Blogs from Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean

We spent the day visiting a variety of beaches going south from Playa Panama. Jose Diego was our driver today and he did a great job with the navigation and making sure we had a great time. Dantita Beach and Dante Beach were the first stops. We drove and hiked a vista first and then took a walk on the beach. We stopped at Flamingo Beach and took another walk. Another stop at Brasilito Beach . Then we had lunch in Tamarindo and after we took a short drive took a walk on Playa Longosta. We went back to Tamarindo and took our surf lesson from Iguana Surf Shop. We were in a small group lesson with a couple from France. Kendall was our instructor. After a short lesson on the beach it was into the ... read more

Not terribly sure when I made my mental ' bucket list ', but it's been cruising around for quite a while ! :) # 1 SAILING ~ the thought of flapping white sails, blue/turquoise seas, the wind in my hair, hot sun on my face................aahhhh. The dream came true last Monday. My birthday...in Costa Rica ! My husband booked us a trip on the beautiful schooner, ' Antares', based in Tamarindo. We waded out into the shallows, where the sea was as warm as bath water & climbed into a small motor boat for the short distance to Antares. We crested & crashed through large waves & a shrieking young woman clung to my right arm, as though her life depended on me. She seemed to relax a little once I started laughing, but didn't let ... read more

Costa Rica was a great surprise. Started in San Jose (stayed at the Aloft Hotel for the first night) - fantastic hotel, modern, chic and a great free breakfast. Rented a vehicle from Wild Rider - great guys, good vehicle, cheap on gas. A little more expensive that Hertz, Alamo etc., but I book it the night before I arrived in Costa Rica. (1) Night in San Jose (2) Nights in Manuel Antonio (2) Nights in Monteverde (3) Nights in Tamarindo (1) Night in San Jose Manuel Antonio - beautiful beaches in the National Park $16 entry fee each day. (3) hour drive from San Jose. Falafel Bar was a good healthy choice for food. Monteverde - amazing zipling; Extremo Zipling took the prize for the fastest, longest and highest experiences. Also did zipling in Selavutra ... read more

Several weeks ago,we returned from another visit to Costa Rica- this time we went for a destination wedding near Tamarindo in Guanacaste. I think CR is now off the list but we did have a good time. The worst part of Costa Rica is the trip to get there. We had to exit Salt Spring to get to Vancouver-that was day one. Day two , we flew to Houston via Calgary for another overnight and day three, we finally arrived in Liberia. Getting there is not half the fun, but it was a self inflicted wound as we had chosen the cheap flight option. This was also our first try at flying with no checked baggage which worked out fine, proving that one can survive with minimal luggage. I think we saved about $25 for each ... read more

Pura Vida means pure life (e.g. life is wonderful) in Spanish. Costa Ricans embrace this saying in their daily lives and happily share it with tourists. Their positive outlook, warm smiles and friendly greetings were contagious and made me feel very welcome. From the airports to the restaurants and hotels, we received first class service and a plethora of Hola! Buenos Dias! and Gracias! from local staff. Being in Costa Rica reminded me of my homeland. Do you strive for happiness every day and live with an attitude of gratitude? A smile or kind gesture can truly brighten someone’s day. Our trip to Costa Rica was in June 2013. June is considered “Rainy Season” -yes it was hot, a bit humid but it only rained once. Thanks much weather God. Below you will find a variety ... read more

Well, after 4.5 weeks in Tamarindo, we decided to split. OK so don't hate us, we are not bored in Costa Rica....we are in need of a new adventure! I think that staying in one place that long was a mistake as it has started to get a bit monotonous. It would be a great place to live, if you had something to do every day Besides, napping, walking, reading, swimming, reading lol. We finally met some of the other people at our place, and they were also having encounters of the creepy crawly kind too. Everyone had encountered the scorpions but one other lucky couple also had a tarantula! Speaking of tarantulas...... we have rented a car and are heading out tomorrow into the Central mountains to an area called Monteverde. Home central of tarantulas ... read more