www.CostaRicaTicas.com

If you don't care about life in Quepos/Manuel Antonio, forget about reading further, but this is the biggest eatery news out of there ever, or at least in a long, long while.

El Gran Escape, aka The Great Escape, the very good $$$ seafood place on the seawall in Quepos, is boarded up. Suprisingly, it reopened on the 2nd floor in the new commercial building at the Pez Vela Marina app 1.25 miles away a few weeks ago. Great view of the fleet and harbor, previous location had no view other then the sea wall which blocked most of the view of the bay before, but the move is still kind of puzzzling.

Marcia, the 50ish blond from CA, bought this place early 1990's, rebranded and remodeled it, and it became a very popular tourist bar/eatery, the bar was a fav for the captains and fishermen crowd, the restaurant doing well with tourists. It's been a Quepos icon for a long time. If you've been to Quepos you know the place and have seen her.

Dicey move on her part, some are saying wierd, including me. The Marina/pier area where she has moved gets ZERO tourist foot traffic--it's way too far to walk from centro Quepos, where her location was the epicenter, to the Marina. What is the plan---to draw from the Marina? It's dead there.

The 100 slip Marina has not met by far it's expectations, now app 5 years into it, other then somewhat during the 2-3 annual Deep Sea tournaments which last about a week. From what I can tell when I hang out on the pier with my 6 pack of Imperial cans, most of the regular Quepos fishing fleet is still mooring out where it did, using the old scary steep ramp off the pier to board passengers, and not mooring inside the Marina in slips. Some have arranged for a pickup/dropoff privilege, and gas & pump out. I think the per foot price for a slip is a little too rich for their budget?

Maybe 15 boats are moored in the huge, huge, 100 football fields size Marina, don't know if they're temp boats or not, and none of the big $$$ Onassis style 100' ships that they designed 10 of the 100 slips for. The big tourist catamaran with the double water slides in the aft is the only one I see regularly there.

A high tech operation, they have to cirulcate thousands and thousands of gallons of water thru the marina and back out to the bay daily, beautiful facility, all the yacht perks, built to weather any kind of storm. Gringo managed by marina pro's led by Perry Tolsen and his guys. Long time multi million dollar building project which inluded jumping thru CR Regulatory hoops for years. Official int'l entry port so you can clear immigration and customs there. But, the place is almost empty. Plan was to build a huge condo development around it for the rich to stay and have their boat "garage" too. Ain't happening. So, hard to figure why Marcia moved from the epicenter over to the boon dock.

That had to be very good news I would think for her former location competitors if she really had any: the new "Canatico" a block south of where she was, and the "The Double Hook", the former Pescadores around the corner (that was the best place in Quepos for P4P, but sorry boys, the new owner ain't letting the girls in ), both alot smaller but have bar food kitchens; and also good news for the full menu restaurants in Quepos. That was the best Christmas 2013 gift for them--the dog with the big nuts is gone. I remember over the years a couple of places opened near her and didn't make it--"Banco Bar" being one, and two different sets of big $$ gringo's tried an died.

I wish Marcia well, she does alot of community service stuff in Quepos, and has had alot of the same bar/food staff for many, many years which says something good about her. Her menu was always very unique and beautifully presented, though pricey for Quepos. We'll see if it was a good move.

It's been a few years since I was in Quepos but I always made sure to get a couple of meals here. And it was also a great place to have a late afternoon beer and listen to all of the "fish" stories.

Although a bit pricey the food was always good. And when I had a hamburger craving, this was the place to go as they have the best burger I have gotten in CR (and I've tried a lot of them).

This is the kind of info we need here.
El Gran Escape << needs to update their Website...as does TA http://www.elgranescape.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R ... renas.html
Marina Pez Vela http://www.marinapezvela.com/
Canatico Sportsbar http://www.crneeds.com/canatico---sport ... pizza.html << interesting Website
The Double Hook https://www.facebook.com/TheDoubleHook

As to why go to Quepos or CR's southern Pacific waters--here's the big clue: http://playascostarica.info/otros/fishi ... osta-rica/ << 70 IGFA all-tackle record fish have been caught there

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Just noticed this was a dupe Post. Sorry.

