Vacationing around Costa Rica
Day 1 This year we flew into the airport in Liberia. We were going to spend some time exploring the northern Pacific side of Costa Rica. While flying in, I could see where our hotel was because I knew it was in a bay with a small island. I’m wasn’t sure exactly where the border…
Leaving Day Sadly, this was our last morning at Tulemar. After a breakfast of delicious French toast, we went back to the villa to relax and take in the view one last time. I loved everything about this villa, but I really liked this lounge chair. It was made for 2 people, and it had…
Tulemar Resort and Rainmaker Park Today was our last full day in Costa Rica. Oscar was still unavailable, so Jeremias took over as our private tour guide for Rainmaker Park. It was a forty minute drive to get there. When we first arrived, we explored a beautiful pond that was surrounded by a grassy area.…
Day 1 This year we flew into the airport in Liberia. We were going to spend some time exploring the northern Pacific side of Costa Rica. While flying in, I could see where our hotel was because I knew it was in a bay with a small island. I’m wasn’t sure exactly where the border… Continue reading
Leaving Day Sadly, this was our last morning at Tulemar. After a breakfast of delicious French toast, we went back to the villa to relax and take in the view one last time. I loved everything about this villa, but I really liked this lounge chair. It was made for 2 people, and it had… Continue reading
Tulemar Resort and Rainmaker Park Today was our last full day in Costa Rica. Oscar was still unavailable, so Jeremias took over as our private tour guide for Rainmaker Park. It was a forty minute drive to get there. When we first arrived, we explored a beautiful pond that was surrounded by a grassy area.… Continue reading
Tulemar and White Water Rafting We were up early, so we sat on the balcony and read before heading up the hill for breakfast. It was very quiet, but we could hear some Howler Monkeys in the distance. We both tried something new for breakfast at TuleCafe. Both were great! After breakfast we were picked… Continue reading
Tulemar, Manuel Antonio For our first full day at Tulemar, we were supposed to go to Rainmaker park with Oscar as our guide. He had to cancel due to a family emergency, so we decided to spend the day at the resort. We walked up the hill to TuleCafe for breakfast. Mike asked if the… Continue reading
El Castillo to Tulemar Resort On our last morning at El Castillo, Mike and I enjoyed seeing the sunrise from our balcony, reflected in the clouds, as we headed up for breakfast. We ate our breakfast indoors, while enjoying the view of the infinity pool and beyond. After breakfast, our driver picked us up to… Continue reading
February 22 This morning we headed out for another hike down along the beach. The plan was to do a similar distance to the day before, and then return to the hotel for lunch and relaxation. We headed out the front door of the hotel and headed down the gravel road that would take us… Continue reading
February 21 With our tours cancelled, we now had a couple of days to relax. We started the day with breakfast at one of the two cute tables for two that were tucked into the corners of the pool patio. We had several options to chose from – breakfast was included with the price of… Continue reading
February 20 We were up early today to take a short birding tour with Kevin. We met him at 6 am and headed down the road to a short trail near the main building. We only saw a few birds and unfortunately Kevin wasn’t as good at taking cell phone pictures through his scope as… Continue reading
February 19 Today we went on a hike in Piedras Blancas National Park. We bought our pass at the resort’s front desk and were told to bring it with us. We assumed we would have to show our pass at the park’s ranger station. The trail head was just a short walk up the road.… Continue reading
February 18 Today we went on two different tours. The first was a daytime rainforest walk through some of the trails on and around the property. We had Kevin as our guide for both and no one else signed up, so we ended up having a private tour. The rainforest here is very lush. We… Continue reading
February 17 Mike and I were up at 5 am after an early bedtime the evening before. We sat on our patio until 7 am and then headed into the village to pick up some food for breakfast. We visited the general store and the bakery with Lucky leading the way. I did a lot… Continue reading
The post details a challenging and exciting hike through Corcovado, with encounters like a Caiman and Puma tracks. The trek was physically demanding, with rugged terrain and encounters with wildlife and nature’s elements. The day ended with a refreshing river cool-down, a bumpy van ride, and a change of accommodations to a nicer cabin. Continue reading
In Costa Rica, an early start led to a day filled with wildlife sightings. From small Anoles to majestic birds and monkeys, the diverse flora and fauna of the region captivated us. We covered 8.5 km on trails, spotting fascinating creatures along the way, before ending the day with a beautiful sunset at the beach. Continue reading
On February 14th, we embarked on a challenging yet exciting hike to Corcovado Park, a biodiverse oasis. Guided by Josue, we navigated through rainforests, beaches, and rivers, spotting various wildlife like bats, monkeys, and even a tamandua. Despite the rugged terrain and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, the unique experience was well worth the effort. Continue reading
On February 13, the day began with a tranquil breakfast of cereal and yogurt on the patio, followed by a bike ride to a secluded beach in Costa Rica. Despite encountering some challenges, such as bumpy roads and smoking at the resort, the day concluded with a memorable evening snorkel tour, complete with dolphin sightings… Continue reading
February 12 I was up around 5 a.m. which would be the trend for most mornings. We enjoyed breakfast on our patio while watching a squirrel chow down on some fruit that was hanging on a nearby tree. I had tentatively booked a snorkelling boat tour for today but discovered that the owner of Cabinas… Continue reading
February 10 and 11 This year we headed back to Costa Rica for our third visit. I spent days researching our trip and the places I wanted to see because the plan was to visit a different country the following year. The main focus of this trip was our three day hike in Corcovado Park,… Continue reading
Sunday, February 27 – 28 Today was our last full day in Costa Rica. We decided to have our breakfast delivered to our room to enjoy on our deck. This morning we went kayaking. Our guide picked us up and drove us to a small river where their tour company was located. Once again we… Continue reading
