Travel Diary: Costa Rica

I just got back from a week long vacation in Costa Rica. A week is never long enough, is it? But alas, it’s better than nothing! I’ll take what I can get. Especially since it’s April here in Toronto and the weather forecast is still calling for snow. I’m already missing the hot weather, palm trees, monkeys, beaches, playing in the waves, delicious food, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on. 

If you’ve travelled to Costa Rica before, I’d love to hear where you stayed and how you liked it. And if you haven’t gone yet but are planning to in the future, I’ll lay out where I’ve stayed and what I did and maybe help inspire some of your own travel plans. 

This was now my third time visiting Costa Rica. The first time I stayed at The Condos at The Westin Golf & Spa Resort in Playa Conchal and I absolutely loved it. If you’re a fan of white sand beaches, you will love it here. White sand beaches aren’t the norm in Costa Rica, but it’s also cool to check out the dark sand beaches. The sand is extra soft and feels like walking on clouds. We stayed at the Westin condos which are a 5 minute walk to The Westin Resort and we had full access to the resort, along with our own special area of the beach. The spa area was one of my favourite parts of this trip. They have a huge outdoor pool and hot tub area off the spa and we loved dipping into the cold pool mid-day when the sun was at it’s hottest, listening to all of the birds chirping. If you’re a golf fan this is a great option as well because it’s right on the golf course. We saw alot of monkeys and other wildlife staying here. 

Some pictures from our trip to the Westin in 2014 (first 4 resort pictures are from The Westin website):

If you’re visiting Costa Rica you also want to check the time of year you are going and what season it is in the area you are visiting. Costa Rica is made up of so many different eco systems. If you’re going during dry season, the scenery resembles Africa more than what you are probably envisioning in your mind for how you think Costa Rica looks (lush jungle etc). However, dry season means hot weather and no rain which is a good thing for a vacation. You don’t have to worry about missing out on days of your vacation due to rain. 

My second visit to Costa Rica we stayed at the Gaia Hotel & Reserve. A boutique hotel located in Manual Antonio. I really can’t say enough about this hotel. It’s located on a cliff so the views of the ocean and the sunsets are unlike anything else. We’d always head back from the beach in time to watch the sunsets over the ocean from the cascading infinity pool. The staff here were incredible and the food was amazing. We’ve always had great experiences with the food in Costa Rica. I loved exploring Manual Antonio and doing the wildlife tour of Manual Antonia National Park. Make sure you pay for the tour guide because they come equipped with a scope and point out animals that you would never see with your bare eyes. We saw monkeys, sloths, huge spiders, and even a Fer-De-Lance snake (Ah!). Watching monkeys and sloths in the wild is probably my favourite thing ever. There’s also great beginner surfing lessons at Manual Antonia beach.  Make sure you get the bamboo massage at the Gaia spa. It’s to die for!

Pictures from our trip the Gaia in 2015:

This trip we booked last minute and ended up booking the Casa Avellana Surf House located in a surf camp in Playa Avellana. This was different from anything I had done travelling before – a little more rustic. The beach is a bit of a walk so I’d recommend renting a car or booking a house directly on the beach (They have great options in Playa Negra). However, this house was amazing and the walk to the beach is totally do-able, it’s just a very hot walk. The beach roads aren’t paved and the house is all open to the outdoors so be prepared for the geckos to join you inside. I personally love the geckos, especially since they eat all the bugs. Waking up in the morning there were always monkeys by the pool and this area has alot of beaches to discover. It’s also a big surfing area so the waves are incredible. Playa Negra beach is a 10 minute drive and has now become one of my new favourite beaches of all time. The sand was like clouds, the waves were perfection and the water was crystal clear. It’s also just a 25 minute drive to Tamarindo beach which is the more “happening” beach in this area. If you’re looking for surf shops, lots of restaurants and night life this is the place to be. Playa Avallenas and Playa Negra are more secluded and relaxing. It was nice getting to experience all 3 beaches in one trip. If you’re ever staying in these surf houses, the chef meal plan is TOTALLY worth ever penny. Our chef Joey came every morning to cook us breakfast and every evening to cook us dinner and this was one of the highlights of the trip for sure. The food was delicious and every night we requested a new fish dish. We got lucky one day and saw a sea turtle on the beach during the day, which is a rare occurrence. 

Pictures from our recent trip to Playa Avallena March 2016 (first 4 photos are not my own):