Our Costa Rica Trip - Celebrating our 25th Anniversary - December 17, 2012

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Today is an awesome day. Cindy and I are traveling to Costa Rica to celebrate our 25^th Anniversary. It is our second honeymoon.

We had a 6:00am flight from Houston to Miami. Since I fly America for business, I was able to use upgrades so we can fly in first class. Although we were 30 minutes late leaving we still made it to Miami in enough time to catch our flight from Miami to Costa Rica. The flight attendant on the American Airlines flight was super nice and gave Cindy and me a small bottle of champagne in celebration on our anniversary. We had a great breakfast and enjoyed a mimosa. Our flight from Miami to Costa Rica (Liberia airport) was equally great, they served a excellent lunch. We were also able to upgrade our seats to business class. Before landing at the airport, I took several shots from the plan of the Costa Rican landscape. What a beautiful area.

Surprisely, the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica was modern. It reminded me of the airport in Grand Cayman and Ayers Rock, however more up-to-date. We were able to go to and through passport control/immigration quickly. The security at this part of the airport seemed to be laid back. After getting our luggage, our driver from Grey Line tours meet us at the exit. Once we left the building, it was very hot, hotter than I expected, probably in the 90’s. Our driver/tour guide, Fernando, was super nice and did a great job giving Cindy and I a really good overview of the current Costa Rica and some of the things to see and do while we are here. The drive from the airport to the hotel was about 1.5 hours. It was very interesting that all the roads to the hotel were single lane and a small part was dirt. Our journey to the hotel went through several small towns; many were lined with sugar cane crops. Sugar cane is the number one industry in Costa Rica. He also said that melons and mango’s are important industries. Cindy and I also noticed that much of the landscape is dry. Our driver said that Guanacaste is the driest part of the Costa Rica, this time of year is the dry season. The driver did tell us that the part of Costa Rica we are visiting is the best place for surfing, too bad I don’t surf.

Our driver explained that there are seven provinces in Costa Rica, the one we arrived and staying in is Guanacaste. He states that the beaches are the best of any area in Costa Rica. As of June 2011, there are 3,471,000 inhabitants in Costa Rica.

We arrived at the area where our hotel was located around 200pm. Our hotel, JW Marriott, is located in the Hacienda Pinilla area. This is an exclusive area with both resorts and residences. To enter the property we had to go through a security booth. In order to gain access, you had to be a residence or registered guest. While we drove down the windy road the landscape was very flat, dry, and from time to time we would see cattle. We actually saw a sign that indicated monkey crossing. I wish I had taking a picture of this. Some of the homes we saw were beautiful, however really in the middle of nowhere, not sure I like this.

After a 10 minute ride from our entrance, we arrived at our hotel. All I can say is WOW. It is so tropical and open looking. The minute we parked the car the bellman addressed us by name. Our driver did say the hotel is really great about using your name often during the arrival and check in process. The hotel lobby where you check in is not your normal hotel lobby check in. You enter into an air conditioned area and were greeted by a host that will check in you. While completing the check in process, we were offered cold towels and a small glass of a mango fruit drink, this was yummy. The host then took us to a bellman who will take us to our room. Before going to our room, the host took a picture of Cindy and with the hotel pool and ocean in the back ground, what an awesome backdrop.

Our hotel room is awesome, the best of both worlds. We have a view of the pool and ocean, three floors up from these areas. The room is beautifully decorated and very tropical. The flooring tiled, large bathtub in the bathroom area, very large bed and the patio area has an area for sitting or lounging. I know this is a not a great description; however it is just has the feeling of relaxation. No stress here, or Australia they say no worries.

Instead of going out and exploring the hotel property, we decided to just sit around and relax, star at the awesome tropical environment and take a little nappage. About 30 minutes into our room, we had a delivery of water, cheese, and cracker, good stuff. Around 5:30pm we strolled down to the beach to watch the sunset, however we missed the sun part, both it was equally beautiful sitting on a wooden beach chair watching the waves crash and the sky go dark. A phot of this moment is attached to the blog.

After watching the sky go dark, Cindy and I walked around the pool area on our way to look for dining options at the hotel. We settled in at a hotel bar for evening drinks/cocktails. Cindy had the Love Connection (I think) and I had a watermelon ball. Both were tropical drinks. We also enjoyed an small order of quesadillas. To be honest we both just enjoyed sitting here overlooking the pool area and relaxing. A welcomed change in pace.

After our cocktails we settled in at a restaurant at the ground level of the hotel. We did not want a big meal, rather Cindy had a burger and I had a club sandwich. The food was great, however here the service is slow, we both realized that the hotel and possibly Costa Rica life does move slower than what we are used to, we will need to adapt.

After dinner we went to the hotel lobby and Cindy Skyped Jenny to show her the hotel at night and I Facebook IM’d Michael. After returning to the hotel room, Todd skyped Michael and we gave him a tour of the hotel room and the view of the pool/ocean from our hotel room balcony.

To sum up the day, after arriving at the hotel, we are so glad and extremely fortunate that we have the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place and be able to spend time together enjoying each other.

On Tuesday, we plan on just relaxing most of the day, however we may take a bus to an area called Tamarindo where there are casinos, shopping, and restaurants.

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