Ferry Information

Puntarenas Ferry & Paquera Ferry

 

Ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera:
The Puntarenas ferry deck is located at the tip of Puntarenas city (Click here for Puntarenas aerial pictures), 2 km from the center of town and the main bus terminal.
If you are not driving you can either take a taxi or the local bus which departs at Avenida Central in Puntarenas.

Ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas:
The Paquera ferry deck is located at “El Relleno” in Paquera coastal city. (Click here see pictures of the Paquera Ferry Terminal)
If you are not driving you can take a Bus or Taxi from Montezuma, Mal Pais, Santa Teresa or Tambor to the Paquera ferry deck.

With a Car on the Ferry:
A car with driver included costs approx $15. Only the driver may remain in the car when entering the ferry. All other passengers must walk on board.

 

 

How long the ferry takes to cross the Nicoya Gulf?
The ferry takes around 1 hr crossing the Nicoya Gulf from Puntarenas to Paquera and around 1:20 hrs from Paquera to Puntarenas.

Can I make a reservation for the ferry?
It's not possible to make reservations.

Is OK to leave my car along while I purchase the tickets?
In Puntarenas or Paquera break-ins are not uncommon so don't leave your car unattended. In case you necessary need to leave your car please do not leave your cameras, IPODs, etc, visible.

If I have a question at ferry deck, who can assist me?
If you have any questions at the ferry deck please look for the ferry employees for assistance. They always wear shirts with the "Naviera Tambor" logo on it.

What do I do upon arrival at Puntarenas Ferry deck or Paquera Ferry deck?
At the time of your arrival at the Puntarenas ferry deck or Paquera Ferry area park your car on the line and look for a ferry representative that will give you a hard piece of plastic (like a pre-ticket) depending on the vehicle you are driving. You will bring it to the Puntarenas Ferry Tickets office or the Paquera Ferry Tickets office and pay the fees for your car plus passengers.

Paying Ferry fees: Cash or Credit Cards?
Payment must be in US dollars or colones. Credit Cards are not accepted.

What is the Ferry phone number in Costa Rica?
(506) 2661-2084

Up...

“Lovely hotel”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

This hotel is beautiful. The staff is friendly, the grounds are beautiful. no restaurant onsite but plenty to choose from just a few meters away. No Wi-Fi while we were there but the staff told us it was going to be installed in December 2008. the ppols are gorgeous and the town is a great place to stay. Totally recommend this.

“Exactly what i was looking for!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
This hotel is a great all around for certain people. I wouldnt recommendthis hotel for someone who is looking for a nice resort or a really nice room with tv, phone & internet then this isnt the hotel for you. I traveled to Montezuma to relax, explore, and most importantly escape tv and phones! So for me this was perfect.
This hotel sits atop a little hill just up the road in Montezuma (note if you've never been to Montezuma the whole town is about the size of a large mall, so there is nothing really far). The hotel reception gave us , in my opinion, the best room in the hotel. Rooms 5 & 6 sit on the tip of the hill (which is a bit hard to climb with flipflops) with a nice view and most importantly a AMAZING porch. The porch as a very comfortable wooden bed, chair and hammock. I spent all my time there as oppossed to the room, so it didnt bother me that the rooms werent anything to write home about The bed was a little hard, but the ac and fridge were key.
The guys at the reception are great and very helpful with tour suggestions and restaurants. They dont have any problems telling you that a certain tour isnt worth it and suggest another instead. All in all i would DEFINATELY go back to El Jardin if i could get my same room again. I loved my stay and LOVED montezuma.
Montezuma is true PURA VIDA. cant wait to go back.

“Beautiful Garden with a domestic Iguana”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

As soon as we saw this hotel we knew that this is where we want to stay. It is probably the most expensive hotel in town but what is $60 divided by 3...

Unique Qualities: It has the most beautiful garden I saw anywhere in Costa Rica, domestic Iguana, koatis walking around, two small pools with a jacuzzi and very clean rooms...and a hammock in front of the door.

Very nice iguana fed by hotel staff is always on the stone at the hotel entrance.

“El jardin 'rocks'”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
We stayed at hotel el jardin for three nights, it was my first time in costa rica and in montezuma, the room was very nice and clean every day, the swimming pool was amazing, but was makes the differece was the friendly receptionits Gustavo he was very polite and nice and he help us out coordinating all the tours and our transportation, we reallly apreciate all his hard work, we can´t wait to come back to costa rica and el hotel el jardin
Mattew, California

“This place is awesome!!!!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
Such a great spot. Right in town, yet quiet. Very clean, well-run and kid-friendly. The pool is amazing. The staff ROCKS. Esteban and Gustavo helped us enormously, and were very cool as well!!! We could not have asked for a better place to stay in Montezuma.

