Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province - A Family Adventure

We're freshly back from our second trip to Costa Rica.  Although we're not world travelers, after our first trip to Costa Rica, we knew that we had to come back.  It was just a matter of when and where, as life has it's way of getting in the way.  Kids get older, they get social lives and even jobs with schedules to keep.  It really changes the dynamic of just being able to pick up and take off whenever and wherever you want to go.  So several months ago we looked at the calendar, picked some dates, made the reservations and flights and we were booked.  As the time ticked down, we all got more excited for the trip.

The last time we were here it was quite a bit of an eyeopener for all of us, as adults it was really something since you're groomed to be timid or even fearful of what a place in Central America could possible hold.  Before that trip, the Bahamas were the extent of our trip out of the United States.  But that was completely different, everything was handled, tours, flights, hotels, meals, etc.  When we went to CR for the first time, we booked flights and did a timeshare intro package, where we got to stay at their all inclusive and get the "experience" with the hope we'd buy one.  The condo was included, the meals and shuttles, etc., all included.  We did pay out of pocket for a guided excursion, which included zip-lining, going to an amazing waterfall, visiting a rainforest with sloths and a private tour of a plantation.  It was amazing.  We learned so many things and really got an appreciation of the environment.  The people were amazing, the food was nice, the scenery and weather were perfect.  So we set our minds to come back and rent a car and do our own things.

Which leads us to this trip.  We booked the various hotels, rented a car and picked the places we really thought we'd enjoy going to.  We never knew whether we'd be thrilled or disappointed with our decisions, the one thing we knew for sure was the weather would be great.  At the time, where we live in Southeast Pennsylvania, it had been the coldest it's been in forever.  Snow and ice that came in late January had stuck around and was getting old fast, even though I love the cold and snow.  On this trip we stayed in Liberia, Bagaces, Tamarindo and Coco Beach.

Once on the road the culture shock of not having the immense luxuries we have in America came flooding back from our memories.  Most, if not all, buildings are made of concrete and tin roofs.  Many buildings are adorned with bars, barbed wire and various types of fencing.  When we first went down we asked our excursion guide whether it was safe, he explained that there is a lot of small or petty theft, which is why they have so many fences.  What you first see when you see those bars and fences can deter you, but after a little while you notice the beautiful flowers behind many of them, the well kept houses and even a birthday party going on in the front of the property.  It makes me think of that age old theory to not judge a book by it's cover.  Same thing goes for CR, and it was more evident on this trip than before.

When we landed at the airport in Liberia, we got a shuttle to the rental car location.  It was smooth sailing, the people working there were very nice, the cars clean and ready to go.  Our first night was in Liberia, kind of a rest from traveling and ease our way into our trip.  From the outside, it didn't look like much.  But inside, there were beautiful, flowering trees, a well kept pool, clean rooms and very nice staff.  As per the norm, I spoke to the people next to us who spoke English.  They were very nice and had been to CR many times, they had the benefit of speaking the native language fluently as I muddled through with my mighty two years of Spanish from high school.  We had dinner, showered and got to bed early.  A complimentary breakfast awaited us in the morning, we packed up and headed to our next location.

Rinconcito Lodge was our next stop, it was up near one of the volcanos.  We had had forgotten to restart our phones for directions so we quickly downloaded them at the McDonald's and hoped for the best.  Driving there is a very unique experience, there are many motorcyclists, one way roads and traffic patterns that we were not ready for.  It took some doing but we were out of the city and on the road to the lodge.  After about 45 minutes of a combination of dirt and paved roads, we saw our sign and pulled in.  The place was beautiful, lush vegetation, well kept grounds and hammocks on every balcony.  A beautiful bird that we recognized from our last trip was nesting in the area and greeted us with it's very distinct call.  The staff was very friendly and told us about the property and got us checked in.  The room was amazing, large balcony doors opened to an expansive view of the forest outside.  The hammock was the first thing the kids got into and was a highlight for the time we spent there.  The room was clean and well laid out.  The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was clean and with great hot water and water pressure, something I wasn't expecting up in the mountains.  We had a great dinner and wandered around a little by the pool before it was time for bed.  The next morning my wife and son went on a small hike to see a waterfall and a viewpoint on the surrounding property.  It was a great hike and the views were great.

