Here it goes! What I’m most excited to write about – my travels! Now I know that most of us probably aren’t in the planning stages of any trips. It seems as though all travel plans have been sort of paused for the time being, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still get inspired and explore new ideas. I know that I still am! Even during all of this craziness, my desire to travel – and the thought of all the new places I will soon visit – is stronger than ever. I hope that you all feel the same about your vacations & travels.
I decided to start my travel guides with one of my most recent trips – a warm and tropical one – Costa Rica. I really don’t have enough good things to say about Costa Rica. This country is one that even while I was there, I knew I’d be returning some day. There are only a few places in the world that give me this instant feeling of being enamored and Costa Rica is one of them. There is just something inexplainable about the diverse landscapes, the wonderfully fresh & delicious food, and the kind & welcoming people. I really had the trip of a lifetime and although it was only a couple of months ago, I already cannot wait to go back.
I visited Costa Rica in January, which is one of the country’s high season months (late November to late April). This is just one of the many reasons to visit – it is the perfect winter escape for those of us who have cold winter months! The temperatures were all in the 70’s and 80’s depending on what part of the country we were in. I was escaping below freezing weather on the East Coast – something to be excited about in itself. Overall our trip lasted ten days, but two of those ten days were travel days so I’ve decided to only include the 8 full days we had in my guide. Let’s begin!
Day 1 – La Fortuna & Arenal Volcano
On the first full day of our holiday in Costa Rica, we woke up at a resort near La Fortuna. The main attraction in La Fortuna is the Arena National Park and Arenal Volcano. There are also famous natural hot springs and many outdoor activities to do in this area, as it is mostly made up of rainforest – apart from the cute, small town.
The day prior (our travel day) my three friends and I all flew into the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, the capital of Costa Rica. From the airport, we rented a car. Before we left for Costa Rica, we had reserved a car for the full week through a company online, but upon getting our bags and going through customs, we saw that there were many other car companies right inside the airport with operating stands. We ended up just going with a company right there inside the airport, as they matched the price with our previous reservation online. It probably wasn’t our smartest travel decision, but it ended up being okay!
Once we had our rental car, we were off! We began the gorgeous & scenic 3.5 (give or take) hour car ride from San José to our resort near La Fortuna. The resort we stayed in for the first two nights of our trip was called Hotel Linda Vista. We had such a wonderful stay here – it was really a lovely resort. Each morning we received a delicious, traditional complimentary breakfast – eggs, rice & beans, tortilla, plantains, and fresh cheese.
We had our own little cabin with a back patio. The resort has a beautiful pool and hot tub, also. The best part of the resort, though, hands down was the views! They really couldn’t be beat. The resort lies on top of a high hill that overlooks the Arenal Lake. I can’t even adequately describe the views, so I’ll just show you instead. We were even luckier because our room sat across from the famous Arenal Volcano. It couldn’t be any cooler, really. We could see the volcano from our room. Since we arrived late the night before, waking up the next morning, was like Christmas! We were so excited to open the curtains and take in the insane views.
After breakfast, we finally planned out the activities for our first day. We had an idea of some things we wanted to do in the area – but had nothing set in stone. After talking with a helpful woman at the front desk of our hotel, we had our decision made. We were going to do a half day tour through the rainforest. It would include a few hour hike, then a tram ride up to the top of the mountain, and finally we would zip-line down to the bottom. With our plan set, we hopped in our car and headed out for the first time since arriving.
Driving through the rainforest was so cool. The route is made up of a bunch of tiny, windy roads lined by the forest. There is wildlife everywhere! We even had to stop a few times to let exotic animals walk past our car. Honestly just driving through this region is an activity in its own. This is why I absolutely recommend renting a car in Costa Rica – in my opinion, it’s a must. You would also be so much more limited with the activities that you can do in a day without having the freedom of a car.
The drive to Sky Adventures Arenal Park from our resort was about 5 minutes (maybe even less). Let me just skip ahead and say – this half day tour was so much fun! What we loved most was that we felt this tour covered almost every activity that we had wanted to do in the rainforest. We all agreed we gained knowledge and experiences that we wouldn’t have been able to gain on our own – and it was a much better use of our time to go through one company for everything. The first activity was a 2.5 to 3 hour hike (called the Sky Walk) through the rainforest. We had the option to do the hike alone or with a guide and I 100% recommend going with a guide. Gabriella was so wonderful! Her passion and knowledge was unparalleled – she truly made the experience for us. I originally wanted to do the hike alone, but what we gained from having Gabriella was more than I could have imagined. The hike was so beautiful – there were a few lookout points where we could see over the tops of the trees. We learned so much about the different animals and creatures that live in the forest and also the different trees and foliage that comes from the area. There were also a few waterfalls along the hike and gorgeous hanging bridges. It was the perfect way to discover the Costa Rican rainforest.
