A Look at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica
A Look at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This past weekend found me on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, at Playa Jaco with a group of my classmates. The experience was interesting to say the least. Bear with me as I try to explain the good, the bad, and the ugly of Jaco Beach.
The Good
Let’s start with the good of Jaco. There’s plenty, considering the town during the day is lively and the beach is beautiful.
The Food
Jaco is filled with restaurants with delicious food, and even vegans can find plenty of options here.
The first morning in town, a few friends and I went out and stumbled upon Rugula, a restaurant boasting organic food and vegan options. I had an arepa that was to die for – it was filled with fresh shrimp, queso, and guacamole. The kind waitress also prepared some free snacks for us – patacones with guac and a cheese dip that we ate along with our fresh pineapple juice.
While eating, this precious cat slept next to the table. I’m not even a cat person, but I couldn’t resist his peaceful little face.
Later that day, some of us went out for some exotic and exciting food that can only be found in Jaco….
Subway!
Can you hear the sarcasm? Yes, we totally perpetuated the American tourist stereotype that U.S. tourists only eat what they’re familiar with while traveling, but my sub was great. Also, yes, I am allergic to gluten, but I totally ate a Subway sub. No regrets. After not having Subway for almost 3 years, it tasted pretty amazing. I have to add that Subway is fresher in Costa Rica.
Even later, after going out, a couple of us tracked down pizza and ice cream at 2 am.
Once again, yes, I am allergic to all of this. Once again, it was delicious.
The Hostel
My group stayed at Hostel Selina while in Jaco, and I have to say, this hostel is fantastic. It is located right on the beach, the rooms were very nice for a hostel (there were outlets beside each and every bed!!), they have bikes and surfboards for rent, and they have activities guests can take part in. Below is the link to the hostel if you’d like to stay there or read more about it.
The Beach
Jaco beach feels distinctly Pacific. Cold water, rocky, strewn with driftwood, but beautiful nonetheless.
We spent time laying out on a clear stretch of sand, romping in the rough waves, and enjoying fruity drinks that we picked up from the local grocery store for about a dollar each.
Later that day, we took a 10 minute taxi ride over to Playa Hermosa to watch a surfing competition. Playa Hermosa translates directly to ‘Beautiful Beach,’ and it is aptly named. This was quite possibly the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The black sand drew me in and the gorgeous sunset warmed my soul.
Now that you’ve seen photos of gorgeous beaches and scrumptious food, on to
The Bad
The Bus
We had tickets for the 7pm bus on Friday night. 4 of our classmates texted at 15 til 7 freaking out, saying that their Uber was going to get them to the terminal at 7:20. In the past, buses had been pretty punctual, so we laid out plans to try to stall the bus. The plans were unnecessary, however, as at 7:15 there was still no bus. A few of my classmates thought it would be funny, though, to tell them that the bus doors were closing and that they needed to sprint to be able to potentially make the bus. Cue my poor classmates dashing into the terminal at a dead sprint, only to find us casually standing around. It was a good laugh, and served as a distraction from the bus arriving 40 minutes late.
It didn’t help matters that as people got off the bus, a lady yelled to us not to get on the bus – that a 2 hour drive took 5 hours. Regardless, we continued on.
Emily and I did our best to stay optimistic about the long bus ride ahead.
Not two minutes into the ride, my backpack flew down from the rack above and almost killed a couple people on its way to the ground. Key word: almost. I got pretty lucky.
Anyways, the bus ride ended up being over 4 hours long due to an accident on the highway to the Pacific coast. Bright side: I slept almost the entire ride. Down side: we got to our hostel past midnight, and because there was no one at reception that late, we caused mass confusion. Eh, we got beds eventually.
Tourist Town
This may seem a bit picky, but Jaco Beach is overly touristy. After living in Costa Rica for almost 2 months, it felt like I was transplanted into any ole touristy United States beach town (see: Myrtle Beach) at Jaco Beach. The streets were lined with restaurants promoting typical American fare, US dollars were accepted at every establishment, and the town was filled with gringos. If you’re looking for an authentic Costa Rica experience, then Jaco Beach is not for you.
The Ugly
Catcalling
If the catcalling in Heredia is a bit much, the catcalling in Jaco is completely and utterly overwhelming. Over the course of one night out (between the hours of 10 pm and 3 am) I was catcalled no less than 40 times. Read below for some skeevy examples of cat calls that I and my female classmates heard:
“ayyy mami!”
“sexy gringas! Come over here!!”
“come here baby”
“hola bonita”
“woooooowwww” (Imagine the longest wow ever)
“chiquitita” (little girl)
“are you from the states” This one may not seem weird, but when you’re asked a gazillion times if you’re from the U.S., it gets annoying
Anyways, I can handle the catcalling. Yes, it makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable, but ignoring them goes a long way and I have yet to feel too unsafe.
Until this weekend, that is.
I usually position myself at the back of the group I am with so I can watch out for the rest of the people I’m with. I’m your typical mama hen when we go out. This time, I was walking in the back and heard a “hey baby” whispered in my ear right as I walked past a man. The guys here love to do that – say nothing, and wait for you to be directly beside them before talking right into your ear. Blech. I thought nothing of it until he reached out and grabbed my arm.
I’ve never been so thankful for my defense training that I received from Danny at CKO Charlotte before coming to Costa Rica. This guy received an elbow to the face and a sharp ‘no’ before I promptly ran away.
No me gusta.
Prostitution
Prostitutes. Everywhere. If you’re out at night at in Jaco Beach, you can’t miss the prostitutes walking the streets in their tight dresses and sky high heels. You also can’t miss the gross middle-aged, often American men with prostitutes on their arms.
At one bar, it seemed as if we were the only non-prostitutes in the room, and we left soon after one took it upon herself to start dancing on a pole in the middle of the dance floor.
In Costa Rica, prostitution is neither illegal or legal, so prostitutes operate within a gray area that tourist take especial advantage of. By far, the disgusting men furthering this enterprise are far more disappointing than the women working in the streets to earn a living.
Jaco beach was by far a fascinating experience. There were highlights of the trip, namely the stunning Playa Hermosa, but the bad outweighed the good. I definitely will not be making my way back to Jaco Beach, and I won’t be recommending the beach town to anyone. Fortunately, there are plenty of other incredible places to visit in the wonderful country of Costa Rica.