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Travel Files :: Tamarindo, Costa Rica

June 29, 2016 by Ashley Mayes 9 Comments

The ultimate dream would be a travel blogger. That would be the life, right? I know we’d love it for sure. But, until that dream comes true, I’ll just continue doing what I’m doing and sharing little snippets of our travels with you guys. =) We escaped to Tamarindo, Costa Rica two weeks ago. We had our heart set on going to Thailand this year, but the timing just didn’t work out right. In April, I came across a fabulous deal on a Costa Rica trip (last minute deals on Expedia). We jumped at the chance to see a new country. Costa Rica had been on our horizon a few years back, but we ended up going to Italy. This time around though, it was a perfect fit.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

We flew to Liberia, Costa Rica. About an hour from landing, the views from the plane were just amazing. Once we landed, we rented a car and drove two hours to Tamarindo. Tamarindo is a surf town sandwiched in between other costal towns. We went during rainy season, so there weren’t mobs of people everywhere. I don’t think I could handle the area during the peak season (dry season), it would just be overrun with people. During rainy season though, it felt fine.

We stayed at Hotel Capitan Suizo. It was part of the package deal through Expedia but when I did some research it came up as one of the top rated boutique hotels on Trip Advisor.

Luke and I have traveled quite a bit and have stayed at some really nice places (because I’m an awesome deal finder). So, upon first view… I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t as pretty as I had expected, but I ended up really loving it. Throughout the trip, I think we came to realize that Costa Rica is a quite a bit like Hawaii but a ton different as well. It has all the fun things: the beaches, zip lines, surfing, etc. Yet, it’s not as developed of an economy. So, things are definitely different. I definitely think there’s things to love and enjoy about all places though – that’s the beauty of different cultures.

After our two hour drive from the airport, we arrived at the hotel. You check in to the lobby which is an open air lobby.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

While checking in, their were monkeys swinging around right outside the lobby. That was pretty cool!

We walked just a short way down an open air walkway to our room.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

The room had a pretty little balcony that wasn’t necessarily completely private but there was so much greenery around that it felt like it. You could see monkeys from the balcony.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

We hung out a few different times at the pool but we didn’t just lounge there all day.

Alt Text

I saved my lounging for the beach.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

The beach was so interesting because the tide brought it all the way in to just below the chairs and quite a ways out. I’ve never seen the tide pull such a difference back and forth. In high tide, you could surf (which we did) right in front of the hotel. In low tide, you could walk 5-10 min to town down the beach. The location of the hotel was pretty great. It was on the end of the beach so it was out of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the beach yet it still offered what the other side of the beach offered.

The goal of the trip was just to hang out together and relax. I’m usually an over-planner but this time around, we had no agenda.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

The first two days, we hung out by the beach. I think I ended up reading a book a day. The only break from books was to grab a drink or be startled by these guys:

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

They walked right next to you. It freaked me out the first time I saw one, but after that, I kinda grew accustomed to them roaming.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

We threw in some surfing lessons early in the trip. Tamarindo is known for it’s prime surfing location. The time we were there, they were having uncustomarily low breaks. It worked for us, but I think some people would have been disappointed with the waves. We’ve both surfed quite a few times and find it to be fun. Luke likes it more than me, but that’s just because I can be a bit lazy. Later in the week, at high tide, we grabbed a board from our hotel and went on our own. It was so nice to not have to haul a board way down the beach. A huge perk of the hotel was it having boogie boards, surf boards, sea kayaks and more that were super inexpensive to rent. All you had to do was walk down five steps to get to the water.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Doesn’t he look so cute? Ha!

My form was pretty perfect here, so I had to show you.

Surfing in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

One morning, we took out the sea kayak to a small island. We’ve never rented a sea kayak before and it was a bit scary at first! Once we got the hang of it, and I realized we probably wouldn’t tip… it got better.

Sea kayak to a private island in Costa Rica

We had the island to ourselves most of the time. We docked the kayak and walked all around.

The hotel had warned us to wear appropriate shoes because there were lots of shells. I think that was an understatement. I had never seen so many shells before.

