; 200 meters west of the POPS in Sabana) continues the trend towards introducing world cuisines, and is now the first true Thai restaurant in San José.
The local nightlife scene recently lost the pioneering downtown Café Loft, but there are plenty of other clubs still featuring house, hip-hop and trance DJs.
Jazz fans can check out what's playing at the new Balcony Jazz Club & Café (tel. 289-6387; Plaza San Rafael, Escazú).
Guanacaste & the Nicoya Peninsula
Featuring ocean views from 15 of its 18 holes, the new par 72 Arnold Palmer-designed course at the Four Seasons Resort & Spa (tel. 696-0000; www.fourseasons.com) is the newest option open to visiting golfers. Greens fees run $180 per round, with a cart.
After years of legal wrangling, the Flamingo Marina has been shut down by the local municipal government. The action was swift and complete, and both local and visiting yachts were summarily evicted. There marina is currently shut down and no marina services are offered in Flamingo.
In Tamarindo, the very popular and long-standing Las Olas restaurant has been sold, and future plans for this space are currently unknown.
The Northern Zone
There's a new serpentarium in the Saparpiqui region. Snake Garden (tel. 761-1059) is located in La Virgen, just a few hundred yards from the Centro Neotropico Sarapiquis.
Located just beyond the dam over Lake Arenal, the Lost Iguana Resort (tel. 461-0122; www.lostiguanaresort.com) is a new luxury option with wonderful views of the Arenal Volcano.
Bike Arenal (tel. 479-9454; www.bikearenal.com) is a new adventure tour operator specializing in mountain bike rentals and guided excursions around this beautiful and challenging region.
Central Pacific
Located right off the beach and specializing in fresh fish and seafood, El Pelicano (tel. 637-8910) is new and welcome dining option in Playa Herradura.
Costa Rica Sky Riders (tel. 777-4101; www.costaricaskyriders.co) is a new outfit offering ultralight flights over Manuel Antonio National Park and the Damas Island estuary. Rates run between $72 and $105 for flights of between 25 and 35 minutes.
The Caribbean Coast
Work is nearly complete on the expansion and renovation of the airstrip in Limón. While there are still no regularly scheduled commuter flights, they can't be far off. Be sure to check with Sansa (tel. 506/221-9414; www.flysansa.com) and Nature Air (tel. 220-3054; www.natureair.com) for developments.