Costa Rica Island Tips and Facts
Location: Extending from northwest to southeast, Costa Rica is bounded by Nicaragua to the north, by the Caribbean Sea along the 185-mile (300-km) northeastern coastline, by Panama to the southeast, and by the Pacific Ocean along the 630-mile (1,015-km) southwestern coastline. At the country’s narrowest point, the distance between the Pacific and the Caribbean is only about 75 miles (120 km).
Coordinates: 9.7489° N, 83.7534° W
Language: Spanish is the official language
Capital City: San José
Population: About 5 million
Time Zone: Central Standard Time (UTC-6).
Currency: Costa Rican colón (US dollars accepted)
Electrical Current: 110 volts. Converters not needed for US appliances.
Telephone code: Costa Rica Country Code is +506
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Local phone number - 8 digits
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US to Costa Rica international dialing format:011+ eight digit number
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Europe to Costa Rica international dialing format:00+1+ eight digit number
Costa Rica Security
We encourage our guests to be smart. Lock up valuables in your safe, keep the villa locked and do not leave valuables in the car.
Costa Rica Shopping : Souvenirs, crafts, clothes, accessories, and even the ultimate designer outfits can be found in Costa Rica. There are infinite places to shop in Costa Rica, all depending on what your looking for in experience and products.
Costa Rica Transportation
The country has ample taxis and rental cars. NOTE Las Catalinas does not allow cars in the town.
WiFi/Computers: Most villas and resorts offer WiFi internet.
Banking: Costa Rica has an extensive network of banks with ATMs conveniently located across the island. Banking hours are generally: Monday thru Thursday 8am-3pm. and Fridays 8am-5pm.
Restaurant Gratuities - Tipping is not mandatory and should be done only if the service warrants compensation.Many restaurants will add a 10% - 15% service charge and this will show as a separate entry in the bill.
Staff Gratuities - We wish to stress that tipping is not compulsory and is therefore entirely up to our guests discretion. The following are just suggestions and you can tip the staff as you wish.