The second part of the day included a tram ride up to the top of the rainforest. Once we reached the top – the exciting part came! We rode 7 cables back down to the bottom of the mountain. The views that you are able to see while flying through the trees and the exhilaration that I felt speeding across the zip-line are indescribable. It was an experience I’ll always remember! Check out some of the great pics the staff shot of us throughout the day.
After our day tour, we were hungry to say the least. We had asked our tour guide, Gabriella, for a recommendation while we were on our hike and she had given us the name of a place near our resort. So after a 15 minute or so drive we arrived in a small town, El Castilla, near where we were staying. And another five minutes later we drove up to La Ventanita – ‘the little window’. You cannot miss this restaurant! I’d recommend going for lunch over dinner – as it got dark while we were there and the restaurant is outside. Either way – wow – the food here is unreal. We couldn’t get enough! The burrito was the best burrito I’ve ever had in my life – hands down. We also got nachos and fresh fruit juices! The restaurant is very casual and relaxed. To order, you simply go up to a little window and then sit down outside and wait for your food. An amazing place – so happy about this recommendation.
After stuffing our faces (even ordered more plantains to take back to our hotel), we headed back home for the end of our first day!
Day 2 – La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Thermal Resort
On our second full day in La Fortuna, we checked out of Hotel Linda Vista after our yummy breakfast overlooking the Arenal Lake. We loved our mornings here! Luckily, we weren’t heading very far. We had one more full day & night in La Fortuna, but we were staying at a different resort for our third night.
After packing up our car and checking out, we began to drive towards the Arenal Volcano where we had planned to do a bit of hiking. I believe it was fate, but somehow we ended up taking a wrong turn on the way there. Luckily, this wrong turn brought us to Original Arenal ATV. We pulled into the parking lot to turn around and head in the right direction for the volcano. As we pulled in though, we all looked at each other and realized we’d much rather go ATV’ing than hiking. So, we hopped out of the car and walked up to the front desk to get some info – 15 minutes later we were riding ATV’s around the base of a volcano! Again, another indescribable experience! I have never had this much fun in my life – couldn’t stop smiling. The experience of driving an ATV from the countryside to the jungle – passing mountains, volcanoes, wild animals, rivers & more was one to never forget. The scenery was stunning – a surreal day. We got a little muddy – going through huge rain puddles – but we didn’t care at all! It was too fun. The whole experience was about 2.5 hours.
Afterwards, having worked up quite the appetite, we headed into town to stop and have some lunch. I can’t quite recall the name of the place that we stopped at, though. And then before we knew it, it was time to check into our next hotel – which we were all so excited about.
We decided to splurge a bit (so happy we did) for one of our nights in La Fortuna and stay at Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa. This luxury resort is located near the base of the Arenal Volcano and is built around Costa Rica’s largest network of naturally flowing hot springs. The hot springs are the main reason that we decided to spend a night at this resort. Although you can just purchase a day pass to the hot springs, we decided to actually stay at the resort for the night. We are really happy that we did! This resort was so luxurious. We were treated so well by the staff – receiving complimentary drinks upon arrival, given robes and slippers, and having birthday cake delivered to the room (my birthday was in a week) when we first arrived. The entire property, including our room, was absolutely beautiful. There were so many amazing perks to staying at Tabacon – one of which was the unreal complimentary breakfast buffet the following morning.
Of course, the absolute best perk of them all was the thermal hot springs. We decided to go on our first night to check them out. We put on our robes and slippers and headed to the springs. You can get there by either walking five minutes or taking the resort’s shuttle. There aren’t really words to describe the hot springs, so I’ll just have to show you.
The hot springs have a private area for Tabacon guests – so we spent most of our time relaxing in the pools and waterfalls in the private area. There is also a bar – so we treated ourselves to some drinks and then blissed out in the hot springs. After a few hours soaking in the water, we headed back to our room and changed for dinner. There is a restaurant on the resort property and room service, but the prices are definitely a little higher on the resort property. So, we decided to hop in the car and head back into the town of La Fortuna for dinner. We asked the concierge for a restaurant recommendation and we received another amazing one – La Fonda 506. We pulled up to a cute outdoor front porch restaurant and were welcomed by a super friendly and sweet staff. We sat outside on the front porch and enjoyed some seafood, a vegetarian quinoa dish, and of course more plantains. Would highly recommend this restaurant! They also had delicious drinks. And with that day two was over.
