Visited Poor Man’s Paradise (PMP) over first week of January 2022. We drove from San Jose to Sierpe (about 4.5 Hour drive with very little traffic). We caught the public ferry from Sierpe to PMP ( $35pp… last boat of the day at 4:30p). We were unaware that there was no dock at PMP so be prepared to wade in from the boat to the beach (shallow water… knee deep… wear water shoes!). It is then about a 15 minute walk down the beach from the boat drop off to the resort. The resort sent people to help us carry luggage down the beach which was much appreciated since we overpacked. The resort itself is wonderfully basic. Simple buildings nicely integrated into the surrounding jungle. Most buildings have two or more units (one upstairs, one downstairs). Upstairs and closer to the water allows you to hear the breaking waves on the beach as you drift off to sleep at night… Worth every penny! No hot water in our room… There was a gizmo on the showerhead to provide hot water, but it did not work in our unit. But that’s not a complaint because the water was warm enough to shower in comfortably without the heater. The gardens were beautiful but what really set the resort apart was the staff. Every person we encountered was friendly and went out of their way to help make our stay as pleasant as...Visited Poor Man’s Paradise (PMP) over first week of January 2022. We drove from San Jose to Sierpe (about 4.5 Hour drive with very little traffic). We caught the public ferry from Sierpe to PMP ( $35pp… last boat of the day at 4:30p). We were unaware that there was no dock at PMP so be prepared to wade in from the boat to the beach (shallow water… knee deep… wear water shoes!). It is then about a 15 minute walk down the beach from the boat drop off to the resort. The resort sent people to help us carry luggage down the beach which was much appreciated since we overpacked. The resort itself is wonderfully basic. Simple buildings nicely integrated into the surrounding jungle. Most buildings have two or more units (one upstairs, one downstairs). Upstairs and closer to the water allows you to hear the breaking waves on the beach as you drift off to sleep at night… Worth every penny! No hot water in our room… There was a gizmo on the showerhead to provide hot water, but it did not work in our unit. But that’s not a complaint because the water was warm enough to shower in comfortably without the heater.
The gardens were beautiful but what really set the resort apart was the staff. Every person we encountered was friendly and went out of their way to help make our stay as pleasant as possible. The food was quite good… Not fancy, just good local cooking. Simple food, well prepared and delicious. There is a separate bar building open in the evenings where Ishmael is the bartender extraordinaire. Don’t miss his special margaritas! A walk up the hill behind the resort to the top delivers you to a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Go up at sunset but bring a flashlight for the walk back down.More