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

I'm sorry to hear that the Gran Escape moved to the new location. I ate there many times, the last time being a couple of years ago. I thought the food there was very good. The last time there, I had scallops, which were fantastic! Also, I kind of liked the atmosphere there.
Pescadores is gone?! Where are the chicas now? Is Wacky Wanda's (next door) still there? I remember the
Banco Bar...it was a nice place to hang out. Did they ever build that 5-star hotel (Jade?) on the road to Manuel Antonio? I think it was supposed to be built across the road from the hotel Si Como No. I remember seeing a large sign posted there a few years ago.

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

GT: Yes, they built the Jade but named it Los Altos Resort & Spa at $350 per nite depending. Condo Hotel. The high rise aspect of it kind of doesn't fit in visually---like the stupid 727 sized airplane fuselages the Canadian owner of Costa Verde dragged up the hill and has them sticking out to the road . What an eyesore detracting from one of the top 10 vistas in CR--and I'm sure that wasn't cheap--above and below the table.

Kind of like the Marina, the Los Altos Resort was planned when they thought property inflation was never going to end. So it's too big, in a saturated area of high end hotels, overpriced so kind of empty mostly. But at least it got finished, as opposed to a few huge skeletons I see idling for a long time in Jaco.

Banco Bar has been shuttered for 5 years? It was too close to and could not compete with the Escape is my take. Two sets of gringo's tried and died. Maybe a very,very good opportunity now though.

Pescadores had it going pretty good for about 3-4 years for the little bar it was, at least chica wise--don't know if he was making any serious$$--chicas don't spend much--but they do bring guys in of course. It's only a leasehold as is Wacky Wanda's next door, in fact both are the same building, just divided off, and the building has been on the market for several years. You can see the listing in the various Quepos real estate agency's websites if you know what they look like, not listed with the bar's names.

Kenny, the 40ish FL gringo that got it going pretty good sold his leasehold to another gringo about a year ago. The 2nd guy tanked it. Fired everybody. Got in all sort of personal trouble, got locked up, shuttered. That left the girls kind of hanging around on the corner, or at Wacky's, or the casino across the street, or a new bar that opened, Canatico, a block south of the Escape.

A local fish charter owner bought the leasehold for Pescadores, renamed it Double Hook, gutted it front to back, really nice Maritime themed remodeling, opened like 4 months ago, ain't letting the girls in, empty.

Canatico was doing pretty good with an unusual mix of younger ticos and tourists but then got in a pissing match on Facebook with the local Health Minister over a 1 day closing order, that got nasty. Closed em up for a while after that, now open again, letting the girls in as long as they are buying drinks. Most of them don't so the gringa co-owner from Canada, who was a bartender at Pescadores, chases them when the lolly-gag. She married a tico and thus the Canatico name. Wacky Wanda's has the same policy, the girls take up too many stools or tables and both bars are small--you remember Wacky Wanda's--it hasn't changed a bit since you were there, nor has she. When she is in CR, her acidic loud mouth chases more people out of there then she knows. Can't imagine a person with her personality being in the small bar biz. If she's in town I won't go there. Most appropriately named bar in the world. And the funny thing is she actually thinks she's funny.

So the girls are just kind of hanging out on the corner mostly, walking in and out of the casino, Canatico, and Wacky's.

For now, and really as always, Quepos is a BYO town. Pescadores really was just OK, a few real cuties almost every night, and 15 or so also rans, but so much better for Quepos then before. There's a clip joint Gentlemen's Club going up the hill to MA but I rarely see any cars there, mostly no cars. Another joint going toward the airport, Leyla's cabinas/casino, fair prices but poor selection, girls living on the premises. There's some very, very nice "girls that will go" stuff available in the neighborhoods but it takes connections inside the community, alot of time, and some spanish to get set up. But once you have your little crew of them, you're set for your next visits. But with most of them you have to take them out of the area--they don't want the locals who work at the hotels to see them with a gringo. A small town and they all know or at least recognize each other. Again Quepos is a best to BYO for now.