Day 3 – La Fortuna, Tabacon Hot Springs & La Fortuna Waterfall
We woke up on our third day absolutely dying to go to the hot springs again – as the night before we had arrived after the sun had set – so it was dark. Going at night was beautiful, but we couldn’t wait to fully take in the scenery during the day. So, we threw on our bathrobes & slippers and headed out for the morning. After digging in (literally) at the delicious breakfast buffet, we made our way to the hot springs again.
We were seriously left speechless with the beauty of the Tabacon Hot Springs during the day. Visiting in the morning was the best decision – they were relatively empty. It was like a dream! We felt like we had the hot springs to ourselves. It was the most peaceful and relaxing morning of my life.
After relaxing for a little over an hour, we unfortunately had to go back to the room to checkout. This was our last day in La Fortuna. There was still one more thing we wanted to check off our list before heading to our next Costa Rican destination, though. We absolutely had to visit the La Fortuna Waterfall. So, we decided to leave our bags at the resort and head to the waterfall. It was a pretty close drive – maybe 15 minutes away. We were easily able to park the car in a parking lot and after paying the $18 admission fee, we began the climb down to the waterfall. It only takes about 15 minutes to climb down the steps that lead to the waterfall. What we found once we reached the bottom was a stunning 200 ft waterfall dropping into a beautiful blue-green pool of water. So stunning! We almost skipped the waterfall since we were running out of time in La Fortuna, but I am so happy that we made the visit – so worth it. You can go for a swim or just the hike – either way so beautiful!
Visiting the La Fortuna Waterfall unfortunately wrapped up the first portion of our Costa Rican holiday. It was time to head south – from the rainforest to the beach. So with that, we packed up our car, stocked up on snacks, and began our 4 – 4.5 hour car ride to Jaco – our next destination. Although the drive was a bit long, it couldn’t have been more beautiful. We ended up driving around sunset and the views were stunning – lots of the countryside & rolling hills. The route is all made up of windy, single-lane roads over mountains, through towns and across fields. We kept stopping the car to take photos and videos.
Luckily by 7:00 PM, we were checking into our beautiful Air Bnb in Jaco – with it’s own outdoor pool and Pinterest-looking interior.
Day 4 – Jaco & Jaco Beach
Waking up in Jaco on the fourth day of our trip was exciting to say the least. We couldn’t wait to explore this beach town. It was also exciting to change climate (the rainforest was a little chilly at times and of course rainy). We were looking forward to hitting the beach and relaxing and maybe surfing! We couldn’t wait to see what this new location had in store for us.
By 11:00 AM, we were out and about ready to start the day. Our Air Bnb was only about a 10 -15 minute walk from the main town area and the beach, so we of course decided to walk. This town was so different from the first area we were staying in. We were properly at the beach – with big wide streets lined with flowered trees. The sun was already shining down and strong.
For breakfast, we went to the most delicious smoothie bowl place in the main town, which was recommended to us by Ari, our sweet Air Bnb host. It was called Costa Juice – a can’t miss. I got the Cacao Bowl – look how good!!
Everything was fresh, natural & delicious. Perfect way to start the beach day. Once we finished up we decided to relax on the beach for a little. The main beach right in town is huge, free & empty, so if you aren’t picky when it comes to beaches and you want convenience – I’d definitely recommend just going to beach in town. We enjoyed a few hours laying out, listening to music, swimming and unwinding.
For the second half of our day, we arranged for a surfing lesson through our Air Bnb host. The surf lesson was set to take place around sunset at Jaco Beach. The meeting point was about 2 miles away from where we were currently laying on the beach, so we decided to drive. Now I have to admit that I didn’t really want to surf. I was a little tired and on top of that I knew that surfing was hard and exhausting. I had been surfing before and the biggest take away’s that I had were that it was hard and it took a lot out of you. I ended up being so happily surprised and glad we had the surfing lesson. It was so much fun & we all did so well! It was an interesting lesson compared to my first experience surfing. We only spent about 10 minutes on land learning the basics and then we all head out to the water with our surfboards in hand ready to go. My first time surfing was quite the opposite. We spent almost half the time on land learning the basics and practicing on the sand. It turned out – practicing less and just going for it worked better. We all stood up and not just once – multiple times! It was amazing. We felt so accomplished afterwards. Being on the water at sunset, too, was wonderful. That was one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. We decided to stay on the beach after the lesson and enjoy some beers with our surf instructors. It was tons of fun! We also got a dinner recommendation – so with that we headed home to get ready for our first night in Jaco.
