Costa Rica - Pura Vida

If you’ve never been to Costa Rica then you are missing out on the most amazing country and experience. We spent 7 nights there and could have stayed for months. We booked Costa Rica whilst it was still on the red list during covid days, it was an offer that could not be missed, albeit meaning we had to stay in an all inclusive hotel. We would have preferred more of an accommodation adventure but travel restrictions at the time prevented it. Whilst there, like always, we did not spend much time at the hotel. It was the RIU Palace in Guanacaste, which was lovely, and an ideal hotel for those who wish to visit Costa Rica but would prefer a larger, familiar environment. The staff were exceptional, the food was excellent, and the pools were just stunning. Evenings were quiet, however we personally packed so much into our days that we welcomed the earlier nights. Also, you just have to rise early to watch the sunrise in Costa Rica and this was just after 5am when we were there. The wildlife in Costa Rica is just phenomenal, it’s home to more than 500,000 species which represents nearly 5% of the species estimated worldwide, so its biodiversity is one of the highest. Within 10 minutes of arriving at our hotel we stopped everything to simply watch a chameleon in the trees outside of our room, and then on our first morning we were awoken by the unique sounds of the howler monkeys, which we managed to see numerous times during our stay. We were also lucky enough to experience the squirrel monkeys playing & eating near the beach, they were obviously adventurous that day as they were not always there apparently. It wasn’t too long at all before we ventured outside of the hotel to meet the locals. Some had stalls near the beach selling trinkets, carved wooden items, offering horse rides and massages (which I tested out and can say were amazing!) Everyone was lovely and incredibly proud of their country. About half an hour’s walk from the hotel we found Monkey’s Bar – great drinks and food, and of course a great place to see the monkeys each day – we hung out there a lot! We tried our hand at Scuba Diving one day. I was hopeless but our son was amazing and loved seeing the puffa fish in particular. Another day we went zip lining, just down the road from the hotel. This was fantastic, up in the canopies and flying through the jungle. We also spent a day touring the Guanacaste Province, North West of Costa Rica, spending time at hidden waterfalls and at a lovely sanctuary where they had wild sloths living, and we were lucky enough to see a couple of them awake, it was just magical. It was here too that we spent some time with a great guide who also found us Toucans, numerous snakes and a banana spide… the latter I wasn’t so keen on! We also experienced a river safari one day, where we were wowed with even more wildlife – crocodiles, basilisk lizards and numerous tropical birds – and we even got to see a Jesus Christ lizard run on water. After the boat trip we were treated to a delicious local lunch. Just down the beach from the hotel they had a local charity set up to help the nesting turtles and once a day they welcomed visitors for a short while to show us the babies and to tell us all abut them. It was humbling and something we’ll never forget. And on a final note about the wildlife, all of our beach walks came with encounters of different animals too. From pelicans to the sounds of nearby rattle snakes, to sea snakes and a few other critters we couldn’t identify. All in all, Costa Rica was paradise for us and I cannot wait to return to discover more, tour more and experience the different unique accommodation it has to offer. Pura Vida!