“Excellent Place to Stay”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
This is a great little property. We stayed for 6 nights in April. Yes it is definitely expensive for Montezuma and Costa Rica in general but then again you get a great little room with A/C, a deck with a hammock and two chairs and a cute swimming pool. The breakfast is really not worth having - packaged tea biscuits, bananas and coffee so not a place to really fuel up. It's about a 10 minute walk but go have breakfast at Hotel Amor del Mar - lovely ocean and lawn view and tasty breakfast with an amazing homemade bread! The bathroom in the room was so-so nothing of note. Shower had hot water. The linens are also fine, very clean and the bed was pretty comfortable. We were very happy with the accomodations but you have to manage expectations - you aren't getting a Westin Heavenly bed anywhere in these parts. You can hear everything through the walls from your neighbors but this did not prove a problem for us and we heard little to no noise from town. And hey, you have an A/C so turn it on and you can't hear anything but the fan anyway. Maid service was consistent and good, room was cleaned well everyday.

Short walk to the restaurants, bars and beach (although surf was quite rough while we were there).

I would reccomend the owners offer a slightly better breakfast service - bread and a toaster or some such thing would be nice, for the price in Montezuma I think they could be a bit more generous. And update their pool chairs and/or cushions.

But otherwise go and enjoy this great spot in Montezuma!

“Great little hotel”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

We stayed at El Jardin for 2 nights during Easter week. Our room was very spacious and clean. There wasn't a TV in the room, but we had a great balcony with a hammock overlooking the pool.

The pool was really nice to relax in at night after a long day. Also, the grounds of the hotel was kept immaculate and the decor was quite modern.

The only staff I ever saw was the front desk. The experience was neutral. I did not find them overly friendly, but they were not rude either.

Overall, the value was good as the location is central in the small but great town of Montezuma. I cannot wait to return and experience more of Montezuma!

“El Jardin was PERFECT!!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
My girlfriend and I booked 3 nights at Hotel El Jardin when we were in Montezuma at the end of March.

Check in was smooth and quick, and we were given a king bedded room located right off the main street. This was perfect for us as it gave us a little patio to chill and people watch, and was very easy for our friends staying at another hotel across the way to come visit us :)

The pool was always clean and refreshing and was the perfect way to relax after a hot day in the sun. Lying in a lounge chair surrounded by flowers and greenery is so relaxing.

Esteban at the front desk was a great host and was quick to come up with solutions when our tranporation plans fell through at the last minute.

I would highly recommend this hotel, and will definitely come back for a return visit!!!

Sam and Kim (Toronto)

"A gem in Montezuma"
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

Our stay at Hotel El Jardin was delightful! It is a very unique property, with both rooms and casitas. We were in a 2nd floor room with a beautiful view of the magnificant gardens and ocean, a full balcony with hammock and 2 deck chairs. The room furnishings were comfortable. Good water pressure in the shower! My absolute favorite was the pool area - plenty of chaises for lounging around the unique bi-level pool/jacuzzi. Relaxation was complete! This is a sister property of La Hacienda de Malpais, another very unique property.
Hotel El Jardin a lovely respite! – Hotel El Jardin, Montezuma Costa Rica.

We enjoyed the nights we stayed at Hotel El Jardin so much. The hotel is so beautiful, a vision of tropical gardens! The landscaping with all the different colors of flowers and the wonderful pool area with waterfall were a pleasure for relaxing after our visits to Cabo Blanco, Curu and Isla Tortuga. One afternoon we saw a family of six Kongo monkeys in the tree above our room while we were swimming. Two of the mothers had tiny babies on their backs. The room was very nice and clean and the cabinets with sections for our suitcases made it so easy to stay organized. I wish all the hotels had this feature! I'm going to write a special letter to Christopher Baker, author of the Moon Guide to Costa Rica telling him how much I enjoyed Montezuma and particularly our stay at Hotel El Jardin de Montezuma. Muchas Gracias, Hotel El Jardin, for a very lovely visit!
Pura Vida,M. K., Palo Alto, CA
LOVED Hotel El Jardin!
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

Hotel El Jardin was one of the best things about my trip to Costa Rica! After a long day of sweating and feel gritty from hiking, swimming in salt water, or horseback riding, Hotel El Jardin made my experience very enjoyable. I suppose if you are traveling on a budget and can fall asleep anywhere, the comforts of Hotel El Jardin aren't necessary, But if you want a clean and comfortable room, Hotel El Jardin is the place to stay! Our cabin was cleaned daily, the air-conditioning was like heaven in the hot and humid weather, and the pool was so relaxing at night. The grounds are very pretty!

