Cindy Southgate’s Travels

Tulemar, Manuel Antonio

For our first full day at Tulemar, we decided to spend the day at the resort. We walked up the hill to TuleCafe for breakfast. Mike asked if the chef could make our favourite breakfast dish, even though it was no longer on the menu, and he kindly made it for us. Ranchos Huevos comes in three tortilla baskets, with a poached egg, black beans, avocado, onion, cheese and salsa.

Some uninvited guests showed up while we were eating. The staff were able to scare them off, but not before they stole some fruit. It’s not a good idea to feed the monkeys, because we have bacteria that can be harmful to their health. It’s also not good because they come to rely on people instead of eating what they would in the wild. The Squirrel Monkeys are very cute, and I love seeing the babies clinging on to their mother’s back.

After breakfast, we headed down to the beach to borrow a kayak. We wanted to beat the tour boats to the best area for snorkelling.

We paddled across the bay to the buoy to tie up our kayak while we snorkelled. We only spent about 30 minutes in the water because there isn’t a lot to see there. Soon after we arrived, the tour boats started arriving. There are a couple of large rocks where the fish tend to congregate, so we swam around them a few times. I wasn’t able to get any clear pictures because the water had a lot of silt in it. It also made identification a bit difficult. I believe the blue fish is a Cortez Damselfish and the multi-coloured fish is a Bicolour Parrotfish.

After snorkelling, we paddled around the bay and stopped at a neighbouring beach to do some exploring.

Looking back toward our resort, you can see some of the villas poking their heads up above the trees. Most of the villas are hidden behind the lush vegetation, which creates a lot of privacy.

When we arrived back at our beach, Mike had to drag the kayak through all the wet sand because the tide was out. This is actually one of the nice things about this beach- the sand stretches quite far out, which is great for playing in the small waves.

Although all beaches in Costa Rica are public, this one is virtually private because it has boulders and forest on both sides. There is a trail on one side, but it’s a bit sketchy. The only clear access is through the private property of the hotel, so all the people on the beach are guests.

There are 69 species of lizards in Costa Rica. This is the Spiny- tailed Iguana. They can grow up to 130 cm long. We often see them lounging in the sun as well as at the beach.

On our way back up to get lunch, I spotted this sloth. They are very hard to see because then tend to stay high up in the branches. I’m finding it a bit easier to find them, now that I know what to look for.

I love the triangular tables at TuleCafe- they ensure a great view for both guests. The first time we visited, back in 2020, the foliage was level with the deck. Unfortunately, it has obscured some of the view.

We spent a few hours on our deck, reading and enjoying the stunning view. This Capuchin Monkey came for a short visit. Later in the afternoon, the sun started to shine on our chairs and it became very hot, so we went down to cool off in the pool.

Some more views of the paths and plant life from our deck…..

We enjoyed the beautiful sunset from our balcony before heading up for dinner.