I should have known that our planned vacation to Costa Rica was destined to be unpredictable as soon as our driver didn’t show up at 5am on the Sunday morning we were to depart for JFK International Airport. We didn’t know this at the time but apparently the night before that said driver (a friend of a friend) entered 4pm instead of 4am on his smart phone. What we did know was that we were 85 miles away from Queens, NY and neither of us were in the mood for nor possessed the inclination to take on New York City traffic that early in the morning. What ultimately pushed us forward was our original idea of flying outside of the country to enjoy a stress-free (and news-free) week in a dream destination.
The prospect of vacationing in Costa Rica, or “rich coast,” a relatively small country in Central America was super exciting to me because zip lining, mud bathing and Hot Springs would now be checked off my bucket list and James was thrilled mostly because of his keen fascination with all things nature.
We chose the month of October for our Costa Rican vacation because the hotel resort rates are very attractive during the rainy season so you can get more for your dollar. Also we figured it would not be as crowded as it is during the so called “dry season” which runs from December to March. We were at the end of Costa Rica’s ‘Winter’ where it rains off and on in this Southern Pacific Coast between the months of May through November. On our week there it typically rained every single afternoon between 3pm and 6pm but sometimes we were caught off guard with a quick and hard downpour early in the morning or later in the evening. The upside was that all this pesky rain created beautiful lush greenery and scenery seemingly out of a postcard once the bright sun came back out.
We stayed at Secrets Papagayo Resort in Guanacaste on the Southern Pacific coast. The promotional video reeled us in with the Bungalow Suite King room and picturesque ocean views.
What we discovered when we got to our room and immediately pulled back the sheers and stiff curtains to the deck were what could only be described as peek-a-boo views of the ocean. James promptly got on the phone and worked his magic with the concierge so much so that by the very next day we had been moved from our room in the 300s down to a room in the 100s. This room was identical to our other room but now we were not only closer to the action but more importantly, looking out we had the expansive view of the ocean that we were drawn to in the promotional video. If vacation were a man, he was now starting to resemble a tall, strong, muscular creature with long angular arms and crooked fingers, beckoning me to take refuge in the comfort of my new surroundings…
We took a guided 2 hour Jet Ski tour on the Pacific Ocean our second day there. We stopped at 3 different beaches during this tour. The first beach where we stopped had a dark cave like area where we took turns with the other couple we were on the tour with taking silhouette pictures.
The second beach featured a cliff that we had to climb up to. Once there we stood just close enough to capture great photo ops.
The third and last beach featured a woodsy area with white faced monkeys – those sneaky little thieves that steal your sunglasses and hats right off your head – these mischievous monkeys boldly rejected the other couple’s healthy peaches in favor of salty rich Doritos that some kid had dropped (smile).
The ride back on our Jet Ski was fast and furious as now we were heading directly into the high winds causing me to cling that much harder to James’s waist. I couldn’t avoid the cold ocean water spray either as it spit all over my face and bare arms. Brrrrr, it was cold!
Back on the resort I was not at all impressed with the cuisine. However Market Cafe, which featured a buffet of international cuisine, was surprisingly good. I’m not a buffet person but their daily breakfasts, lunches and dinners carried a a lot of weight in their food choices. We both looked forward to eating at Himitsu, a Pan-Asian Fusion place, because we love sushi and Asian food in general. As it turned out, Himitsu did not disappoint. Our favorite entree was the pork bellies – we literally ordered them on three separate occasions!
Date night at Himitsu
Portofino, the fancy Italian restaurant featured 5 courses as well as a dress code (which meant that men had to wear pants and if they showed up in shorts, they were offered a pair!). We understood Portofino was known for its wine list but since I gave up wine at the onset of the Pandemic back in 2020, I sipped on cold bottled water.
Speaking of giving up alcohol, my favorite non-alcoholic drink was the Green Monster – it was healthy, refreshing and delish! One afternoon I drank 4 Green Monsters poolside simply because the waiter kept refilling my glass (smile).
Seaside Grille was the seafood restaurant at the resort – during the day they piled fried seafood on platters and served them poolside and at night they offered fancier entrees where you dined in their cool, air-conditioned interior.
All in all we do love resort life (especially the All-Inclusives) because you don’t have to worry about what you are going to do for the day, your bed is made and room is cleaned every day, there are planned activities posted daily, food is everywhere whether you are looking for something fast or casual, and there are plenty of things to do on and off the resort. If you come as a couple you have the opportunity to meet and hang out with other like-minded couples. We met this wonderful couple named Randy and Rachel from Nashville, TN over dinner our second night at the resort. We were dining at Himitsu – seated outdoors – and since we were sitting so close to them, we could not help but strike up a conversation. James said it reminded him of a Sienfield episode. Suffice it to say, we kept bumping into our new vacation friends until they talked us into joining them later on in the week on a 9 hour mega tour.
They caught us at the right time too because we were just getting ready to book the remainder of tours for the week with Amstar (since we enjoyed the Jet Ski tour so much) when they told us about this young man who was tucked away unseen on the resort but not too far from the Preferred Members club where we were meeting for drinks. They took us to him and it turned out that his tours were so cheap because they were Costco tours. Suffice it to say, we got a 9 hour mega tour (horseback riding, coffee cultural tour, sugar cane cultural tour, mud bath, hot springs, giant water slide, zip lining, bus ride to and from and lunch(!) for just $150 dollars. We met them and 4 to 5 other couples on the Thursday morning at 745am for an hour and a half bus ride to the our first leg of the mega tour, horseback riding.
Horse back riding was interesting because the horses were so well trained that we really did not have to do anything but hold on to our straps. They basically took us on a long walk down a muddy dirt road where the horses each comically took turns pooping all over the place and then stepping in each others messes (smile).
The next tour was the sugar cane cultural tour where we were offered delish expresso, cornbread, a sugar cane, and goat cheese on small plates. Here we sat in hard backed chairs and listened to the guide as he gave us the history of the sugar cane. Afterwards we walked down the hill (where it suddenly started to rain!) and met the star of the day, the oxen. This oxen (with the help of 2 volunteers – James and Randy) walked around and around in circles to produce fresh sugar water while James and Randy stuck the canes in a tree like opening. It was delish!
The next tour was zip lining. I was feeling a little under the weather that day so the trek up the mountain to the zip line quite literally took my breath away. Once I was strapped in and felt secure, the rest was a breeze. We went on 5 different zip lines so I did not have time to think about whether I could do it or not – it was exhilarating for sure!
Some people on the tour bus said that this was the best part of the day – lunch! We were fed healthy portions of authentic Costa Rican cuisine including rice and beans and spicy chicken. We sat in large room with wooden tables and got in much needed rest while we inhaled our delish hot food.
The last part of the tour involved the big water slide which we skipped because I did not have it in me to walk up another mountain to get there. Then came the mud bath and hot springs. I loved the hot springs because the water was extremely hot. The mud from the bath had to be taken off in a cold outdoor shower so that was not so much fun. And I slathered the mud on in all the crevices not realizing that I would would need to use cold water to remove it. Had I known…The hot springs (5 in all) were awesome and felt like heaven on earth with the heat rising from the water. Each hot spring we entered got a little cooler than the one before so by the 5th one, it was like being in a lukewarm bathtub. A wonderful and fitting ending to our day. And a beautiful end to an unpredictable vacay (smile).
