The worst part of this vacation is the travel, our flight left at 1:40 AM from LA and arrived in Costa Rica about 9:00 AM (we had an hour layover in El Salvador). Although the departure time was late/early it did result in a full, first day in Costa Rica.
Here is a break down of what we did each day, I will provide more later:
Friday, June 24-
Depart LAX to San Juan Costa Rica- Check into The Springs Resort near the foot of Arenal Volcano. This is a beautiful resort and I have to say that of all the hotels I've stayed at, this property ranks among the top one or two. It was used as the site for filming ABC's the Bachelor. Every room has a clear, unobstructed view of the Arenal Volcano. The prooperty has over 40 hot pools of different temps, a small zoo that has monkeys, puma's and other wild cats. A river which outlines the property and can be used for swimming, rafting or kayaking and rooms that are over the top beautiful. We had a two story villa with 2 master suites, each with their own balcony and 2 hammocks overlooking the jungle.
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| Yes, the view is that good in person! |
Saturday, June 25-
Today was very active. We went zip lining waterfall rappelling and horseback riding near the Arenal Volcano, this was a blast! The longest zipline of about 12 lines is 1/2 a mile and is the second longest in Costa Rica, you can see several waterfalls and rivers below. This was a great combo tour put together by Arenal Mundo Aventura's. I will warn you though, once you rappel down the face of the waterfall you have to climb a 200ft ladder back up to the top, this is not for everyone but sometimes it takes a little work to see something incredible.
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| The 1/2 Mile Zip Line |
Sunday, June 26-
Today was a full day at The Springs Resort which included lounging by the resorts river, visiting the monkey's and pumas, and testing the water in some of the over 40 thermal pools around the resort which are heated by the volcano. At the river, Brooke and I decided to do some tubing in preparation for white water rafting later in the week.
Monday, June 27-
We departed the Arenal Volcano area today for our condo, located in the Central Pacific coast resort area known as Los Suenos. Los Suenos is a large resort area which is anchored by the Marriott. The 3 hour drive passed through several micro climates and included stops for locally grown coffee and to observe the Crocs that sit at the banks of the rivers.
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| Check out the Croc's in the video, they are everywhere! |
Tuesday, June 28-
This was mostly a "chill" day at the resort, getting used to the property, hanging out at the pool and driving the golf cart to and from the marina, pool, and restaurants.
Wednesday, June 29-
We ventured south along the coast to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica's national park and home to Sloths, Howler Monkeys, White Face Monkeys, Reptiles, Bats, Snakes, Frogs and much more. This is a remarkable park and you are guaranteed to see a lot of wildlife. Manuel Antonio also has beautiful beaches and lots of lush jungle. We also had lunch at a restaurant called El Avion that is built from the wreckage of an old Contra airplane which crashed in the 80's (remember that whole Oliver North fiasco?)
Thursday, June 30-
Today we went river rafting on the Sevegre River with a company called Amigos Del Rio, near Manuel Antonio. This was probably my favorite day. Rafting was about 4 hours with stops at some beautiful waterfalls and a great lunch on the banks of the river. I am happy to say we only tipped our raft over twice (which was two more times than everyone else, but hey, we were pushing the limits).
Friday, July 1-
Today we took a trip to Tortuga Island (Turtle Island) with Calypso Cruises. This was another great day. Our boat (with on deck pools) sailed over to the Tortuga Island where we spent the day snorkeling, horseback riding, lounging on the beach and riding the banana boats. Lots to see on the island: flamingo's, crocs, boar, turtles and more. Although my daughter Brooke and I swam through a group of jelly fish, it didn’t' slow us down for long.
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| Bradley with the Island's Pig mascot |
Saturday, July 2
We spent Saturday with our trusty driver, Giovani who took us to the Poa's Volcano to get a better look inside the crater. We arrived about 20 minutes before cloud cover completely hid the crater for the remainder of the day. We also had a great lunch of terrific Costa Rican food (this is where knowing a local really helps). It was one of the best meals and cheapest. From here we visited the Peace Lodge and Waterfalls for someone one one time with the animals. We handled Toucans, butterflies, monkeys, sloths and more. On our way back to Los Suenos, we stopped to look at some furniture and buy souvenirs. The day ended with a great diner at a local Costa Rican favorite.
| Betsy and Tucan Sam (I wanted to take this bird home) |
Sunday, July 3-
We spent Sunday chilling back in the resort area at Los Suenos enjoying our pool time and the great weather. Our timing for all activities was perfect. For dinner and a great view of the sunset, we went to Villa Caletas which sits high on a cliff overlooking the pacific ocean.
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| Sunset at Villa Caletas |
Monday, July 4-
Happy 4th of July for most Americans but we are heading home today. However, after working on my wife the entire week, my son and I finally convinced her to let us stop on the way to the airport and do a little "buggy jumping". Now, when I say bungy jumping, I am talking about a jump off a 300 ft high bridge. Bradley (my son went first) then me. They actually added a bigger buggy for me to make sure my weight didn't carry me 350'. It was a blast. You can see my jump by clicking the linke below. There are a couple of bungy companies on the Old Colorado bridge 15 minutes from San Jose airport, but I recommend Xtreme Waves Bungy. They provide the latest equipment, a video of your jump and a T-Shirt. Everyone if very professional and this is a safe activity (it just feels crazy)
Our travel home was slow....TACA airlines in Costa Rica processes passengers very slowly so arrive early....we stood in line to check luggage for 1 1/2 hours, departed an hour late and almost missed our connection home in El Salvador. As I started this post.....the low points were getting to Costa Rica and returning home but everything in between was a blast!
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