 
Perfect, quiet and great staff
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

We arrived late in the day intending to check into the Hotel del Amor down the road. But at 3 1/2 months pregnant I really needed the AC in the room and wanted to be off the water and away from the bugs. We went into town and opted for the Hotel Jardin. We got a great cabina for $70 cash with a mini fridge and ac. We had our own balcony complete with chairs and a hammock, and had some animal visitors including a Coatis, an anteater and howler monkeys (which wake up before the sun). The pool was great and clean and the staff was happy to turn on the Jacuzzi morning or night for you. We had no problems and left our clothes and surfboards on the deck. The staff was standing guard at the only entrance so we felt pretty safe. There is coffee and bananas in the office each morning but no formal breakfast. While in town eat at cafe des artists and have some of the wonderful cured meats the owner makes himself.

 
Loved Hotel El Jardin
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

I stayed in Hotel El Jardin in December 04 and I really enjoyed it. They keep everything clean, the Garden is pretty and the staff was very helpful.
I was a single woman traveler and I felt safe at all times.
Montezuma is a great little village and I felt at home right away, too bad I was only able to stay a little more than a week.
I really liked the hippie-flair of this very international community!
stay. Totally recommend this.

“Exactly what i was looking for!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
This hotel is a great all around for certain people. I wouldnt recommendthis hotel for someone who is looking for a nice resort or a really nice room with tv, phone & internet then this isnt the hotel for you. I traveled to Montezuma to relax, explore, and most importantly escape tv and phones! So for me this was perfect.
This hotel sits atop a little hill just up the road in Montezuma (note if you've never been to Montezuma the whole town is about the size of a large mall, so there is nothing really far). The hotel reception gave us , in my opinion, the best room in the hotel. Rooms 5 & 6 sit on the tip of the hill (which is a bit hard to climb with flipflops) with a nice view and most importantly a AMAZING porch. The porch as a very comfortable wooden bed, chair and hammock. I spent all my time there as oppossed to the room, so it didnt bother me that the rooms werent anything to write home about The bed was a little hard, but the ac and fridge were key.
The guys at the reception are great and very helpful with tour suggestions and restaurants. They dont have any problems telling you that a certain tour isnt worth it and suggest another instead. All in all i would DEFINATELY go back to El Jardin if i could get my same room again. I loved my stay and LOVED montezuma.
Montezuma is true PURA VIDA. cant wait to go back.

“Beautiful Garden with a domestic Iguana”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

As soon as we saw this hotel we knew that this is where we want to stay. It is probably the most expensive hotel in town but what is $60 divided by 3...

Unique Qualities: It has the most beautiful garden I saw anywhere in Costa Rica, domestic Iguana, koatis walking around, two small pools with a jacuzzi and very clean rooms...and a hammock in front of the door.

Very nice iguana fed by hotel staff is always on the stone at the hotel entrance.

“El jardin 'rocks'”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
We stayed at hotel el jardin for three nights, it was my first time in costa rica and in montezuma, the room was very nice and clean every day, the swimming pool was amazing, but was makes the differece was the friendly receptionits Gustavo he was very polite and nice and he help us out coordinating all the tours and our transportation, we reallly apreciate all his hard work, we can´t wait to come back to costa rica and el hotel el jardin
Mattew, California

“This place is awesome!!!!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
Such a great spot. Right in town, yet quiet. Very clean, well-run and kid-friendly. The pool is amazing. The staff ROCKS. Esteban and Gustavo helped us enormously, and were very cool as well!!! We could not have asked for a better place to stay in Montezuma.

“Excellent Place to Stay”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
This is a great little property. We stayed for 6 nights in April. Yes it is definitely expensive for Montezuma and Costa Rica in general but then again you get a great little room with A/C, a deck with a hammock and two chairs and a cute swimming pool. The breakfast is really not worth having - packaged tea biscuits, bananas and coffee so not a place to really fuel up. It's about a 10 minute walk but go have breakfast at Hotel Amor del Mar - lovely ocean and lawn view and tasty breakfast with an amazing homemade bread! The bathroom in the room was so-so nothing of note. Shower had hot water. The linens are also fine, very clean and the bed was pretty comfortable. We were very happy with the accomodations but you have to manage expectations - you aren't getting a Westin Heavenly bed anywhere in these parts. You can hear everything through the walls from your neighbors but this did not prove a problem for us and we heard little to no noise from town. And hey, you have an A/C so turn it on and you can't hear anything but the fan anyway. Maid service was consistent and good, room was cleaned well everyday.

Short walk to the restaurants, bars and beach (although surf was quite rough while we were there).

