The availability of high speed internet has come a long way in Costa Rica. Only a few years ago was high speed internet nothing more than a wish. Today however, there are several options for high speed internet in Costa Rica. While high speed internet isn’t available all over the country, it is available in more places than you might think. It can even be found in the far off Caribbean city of Puerto Viejo

What to Expect

It is worth mentioning that while the high speed internet in Costa Rica is fast, it is nothing like high speed internet back in the States or more developed countries. The connection is also far from stable. Because there are regular power outages, there are regular internet outages. Very few places, if any, have some sort of battery backup; so be prepared to be patient.

If you are a web worker, you might have to make some adjustments in your work flow. While the internet here is high speed, it is still slow enough that you will have to make some changes in the way you work.

This is especially true if your work involves large uploads or downloads. If this is the case, try to find some sort program or service that lets your pause and resume downloads. There is nothing worse than being an hour into a download and losing all the progress because of a power outage.

What It Costs

Prices for the internet very from place to place. Some places will charge US$1 for 15 minutes, while others may charge US50 cents a minute. If you will be staying longer or need more time than 15 minute blocks, there are places that offer rates for higher use. These prices range from US$8 a month to US$30 a month.

Printers, Faxes, and Scanners

Extra services such as printers, scanners, and faxes are hit or miss. Smaller cafes that offer the internet as a luxury are likely to not have any such device. If you are lucky, they will have a black and white printer. Most anywhere that has any of these product will have extremly out of date version. So, don’t expect to easily find an internet cafe that has a photo quality printer or a hi-res scanner.

The above isn’t so much true in San Jose. San Jose has an abundance of well put together and up to date internet cafes. These types of internet cafes can be hard to come by, but they do exists. Your best bet in finding one is to talk to an expat in the area or students from the local university. They are the most likely to know where the best internet cafes can be found.

Copiers and Mass Printing

If your work involves mass printing of things like business cards, flyers, and newsletters; you are in luck. Business printers can be found in even the smallest of cities in Costa Rica. Granted, some are more hi-tech than others. For example, some smaller “printers” will only be a personal computer, black and white printer, and a very old Xerox machine.

More up to date printers can be found in larger cities and all over San Jose. If you need hi-res work, multi color printing, stickers, or other specialty products, you will most likely have to make a trip to San Jose.

Original article can be found here: Internet in Puerto Viejo

Cafe Rio Negro – Puerto Viejo

If you are looking for a more relaxed and mellow atmosphere than places like @E’s can provide, you may want peddle on down to Cafe Rio Negro. This Dutch run restaurant and internet cafe is about a 15 minute bike ride from the center of Puerto Viejo. This distance from town is more than most tourist care to walk. Thus, the majority of people you will find in Cafe Rio Negro are local expats from around the world.

Al though I don’t think they try to, Cafe Rio Negro seems to attract an older and more relaxed crowd. So if you don’t feel like rubbing shoulders with college kids on spring break, this might be just the oasis you are looking for. Even on Thursday night, their busy night of the week, you will find mostly 40+ year old locals hanging out and relaxing to the live music that can be found on Thursdays.

The menu here is a nice mix of local dishes as well as Dutch inspired recipes. The best thing on the menu is the sandwiches or anything else that comes with bread. The bread here is homemade and delicious enough to be eaten by its self. Prices here are fairly affordable, even for the backpacker on a budget. A sandwich here will run you about US$3 and a soda will be about US$1.

The internet here is high speed and can be purchased in a variety of ways. They charge by the minute, hour, and month. The reasoning behind these price brackets is simple. The per minute rate is for those who simply need to use the internet to make a quick call via Skype or check for an important email. The hourly rate is for the casual internet surfer, and the monthly rate is for locals or long term travelers.

Original article can be found here: Cafe Rio Negro

Believe it or not, Costa Rica actually offers a number of Wireless Hotspots across the country. Most of these Wireless hotspots are located in the central valley. Areas like San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, and Escazu are the most popular spots for wireless hotspots.

Many of the wireless hotspots in this area brought to you by a company called Hotspot Express. To use these hotspots you need a Hotspot Express account which is $24.95 a month. To see a full list of their wireless hotspot locations, click here.

Outside of the central valley you will be hard pressed to find regular wireless hotspots. Wireless hotspots are becoming more and more popular though. Its not uncommon to find hotels and hostels that have their own private wireless networks. These type of private wireless networks are either free to use or charge a small fee much like other internet cafes.

Original article can be found here: Wireless Hotspots in Costa Rica