Lola's - Playa Avellana, Costa Rica

Lola's is a destination beach restaurant on Playa Avellana. If you plan on visiting, be prepared to drive on dirt roads for about 1/2 hour and make sure you have a 4WD vehicle. You don't want to get stuck on these dirt roads as they aren't traveled too frequently and in the furnace heat of the day, you definitely don't want to be changing tires or waiting for someone to help you.

On our way to Lola's the second day (loved it so much we had to go back), two young gals were stuck on the side of the road. They attempted to ride beach cruisers down the pothole-ridden road. Well, that didn't work out so well and one of their tires burst. Needless to say, we stopped to help and luckily they were only 200 yards from a store where they could solicit proper help.  Don't ride bikes down this road unless you have a burly mountain bike with large tires. 

Now on to the food... There are a variety of delightful dishes served here. We opted for the pizza, I know, pizza in Costa Rica? They were making tortillas for the pizza crust and the pizzas looked delicious so we selected the Avellana which included goat cheese, olive oil, grilled onion, garlic, spinach, and arugula. It was delicious, so much so, we ordered it twice along with a few Caipirinhas. The national drink of Brazil is the Caipirinha, but it also very common in Costa Rica. It is made with sugar cane, fresh lime,  and Cachaça, a distilled spirit that is made from fermented sugarcane juice. This common Costa Rica cocktail is absolutely divine when made correctly and Lola's hit the nail on the head - not too sweet and entirely refreshing.

Playa Avellana is gorgeous and quite desolate. Unlike most beaches, this one is way off the beaten path so it is perfect to visit. With far fewer people and only a handful of surfers, it is a perfect place to catch a few somewhat scary waves and enjoy the slightly cooler water in the heat of the day.