Check out day sent us back down the same road into Liberia, where we again got Wi-Fi and directions.  It was off to Tamarindo for the night before our final destination.  We stayed at a hotel that we almost drove right by because the front really doesn't consist of anything fancy to stand out as a hotel.  We parked and walked down the steps to find a nice bar area and a open air restaurant with a walkway to the beach.  We put our things in our room and beat feet for the beach.  The beach here and touristy establishments were the highlight of this location as the room wasn't anything special.  We were only staying for the night and didn't need much.  The room was sparce, but clean.  It did the job for the night and we spent all day at the beach.  Sunsets are one of the reasons for us to stay at the beach until it's dark out, as we were on the West coast, they are absolutely stunning.  There were several engagement photo shoots going on, waves crashing on rocks in the ocean, horses being ridden down the beach and even a wedding.  We had a very nice dinner, showered and tried to get a good nights sleep.

In the morning we were out the door and down to the beach again for a brief visit.  Once checked out we were on our way to our third and final stop, Coco beach.  Here we splurged and got an Airbnb.  Another learning experience came when we were following directions and Google maps was taking us all over the place.  We stopped at a few beaches on the way and even one from our last trip where we had lunch at a small hotel right on the beach where we stayed a few nights the last trip.  Again, the food was good, people were super nice and the views couldn't be beat.  Once our condo was ready, we headed up there, and up there it was, it sat on the top of a mountain overlooking the ocean.  My wife wasn't comfortable with the incline of the driveway, so her and our kids walked up while I drove up.  It was steep, but it became very familiar after a few times back and forth to town.

We went to the local grocery store, got some supplies and settled in.  The views were again awesome.  The property came with an infinity style pool and a small gym. We went down to the beach and walked around, swam in the tidal pools and watched as the ocean surged in and out with the breeze and tides.  The first day the water wasn't the cleanest, a lot of natural debris was in the waves, but the tidal pools were crystal clear and there were plenty of things to explore with the surrounding rocks.  We had dinner at the restaurant right on the beach, it was a awesome place with a great menu, at the time we went it was mobbed.  We waited about 40 minutes before getting a table and then some more time waiting our turn.  The food was great and when done we headed back to our condo.

We ended the last day with a sunset cruise on a sailboat.  It was a traditional sailboat, of which I've never been on and always wanted to.  There's something about the smell of the cabin of a boat that you will never forget once you smell it.  We booked our trip with Exclusive Tour Costa Rica, they're out of Coco Beach cove.  We met with the nice lady who got us settled in for the tour, then we were off.  It wasn't a very long cruise to the snorkeling arear, but it was very enjoyable.  There were three other guests on the boat, along with three crew members.  There was fresh fruit, cervaza, frozen and mixed drinks plus plenty of bottled water.  The crew couldn't have been nicer.  The snorkeling area was nice, they provided everything and after we were done, on our way to see the sunset, they served us chicken salad wraps.  The feeling of being on a sailboat on a warm summer day, with the ocean breeze hitting just right, is a very special thing.

The last night we packed up, soaked up the remainder of the warmth and got to bed at a decent time.  There were some things that you have to get used to when you're there that I didn't experience before, since we didn't drive ourselves.  For starters, there are motorcycles everywhere, they don't seem to care about many things, it's just their way of getting around.  They're in and out of traffic, and you have to be very attentive about turns or you could clip someone.  Driving in CR is very similar to the USA, you don't need a special license, they drive on the same side of the road as the US and speeds (although in kph) are very similar to our speed zones.  There are a lot of STEEP hills around the beach areas if you have a place up there.  Also a lot of roads can be very curvy, sometimes dirt, sometimes paved, sometime both but always in questionable state of repair.  As for whether or not it's a safe place, in our experience, it's as safe, or even more safe, than any city US.  You need to be smart about your belongings, just like you'd have to be anywhere, be aware of the people around you and be respectful.  Everyone we met was very nice, very helpful and even if they didn't speak English and we didn't speak Spanish, common courtesy goes a long way.

If you end up going, I recommend having a stay at an all inclusive for your first trip.  Let them handle the shuttles and food and the experiences.  They will help you with anything you need or want to do.  Also, when you go to a restaurant, the tip is already on the bill, you don't need to tip more.  In-fact, I have found that the people don't seem to feel comfortable taking more money.  Also, get used to the fact that not everyone lives in a shiny 2000 sq. ft. house with all the amenities.  Most of the places you'll see on the road are small, concrete and metal roofed houses with fences and barbed wire.  And most places that aren't that are in gated communities.  I definitely recommend going in the dry season, but be prepared for seeing brush fires and no one doing anything about them.  It's a wonderful place with limitless natural beauty and wildlife.