Saturday, February 26 Today was our second last day. We planned a relaxing day with some time at the beach. This is our favourite resort so spending a day enjoying all it has to offer is mandatory. After breakfast we made our way down to the beach. We were not in a hurry so we… Continue reading
Friday, February 25 Today we returned to Manuel Antonio National Park to explore at our own pace. We reserved our arrival time about a month before our trip. This is one of the national parks that requires a paid reservation. After breakfast we headed up to the reception area and ordered a taxi. Our driver… Continue reading
Thursday, February 24 We had a bit of time this morning because our first tour wasn’t starting until 10 a.m. We enjoyed our breakfast at TuleCafe and took some pictures of the wildlife we encountered while we walked around the property. We saw a Sloth, a Squirrel Monkey with her baby and a Scarlet Macaw.… Continue reading
Wednesday, February 23 Today we woke up in one of our favourite places – Tulemar resort. @tulemar.com At 6:30 a.m. we headed up to TuleCafe for breakfast. We were disappointed to learn that our favourite breakfast wasn’t on the menu anymore, but all their breakfasts are great. After eating we slowly made our way up… Continue reading
Tuesday, February 22 Today was our last day in Monteverde. We were up early as usual and made our breakfast with a combination of the food supplied in our tree house and leftovers from the fancy breakfast delivered the day before. We packed our bags and drove over to Curi-Cancha reserve where we had a… Continue reading
Monday, February 21 Instead of going out for breakfast today, we ordered in ahead of time. Two women brought us an amazing meal and set it up for us. It included eggs, pancakes, yogurt, granola, hash browns and back bacon. There was so much food we ended up saving a lot of it for the… Continue reading
Sunday, February 20 This morning we headed to a very new location for us – the cloud forest. It would take us about three and a half hours to drive to Monteverde. The roads were fine until we started to head up into the mountains. Here they were not well paved – there were many… Continue reading
Saturday, February 19 Today was our last full day at Tango Mar. I was feeling energetic so I went for a run on the beach before breakfast. For you Strava users, I became the “local legend” of this beach segment! Mike came with me to take some pictures. After taking some pictures of this bird… Continue reading
Friday, February 18 After our usual breakfast buffet, we went to the front desk to meet our guide for the snorkelling tour to Tortuga Island. We had a couple and their 5 year old daughter joining us. They were in the midst of travelling around the world for 6 months. We all got in a… Continue reading
Thursday, February 17 Another picture perfect day! February is the middle of Costa Rica’s dry season which lines up perfectly with the weather we want to escape from in Canada, which is usually the coldest month of the year. This morning we headed out to explore the north side of the beach. There was supposed… Continue reading
Wednesday, February 16 I was feeling much better today so we headed over for breakfast. The restaurant, like most in Costa Rica, was open air. We also had a breakfast buffet included with our room price at this resort. One nice addition was a woman making made-to-order omelettes and scrambled eggs. She was pretty good… Continue reading
Tuesday, February 15 Today was a quiet day. I had had very little sleep since I had been sick the night before. I felt a bit better in the morning and was fine to go on a long drive. We were heading to our second location – the south east side of the Nicoya Peninsula.… Continue reading
Monday, February 14: Valentine’s Day! Today would be our most action packed day ever! We booked the tour ahead of time through our hotel, Hacienda Guachipelin. They run several exciting tours which are very close to or on their property. We chose the “One Day Pass” which included a variety of activities. After breakfast we… Continue reading
Sunday, February 13 Today was another day of exploring on our own. We were very happy to have a car because we had three different places to visit. Our first hike was a short one on the resort property before we went for breakfast. We found a trail right across the road from where we… Continue reading
Saturday, February 12 The nightly rate at Guachipelin included breakfast so we headed over to the restaurant when it opened at 6:30. We were up at 5:30 because the time there is one hour behind ours at home. They had a nice buffet set up with glass in front of the food and servers ready… Continue reading
Friday, February 11 I was so excited to be heading back to Costa Rica! We didn’t travel in 2021 because of the pandemic. Last May we booked this trip for February 2022, hoping it would be over. It wasn’t, and I thought about postponing our trip, but with all the safety measures in place we… Continue reading
Monday, March 2 Today, sadly, was our last full day in Costa Rica. We had two exciting tours planned for today. While waiting for the restaurant to open we walked around and took a few pictures. We started the day with breakfast at TuleCafe. This morning we tried a different egg dish – it was… Continue reading
Sunday, March 1 Today we were supposed to be going on an adventure tour to do ziplining and rappelling. A couple of days earlier I received an email asking if we could change our date but being at the end of the trip, it wasn’t possible. We ended up having an unexpected free day but… Continue reading
Saturday, February 29 Today we said goodbye to Drake Bay and the Osa Peninsula. We gathered our things and Erik drove us down to the restaurant where we had our breakfast each morning. It is right on the beach so we could wait here for the ferry that would take us back to Sierpe. Again… Continue reading
Friday, February 28 This was one of our favourite days. We spent most of the day hiking along the coast towards Corcovado Park. We covered 8 kilometers on the way out but that included all of our stops to explore the beaches and climb over the rocks. The hike back was only 6 kilometers. We… Continue reading
Thursday, February 27 After spending five nights at Jaguar’s Jungle, it was time to head to our next destination – Pacheco Cabins in Drake Bay. Drake Bay is a small seaside village that is located at the northern point of the Osa peninsula. It is home to some budget and mid-range hotels as well as… Continue reading
My husband Mike and I love to explore new places and try out new experiences. We prefer warm places so we can escape some of the cold during the winter. (We live in Canada) I love mountains, oceans, wildlife and adventure! Both of us have run numerous marathons and completed at least 2 Ironman races. We have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren.
