Playa de Los Artistas
Montezuma is one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica and arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. Originally a small fishing village at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, this tiny town has become a refuge for locals, tourists and tourists who simply never leave and have somehow become locals. Reuven and I stayed in Montezuma for two nights on our trip along the Costa Rican pacific coast although we could have easily stayed and become locals ourselves.
We spent one morning hiking up stream to the Montezuma waterfall and swam in the pools of the falls. With the easy to climb rocks up the side of the waterfall, it was tempting to climb and take the big leap. However there was a wooden sign that listed the number of people who died attempting that very stunt, so we kept near the base of the falls.
We walked into town and purchased some jewellery from a tourist-became-local French woman. Reuven purchased a nut carved with the famous reflection of Marxist Revolutionary Che Guevara. He bought me a ring carved from a coconut shell which later became my engagement ring. We played in the surf and burned on the beach while drinking cheap la cerveza de Costa Rica. Just before sunset we ventured to find a place along the beach where we could enjoy dinner to the sound of the surf and that is when we discovered Playa de Los Artistas.
This Mediterranean inspired restaurant is quite literally on the beach. The entire restaurant is outside on the sand nestled in between lush trees. The tables and chairs are made out of the tree branches and stumps and some tables are simply on the sand at ground level with tatami mats to sit on. We chose a ground level table near a tree we could rest our backs on. There is sparse lighting, with most of it coming from the candles melted right into each table. There is quiet music defended by the pounding waves.
The full kitchen and bar change their menus daily based on the catch of the day. Sounds expensive? Quite the opposite. This was one of the cheapest meals we had in Costa Rica and by far the most gourmet. We started our meal with a generous mound of fresh caviar served with warm bread and olive oils. We then shared a filet mignon served with shellfish, vegetables and rice. Two bottles of wine seemed to disappear into the night as we chatted about our adventures, the beach, the sand crabs crawling around our table, our recent engagement and how this was one meal we would never forget.
