After two years of life consistently getting in our way and making us ‘adult’ all the time, hubby and I decided to do a quick trip to Costa Rica over the holidays. There was a lot of anxiety involved with planning an international trip in the midst of a pandemic. I kept thinking borders would shut and we would lose our deposits or something of the sort but eventually the day came, and after a relatively short four and a half hour flight, we were in sunny Costa Rica, truly living our best life!
We deliberately chose not to go to the Capital, as we were trying to avoid crowds, so we ended up at the El Mangroove Papagayo hotel in the Guanacaste Province.
Our room at the resort was a King Bark Suite which was a beautiful room that came with a small living area and a hammock near a window that had hands down the coolest breeze ever!
We spent our first day in Costa Rica just resting and exploring the resort which was right on the beach. The interesting thing about the beach was that it was in a bay, so the sands and the water weren’t the typical sparkling blue and white sands, nevertheless it made for a beautiful setting.
We tried to strike a balance between resting and exploring so we booked an all day tour for our second day that included ziplining, horseback riding, a visit to a local waterfall, a traditional Costa Rican lunch, and a visit to a volcanic crater complete with a volcanic mud treatment and a dip in the hot springs. It was truly such a fun, eye-opening experience, I was left speechless and in awe of the beauty of Costa Rica.
We also managed to squeeze in a bit of souvenir shopping at the local beach promenade and some typical Costa Rican breakfast.
One of the highlights of our trip was a cultural tour at a local Hacienda where we got to squeeze our own fresh sugar cane juice, make tortillas and Costa Rican coffee in the traditional way, and create our own custom infused rum.
What stays with me when I think about our trip is the humility and friendliness of the Costa Rican people. I definitely learnt to take it easy and keep smiling, and of course to always remember: Pura Vida!