Still can't really figure out the Escape moving to the Marina. She owned the building so that wasn't it. Had a really good consistent bar/restaurant crowd in the best location for tourists walking around as you remember. The Marina? I know the local taxi guys are thrilled. Nobody's walking that far to the Marina from centro. We'll see.

Thanks for posting and the info - have eaten at Marsha's going back to the '90's - thought it had great food, but at USA prices - they also sold great T shirts at low prices.

Have also been to the new marina - whaile the construction was impacted by the recession, I was always somewhat dubious about the prospects of Marina Pez Vella, but wish them well.

(Typical very expensive, rip off type place geared towards Americans - just MHO)

While I only visited the marina once, last Jan, about a year ago, to be kind it would not have been difficult to get slip space, if you take my point.

Maybe Marsha figures her guests will:

Either find her at her new location
Or she has built up enough of a following over the years that she is going to be OK wherever she is located.

I - while I wish her the very best - have a bit of a different view - in ANT business, if its not broken, you don't "fix" it - also - one of the worst business, the res'T/bar business is especially precarious.....that's one if its working you say "Thank God" and don't do anything - like changing your location - to jepordize it.

Still, I hope it works out and wish her the best.

What would be real swell for this restaurant and this marina and the area tourist fishing community would be if a bunch of newly-flush-from-a-killer-2013 Wall Street Sports or doing-much-better-than-expected upper mgmt./jr. execs at major corps.decided southern CR's coast, it's funky charm, was just the thing. Daddy didn't go there and that's reason enough. Somebody feel like bringing Quepos to these guys? There's some little coin to be turned and a lot of good to be done...This post was not pure fantasy...

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

The only thing I can figure is that someone made her a great offer on the property of the old location. Sell at a big profit and lease some space for a new bar / restaurant.

I know that Quepos property must be very expensive. I saw an ad when Pescadores first went on sale. I was initially intrigued as the listing price was about $100K. Further research revealed that was just to take over the existing lease (and the meager stock and fixtures) that only had a couple of years left on it. One would have to sell one heck of a lot of Imperials to make any money with that.

Never a lack of dreamers who's fantasy is to run a bar in paradise - most of them find out the hard way just how difficult a business that is:
Regulated
You always seem to have employee problems
The hours are terrible
You are around <some at least> drunks all the time
You have a few ways of making money, and 100 way to lose money

And that's here in the USA - rachett it up by a lot in a foreign country where you likely don't even speak the language or know the customs.

While its a tribute to Marsha that "El Gran Escape" seemed to prosper, most of the dreamers either get a fast and expensive lesson in how to make a million in Costa Rica by owning a bar (start with 2 million ) - or end up being their own best customer - like the old drunk who owned the New York bar for years........

Scuba says: "most of the dreamers either get a fast and expensive lesson in how to make a million in Costa Rica by owning a bar (start with 2 million "

That second bunch of gringo's (and the last and final attemptors) who opened Banco Bar around the corner from Marcia's Great Escape made a million that way. And these young guys were smart, young, Red Bull energetic, experienced club owner's either from Miami or Dallas, I forget.

They tried everything: an expensive cool remodel; high tech music, video, web; alot of promotions and specials; good bar food; heavy advertisement; cute bartenders; popular local front line managers; probably everything that worked for them in the states.

Actually, I liked it better then the Escape which was a tad on the Red Lobster side, CR version. But these young dudes only lasted about a year in Quepos and I am sure they're still thinking WTF did we do wrong. They did have the brains to stop the bleeding and bail though. Closed it, no clue if they owned it or leased it or what that deal was. But no doubt they took a big hit.

Before them, the first set of gringos who did own it hung with that place but bled for a long, long time, like for 4-5 years, though on a smaller scale, before they were able to get out. But what a waste of those years of that super nice couple's life and which I heard caused a divorce, married or not.

Tough to come into Quepos as the new guy when between Quepos and the beach there are 50-80 bars/restaurant bars?, all stressed by the competition, a few really popular, and then a 3 month deader then dead rainy season. All the popular beach towns are like that, the #'s of bars based on the size of the town/area. In the green season, the local Ticos are still only going to the local Tico bars for the cheap beer. You pays your ticket and you takes your chances.