I would reccomend the owners offer a slightly better breakfast service - bread and a toaster or some such thing would be nice, for the price in Montezuma I think they could be a bit more generous. And update their pool chairs and/or cushions.

But otherwise go and enjoy this great spot in Montezuma!

“Great little hotel”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

We stayed at El Jardin for 2 nights during Easter week. Our room was very spacious and clean. There wasn't a TV in the room, but we had a great balcony with a hammock overlooking the pool.

The pool was really nice to relax in at night after a long day. Also, the grounds of the hotel was kept immaculate and the decor was quite modern.

The only staff I ever saw was the front desk. The experience was neutral. I did not find them overly friendly, but they were not rude either.

Overall, the value was good as the location is central in the small but great town of Montezuma. I cannot wait to return and experience more of Montezuma!

“El Jardin was PERFECT!!”
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica
My girlfriend and I booked 3 nights at Hotel El Jardin when we were in Montezuma at the end of March.

Check in was smooth and quick, and we were given a king bedded room located right off the main street. This was perfect for us as it gave us a little patio to chill and people watch, and was very easy for our friends staying at another hotel across the way to come visit us :)

The pool was always clean and refreshing and was the perfect way to relax after a hot day in the sun. Lying in a lounge chair surrounded by flowers and greenery is so relaxing.

Esteban at the front desk was a great host and was quick to come up with solutions when our tranporation plans fell through at the last minute.

I would highly recommend this hotel, and will definitely come back for a return visit!!!

Sam and Kim (Toronto)

"A gem in Montezuma"
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

Our stay at Hotel El Jardin was delightful! It is a very unique property, with both rooms and casitas. We were in a 2nd floor room with a beautiful view of the magnificant gardens and ocean, a full balcony with hammock and 2 deck chairs. The room furnishings were comfortable. Good water pressure in the shower! My absolute favorite was the pool area - plenty of chaises for lounging around the unique bi-level pool/jacuzzi. Relaxation was complete! This is a sister property of La Hacienda de Malpais, another very unique property.
Hotel El Jardin a lovely respite! – Hotel El Jardin, Montezuma Costa Rica.

We enjoyed the nights we stayed at Hotel El Jardin so much. The hotel is so beautiful, a vision of tropical gardens! The landscaping with all the different colors of flowers and the wonderful pool area with waterfall were a pleasure for relaxing after our visits to Cabo Blanco, Curu and Isla Tortuga. One afternoon we saw a family of six Kongo monkeys in the tree above our room while we were swimming. Two of the mothers had tiny babies on their backs. The room was very nice and clean and the cabinets with sections for our suitcases made it so easy to stay organized. I wish all the hotels had this feature! I'm going to write a special letter to Christopher Baker, author of the Moon Guide to Costa Rica telling him how much I enjoyed Montezuma and particularly our stay at Hotel El Jardin de Montezuma. Muchas Gracias, Hotel El Jardin, for a very lovely visit!

Pura Vida,
M. K., Palo Alto, CA
LOVED Hotel El Jardin!
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

Hotel El Jardin was one of the best things about my trip to Costa Rica! After a long day of sweating and feel gritty from hiking, swimming in salt water, or horseback riding, Hotel El Jardin made my experience very enjoyable. I suppose if you are traveling on a budget and can fall asleep anywhere, the comforts of Hotel El Jardin aren't necessary, But if you want a clean and comfortable room, Hotel El Jardin is the place to stay! Our cabin was cleaned daily, the air-conditioning was like heaven in the hot and humid weather, and the pool was so relaxing at night. The grounds are very pretty!
 
Perfect, quiet and great staff
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

We arrived late in the day intending to check into the Hotel del Amor down the road. But at 3 1/2 months pregnant I really needed the AC in the room and wanted to be off the water and away from the bugs. We went into town and opted for the Hotel Jardin. We got a great cabina for $70 cash with a mini fridge and ac. We had our own balcony complete with chairs and a hammock, and had some animal visitors including a Coatis, an anteater and howler monkeys (which wake up before the sun). The pool was great and clean and the staff was happy to turn on the Jacuzzi morning or night for you. We had no problems and left our clothes and surfboards on the deck. The staff was standing guard at the only entrance so we felt pretty safe. There is coffee and bananas in the office each morning but no formal breakfast. While in town eat at cafe des artists and have some of the wonderful cured meats the owner makes himself.
 
Loved Hotel El Jardin
Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica

I stayed in Hotel El Jardin in December 04 and I really enjoyed it. They keep everything clean, the Garden is pretty and the staff was very helpful.
I was a single woman traveler and I felt safe at all times.
Montezuma is a great little village and I felt at home right away, too bad I was only able to stay a little more than a week.
I really liked the hippie-flair of this very international community!