Pura Vida!
Of all the places I’ve traveled, Costa Rica is easily one of the most beautiful and endearing…and HOT. The memories made in this beautiful place are forever engrained in my soul.
A little background: Braxton, Braxton’s mom Ms. Kathy, her boyfriend Dustin, and I were all drinking wine around the dinner table one summer night. Ms. Kathy said she wanted to take a big trip around the holidays and threw out Costa Rica as an option. She told us to invite a couple and she and Dustin would also invite a couple, and it would be a big celebration! Say no more…
After a few months of planning, we all went our separate ways to our preferred airlines and 7+ hours later we all landed in Liberia, Costa Rica! The airport was about a 40 minute drive from the house we stayed in.
I’ll go ahead and provide this disclaimer: we were privileged to stay at a family friend’s home in Las Catalinas resort in Costa Rica - they were so, so kind to offer us a complementary stay in exchange for some Greenville Country Music Festival tickets (perks of being married to the owner of an entertainment company) :) We found out the first night there that the hotel on-site costs $1,000 per night, so definitely understand that this was on the more luxurious end of the trips we typically take! The home was absolutely beautiful and the entire resort felt like little Italy. We were truly living like kings & queens while at the resort. That being said, there are SO many places to stay in Costa Rica! This is definitely a place you could go with any travel budget, big or small, and have the time of your life.
BUT in true Maxwell/Wilson travel fashion, we were rarely at the resort anyway! We love to explore the authentic culture whenever we travel to new places, so instead of being pool-side all day we ventured into the surrounding towns and beaches to hang with the locals. Below are a few of our favorite excursions with recommendations for each location:
Coco del Playa $
-Tortugas ($2.50 beer and $3 frozen margaritas…and those aren’t even the Happy Hour prices)
-Fish Spa ($20 for 20 minutes - so worth it for a quick beachfront pedi! Vanessa is the best!)
-Coconuts (fun place for drinks & apps. huge TVs. they brew their own beer in-house!)
-Pacifico (on the nicer side, we walked up for happy hour drinks and watched the sunset from the poolside)
-Cafe de Playa (we had planned to go here for a nicer beach-front dinner but they were closed for a staff party. we will be returning to try this place - the menu looked amazing and all the locals told us this was the place to be for sunset!)
Serendipity Charters at Flamingo Marina $$$
-Brumel Island (private island where you can snorkel and swim to the beach)
-Coco Loco (amazing restaurant within walking distance from the marina)
-We saw whales!!!!!
Tamarindo del Playa $$
-Langosta Beach Club ($30pp for a daily pass, does not include food/drinks but the prices were very reasonable!)
-Flying Bill’s/Ay Caramba! (steakhouse on one side, authentic Mexican food on the other. You can order from either menu at both places!)
-El Bi (great drinks, beachfront)
-Tropic (amazing specialty cocktails & apps)
-La Palapa (beachfront, 2 for 1 drink specials, order the tuna tartare!)
Sentido Norte $
-Make sunset reservations for cocktails! The MOST beautiful part of our trip.
-The food was absolutely delicious.
ATV Tour with Flamingo Adventures $$
-ATVs can be driven solo or in pairs
-Several beach drives
-Lots of dirt roads - wear goggles or big sunglasses and whatever you do, do NOT wear white like I did!
-Ended at a local beach bar and met so many amazing people. Highly recommend asking for Darwin as your guide!!
The biggest takeaway I have from our trip to Costa Rica is this: Pura Vida. Everyone in Costa Rica says this simple phrase,, and those 2 little words mean SO much. For some, it means a simple “Hello!” For others, it means “You’re welcome.” For our taxi driver, it meant that no matter where you are in life, whether you’re rich, poor, young, old, healthy, unhealthy, whatever your situation may be - Life is something to be celebrated. I’ll carry these words with me forever as a reminder that life truly is GOOD and we should celebrate every single second of it.
The people we met in Costa Rica were some of the most kind, genuine, gracious people I’ve ever come into contact with. Everyone went out of their way to make sure we had the BEST experiences. Our sailboat captains, Bizmark & Jonathan, could not believe we saw whales and were so excited that Austin was able to video the whole encounter! Our ATV guide, Darwin, was so happy to sit and have a beer with all of us and talk like old friends at the end of our trip. Our sweet, sweet housekeeper Jessie was an angel in disguise and never stopped smiling or hugging, even when we completely butchered our Spanish speaking to her. The entertainer at Langosta Beach Club, Costa Man, talked and laughed and sang with us for hours while we watched the sun set over the ocean. Every waiter, cashier, passerby was SO welcoming and full of life and I really think that’s what stood out to everyone the most. Costa Ricans live life to its fullest and they don’t take anything for granted. Living is easy in Costa Rica…as it should be everywhere.
It was truly an amazing trip. We were there for 6 days and it wasn’t nearly enough time to see and do everything we wanted to! We’ll definitely be back to continue exploring and soak in a few more of those beautiful beachfront sunsets…and way more guacamole.