Finding Friendly Food

After five weeks of being in the heat and wind of the Nicoya Peninsula, we escape to the mountains for a weekend in Nuevo Arenal. We book a room for three nights at a B&B, The Agua Inn, and like it so much, we find an Airbnb very nearby to call home for the next two weeks.

The food

Moya’s Place
Los Platillos Voladores – EatAlienFood
Cafe Con Amor
Tom’s Pan German Bakery
Feria Aguacate

The grounds at the Agua Inn are beautiful and well maintained. The pool is good to look at, but a little cold for my taste. What makes it stand out, besides the location, are the hosts. They are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The breakfast each morning we are there is always a little different; eggs, pancakes, potatoes, gallo pinto, fruit, fresh squeezed oj. And while I should have let them know when I booked the place about my dietary restrictions, the woman who cooks is able to amend each day’s offering to fit my needs. Oh, and the coffee is delish and plentiful. The moral of this story, though, is always let your hosts know of your food restrictions in advance.

We’ve only planned to be in the Lake Arenal area for a long weekend so we are packing two activities into a tight space. First, we go for a hike at the base of the Arenal Volcano. There are a few areas with trails and we choose the Arenal Observatory Lodge and Trails for ours. We hike a little over 5 miles and walk on most of their trails. Along the way we see a few waterfalls, horses, birds, hanging bridges and almost the very top of the volcano, which was consistently shrouded in clouds.

Our second activity in the area takes us into La Fortuna for a coffee and chocolate tour and tasting at Northfields. For two people who eat a lot of chocolate and drink a lot of coffee, we are surprisingly uneducated on how either is grown, harvested and produced. For the chocolate, we see the fruit growing on trees, taste the fruit (it’s weird and slimy, but good) and make our own chocolate creations (my favorite is with coconut and sea salt). Since I am the only one in the group who can’t have dairy, I eat a lot of dark chocolate. For the coffee, we start in a tasting room, learning about the different roasts, smelling various beans, and tasting a perfectly brewed cup. We leave the tour hopped up on caffeine and sugar, with big smiles.

The Airbnb we move to just up the road from The Agua Inn couldn’t have been more perfect. Once we unpack and settle in, I stand on the porch and say out loud, “I finally feel at peace.” And I did. We enjoy picturesque vistas of the lake and mountains, while the property is home to three friendly dogs and a variety of free-roaming chickens. Our stay is further enriched by a delightful visit from a toucan, its melodic song echoing through the air. And maybe best of all, there are no infestations of bugs or rodents.

The weather in Nuevo Arenal and the whole Lake Arenal area is quite different to the heat and humidity we’ve just been in. Most days, the humidity is still high, but the temperatures are much cooler and we get a few days of rain. This part of the country sees a lot of rain even in the dry season. The result is that everything is green and lush, even in February and March. And, we get to wear pants and sweatshirts a few times.

Our hosts at the Airbnb, Dexter and Patty, make the experience even better. Since my boyfriend has to work and I don’t have much of my own to do, they take me out to explore. First stop is Lago Cote, Costa Rica’s largest fresh water lake. It’s a sacred ground to a local tribe and, supposedly, the location of a UFO spotting in 1971. It’s also where I have a little fight with barbed wire and lose, of course, but this isn’t that kind of blog. From there we stop at a nursery filled with plants and flowers that are new to me. My hosts are looking for a few new plants for the property and find them. Our last stop for the day is for lunch at Soda la Plaza in town and I have a casado with salsa chicken. 

The next morning, our hosts take us both to breakfast at Cafe Macadamia. The food and coffee are surprisingly good. It’s a bit high on the touristy scale, but a nice change for us. Afterwards, I get a private tour of a macadamia nut farm; seeing young plants, old plants, how the shells are removed, where they’re put out to dry and where they’re packaged up.

So what did we do besides eat and hang out with our hosts? Well, the area around Lake Arenal is magical. It’s incredibly lush and green. There are views of different volcanoes all around. The lake is at times serene and others full of white caps (apparently it’s a popular place for windsurfing). 

I love waterfalls, though, so that is tops on my list. I get the chance to visit two of them. Each is about an hour away from Nuevo Arenal. First, Rio Celeste, further north. Wow! I’ve seen photos online and figure they must be photoshopped. But nope. The color of the river is something I’ve never seen before. The most amazing turquoise blue. The hike to it is fairly easy and when we go, it isn’t too crowded, but we’ve heard it can be. No swimming allowed in this waterfall, but there is a place outside the park, downriver where it is allowed. We decide to skip that, though.

The next waterfall I venture to solo. Well, me and the other tourists. La Fortuna Waterfall. There are over 500 stairs to get to it so make sure you’re fit enough to get back up. I go mid week and it’s crowded, but not crazy. It’s beautiful and this one does allow swimmers. So I do. It’s a bit of a challenge being on my own as the water is a bit rough and the boulders to get to it are slippery. Luckily I find a small group of tourists who hold my phone for me while I get in. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to swim in a waterfall and this is my first time. The water is refreshing and I love it. 

We spend a fair amount of time at the lake. We go for short walks and watch a couple sunsets from here. It’s a lovely way to end a day staring out at the still water and watching the sun set behind the mountains. 

When our time is up in Nuevo Arenal we are sad to leave and vow to come back. It’s incredibly beautiful, the people are friendly and welcoming, and most importantly to our travels, it is a perfect reset for the last 4 weeks of our adventure.

The Food
Moya’s Place has a good selection of gluten-free/dairy-free meals and vegan ice cream in single serving tubs from Mama Toucan. My goto meal is a vegan curry over rice. One time we eat here I am craving meat so I have them add steak to it. Delish! I also try their vegan skewers, two large skewers with perfectly cooked veggies.

Cafe Con Amor is a new place in town. The owners are more than happy to help you select foods that fit your dietary needs and their offerings can vary. On the day we are there, they don’t have any gluten-free bread, but they are able to make a sandwich using yuca patties instead of bread. It is delicious and I feel safe to eat it. They have a few salads on the menu that would work for me, but I am happy to try something new. For dessert, they have a beautiful lime pie; plant based and gluten free. It’s really nice, and fun for me to eat a piece of pie, but quite expensive.

Los Platillos Voladores – EatAlienFood is an Italian restaurant whose owner is happy to provide gluten-free pasta and to alter other dishes, although this isn’t on the menu. We don’t end up eating here, but I don’t remember why.

Tom’s Pan German Bakery doesn’t have any bakery items that fit the gluten-free diet, sadly, but the store does carry a variety of gluten-free/dairy-free cookies and crackers. They’re also more than happy to help put together a meal that is safe for me. Sadly, I’m never there at meal time so I don’t take them up on it. Next time!

Specialty markets: There are two organic markets in town with good selections of fresh produce, goat milk cheese, and imported gluten-free/dairy-free products. The folks who work at both are exceptionally friendly and helpful. There is also a lovely little Farmers market in Aguacate (Feria Aguacate) where I find gluten-free/vegan bread, gluten-free/vegan cookies, and so much more. Not cheap, but the cookies are a highlight and I wish I bought more. The feria is onsite the first and third Wednesdays of the month so I’m able to visit it only once.