Ciudad Neily and Vicinity
Ciudad Neily
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Ciudad Neily squats at the base of the Fila Costeña mountains, beside the Pan-American Highway, 18 kilometers northwest of Panamá and 15 kilometers east of RÃo Claro and the turnoff for Golfito.
The town is surrounded by banana plantations and functions as the node for plantation operations. There is nothing to hold your interest, though you are likely to see indigenous women in colorful traditional dress, usually, begging for a meager living.
North from Ciudad Neily, a road switchbacks steeply 1,000 meters to San Vito (31 kilometers). South from town, a road leads through a sea of African palm plantations to the airstrip at Coto 47.
Accommodations
There’s no shortage of budget hotels in the $5–15 range. Hot water is a luxury. One of the best bets is Cabinas Heileen (tel. 506/783-3080, $8 pp, $14 pp with TVs), in a nicely kept home festooned with epiphytes. Its 10 simple but clean rooms have fans and private baths with cold water (one room has hot water). Five rooms have TVs.
The nicest place in town is Hotel Andrea (tel. 506/783-3784, $29 s, $29 d with fans; $29 s, $33 d with a/c), with 35 rooms in a handsome two-story colonial-style property festooned with hanging plants, 50 meters west of the bus station. Rooms are clean, with tile floors and modest furnishings. All have TV and hot water, and 14 have air-conditioning. It has secure parking, and an appealing open-air restaurant and bar. A bargain!
Outside town, the Belgian-run Hospedaje Eurotica (tel. 506/783-3756, http://xref.ws/Euro-Tica) is a nice option. It’s on the highway, two kilometers west of town. And the views from Hotel El Mirador (tel. 506/841-2935, $16 s, $24 d), 600 meters above town on the snaking road to San Vito, make a stay here worthwhile, despite simply furnished rooms. It has a nice restaurant, but also serves as a love motel!
Food
Hotel Andrea (6 a.m.–12:30 a.m. daily, $1.50–15) has the most elegant eatery in town. The menu includes pancakes and honey, huevos rancheros, omelettes, plus onion soup, shrimp salad, pastas, and filet mignon.
The clean, modern Restaurante La Moderna (tel. 506/783-3097, $2–12), on the main street, one block east of the plaza, has an eclectic menu ranging from burgers and pizza to ceviche and tÃpico dishes.
Getting There
The airport is four kilometers south of town, at Coto 47. Sansa (tel. 506/257-9414, www.flysansa.com) and Nature Air (tel. 506/220-3054, www.natureair.com) both have scheduled service to Coto 47.
Buses (tel. 506/222-2666) depart San José for Ciudad Neily from Calle 14, Avenidas 3/5, five times daily (eight hours).
For taxis call Taxi Ciudad Neily (tel. 506/783-3374).
© Christopher P. Baker from Moon Costa Rica, 6th Edition
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