Playa Manuel Antonio | Costa Rica

Costa Rica is known for many things. Volcanos, rain forests, and of course their beaches. After our action packed holiday, my friend, Meagan, and I wanted at least one day to just sit and relax on the beach. We took the four hour car ride from Monte Verde to Manuel Antonio, or as the locals call it, a Costa Rican "massage". Mainly gravel roads, the drive isn't easy but as soon as the Pacific opens in front of you, you are immediately blown away.

Manuel Antonio is like a lot of beaches in Latin America. There are very touristy parts of it, but if you walk down far enough (the part near the National Park), the beach feels untouched. We found a spot under an umbrella, broke out our books, and spent hours just laying around in the sand.

We stayed in a gorgeous hotel where their motto was "still more monkeys than people". Hotel Costa Verde was located a short 10 minute walk from the beach which was ideal for a beach day. Their grounds stretch across several blocks and include unique restaurants and pools. Too lazy to walk up the hill? No problem! One of the employees will grab the truck and take you there!

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MANUEL ANTONIO 

+ Manuel Antonio isn't actually the city, it's the National Park/beach. The nearest city is Quepos.

+ The surrounding area is very Americanized. Almost everyone speaks English and accepts US dollars. 

+ Manuel Antonio National Park's last admission is at 3:00pm. Not 3:15, not 3:05. 3:00 exactly. We learned the hard way.

+ When you're entering the city make sure to look up at the power lines to spot cute tiny little monkeys.  They're everywhere if you know where to look.

+ San Jose airport is a short 2 1/2 hour drive from the beach, making it an easy access point if you don't want to venture too far away. 

xoxo

An Hour in Galveston, Texas

Spring has officially sprung here in Texas! Although I'm already complaining about how hot the Houston weather is (I'm going to miss English summers), I'm loving being able soak up the sun whenever I get the chance. A few weeks ago my sister and her boyfriend came home from university for Spring Break. Taking full advantage of the weather, we headed to Galveston for the day. 

Galveston, Texas is only a short 45 minute trip away. To our disappointment, when we arrived on the island there was a coastal haze obstructing our view. Despite the fact the sun was shining we could barely see the water! So, we opted for a classic gulf coast lunch at the Spot, a famous cluster of restaurants on the island, then a quick walk on the beach before heading back home.

Having grown up in the Houston area, Galveston was always the perfect day-cation spot when I was younger. One of the 'older' cities in Texas, Galveston has been an important city, island, and port since 1839. European explorers however had been using Galveston Island as a stopping point in the 16th - 18th centuries before continuing on to Mexico and Central America. The island is a unique blend of Spanish, French, and Mexican history.

Galveston is most famous for being the location of the most deadly natural disaster in United States history. For those of you who aren't familiar, the hurricane of 1900 hit Galveston head on as a Category 4 storm. Winds reached up to 150 miles per hour, with somewhere around 8,000 people loosing their lives. With no warning systems in place at the time, the islanders had no idea what had hit them. Evidence from the 1900 storm can still be seen today. Residents of Galveston helped develop a seawall, protecting the island from the gulf. The wall, which now stretches over 10 miles, elevates the island more than 20 feet above sea level. Although nothing in United States' history has compared to the 1900 storm, Galveston has seen many hurricanes since, the most recent being Hurricane Ike in 2008 (or as I remember the two weeks we didn't have power or school).

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

Sandown | Isle of Wight

Warning | This post is very picture heavy.

Now that I have established I took a lot of pictures on the Isle of Wight, let's get to my visit to Sandown with fellow Texan living in Bristol, Elle. Located on the east coast of the Isle of Wight, Sandown is home to a pier, a candy shop, and one hell of a pretty beach. Sandown was easy enough to get to (we bought an Isle of Wight day bus ticket), but extremely hard to get out of. We waited an hour for a bus only to be told it wasn't going the direction we wanted to go (even though the sign clearly said it did)! All in all, Sandown is worth a the visit to the beach, but plan ahead to use the train system and not the buses!

Happy Tuesday!
xoxo

By The Sea | Isle of Wight

On a Wednesday morning not to long ago I woke up at 5am to catch a train. Elle, a fellow Texan living in Bristol, and I had decided to make a day trip out to the Isle of Wight. Two hours on the train followed by a twenty minute ferry ride and we were on the beautiful island.

Located just south of Southampton, the Isle of Wight is England's largest island. Well, other than the island of Great Britain of course. Its history predates Romans, and even governed itself as its own country for some time in the 15th century. The island is famous for dinosaur bones and fossils, and even has a theme park dedicated to it. The entire island is 148 square miles, and is home to 138,000 people. 

To be honest, I found the Isle of Wight to be a strange but amazing place. The island was unlike anything I had seen in England, making the theme of our trip to be "that's so random". From the beaches to the gorges to the piers to the candy shops, the Isle of Wight is the perfect place to visit if you're looking for a quirky yet beautiful holiday. 

We managed to visit five cities on the island during our short visit, so there will be a few more posts headed this way within the next week!

Happy November! 

xoxo