Yep, we said it..La Pecora Nera on Playa Cocles, near Puerto Viejo, was perhaps the best restaurant of the entire trip for us. Okay, maybe not the tastiest, because we can't take Costa Rican cuisine for granted. But this really felt like a night out and a restaurant where a lot of love and attention went into the experience and the dishes. Chef-owner Ilario Giannoni is behind the stoves. He raises his own chickens and pigs and grows as much of his own fruit, vegetables, and herbs as possible. The menu is long, but the trick is to ask Ilario what is the best of the day, and you'll be fine.

One of his classics is rooster ragù on homemade gnocchi. The name means 'the black sheep,' and that is accurate. Refined Italian food in the middle of a surf village, in a romantic open-air restaurant. If you want to splurge in Puerto Viejo, this is the place to do it.

The black sheep

Koki Beach is a beachfront bar, restaurant, and lounge right in the center of Puerto Viejo. It looks a bit like an artist went to work with a hardware store budget, and that is pretty much how it went: Koki Beach is built almost entirely from recycled materials. You plop down in one of the colorful chairs and savor the atmosphere here at its very best. The seafood combinations and skewers are the favorites on the menu. We were recommended Koki Beach for an evening when you want just a little more than a plastic chair and a beer, but still want to chill.

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Bread & Chocolate in the center of Puerto Viejo is the place for a breakfast where everything is homemade. A sandwich with peanut butter and jam where the bread, peanut butter, and jam are all homemade. There are truffles, chocolate bars, cakes, cookies, and chocolate nuts. The café has been around since 2004 and is still wildly popular, so on weekends you sometimes have to wait a bit. Those in a hurry can take it to go.

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Lulu's Place in Puerto Viejo is a café with art and plants and immediately one of the nicest places in the village for the remote workers among us. You drink coffee there surrounded by locally made art and gifts, and there is internet, air conditioning, and a coworking space, which is no unnecessary luxury in the heat. Behind Lulu's Place is the same artist as behind Luluberlu, the gallery that Fodor's once called the nicest shop in Puerto Viejo, featuring woodcarving, jewelry, paintings, and ceramics by dozens of artists from the region. Ideal for a morning of laptop work.

Lulu's Place

Calipso in Puerto Viejo is a concept store and coffee bar all in one, located on Av. 71 in the village. It doesn't really feel authentically Caribbean, more like a surf shop that could just as easily be in Bali. But absolutely fun. The motto, “Fast waves slow life,” perfectly sums up the surf village vibe of Puerto Viejo. Calipso sells its own merch, such as a Spicy Coconut long-sleeved shirt, and serves coffee, from espresso to iced latte. Ideal for a coffee break between beach sessions, with a souvenir you'll actually want to wear back home.

In Puerto Viejo we stayed at Namuwoki Lodge, in Playa Chiquita, a few kilometers outside the village. Namuwoki Lodge has existed since 2008 and consists of seventeen bungalows and villas, spread throughout a tropical garden. They didn't cut down any trees during construction, so you literally sleep amidst the greenery, with the sounds of the jungle as your alarm clock. Or rather, not exactly an alarm clock; the sounds continue all night/day/evening, whatever. It is truly beautiful, though, and secretly quite cozy too.

You can walk to the beach in about ten minutes. The restaurant serves Caribbean cuisine with a Spanish twist, and breakfast is included in the price.

Kayaking on the river at Punta Uva is perhaps one of the most enjoyable things to do around Puerto Viejo. You paddle up the river from the beach (or vice versa), and as soon as you pass under the road, it becomes quiet and green. Take a guide along, as they will spot the sloths in the trees, the turtles on the logs, and the iguanas much faster than you will. Also good to know for those who want to surf: the beach at Punta Uva is located in a small bay with calmer water, ideal for beginners. Along the way, you will be rewarded with delicious seasonal fruit.

We did this one with Life Culture & Travel, a local travel agency.

With our guide Tirsa, we traveled by boat deep into the jungle to Yorkín: a Bribri community in the heart of the rainforest, on the river that forms the border between Costa Rica and Panama. There, we met Stibrawpa, an organization of Bribri women dedicated to their community, their culture, and their own income. Stibrawpa means 'artisans' in Bribri, and with the proceeds from tourism, the community has built a health post, a secondary school, and a water pipeline, among other things. The women cultivate coffee and cocoa and showed us how they use plants for food, personal care, and medicine. The highlight: pure cocoa, made in the traditional way.

After that, we swam in the river, with Costa Rica on one bank and Panama on the other. This is truly a different side of the region from surf and reggae, and for us, one of the most beautiful days of the trip.

lifeculturetravelcostarica.com