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

Laguna de Arenal In Pictures | Costa Rica

Sometimes it's easy to forget the feeling of a warm sun shining down on your skin. As winter came to an end I was eager to go somewhere tropical. Although it has not been necessarily 'cold' in Texas, the grey and gloomy days were starting to drag. 

Costa Rica was everything I hoped it would be. Beautiful, exciting, and most of all hospitable. We traveled around the country for 5 days, but one of the most unique and breathtaking moments was our trip across Laguna de Arenal. With the volcano fading in the distance, we took a ferry across the great lake on what can only be described as the perfect day. 

xoxo

Canyoneering | Costa Rica

I would like to think I am a physically fit person. I work out on a semi regular basis and try to eat healthy. It was obviously however that my so called 'strength' was put to the test when we began our first adventure in Costa Rica, canyoneering in Lost Canyon. 

Let me back up for a moment. As I mentioned before, my friend Meagan and I decided to book our entire Costa Rican adventure through a travel agency called Desafio. After reading some AMAZING reviews online, we decided to make an inquiry. We emailed our agent back and forth for a couple of days before setting up a call to finalize the details. She knew exactly what we wanted. Beach day? Done. White water rafting? Done. When she asked if we would be interested in 'canyoneering' I said "SURE! Why not?!" without really understanding what it was. In my head, I was picturing us driving by a canyon and snapping a few photos. Then I Googled what canyoneering was and my jaw dropped. We had just signed up to rappel down waterfalls. 

When the bus came to pick us up on the morning of our canyoneering excursion, I have to admit I was nervous. We were geared up and given a quick demonstration of how to rappel. Seemed easy enough? Maybe I could do this!  Turns out canyoneering isn't the easiest of sports, but with the help of our guides I quickly got the hang of things!

The canyoneering adventure with Desafio was amazing. Not only were we rappelling down waterfalls, we were hiking through the beautiful Costa Rican jungle! They even threw a surprise or two in as well (which you can watch in my vlog below). If you are thinking about planning a trip to the La Fortuna area in Costa Rica, I highly recommend looking this amazing company up!

It was amazing to realize what I was capable of doing! 

Now I know I was a little late on the Costa Rican vlog, but better late than never! The vlog includes our Canyoneering and White Water Rafting through Desafio. Everything else I'll explain another day!

Have you ever done something completely out of your comfort zone when traveling?

xoxo

Pura Vida | Life in Costa Rica

There's a saying in Costa Rica which all locals live by.

PURA VIDA, which translates literally to pure life. Pura Vida is not only a saying, it's also a philosophy. It's the belief that all people should live simply, carefree, and full. The life you live should not be taken for granted. When my friend and I deboarded our plane in San Jose, we were immediately greeted with Pura Vidas from everyone we met. Little did we know how much this simple phrase would impact our trek around Costa Rica, 

In recent years, Costa Rica has become a popular destination for Americans and Europeans alike. For us, we chose Costa Rica as our destination purely because it was an exotic country that was easy for us to get to (less than 4 hours direct by plane). We really didn't know much more than what Pinterest told us. It was, so to speak, our least planned vacation. So we enlisted the help of Desafio, a Costa Rican travel and adventure agency. We told them where we wanted to go, and they planned the rest! From hotels to transportation to tours, our entire vacation was in the hands of this competent agency. 

So what did we actually do? I guess the better question is what DIDN'T we do? We visited waterfalls, repelled down canyons, swam in hot spirngs, white water rafted, zip lined, and even had time to lay on a beach for an afternoon.

I can easily say I fell in love with this amazing country. Although our trip was fairly short (just four nights), I feel like we really managed to see some of the most beautiful sights Costa Rica has to offer. We did a LOT of traveling, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. 

OUR ROUTE 

San Jose to La Fortuna | Travel time 3 hours

La Fortuna to Monte Verde | Travel time 3 hours

Monte Verde to Manuel Antonio | Travel time 4 hours

Manuel Antonio to San Jose | Travel time 3 hours

I do apologize for all the iPhone photos. We were so active and doing so much I barely had a chance to pull out my camera. Not to worry! Many more pictures and videos to come! 

What are some sayings around the world that have really stuck with you?

xoxo