San Isidro is a small town, but it is actually the largest city in the south of Costa Rica. Although San Isidro might not be on the top list of things to see in Costa Rica, it is a good place to live and study. This post will show some of my favorite places in the city. Maybe you get the chance to visit the same places when you arrive?
La Feria – La Feria is the farmers market in San Isidro and people from the whole region come to buy and sell their products. This is where you can buy fresh fruits and veggies for a good price. Doing your grocery shopping at La Feria also enables you to support local farmers and there is always a lot of things to see.
El Polideportivo – This is a perfect place is you like to run or if you want to exercise. The Polideportivo holds a running pitch but also have a round in the shadow which holds 1 km. Additionally there is a basketball pitch, a tennis pitch, and a swimming pool for training. This is perfect if you want to run, but don’t prefer to run around in a city.
La Reina – this is a good restaurant if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, because the food is cheap. You should also order the Limonada Hierbabuena, which is a green lemonade with a mint taste. The fried yuca is also a favorite.
CityFitness – this is a nice gym if you don’t live in the city center. It has a good price; great gear and you can also pick your proper bananas when you are done exercising. The location is great if you live closer to UISIL, like in San Andres or in Unesco.
PowerCross Fit Center – this is maybe the best gym, and it’s the closest to the city center. It has a good price and an enormous area for exercise. There is also a lot of new gear that I had never seen in Norway.
Hotel Zima – this is where we go on hot days to cool down in the pool. The hotel allows all kulturstudier students to chill and relax by their pool. The hotel also holds a restaurant and the food there is delicious. Is a perfect place to chill out if you spend the weekend in San Isidro or if you end the school day early.
UISIL – this is the university campus. The campus is very open and nice. The staff at UISIL is so welcoming that I am looking forward to going there every day. This is also where you can meet all the students and you are served lunch there every school day.
Hotel del Sur – this is a little outside of San Isidro, but this hotel arranges latino dance nights every Thursday. It is popular among the Kulturstudier students, and also among the local people. The drinks are also not too pricy here, so it´s really worth a visit!
CoopeAgri – this is my favorite food store. It is pretty cheap, and it have many products, so it´s hard to miss anything. Other grocery stores that are worth mentioning is BM, which is close to many of the student houses.
The river – the river is a place where we can swim (if the conditions are right), relax and sunbath. It has very fresh water so there are good chances on cooling down here.
Although San Isidro is a small town, you should check out these places and enjoy living there!
– Ingvild