CONTACT US/MAP AND DIRECTION

  • It’s always a great idea to make photocopies of all passports in your group. We suggest leaving the originals in a safe place where you are staying and keeping the copies with you while out and about.
  • US Dollars are accepted everywhere in Costa Rica. We don’t recommend converting currencies at the Airport. The exchange rates at those places are much higher than what you would receive at a bank or at shops and stores.
  • Although a 4X4 is nice to have it’s not a requirement for traveling to Casa Blanca. All roads from either San Jose or Liberia as well as our driveway are paved the entire way right to the property.
  • We highly recommend adding the GPS option to any rental car. GPS in Costa Rica works amazing and with very little in the way of street signage it will save you tons of time and confusion.
  • If you see tour buses or folks parked on the side of the road, chances are they are looking at something you might want to see. Monkeys, Birds, Sloths, Crocs, etc.
  • Never leave valuables in your rental car.  Costa Rica is a very safe place to travel but like anywhere, don’t leave anything to chance.
  • Upon departure all tourist used to have to pay an Airport tax of approximately $28.00. Effective in early 2015 the airlines began adding those taxes to their ticket prices eliminating the need for collection prior to departure, head right to the ticket counter and you’re all set.
  • Last and most importantly HAVE A WONDERFUL VACATION!!!! The country of Costa Rica and the people are some of the kindest and most environmentally friendly people you’ll find anywhere in the world. So as you’ll hear many times during your visit “PURA VIDA” or pure life as the locals will say!!!!

 

 

San Jose Airport to Casa Blanca
GPS Coordinates N10* 32.111’ W084* 52.906’
If you are planning to travel to Costa Rica and plan to drive to the Arenal Volcano, here are some detailed driving directions from San Jose international airport to the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna, going through San Ramon, the shortest route and the roads are in good condition all the way.
I wrote this because roads in Costa Rica are not always well marked and directional signs often are missing. Distances look short when really the driving time takes longer than it looks.
From San Jose international airport head north on the inter american highway (Highway 1) Go 33.5 km -21 miles to the San Ramon exit..here you exit to the right. Go straight on through and you will see a huge Cathedral on your left..keep on going straight about 8 blocks until the road dead ends-take a left and then an immediate right- here there is a sign that says to San Juan and Villa Blanca.
Now you continue on straight until you see a green church- here you take a left. A sign says San Juan-Villa Blanca. The road becomes narrow and very winding passing thru areas with small homes. You will come to a little community called Los Angeles, also the small community of Villa Blanca. Keep going (it is usually foggy in these areas)
You will see on the right a tourism destination called Lands in Love and a small restaurant on the right hand side of the road called Loves Eat in a lovely setting. This is a good place to have breakfast or lunch. Full breakfast is around $6 and looked delicious. We had coffee-very good for $1 per cup. Service was excellent. A young woman from Israel was the waitress, very friendly and efficient. Place was spotless. Up to now you have been driving around 1.5 -2 hours.
Just down the road on the left is a Tico soda if you want tortillas and cheese, or something light. Now from the San Jose international airport you have been driving around 1.5-2 hours.
You come to a town called La Tigre (no signs to let you know its name) but a sign says 41 km -26 miles to Arenal Volcano. Here you turn right , then an immediate left. Follow this road and it takes you to La Fortuna. You will pass a small community called Chachagua, just keep going on same road. In Chachagua there is a gas station, if you need to gas up.
In La Fortuna, a moderate sized town, look to the northwest and you will see the mighty Arenal Volcano. There is a road that heads out of La Fortuna- the main road thru town which goes along the base of the volcano for about 6 miles -3.7 km until you come to Lake Arenal. Along this road are located most of the hotels and attractions.
Continue over the Lake Arenal Dam, you are about 20 minutes away!! Continue on the road passing a large Swiss Restaurant, a small hotel “La Mansion” until you arrive at a restaurant on your right hand side called Gingerbread. If you get to the town of Nuevo Arenal, you have gone too far. Casa Blanca is located 200km above the Gingerbread.
Driving at a moderate speed the trip from the international SJO airport to La Fortuna is around 3.5 hours.
In the small communities the speed limit is 45 km per hour and when you see a school it is reduced to 25 km per hour. And there are usually huge speed bumps just before the school.
What do I see along the way? After you leave San Ramon the scenery gets nice with mountainous terrain. Large farms which grow many varieties of ornamental plants can be seen along the way. This region is very lush and tropical because of the vast amount of rainfall and the rich volcanic soil. You see coconut trees, banana trees, papaya, pineapple, platanos, and hundreds of varieties of flowers. You may even see a toucan. These birds are prevalent in this region.

 

 

Driving Tips:
Road conditions-good all the way. Some mountainous terrain.
Try not to drive after sunset. Mountainous areas are foggy.
Drive the speed limit in the small towns and school districts- 45km per hour -30 miles per hour Speed limit in school districts is 25 km per hour or 16 miles per hour.
People walk in the road, animals such as dogs and chickens walk in the road so be watchful and aware of this.
Costa Ricans don’t drive like north Americans and Europeans. They tend to be more reckless and break the driving rules. So keep this in mind.
Stop and ask directions if you feel lost. Costa Ricans are very helpful and friendly.
Don’t leave car unlocked if you stop. Don’t leave cameras and such in the car where they are visible. Petty theft is common. And breaking a window to enter the car can happen.
Very good, detailed maps of San Ramon area as well as La Fortuna and Arenal can be found at www.costa-rica-guide.com. Go to the sections on maps of Costa Rica-on left hand side of page one. Also your car rental company should have given you a map of Costa Rica. These areas are easily viewed on these maps.

Liberia Airport to Casa Blanca
GPS Coordinates N10* 32.111’ W084* 52.906’
Take a LEFT out of the airport and continue to the main intersection of Liberia approximately 15 miles.
Turn RIGHT onto the Pan American Highway you will see a large McDonalds at this intersection.
Continue South to the town of Cañas (about 35 minutes). Turn LEFT you will see signs for Tiliran.
Go through the town until you reach Tilarán you will make a right turn in the heart of Tilaran again with signs posted for Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna.
This road will continue around the lake approximately 25 minutes. You will reach the town of Nuevo Arenal continue straight down the hill. At the base of the hill is a stop sign. Turn left. The Gingerbread will be on your left hand side approximately 1 mile. Casa Blanca is located 200km above the Gingerbread.

We recently were forced to change our managing team that handled our previous AirBnB account. Due to this troubles we are required to open a New AirBnB account and have currently lost our ability to access our booking information. We are asking that each of the guests currently booked prior to Sept1 2022 would please email us with a copy of your booking receipt showing your deposit as well as your booked villa. Below is a direct link to our new Paypal account set up to deal with this issue. Please contact us with any questions.
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CONTACT US DIRECTLY!

Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica

 
Nate Jones:
+506-8858-7191

Cheryl Phone:
+506-8663-2619

Kelly:
+506-8703-6447

Nate@CasaBlancaCostaRica.com

Cheryl@CasaBlancaCostaRica.com
Kelly@CasaBlancaCostaRica.com

TRIPADVISOR

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