Guanacaste

After activity filled days we were off for relaxation.  We spent five nights at the Casa Conde Del Mar in Gaunacaste.  Situated on Panama Beach in the northwest part of Costa Rica 30 minutes from Liberia this is a small all inclusive of 40 rooms set on one of the most pristine beaches of the country.  The rooms are pretty basic but we did not see the superior rooms.  The grounds were beautifully kept with howler monkeys paying a visit one afternoon, iqunanas everywhere, a skunk and armadillo wandering around and birds and butterflies aplenty.  The unusual thing was the lack of guests. We were there in low season but one day there were as few as nine including us seven.  Having said that never have I seen better service.  There was more staff than guests and they went out of their way for you.  We almost always had one of the pools to ourselves with a bartender which the kids thought was great.  In the evening the sports bar with the pool table was our private club.  They used what’s app so you could communicate with the staff at anytime or order food all day long. The kids loved this and Isaac particularly loved ordering buffalo wings and fries to the pool or room.  On our last night they did a special buffet for us and wanted to cook everything we liked. They even presented me with an incredible pulpo (octopus) and the table with a wonderful prawn plate.  The ocean water was the temperature of a warm bath with gentle waves and a beautiful Sandy bottom.  Great swimming and also a wonderful place to watch the spectacular sunsets before heading up for cocktails.

All good things do come to an end and with great memories we headed back to San Jose for our flights home.  We went on this trip knowing it was rainy season but really the spurts of rain we had in no way dampened our trip in anyway.  For myself I feel truly blessed that I have got to spend this time and share these memories with my family.

We passed several little stands set up along the road on our way to Gaunacaste

Seemed funny to see a stand selling cacti in a tropical country where there are cacti everywhere 

Charming cabins set on beautifully maintained grounds

As there were so few people at the resort this was our own private pool

Kayla worked at perfecting her headstands which will be a very valuable skill I am sure

Alanna chose to pose for the camera

Kayla got more artistic

Not a competition but is somewhat when you are sisters

Beautiful beach with wonderful warm water

Beautiful sunsets each evening before dinner

Howler monkeys visit the resort to entertain the guests

These so ugly that they are kind of cute iguanas were everywhere and would even hop up on chairs and tables to see if there was any left over food

Armadillo wandering the property 

These colourful land crabs were quite abundant and sometimes could be found on the bottom of the pool if they had made a wrong turn. We rescued more than one

Buffalo wings and fries was a favourite of Isaac’s especially 

Isaac trying his hand at pool

We also had the pool bar to ourselves each evening so the kids and Brad had a lot of fun with pool

Alanna even found a sloth on the beach

They prepared this magnificent octopus for us for our farewell dinner which would have fed 50

Another magnificent farewell sunset. What a stunning place to visit and what a welcome we received from such warm friendly people

White water rafting

Our next adventure was white water rafting on the Balsa River. We were picked up at our resort by Wave Rafting for the 45 minute drive to the river which I always find interesting as you get to see different parts of the country.  On the way we were given the safety talk and what to do if you fall out at which point I started to feel a little nervous but having rafted before I thought I have this.  I had the illusion of taking a camera but once we were geared up the guide Marco suggested it was not a good idea and I am glad I listened to him as I was too busy concentrating and paddling that it would not have been used.  We were in the raft less than a minute before we hit our first rapid and it was a doozy. Marco had told us when he said down we had to get on the bottom of the raft and between the down and ups we felt like we were in a jack in the box but he kept us safe and in the boat.  We did have one close encounter where we hit a rock and came to a full stop with the boat up on a 90 degree angle.  Kris and I were on the low side right by the rock and were sure we were going over but Marco got Brad to climb to the back corner of the raft to balance it off the rock.  We all breathed a huge sigh of relief.  We were on the river for 2 1/2 hours and it was totally exillerating and very wet.  We did learn on the bus ride back that one raft did flip and the one fellow I talked to was very bruised from his time in the river and bashing against rocks.

From the rafting we went to Vida Campesida which is a family estate where we enjoyed a traditional lunch cooked over wood stoves.  We then had a demonstration of how they harvest the juice from the sugar cane that they grow.  We chewed pieces of the cane as well as drank the very sweet juice.  To finish off the adults had a shot of moonshine which they make on site.  It was very potent and burned on the way down.

Returning to the resort we had a swim before heading into town for dinner.  Returning to the same small family restaurant where we had so enjoyed lunch the day before we were welcomed warmly and the owner brought out small treats such as home made chips and jars of hot sauce his mom made.  Everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner before returning to pack and get ready for an early morning departure to our next destination.

This doesn’t look too bad. Just a bit of rough water

Maybe one should not get too complacent as I think it is about to get more exciting 

Those of us at the front were very wet as the raft buried itself in the rapids

These rapids were definitely not for the weak of heart

Smiling but hard work at times

Coming out of the rapids was also an exciting ride

No time to relax as there was always another rapid along the way

The photographer did a great job of getting shots from all angles

I was a little worried about that rock straight ahead

With a valiant effort by all we got around it

Relief with Tyler hamming it up for the photographer 

A very wet finish to a run of amazing rapids. What a great day

The family sugar farm where we enjoyed lunch

Squeezing the juice from the sugar cane

Isaac and Alanna testing the fountain water in town before a delicious dinner

Arenal hike and Hotsprings

With a very informative guide we set off for a hike on the base of the Arenal Volcano.  The hike took us to the base of the lava flows and allowed us magnificent views of the surrounding countryside as well as Arenal Lake. While we took in the sights our guide filled us with information about the area and the eruption of the volcano which destroyed a whole town in 1967.  Though the volcano is not active at this point it is against the law to hike to the top.  On the way down we hike through a pasture of cows which I believe was a highlight for the kids as there were even some selfies taken with some of the reluctant creatures.  Back at the bus we enjoyed fresh pineapple and watermelon with beer and had a really interesting discussion on how Covid had affected Costa Rica as tourism is their number one industry.  Our guides father is a cheese maker and as the restaurants and supermarkets were not buying he took to bartering with others for products he needed.  Very tough if you had nothing to barter with.

Our next experience was at the incredible Tabacon Hotsprings.  These beautiful pools and waterfalls of mineral water are fed by rivers of thermal water from the veins of the Arenal Volcano and are surrounded by lush tropical gardens.  We spent a few hours soaking in and enjoying the different pools.that are just carved into nature with natural rocky or sand bottoms.  As the sun set and the lights in the gardens and pools came on it was magical.  The experience was one that was enjoyed by all. Totally relaxed we were then served a wonderful three course meal in the restaurant before returning to our resort.

Fabulous view of a sloth eating on our way to the hike

Start of the hiking trail on the volcano

Vegetation has started to grow on the lava flows

The boys at our lookout point

Another group picture as we enjoy the scenery

Alanna taking a selfie with the cows

I do believe the kids liked the cows better than the views

Enjoying a Local beer on a hot day after the hike

The boys enjoying one of the Hotsprings 

The setting and the natural waterfalls was just beautiful 

Another selfie

Going for some big water action

Back massages with hot mineral water

Kids enjoyed going up and down all the various falls

Perfect ledges to sit and enjoy the soothing water

The atmosphere changed as the sun set and lights came on

A beautiful experience with no crowds. We almost felt like we had the springs to ourselves 

Ceviche served with delicious banana chips

A traditional dish of pork belly and beans with some definite spice. Delicious. A fried jalapeño on the side for decoration which had a lot of heat as Tyler is well aware of as he decided to eat it!