Numerous people list Costa Rica as a “must visit”
vacation spot, and when given the chance to join a few friends, we took it! They
were going to the Guanacaste region, which is only a few hour plane ride from
DFW to the Liberia airport, and in the same time zone… “easy” travel
destination for us!
Arriving at the airport, Russell and I were
picked up by Giovanni (CocoTours.) He was recommended
The polite and attentive Andaz staff welcomed us
into an open aired lobby surrounded by mountain views, and served a fresh glass
of juice, while they checked us into our room. A golf cart picked Russell and
me up for a quick tour of the grounds before arriving to our room. The ambiance
was serene and romantic; just what you need for relaxation. The room was just
as incredible…floor to ceiling glass doors opened to our balcony and from the
rainfall shower! You truly felt as if you were in your own bungalow nestled in
the rainforest. The resort provided a beach bag, complimentary flip flops and
hats to take to the beach and pools.
Speaking of the beach and pool…there were
several levels of infinity pools, and the beach offered free activities. We
made sure to take advantage of the stand-up paddleboarding! I had thought most
of our time would be spent at the “adult” pool, but since there were not many
kids around, we stayed at the main pool area getting served delicious and
strong cocktails. Russell enjoyed the drink that came in a coconut, and I loved
their sangria!
One of the “must do” items on my list for this
trip was to zip line…if you are going to zip line, Costa Rica is the place to
do it! Witch’s Rock Canopy Tour was a short 5 minute drive from Andaz, and they
provided transportation. After some quick training, Russell and I joined
another family and started our tour. They took us on 11 different lines…it was
exhilarating! I also checked off another “must do” which was to see monkeys.
While climbing to one of the zip lines, an entire family was swinging from tree
to tree. The instructor mentioned that they usually do not come out this time
of day. We got lucky!
Each night, we relaxed with a glass of wine on
our tranquil balcony before heading to one of the resort restaurants. (Tip:
Russell bought a couple bottles of wine at the duty free store once we arrived
at the airport. This helped save us some money!) The first night we chose
Ostra, their seafood spot. They welcomed us with a mixed, pineapple cocktail
that gave me a new love of their Costa Rican liqueur, Cacique. It has a neutral
taste, so you have to be careful…you can drink a lot without realizing! Ostra
offered a ceviche bar. I am not a big fan because cilantro is often mixed in
ceviche, but this allowed me to make it just the way I like, and it was delicious!
After some wonderful downtime and resort life,
we were ready to experience Costa Rica a different way. Giovanni picked us up
from Andaz and had us pulling up to our meeting spot after about an hour drive.
The house was located in Playa Flamingo (still Guanacaste region,) and the
owners were not kidding when they said you’d need a 4-wheel drive car for the
4km “trek” up to the house, but it was worth it. The views were like nothing
I’ve seen before. It was exquisite. We couldn’t wait to take a dip in the
infinity pool, and us girls jumped into the hammock with a glass of wine as
soon as possible. This was going to be an incredible next few days. (As long as
we watched out for scorpions!)
When we weren’t relaxing by the pool, we
ventured down the 4km “trek” to explore. Giovanni had told us about Shell Beach
(Playa Conchal)…literally a beach composed of billions of tiny shells.
It was astonishing,
and luckily not painful to walk on (actually a great exfoliator!) It was a bit
difficult to find; we had to drive on the sand of another beach to get
to it, but sure glad we did!
The grounds keeper at the house, Diego, was
extremely resourceful. His family owned a restaurant and market in town, and
his father-in-law cooked dinner for us a couple nights. The food was marvelous.
This was my first time to have a catered dinner like this…it’s something I
could get used to! We made sure to visit
his family’s restaurant, Las Brisas. My friends loved the ceviche, and the
large serving size! (I passed because of the cilantro.) We went to Soda Marcell
a couple times because of the delicious fruit smoothies, and another
restaurant, Sol y Mar was an experience. As we were eating, a family of monkeys
joined us from the tree above. It was too cool!
.jpg)
One of my favorite parts of our trip was the
Panache Catamaran cruise. They welcomed us aboard a beautifully clean and
spacious sailboat for our snorkel and sunset expedition. The drinks were
delicious and didn’t stop coming. I was disappointed in the clarity of the
water and the lack of seeing any unique fish, but the spectacular scenery made
up for it. They served us a good meal after we worked up an appetite swimming.
This was the perfect way to wrap up our trip in Costa Rica.
The following morning, Russell and I dropped off
our friends at the resort they were staying for the remainder of their trip to
attend a wedding. It was probably one of the most difficult things to do
knowing our vacation was coming to an end. We then made our way to the airport
(be sure to remember the $29 per person exit tax that you have to pay.)
