06/20/2024
Helping people create cherished memories with their loved ones is what I enjoy most about travel planning! This family will never forget an incredible adventure in Costa Rica celebrating the oldest son's high school graduation. This is what my client had to say about their recent trip...
After narrowing it down to 20+ photos and 4 paragraphs for a daily post, writing a summary for this trip is a challenge! We experienced a lot of PURA VIDA in 7 days.
Shout out to Allison with Tripod Travel, our travel agent. I told her what we were looking for, and she brought me options. One being Guanacaste, CR. When we decided to go with that, she continued to provide options- vetting the hotels, adventure groups, transports, etc for us. We had a buffer at just the right times to rest up for the next big adventure (and before coming back just home). She was AMAZING and available the entire time. We could not have done this without her.
6 nights and 7 days and here’s what we did:
We flew into Liberia (aka Guanacaste airport). Our transport to La Fortuna was about 3 hours, but the driver spoke English very well and answered a lot of questions. He was so nice.
We spent days 1-4 in La Fortuna and stayed at Rancho Cerro Azul Hotel. Totally give that place 5 stars. Its half mile from a swimming hole with a rope swing, 1.5 miles from downtown, very central, and right on a main road which meant free transports to and from excursions. We also took Uber A LOT and it was cheap ($2-10 depending on how far. $10 was like a 20-30 min trip!). None of the drivers spoke English, and since we speak very little Spanish we just smiled at each other and “Muchas Gracias” “Mucho Gusto.” The hotel was also very clean and surroundings were beautiful. Beds were as hard as bricks, but we didn’t care. It felt like paradise. It rained daily but not all day every day. The sun sets at 5pm and rises at 5am. The first day we checked in and ate at a restaurant literally steps from the hotel. There were TONS of places to eat within walking distance.
Day 2 we were able to go to the Mystico Park and tour the swinging bridges in about an hour (usually takes 2 but we hike fast). Then we had Uber drop us at the La Fortuna waterfall where we swam and enjoyed the beauty! After a quick lunch, we spent the afternoon (2 hours) riding ATVs through the mountains over every type of terrain you can imagine, with the Arenal Volcano in full view.
Day 3, we did a combo trip that lasted 8 hours including pickup. It began with rappelling down waterfalls, followed by breakfast cooked by a local family. Next, rode to the river for whitewater rafting- Class III/IV rapids. After that, the excursion included lunch! It was Casado (again). Basically beans & rice with eggs, salad, hunk of cheese, and choice of meat. We ate a lot of rice and beans with eggs and meat but it was always delicious. Afterward, Nick and I took an Uber to a natural hot springs with a voucher we were given the day before. That felt wonderful after an exhausting day.
Day 4 was our travel day, but since we woke up so early we had time to walk and explore downtown first. It was a 4 hour drive from La Fortuna to our second location- Playa Flamingo. The drive was another excursion- we even crossed a river on the van and almost didn’t make it up one of the steep dirt roads.
We stayed at Margaritaville for nights 4-6. The all-inclusive package was nice, especially at the end of the trip. The resort was small (we liked), dated(we didn’t care), food was good, the staff were nice, and the beach was beautiful.
Day 5 was Josiah’s favorite day. The fishing trip. We booked a charter for 6 hours, and it turned into 8. Started out catching some tuna mackerel (which we ate, prepared by the chef at the resort), caught mahi (threw it back as it was too small), and then came bigger swells and 2 hours of rain. Right as we were about to tell the captain to take us in, we hooked a marlin. The 6 hour charter turned into 8, as it took us about 2 1/2 hours to bring that big fish in! Estinated weight- 300lbs! It was indeed an epic day we will never forget.
Day 6 was no plans or excursions- just relax and enjoy the resort.
Day 7 was breakfast, packing up, and travel back to the airport (1 hour from Playa Flamingo).
Being in a rainforest made me feel like I was in a movie, only better. It seemed to be dry and rain at the perfect times. We were able to enjoy most activities without rain. The only time the rain really bothered us was on the boat, because it was heavy and unrelenting. There was nowhere to run or shelter from it, so I played mental games just like I do in endurance sports. Enduring the rain (and massive swells) brought a big reward in the end.
Costa Rica rich in culture/landscape/food/good people, and a great place to visit. Everywhere you go you feel the thread that runs through the country- Pura Vida. Grateful to have enjoyed SO MUCH PURE LIFE in Costa Rica!
