Costa Rica 2023
La Fortuna
After visiting Costa Rica in 2016, we knew we wanted to return to see more of this diverse, beautiful and rugged country. We originally planned an October trip to the La Fortuna area but after some research we realized it was the rainy season, complete with landslides so we opted for Aruba for that trip. We were planning a February getaway a few years later and finally we able to make this trip to La Fortuna.
After landing in Liberia and renting a car (which was an adventure in itself - as you can read in the section above) we headed out for a 3 hour drive to La Fortuna. The drive there was partially in the dark and through rain but we made it safe and sound, thankfully we had a car in front of us to lead the way!
La Fortuna sits at the base of the Arenal Volcano and its rain forest which provided amazing views and adventures. We stayed at The Springs Resort & Spa and it was truly amazing. Embedded in the rain forest, the natural spring pools were a great way to end the day or even begin the day, and be sure you find the slide. Our room had an amazing view of the Arenal volcano (pic here) and we had fun on a river tubing at the on-site Club Rio Adventure Center. We felt like we were in paradise!
Our "canyoning waterfall repelling" adventure with Maquique Adventures was a true adventure. We called it "jumping waterfalls" and had so much fun!!! And the lunch at the end was delicious!
We also explored Arenal Volcano National Park. We hiked the 5 mile Mirador El Silencio through the rainforest and the monkeys jumping from tree to tree. The Arenal 1968 hike was in a steady rain, that happens in the rainforest, and we heard howler monkeys - very eerie and creepy! Both hikes included hiking sections of lava from the 1968 eruption and had gorgeous greenery.
In the La Fortuna area, we really enjoyed eating at the roadside cafes they called "sodas" where we had some delicious food and amazing coffee.
Tamarindo
After leaving the Arenal Volcano region, we headed to Tamarindo on the Pacific coast for some sun and sand. While there we spent the next few days beach hopping from our home base at the JW Marriott. It was on a small beach, Playa Mansita and at low tide we could walk to the gorgeous Playa Avellanas. It was very raw and had some of the most interesting sand designs due to the black and tan sand variations, we loved our morning walks here.
We spent our days exploring the beaches of the Guanacaste region. Playa Grande was a wide and absolutely beautiful beach - it was hot the day we went which made getting in the ocean a real treat. Playa Viejo was one that we will not be visiting again - lots of horse poo and venomous sea snakes cut our visit short! Tamarindo Beach was beautiful and the only beach in the area with services - we really enjoyed the Pina Coladas with fresh pineapple!
Getting to all these beaches was a real experience in itself because of the rural and unmaintained dirt/gravel roads in the area.
Looking back we would probably not stay at the same hotel because it was a 30 minute drive to get to any restaurants or shops - great if you want to just stay in one place and sit at the pool but not our ideal location. If we were in this area again, we would stay in Tamarindo where we could walk to different restaurants and bars in the evening.
Our Top 7
- Playa Grande
- Jumping waterfalls
- Soaking in the springs at our resort
- Morning walks on the beach
- The sodas (not the kind you drink!)
- Hiking through the rainforests
- Exploring the beaches and countryside
The Details
Lodging:
The Springs Resort & Spa (La Fortuna)
JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa (Hacienda Pinilla)
Transportation:
Rental car (see section on Transportation)
Restaurants
Travesia (La Fortuna)
Pangas Beach Club (Tamarindo)
any roadside "soda" (see 2016 info)
Excursions:
Canyoning (Maquique Adventures)
Money:
A little miscommunication with the ATM resulted in us having only $10 worth of Costa Rican colons. We failed at getting cash for various reasons but we need up not really needing it. We used our credit card for the majority of expenses, including the hikes and the "sodas". The parking attendants in Tamarindo and at the beaches accepted our US dollars and gave change in colons. At the end of the trip we ended with more than $10 worth of colors, so we spent it at the airport. Roll with it!
Costa Rica 2016
Dominical
Our love of international travel started here.....
Our first visit to Costa Rica over Spring Break 2016 brought us to the surfer village of Dominical along the Pacific coast. We chose this location because we came across an amazing VRBO rental house that sat on the top of a hill looking over the ocean. We knew it would be an adventure when we found out that we had to have a 4x4 vehicle just to get to the house. We flew into San Jose and rented a small SUV to start off for our 3.5 hour drive to Dominical. The drive was lots of fun with plenty of roadside vendors, beautiful views of the Pacific coast and the countryside of Costa Rica and even a stop at the Crocodile Bridge with lots of crocs in the water beneath,
Once we arrived in Dominical we realized why we needed the 4x4 when we turned onto the road to our rental house and headed nearly straight up a rutted and twisting dirt path that made us wonder if we might tip over! It was definitely an adventure - especially the night we drove down that road in a torrential downpour, but we made it!
Dominical was intriguing to us as we planned our trip and we enjoyed the tiny, one street town with just a few restaurants. Watching the locals or "ticos" walk directly from surfing into the bar across the street and grabbing their own beer from the cooler taught us that we loved feeling like we were enjoying the daily life like a local and not just being a tourist in a big city.
Taking advantage of the opportunity our sons took lessons from a US ex-pat from California. Later in the week we made a trip up the coast to Manuel Antonio National Park where we hiked through the forest and saw wildlife like sloths and monkeys (one of the monkeys nearly stole our backpack!) and gorgeous beaches! We ventured down the coast to Uvita, exploring beaches along the way.
We definitely wanted to check out Nauyaca waterfall and while we could get there on our own it was a long hot hike. At the end of the hike was a waterfall that people jumped off and we knew our sons would want to jump, but we wanted to make sure they did it safely. We ended up doing the horseback tour, a new experience for all of us, because the guides brought ropes and guided people jumping from the top of the waterfall and we wouldn't have to hike in the heat. The peace of mind, knowing someone knew what they were doing, was worth the cost of the tour. But to our surprise, the tour itself was so fun! On our way to the waterfall on horseback, we stopped for coffee and breakfast and on the way back we stopped for lunch. And of course, we ALL jumped at the waterfall. When our younger son DOVE on his last jump, the crowd around all gasped, but when the boys came back they said the guides told them to dive! Then we watched as the guides climbed even higher and dove off.
While the roadside "soda" or family restaurants may seem sketchy, they have some amazing food and are usually very inexpensive. Also, we did spend a lot of money on bottled water on the whole trip!
It was a very hot week when we were there, requiring us to lay in the shade at the beaches and sprint to the water to keep our feet from burning. Our trip to Costa Rica was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure and we knew we would have to come back again!
Our Top 7
- Nauyaca waterfall with horseback ride
- Manuel Antonio Park
- Surfing lessons
- Crocodile Bridge and smoothies (w/shots)
- The views from our VRBO
- The wildlife - except the monkey that stole our bag, seen here!
- Exploring beaches up and down the coast
The Details
Lodging:
VRBO in the hills above Hatillo, near Dominical
Transportation:
Rental car (see section on Transportation)
Restaurants:
Tortilla Flats (Dominical)
Any roadside "soda"
Excursions:
Horseback riding tour to Nauyaca Waterfall