For dinner, we went to Caliche’s Wishbone which was recommended to us by the surf instructors. It was a nice, relaxed place with an open, front porch where we sat. The restaurant is located right on the main road in town, so it was very lively! You can see everyone walking up and down the street while you eat. The range of food is wide – so there’s definitely something for everyone – from pizza to seafood to typical Costa Rican food. I had a delicious vegetarian poke bowl and we all had yummy sangria. The night that we went also happened to be ladies night, where ladies drink free after 10:00 PM, I believe. The restaurant takes away most of the tables for a dance floor and a DJ sets up. So we ended up spending our evening there and we had a blast! It was a great place to go out. We met a lot of fellow tourists – people from all over. The vibe was great – we somehow stayed dancing until the place closed.
Day 5 – Jaco & Playa Hermosa
On our second full day in Jaco, we decided to spend our time relaxing and lazing a bit, since we had been pretty on the go all of the other days of the trip. We enjoyed sleeping in and spending the morning outside by the pool at our Air bnb.
We finally decided to venture out when we got hungry for lunch. So we got ready and walked into town – back to the main drag. We decided to try out the Green Room Cafè. Let me just say wow – another must! You absolutely have to eat here if in Jaco. The food was so delicious and again everything is so fresh in Costa Rica! We shared hummus, falafal and guacamole for apps. For a meal, I had a vegetarian burger and fries. We all also got yummy, fresh fruit mojitos. Best food ever! Also, the restaurant itself is so cute. We sat outside on sofas – super funky vibe!
After lunch, we decided to walk up and down the main street in Jaco to do some shopping. We popped in and out of souvenir shops, clothing stores, and bathing suit shops. We actually found some really good shopping in town! Not disappointed. I tried to refrain from buying anything though, as once I get going shopping there’s really no stopping me.
By this point, it was nearing sunset and we knew that we wanted to watch it somewhere pretty again. We had the car, so we decided to drive to a nearby beach called Playa Hermosa. It wasn’t too far – maybe a 15 minute drive out of town. It was super convenient because you could actually drive your car and park right in the dunes of the beach. We were so impressed when we reached Playa Hermosa. It was virtually empty and it was a huge beach! It was also much more pretty than the beach in town, yet it was so close. I thought I had witnessed the most beautiful sunset ever the day before on Jaco Beach, but I was wrong. The sunset at Playa Hermosa was unreal – look at how gorgeous!
After spending about an hour on the beach, we hopped back in the car and headed home to get ready for our second night out in Jaco. We had received another dinner recommendation from our Air bnb host for this night – Ohana Sushi, Tapas y Bar. Sushi sounded amazing to all of us, so we headed to Ohana. I swear I’ve never eaten as good as I did in Costa Rica – another amazing restaurant. The menu had so much on it! It was impossible to choose. We ended up getting so much food – rolls, edamame, rice, seaweed, skewers, fried tempura. My vegetarian roll was so creative & delicious. I believe it had beet inside, goat cheese, avocado and was drizzled with honey – yummmmm. The restaurant was so cool too – it was small and open-air, right on the street.
We decided to hit the town after our couple of drinks at dinner were finished. We first went to a place called Jaco Bar, close to where we had dinner. This bar was on the second story of a building on the main road and had a deck that we hung out on. It was full and super fun! We saw other Americans and travelers that we had met the night before out. It was casual enough but also crowded with tons of people talking and dancing. After this bar, we decided to go to an actual club nearby called Republik Lounge. This place was also packed and tons of fun. We spent the whole night dancing! Definitely a great vibe if you’re looking for a club right in town.
Day 6 – Jaco & Isla Tortuga
Our last day in Jaco was a busy and early one. We were all super tired from the night before, but we still had to make the most of our day. The day before, we had arranged for a big group tour to Isla Tortuga. We had heard that we must visit this uninhabited island off the coast of Jaco. The company that we went with for the tour was called Costa Cat – Isla Tortuga. I have nothing but great things to say about this tour. We each paid around $130, so it was a bit expensive, but considering what we got from the day, it really wasn’t bad! We were picked up at our Air bnb in the morning and taken to the marina, where the catamaran was docked.