Shell beach in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

One side of the little island, was perfect for snorkeling. We didn’t snorkel but we did watch the pretty colored fish swim around for a bit.

By the fourth day, I was bored. Can you believe it? I guess my tolerance for relaxing is about four days. =)

We decided to drive 2.5 hours to Rincon De La Vieja National Park. There’s all sorts of things to do there: hiking trails to waterfalls, hiking to steam vents around the volcano, mud baths, water tubing, horseback riding, etc. I kinda had my heart set on hiking to a hidden waterfall so that’s what we set out to do.

When we got there, the ranger told us that the better waterfall hike was about 4 hours round-trip. That’s way more intense than anything I’ve done before. I’m so not a hiker, but I do like waterfalls that you don’t have to share with people and that you can swim in. We prepped our gear and set off. We did the La Cangrejo Waterfall hike and it was pretty intense but the views were pretty! It was part rainforest which had monkeys overhead, part river crossings, part lava rock hiking and part agave forest (this was my favorite).

Hiking in Costa Rica

At the end, we were rewarded with a gorgeous waterfall.

Traveling to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

I jumped right in and swam.

I’d say the hike was well worth it.

Once we got back from the National park, we were exhausted. It was a full day! The next two days were full of more beach time, picture taking and eating.

Plants around costa rica

Costa Rica Breakfast

Overall, the restaurants in Tamarindo weren’t amazing. Although, I did love some of the decor. Swings are definitely my favorite! =)

Fun restaurant in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

All in all, we had a great trip and plan to go back with Greyson. I’d like to rent a car again and go for two weeks and see the whole country. Maybe next year!

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Reader Interactions



Comments

  1. Charlotte W

    June 29, 2016 at 7:56 am

    Looks awesome! I’m going to have to keep an eye out on those last minute Expedia deals!

    Reply
    • Ashley Mayes

      July 3, 2016 at 5:22 pm

      For sure! Seriously, it was so cheap!

      Reply
  2. erin

    June 29, 2016 at 8:19 am

    I went to costa rica a few years ago. and it was quite awesome! the food in costa rica is definitely on the plainer side, i don’t think we really raved about any of our meals. But the views and sights were amazing. we had one day where we did an excursion – atv’ing, horse back riding and zip lining (let me tell you, that WAS an ADVENTURE!). Actually ATV’ing was pretty typical, but it was fun…I was terrified the whole time we’d run into a snake hanging from a tree. *shudders* then we hopped on some horses, and that was the best horseback riding experience ever, until it started thunderstorming and pouring down rain on us, but the guides told us to keep going. FREAKY! then we were all shivering when we got to the ziplines…and freaking out because we could see lightening in the distance and they insisted it was fine, by the time we got started, the storm went away and it was quite exhilarating. I’d do it all over again for sure.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mayes

      July 3, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      I totally agree with you on food! We DID run into a RED snake when we did our hike to the waterfall. Scared me half to death! Glad you had such a great time.

      Reply
  3. Erica @ Whimsical September

    June 29, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I was so excited to see this post while scrolling my BlogLovin feed this morning! My husband and I went on our honeymoon to this area four years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Such a hidden gem! Glad you had a relaxing vacation!

    Reply
    • Ashley Mayes

      July 3, 2016 at 5:24 pm

      Oh, so glad to hear you had a great time! A relaxing vacation was definitely needed… most times we go on vacations to sightsee and do a whole bunch of things. Then, when we get back we are just so tired. This was a perfect break from real-life.

      Reply
  4. Charles Rose

    June 30, 2016 at 2:12 am

    Costa Rica is my favourite place in the world. I’ve visited Costa Rica 5 times, and I just came back from a 1.5 month trip there. It’s the safest country in Central America (basically on par with safety in safe places in the U.S.). Be a bit careful in the capital (San Jose), but otherwise, just head out to the coast and enjoy your time. There’s really nothing to worry about. The place is amazing. The beaches are beautiful. People are nice. Things are more expensive than you might expect, but it’s a small price to pay for the rest of what you get.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mayes

      July 3, 2016 at 5:25 pm

      We felt safe the whole time and really loved that aspect of it. So glad to hear that you love it and have had great experiences there.

      Reply

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