+ restaurant, kind owners, placement
- cold shower, no internet, electricity only 2 hours per day

We were refered to this quaint getaway place by a friend who lived in the area. It was beyond our expectations. It was about a hour boat ride until you get to the ocean, but there is some great seanery getting there. Once you get there you are treated like royalty. Meals are prepared and served in then local kitchen fresh fish is always on the menu. If you are trying to get away and want some low key rest and activities this is the place for you.

I had previously come to Costa Rica and been disappointed by hitting all the hot spots that Lonely Planet recommended - Arenal, Monteverde etc., finding them overun with tourists and aggressive guides and taxi drivers. They were these gringo bubbles created, shuttling everyone from overcrowded destination to the next and back to the hostels serving cheeseburgers and big screen tvs and i felt like i got nothing in terms of experiencing any real aspects of Costa Rica.

Poor Man's Paradise was a different story. The office is located in Sierpe, a 6 hour bus ride from san jose to palmar norte (about $10) and a 10 minute taxi ride from the bus station to sierpe ($2) and you can make reservations and make arrangements for the hour and a half boat ride out to the beaches.

There you will find a virtually private beach, with about 40 cabins set back amongst the trees, along with an excellent restaurant and bar, and a staff whose family has lived there for over 30 years. There are tons of tours available, whale watching, hiking into the national refuge that's right next door, scuba diving, snorkeling, horse back riding, but there's also the option to sit on that beautiful beach or in a hammock and soak in the quiet peaceful atmosphere, interrupted only by the sounds and sights of monkeys and tropical birds.


Its true if you're looking for night hot spots and shopping this might not fit the bill, but if you are looking for rest, relaxation, quality service, great food, and beautiful sites, look no further. It is everything that you wished Costa Rica destinations would be.

We were lucky to pass x-mas 2009 at Poor Man's Paradise and it was the most remarkable stay during our 3 1/2 week vacation in Costa Rica.

If you love nature, if you love the beach, quiteness and some adventure - go there. If you like to party, if you need loads of comfort, if you can't do without a swimmingpool, airconditioning, a hairdryer, telephone (mobile or land line) and internet - don't go there! :-)

This is about relaxing, exploring nature (and what a nature it is - the corvocado nationalpark is one of the most amazing natural reserves in Costa Rica, with animals living there that you will hardly find anywhere else) and just slowing down a little bit. You can only go there by boat (unless you want to travel for 8 hours by car through the jungle) or plane. The boattrip to Poor Man's is really amazing and an adventure of it's own - you're travelling through a beautiful labyrinth of river channels with mangroves growing along the banks heading towards the open, sometimes really rough ocean....

We planned to stay for 4 nights, but booked another night because we liked it so much!
The place is run by a costa rican family. they are very, very friendly and open people and you can always talk to them, they'll happily pass over information about nature, tipps where to go and what to do etc. We booked a package that included 2 tours (snorkelling at Cano Island and a visit of the national park). Both were really nice, but the most remarkable thing for me was simply to sit in that boat and cruise the coastline....here's where I realized the name "Costa Rica" ("rich coast") truly comes from. Absolutely beautiful und stunning! Of course we saw dolphins on our way, we saw monkey, macaws, a tapir etc. etc..

The rooms are simple but clean. There's no warm water, no airconditioning and electricity is available only between 6 - 10 pm (depending on the generator's mood ;-)). It is not a five star hotel but who needs that with a view like that?
As there's nothing nearby you usually have all your meals at Poor Man's. The food was good and healthy with fresh fish etc.. nothing spectacular, but fine.

Now to the downsides - I do think that the tours are kind of expensive and you do get overcharged. Calculating what they earn with one tour at the cost of approx. 90 dollars per person (e.g. Corvocado tour) taking with them 11 people kind of annoys me. After all this is not a place for people with the five-star-hotel budget. However, if you see how this family lives there, how they stick to their tradition, how they bring up their children etc. and for the sake of a memory of a lifetime I also tend to forget about this. Maybe it's also because they have to share the money with the travel agencies...Still, it shouldn't be a reason to not do the tours at all.

If you need a time out and if you are a nature lover, I absolutely recommend to go to this remote, beautiful place!