The boat ride to the island was about 45 minutes long. Once on board, we received complimentary fruit, muffins and coffee for breakfast. The staff waited on everyone hand and foot – and they were all so enthusiastic and sweet. There were also many people to serve – we were on an extremely large boat (not quite sure the exact amount on board).
The tropical island was seriously paradise. Once we reached Isla Tortuga, we were able to lay out on chairs under umbrellas, go snorkeling out in the crystal clear water, swim, go on an eco-hike, go banana boating – whatever we wanted! It really did feel like paradise being on an uninhabited island. I have never seen water so bright blue and clear. Did I mention that we also got unlimited margaritas and rum punches served to us all day long? And an authentic lunch eaten outside near the beach. The best part of the day was relaxing on the beach and snorkeling out in the ocean. Snorkeling in that clear of water was so cool. We were swimming with tons of different kinds of fish. We also saw starfish and held them in our hands! I’ve never done that before.
We had hours on the island – it was a pretty full day. The boat ride back to the main land was around sunset. We enjoyed some drinks and took in the beautiful sunset from the water. It was like a sunset, booze cruise – listening to music, enjoying drinks and taking in the view from the boat. All in all, it was a 10 out of 10 day. Our day wasn’t quite over yet, though. We unfortunately were set to leave Jaco that evening and drive to our next destination – Quepos. So once we reached land again, we headed back to our Air bnb where our car and luggage were waiting for us.
Before taking off to Quepos, we decided to drive back into town one more time. We couldn’t seem to get enough of this town – we really didn’t want to leave. My friends had been wanting to get tattoos the whole trip, so before leaving that night, we all popped into a tattoo shop – Jaco Ink – on the main drag. The workers inside were super friendly and chatted with us the whole time. They didn’t mind that we just came in for a drop-in. My friends ended up getting really cute wave tattoos on their ankles – I refrained though – even though they were adorable! They had been talking about it since the beginning of our trip, so I’m glad they got them in Jaco. After getting the tattoos, we decided to get some dinner since it was getting late and the drive would take an hour or so. We got burgers from Hamburguesas Mafalda’s. The place is super casual – we ended up just getting them take away. But let me tell you – these are damn good burgers!!
And with that, we sadly sad goodbye to Jaco – the super fun & chill Costa Rican beach town. Driving out of town was super sad, but we were excited to explore yet another area of beautiful Costa Rica. After about an hour to an hour and a half of a drive (most of which was driven down a dark, dirt road), we reached Clandestino Beach Resort.
Day 7 – Quepos & Playa Palo Seco
Waking up in our little bungalow at the Clandestino Beach Resort was adorable. It was really dark when we arrived the night before and we were so tired that we just passed out the second our heads hit the pillow. We had yet to see anything – we were so pleasantly surprised upon leaving our room. We had a beautiful front porch with a swing, sofa, and white curtains surrounding the whole thing.
The property of the resort felt so tropical – like we were in a beautiful garden surrounded by trees and plants. We walked around the resort a bit more and discovered a beautiful beach-front pool, shaped like a turtle. We also found an open-air restaurant and bar, with a view of the pool and beach. We plopped down there and decided to have lunch at the resort. I had some fresh guac and a pineapple, veggie & rice mix served in a cooked pineapple – so good!
On our way back to our bungalow after lunch, we ran into a security guard who works on the property. He told us to follow him, because he wanted to show us something. We walked towards the back of the resort, behind the rooms, where there was a big line of trees. When we got to the trees, the security guard opened up a banana and held it in the air and told us to be quiet. At first, we didn’t hear or see anything, but after a couple of minutes we started to see movement in the trees and a little bit of noise. Not even a minute later and we were surrounded by wild monkeys! It was unreal! They all came out of hiding just for the banana. When we held out little pieces of the banana in our hands, they would fight to grab the piece from us. I couldn’t get over how cute they were. They would literally pry the bananas out of our hands. It was such a cool experience to feed these wild monkeys. The guard told us that he does it every day! So cool.
The security guard also let us know that on the same day the owner of the resort was going to be releasing a nest of baby sea turtles out into the ocean. She raises and takes care of baby sea turtles until they are ready to be released. It happened to be our lucky day because one of the nests was being released later that day! Something we definitely weren’t going to miss.
So with that, we grabbed our things from our room and headed to the beach. Playa Palo Seco was wonderful – it was as if we were on our own mile-long, private beach. We couldn’t see anything else in sight – just a long, beautiful empty beach and palm trees. So peaceful. The resort had some sofa beds, chairs, and hammocks set out at the top of the beach. So we all plopped down for a bit and just relaxed until it was time to release the baby sea turtles.
