Vacationing in Costa Rica
A while back, I ventured out on a week-long vacation to Costa Rica. I went with my friend, Jean. We decided to go in August, which was considered the rainy season there. It was a good time for us to take a vacation and less expensive to travel during this season, which fit our budgets. We both loved to travel.
Have you ever vacationed in Costa Rica? If not, I would highly recommend it, and here’s why.
The Arenal Volcano and Costa Rican Wildlife
We flew from Chicago via Mexico City into San Jose, Costa Rica. Our first stop was the Arenal Volcano Lodge in the Northwestern part of Costa Rica. When we arrived, it was very foggy and raining. We couldn’t see the volcano but the hotel staff reassured us that it was right there in front of us.
It rained all night and we could hear the rain bounce off the tin roof of our modest cabin. It added to the ambiance of the location. When we woke up the next morning, the volcano was right outside our door larger than life surrounded by tropical foliage, wild animals, and lots of birds.
We spent our first day exploring the resort. The lodge restaurant had a wall of windows overlooking the volcano where you could bird watch and observe monkeys in the trees and coatimundi eating food offered up by the hotel on these viewing stands. Bird-watching books were also perched on bookstands to assist us as guests in identifying the species we were observing.
We signed up for some excursions that day and then ventured out on our own to hike in the rainforest and check out a butterfly farm on the premises. The butterflies were everywhere and landed on us like we were just another plant. Later on, we met a couple from Germany while relaxing in the hot tub on the rooftop of the lodge.
Ziplining to the Hot Springs
The next day we jumped in the excursion van that took us zip lining in the rainforest. It was the first time zip lining for both of us. We were geared up with harnesses and helmets after signing a waiver, which made us wonder how safe this all could be. Receiving instruction in Spanish added a whole new twist to the experience.
Being a little nervous, I volunteered to go first. I jumped off the platform and did the Carol Burnett George of the Jungle howl as I zipped through the rainforest amongst the sounds of howling monkeys towards the platform. My suede gloved hand was my manual break. Jean and the rest of the group successfully followed.
Afterward, we hung out in the hot springs and then drank fruity beverages at a cocktail table in the pool at a nearby resort. It was a beautiful and relaxing rest of the day following our adrenaline-infused experience.
Headed to the Pacific Coast
The next day we headed out in a taxi van to our second stop on the Pacific coast. There were mudslides from the previous day’s heavy rain, which made us happy that we didn’t rent a car. We both agreed that we would have died flying off a cliff had we tried to navigate the roads on our own.
We arrived at El Capitan Suiza, a Swiss-owned resort right on the ocean in Tamarindo. It was a lovely vacation spot with a pool, a cabana bar, an outdoor restaurant overlooking the beach, and all of the sounds of the wildlife.
Livin’ La Pura Vida
Our meals were incredibly fresh as the chef leveraged the local vegetation. Between the food, the fresh air, and the adventures, we experienced firsthand the country’s motto, La Pura Vida meaning the pure or simple life. That evening we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner where we ran into the German couple we had originally met at the Arenal Volcano Lodge.
The next day, we headed to the pool for a swim in the sun where we met some unexpected iguanas and a couple of retired Chicago cops, who were quite the characters but very entertaining and friendly. Later, after we walked on the beach, they lent us their boogie boards to try out in the ocean. This was another fun-filled first.
Croaking Frogs in the Pool Led to Kayaking
After dinner, we went swimming again along with some giant croaking frogs. We also met some guys around our age, who had just arrived at the resort that night. One had planned to rent a kayak the next day to check out a little island off the beach, which sounded like fun.
So the next day we decided to go kayaking as well. When we were collecting some beautiful shells on the island, we saw one of the guys we met the night before. We were hit by a wave that capsized our kayaks on our way back to shore and sent them sailing over our heads almost knocking us out. Thank God we were close to the shore by then so the water wasn’t very deep.
The Makings of a Sitcom
Each day in the late afternoon, it would lightly rain enough to cool everything off and draw all of the guests from the pool and beach to the outdoor tiki-type bar. One day we returned from shopping at a nearby surf town walking along the beach and it started raining.
This made for some interesting mid-afternoon people watching that I thought could have easily been great material for a sitcom. The guests included the retired Chicago policemen and their escorts, a drunken newlywed couple, a couple of Spaniards, a couple of Swedish women, Jean and I.
Sure Why Not!
Our third stop on our Costa Rican adventure was south near Manual Antonio State Park. We stayed at a resort called, Si Como No. It was appropriately named by the creator when he asked the locals if they could help him build a resort in the rainforest on stilts overlooking the ocean, to which they replied in Spanish, sure why not!
After enjoying a swim-up breakfast the next morning in the pool, we ventured out to Manual Antonio State Park and the beach. We enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day swimming in the waves and soaking up the sun.
Travel Guides and Return Trips
While waiting for the bus to take us back to our resort, who drove up to say hi to us but the German couple we had met a couple of times along the way. We realized that we had both used the same travel guide to plan our trips.
That night we enjoyed dinner while listening to some live ethnic music. It was a wonderful Costa Rican adventure! One that I am so grateful to have taken and will never forget. I hope to get back there someday soon to see the Monteverde Cloud Forest and some sea turtles hatching. I’ve seen them hatch in Florida, which was another first to remember but would love to see them again.
Have you ever taken a Costa Rican Adventure?
- Where did you go?
- What did you do?
- Where did you stay?
- What were your first-time experiences?
- What wildlife did you see and hear?
- What characters did you meet along the way?
Please share your responses and any feedback in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by!
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