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The transport center for the Rio Frio banana-growing region. Guapiles is just over 60km (37 miles) northeast of San Jose. It is in the province of Limon where beautiful and luxurious properties of Costa Rica real estate can be found here. Guapiles is a good base from which to visit the Rainforest Aerial Tram in the Braulio Carillo National Park. The few hotels in town cater mainly to plantation workers and have cold water and thin walls. The one exception is the comparatively swish Hotel Suerre, a country club with pool, gym and exercise room and poolside bar (all of which non-guests are welcome to use for a fee) and also a good restaurant. Just outside Guapiles, following a well-marked right turn from the highway at the Ponderosa restaurant, sits the Casa Rio Blanco, a rainforest lodge with comfortable cabinas and lush hiking trails down to the river and its waterfalls. Because of its proximity to many small ecological Reserves, Guápiles is a great base for visitors interested in exploring the immense biodiversity of the Santa Clara plains. Although most travelers merely pass through town on their way to the Carribean, Guápiles has recently begun to embrace eco-tourists, which is evident by the amount of lodging that has recently been constructed to facilitate the increasing demand. Getting to Guápiles is easy from San José by both bus and car. Highway 32 runs directly east from the capital, eventually ending up at Guápiles in the foot hills of the Central Volcanic Corridor. Transportation time is about an hour. From the Caribbean side, simply take Highway 32 west from Puerto Limón. Found in the northern foothills of the Cordillera Central, the town of Guápiles is the commercial and social center for the banana and vegetable farmers of the surrounding area. Most of the bananas grown in the Frío River region are transported through Guápiles. A large agricultural market can be found each Saturday in Guápiles.
http://flickr.com/photos/joergzwingli/2047090967/sizes/o/
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