At 4:00 PM, the owners of the resort and some other guests came down to the beach with a box of baby sea turtles. If any of you have seen The Last Song with Miley Cyrus, that is pretty much exactly what this moment reminded me of. The owner took all of the babies out of the box and faced them towards the water and slowly they started making their way. Some were very quick to move, others took a lot of time, and some didn’t move at all because they weren’t ready yet. If ever one of the sea turtles started to stray sideways, she would move them to face the ocean again. After about 30 minutes, I’d say, the sea turtles had reached the water and were lost to their new home. Talk about another once in a lifetime experience! We felt so fortunate to witness that.
It was getting close to sunset at this point, so we decided to order some piña colada’s at the resort bar and make ourselves comfy on the beds out along the beach. This moment was perfect – we were in paradise. Laying down, sipping our drinks out of pineapples, and taking in the most stunning sunset on a completely natural and empty beach in Costa Rica. Wow. What an end to day 7 of our holiday.
Day 8 – Quepos & Playa Biesanz
On our last full day in Costa Rica (can’t believe it – so sad), we woke up in our room at Clandestino Beach Resort and unfortunately had to pack up. That didn’t quite mean we were ready to leave, though. We still had a whole day planned ahead of us. So after packing up, we made our way to the main restaurant of the resort for our authentic, complimentary breakfast – eggs, rice & beans & plantains. We had gotten so used to the typical Costa Rican breakfast over the course of our trip – we really loved it.
We hit the road shortly after breakfast – making our way into Quepos town. Our end destination was Playa Biesanz – a free, local, hidden & beautiful beach – that we had read about online. Before making it there we decided to stop in town for ice cream at Pops – a famous ice cream parlor with locations all over Costa Rica. It was really good – they had tons of things on the menu from smoothies, to ice cream shakes, to sundaes, to typical cones, & so on.
Following our ice cream break, we were ready to continue on our journey. So we all piled back into the car and set out for the beach. The drive (like all drives in Costa Rica) was beautiful – through town and then up and down windy roads. The beach was about another 15 minutes from Quepos. What I really loved about Playa Biesanz is that it felt super hidden and local. Once we reached the end of our driving directions, we parked the car on the side of the road and began to walk down what looked like a hiking trail in the woods. We were surrounded by trees – I couldn’t imagine there being a beach nearby. To our surprise though, after about 10 minutes of a downward hike, we came to Playa Biesanz. It was located in a super cool, little sandy cove, with locals selling drinks and ceviche from stands. You could also choose to go kayaking in the blue, clear water. Being at the end of our trip, though, we were pretty tired from all of the activities. So, we just plopped our towels down and relaxed for a few hours, vibing to the fun Spanish music some locals were playing.
I was really happy that we made the most of our last day. After a while though, we all agreed that it was definitely time to go. We still had to pick up our bags at the resort and then drive to San José that same night. So, sadly, we packed up our towels and sad goodbye to the beach.
We made the drive back to the resort, picked up our bags and changed before taking off on the last leg of our entire trip. We didn’t make it too far though – only about 30 minutes before getting hungry. We stopped in a town called Parrita and found ourselves at one of the first food places we saw – a pizza place called Pizzería Las Palmas. It looked as though it was run by a mother and daughter. They didn’t speak English and none of us are able to speak Spanish, so ordering was interesting, but they were very sweet. While we were waiting for our food, they made us all some Flan dessert to try. It was delicious – I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without trying it before. We ended up taking our food to go in the car, so we could get to San José sooner.
In San José, we stayed in an Air bnb decently close to the airport. We only needed somewhere to stay for one night, as we all flew out the next afternoon. The Air bnb we reserved was in a gorgeous apartment complex – really secure also with a 24/7 concierge. We had a stunning view from our apartment, which we enjoyed waking up to the next morning. Definitely a great place to stay if you need to spend a night or two in San José. There’s also a hot tub, gym and pool in the complex.
That final night we enjoyed some beers in our apartment, taking in the city lights of San José from our great view. And that was it! Our trip was pretty much wrapped up. It was one the most fun & exciting trips of my life. Driving all over the country from North to South – taking in different terrains and landscapes – meeting so many different wonderful people. The trip also went so smoothly. We really had a somewhat perfect trip & the majority of it was unplanned. That’s just how we like to travel and it always seems to work for us!
Thank you Costa Rica for sharing your beauty with us – I know I will be back.
Mirelle Hassler 