Costa Rica

Every year, I try to get away with my best friend of 38 years, just the two of us. This year, we decided to visit Costa Rica.  We invited our other childhood friend, but at the last minute, she bailed as she didn't want to deal with Alaska Airlines and all the issues they are currently experiencing. Our first day of the trip was a wash due to mechanical problems with our plane. When we arrived, there was no gate available for our aircraft, so we had to wait for a spot to open where they could bring the stairs. This caused a backup at immigration, taking over 90 minutes to clear immigration. The good thing was that we had chosen to stay in a hotel close to our destination, so we could just go straight there.  One thing to note about visiting Costa Rica is that car rentals can be expensive.  The price is reasonable when you book, but they don't inform you that there is an additional $ 35 per day charge, which is mandatory insurance that can't be waived. Unless you plan to stay at your hotel or have booked various excursions, a car is necessary for transportation.  The towns are rural, and there aren't many Uber or taxi options to get you around.  After a good night's sleep and a tasty breakfast, we picked up our rental car and headed to the hotel where we would spend the next five nights.

We stayed at the JW Marriott Hotel because we combined our points and didn't have to pay anything.  The hotel was beautiful.  We checked in, and the staff were lovely.  We immediately changed into our swimsuits and went swimming in the pool.  It was a gorgeous sunny day with a high of 93 degrees.  It was just what I needed after weeks of rain and cold temperatures. We ate dinner that night poolside and watched the sunset.  It was a perfect day.  The following day, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and headed to the horse stables for a horseback riding experience.  My friend loves to ride. Whenever she can get me on a horse, she does.  We saw no wildlife, but the ride was fun and peaceful.  We met a really lovely couple from Oklahoma who were ranchers.  We finished our day by the pool.  The following day, we visited the neighboring town of Tarimindo, a charming beach resort.  The streets are lined with hotels, shops, and restaurants.  We walked along the beach and discovered the message tables, which were reasonably priced.  We went for it! We ate lunch at a restaurant called Pico.  The food was so good.  It was local cuisine, but the food was delicious.  We shopped, got ice cream, and returned to the hotel.

My friend ended the evening by showing Boys in the Boat, which I had already seen at Christmas with my family.  I tried to stay awake that evening to read, but fell asleep quickly.  Wanting to see sloths, we ventured up the coast to an Eco Park with a small zoo. We would have liked to see them in the wild, but given the location of our hotel and the area where they can be observed in the wild, we just couldn't justify spending our precious few days of relaxation sitting on a tour bus for three hours each way. The eco-park had a fabulous sloth feeding session because they woke up, and we were able to see them.  They sleep about 20 hours a day and aren't very active creatures. We also saw monkeys, reptiles, Toucans, butterflies, and big cats, such as jaguars.

Our final day was spent at the hotel, relaxing by the pool.  We also took advantage of some hotel-free activities included in the resort fees.  They had a cooking demonstration, so we could learn how to taste Ceviche.  It was delicious.  That night we went to my favorite of all dining experiences a beachside restaurant called Lola's.  The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was dreamy. The trip overall was perfect.  My only complaint would be the high cost of everything, including food and excursions.  I feel like all the restaurants pretty much collude their prices because there really isn't such a thing as a cheap meal in Costa Rica, but don't quote me on that as it may be that if you travel to some small town or even San Jose, you can get meals that are more reasonably priced. Hotels are expensive as well.  I was shocked that it was more costly than going to Hawaii.  Well, it is late, and I should go to bed.