How to check-in

When checking into any hotel, even Adventure Inn, ask the receptionist to show you the room first. You will naturally be shown the best room available, I do it myself. If you don't ask to see the room, you may end up with an inferior room for the same price. Anywhere on the coasts, you need at least a good fan to keep you cool, and the mosquitos, sand flies that come out at night, and 'no-see-ems' away. Many beds have mosquito nets. I'm not sure about breathing the air from burning Pic coils, especially when it isn't necessary.

I come from northern Ontario where in the late spring and early summer, the black flies, mosquitos and the worst, persistent deer flies, practically try to carry you away. Surprisingly, here in Central America, there are few bothersome insects, particularly at the higher elevations like Adventure Inn's location.

Air-conditioning is great but tends to keep you in your room, consumes a lot of electricity, and though I've never experienced it myself, some people seem to catch a cold with the sudden change in temperature. Generally air-conditioning at Adventure Inn is not necessary, though some afternoons it can get pretty warm here. Try and get a room off the noisy street unless you like to people-watch from your room, and perhaps on a higher floor for the view, and to pick up any breezes if you are on a hot, humid coast. Always plan your escape in case of an earthquake or fire. Wherever you are in Costa Rica, people feel an earthquake every few months. Two weeks ago in mid-November, 2008, just after midnight, a 6.2 earthquake centered a couple of hundred miles away on the Pacific Panama border woke us out of a deep sleep.

Earthquakes travel at about two miles per second. One day I was talking by phone to my manager at the Adventure Inn, about ten miles to the west of me. She started saying, "Ohhhh!" and about five seconds later I experienced the same quake. The power of an earthquake (terremoto or temblor in Spanish), is humbling.