Without any doubt regardless of what kind of property or biz is out there anywhere in CR, "For sale" is the most often posted sign in CR in spanish and/or english. I'm sure you have noticed.

I remember when Pescadores was called 'Mar y Blues'. The first time I went to Quepos, in 2001, I brought a Tica from San Jose. She wanted to play the slot machines in the Hotel Kamuk (Best Western), and while she did that, I wandered across the street into the 'Mar y Blues'.
I remember going to the Arco Iris disco, in the north part of town. They didn't open until about 10:00 PM. A lot of the working girls hung out there. Does anyone know the name of the club that was across the street and down a bit from the Arco Iris? It had a large deck on the water (inlet). Apparently it was very popular with the locals. There must have been over a hundred people there, and I think I was the only Gringo in the entire place.
When I was in Quepos a couple of years ago, I discovered some new places to eat/drink. A block down (heading away from the water) from Wacky Wanda's, on the same side of the street, is Dos Locos, a Mexican? restaurant/bar. I was surprised that they had a live band (Gringos playing classic rock) on a Wednesday night. The band was actually quite good.
A block or two north of Dos Locos, on a corner, is a restaurant called 'El Jardin del Mar'. The food was very good...large portions at a reasonable price.
Lastly, there was a new restaurant just down the street (heading towards the gulf), from Pescadores called Bogart's. They had a young Gringa bartender there who had just started working. She was so bad that a couple of people at a table had to send their drinks back because they were made wrong, and I had to tell her that Ron Centenario was Costa Rican rum!

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Well, regarding my question about the name of the club in Quepos across the street from the Arco Iris disco, I did a search, and found a post that I made in 2004 that answers my own question. The club was called Bahia Azul. I wonder if it, and the Arco Iris, are still open?

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Pretty good memory. Bahia Azul is still going strong, Juan, the owner, isn't working there much, he is now head of security at the Marina. A great place to chill out because you are directly on the bay in Quepos, immediately north of the bridge coming into town from Jaco/Parrita. All tico's but a friendly and nice open air bar which also has outside seating if you want to catch some rays. Serves food. And always cute waitresses. Funny story, I was sitting at the bar around 5pm, and there was this cat walking around up on the rafters but I didn't know. Plop, this little Phucker dropped down with a thud about 6 inches from my drink. Startled the shit out of me. Naturally, the ticos laughed there asses off.

Discoteca Arco Iris was still there last time I looked. Opens at 10pm, $6 cover, big joint, tico place, very very loud tico disco music, lots of local girls. A little of that blaring Tico disco stuff goes along way for me, but WTF, it's a Costa Rican disco. Need spanish to manuever but hard to hook up--the local ticas don't want to be seen with a gringo, for the most part.

Dos Locos is on the corner across from the bus station. Great people watching place, busy pedestrian intersection. Owned by an older gringa named Vera who's always there. Often live gringo music, but not over powering, has organized gringo events like bridge games, and a night she calls "Drinking & Thinking", a significant older gringo ex-pat crowd meeting place/hang out. She serves Mexican, tries to anyway, terrible, she needs to bring in a few Mexican cooks. Drinks only for me there, but it's busy and likeable place in a great location.

El Jardin del Mar is still open, diagonal from Banco National. Good food, big breakfast. Kind of got screwed because they are now reconfiguring the bus station so now the busses are parking and disenbarking in the back of the station, and lined up, so that means 10 feet outside El Jardin's door and big open air windows, are very loud busses idling with diesel/exhaust smell. I had lunch there a few months ago. Empty.

Bogart's went bust pretty quick. Spent a fortune on the remodel, as nice looking a bar/eatery as any you'd see in a fashionable part of an American city. But a Lebanese menu in Quepos? It then became a women clothes store. Same result. It is vacant now.

I'd say Canatico, Sargento Garcia's, Republik, and the club on the second floor diagonal from Dos Locos I think now called Musik are the hot spots centro Quepos. Other then Canatico which is half and half, the others are mainly Tico, so same problem with the local ticas. I have heard a few guys getting lucky at Sargento Garcia's which has gringo sports on TV and serves Budweiser in addition to the local beer.

Pescadores is missed.

my bad

_________________
"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED