Living Pura Vida – The Costa Rica Way

Costa Rica wasn’t even on my radar until my younger brother called me and said he and his wife were planning a trip and we were invited. We said OK to living the “pura vida” lifestyle and headed straight for Liberia, Costa Rica. Six in total, our planes touched down next to each other and we were ready to conquer the beaches and the rocky road that lead to our little casita in the sky.

Landing and looking out at the horizon it felt a bit like being on a safari. Loads of heat exhausted fields and a very breathtaking mountain range in the far distance, our one hour drive to Playa Flamingo was worth it. Eager to get settled in, we stocked the house with all of the necessary essentials including the bubbles.

I love renting houses for vacation, which can be a massive cost savings when splitting with others, and our “Casa Thu” was perfect for our group. Situated high above the ocean, our view looking down offered multiple terrains. My favorite part was the edge-less pool overlooking my favorite beach Playa Flamingo with Conchal in the distance.

The beaches were beautiful and we spent one day literally at the beach riding the waves, (see video at the bottom made my very talented husband, Johnny Drones), which felt more like being beaten up, but it was a fabulous time. I laughed so hard I cried diving into the waves and being taken to shore as a sandy mess while the massive waves crashed down on top of us. We watched the sunset, ate chips and guacamole (lots of chips), late night dance parties, swim parties, and enjoyed the sunshine.

Hands down the most enjoyable experience was sailing with Serendipity Charters. We booked the trip in advance to secure a private sail for just the six of us and the experience was perfect. The crew was more than accommodating, Brad the captain and his wife Geneva were more than accommodating while hosting us aboard their home on the water and guiding us along the journey with tourist details, advice, and recommendations. We went snorkeling – I actually swam above a sting ray, droning, drinking, swimming and had a fabulous taco meal along with the most ideal sunset. Each one of us left the boat elated.

Each day a different meal, different beach, new adventure. We headed out to Tamarindo which is an idyllic little beach village, filled with shops, souvenirs, restaurants and dotted with little bars seated under the palm trees. We loved it here except it was a particularly windy afternoon that took us off the sand and into the bar faster than we could say Hola. We all said we would go back sans wind.

We happened to visit Costa during a very dry and extremely windy time of year. I’m talking so windy we watched a pool lounger be carried into the pool (along with my husbands cell phone – you can imagine how well that went over). I could have done without as heavy of winds but they sure were nice when it came to keeping the heat at bay, I had no idea we were in such high temps which was mostly due to the breeze. According to locals and our chauffeur – the dry season runs from November to May and the rainy season starts in May and goes until the beginning of Nov. The busiest time of year is Christmas, and November is the most beautiful just as the rainy season is ending.

My number one pick for food is the quaint and picturesque Surf Box. Not only did we fall in love with the decor, ambiance, and the owner, but the food is top-notch. The avocado toast, Acai bowls, smoothies, tacos, breakfast Mexicana, you can’t go wrong! I seriously dream about my cappuccino, and apparently I wasn’t the only one. We visited two times and each time had a fabulous and successful meal. Others worthy of noting – The Shack, Limonada, Pizza Celeste, Bar Las Brisas Potrero, Smoking Pig and our favorite Italian meal and last meal of the trip was at La Sodita Italiana – it was fantastic!

Here are way too many photos from our little journey into Central America and I hope you enjoy! Can’t wait to go back!