Costa Rica - Playa Conchal

After an amazing stay near the Arenal Volcano, we headed to the coast toward Playa Conchal for the second half of our trip. For this part of our trip, we didn't have any excursions planned. All we wanted to do was relax by the water and eat as much as we could (neither one of us had experienced all-inclusive before).

The drive was just under four hours but also very scenic. When we arrived, this was actually the first time we had seen any monkeys!



They loved to hang out right outside where we would be staying the next four days.



Once we got settled in, we walked over to see the ocean for the first time.



It was so beautiful - and we made it just in time for the sunset.



I brought a dress or two and Eric brought something he thought could pass off as "nicer" in the event we just happened to eat at a nice restaurant, but we hadn't really planned to. Well, we probably should have done our homework because we realized when we got there they had a dress code for dinner (for every restaurant). Basically, we weren't allowed to wear flip-flops, tennis shoes, or anything sleeveless, I had to be in a dress or skirt, and Eric had to be wearing a collared shirt (he didn't bring a single one).

Luckily, they weren't too strict on the collared shirt or flip-flop rule, so we were able to pass. However, we pretty much wore the same thing to dinner every night ;)



Pretty much all day every day, you could find us here at the pool. We didn't do anything but pool, beach, and eat - a lot of eating.



We met a really nice couple from Boston that we would end up sitting by the pool next to most days and chat with. They had been married 10 years and have never once missed their yearly trip (usually to Costa Rica or Mexico). They leave their kids with grandparents and take off for a week on their own - one can dream!









I honestly have endless pictures from seeing these iguanas everywhere we went; I'll only show you a couple.





We ended up trying as many of the restaurants as we could. We ordered so much food at each place - appetizers, salads, bread, entrees, and dessert. We kept telling ourselves we already paid for it, we may as well take advantage! We definitely let ourselves indulge this part of the trip.



The water was so clear and beautiful. It was a little cold, but we loved taking walks on the beach. Unfortunately, Eric's phone got some water damage and we ended up losing about a full day's worth of pictures, but at least we were able to save most of them!



We were told if we walked down the beach a ways, we would hit a local town. We decided to check it out to explore and see if we could find any souvenirs that weren't way over-priced like they were where we were staying.



The town was very small but cool to see. There were a couple very modest huts/bungalows along the way right on the beach; they almost looked abandoned. I can't imagine waking up every morning to a beach like this out your front door!

A restaurant/bar on the water (also kind of looked abandoned).





We didn't go too far into the town since we had already walked a ways, but we did go into a couple shops to look around.



Then we were ready to get back to the water. It was sunny and HOT everyday - pushing 100 degrees. That was one thing we didn't have when we were staying more inland, where it was warm but more overcast at times.







Back to the pool and free drinks.



I was laying out at one point, turned to get up and was face-to-face with this guy.



We also saw that Dikembe Mutombo was staying there with his family. He was making friends and shooting hoops with a couple young guys that came up to meet him. Naturally, Eric wanted to get in on the action too (he's behind Dikembe).



When he went over to the bar for a minute, Eric got a chance to shake his hand and tell him all about the basketball cards he has of him (which we actually pulled out and found this past week). Mr. Mutombo made the comment that if he would have brought his cards with him, he could have made them worth a lot more ;)



Our last night in Costa Rica!





Couldn't have asked for a better date.



That night we went to a pyro show at the resort.



It was really fun and a great way to spend our last night.



The next morning it was time to pack up and say goodbye.



We had such an amazing trip from beginning to end. It was everything we wanted - a little adventure and a little relaxation. We loved being able to escape and spend over a week of uninterrupted time together after having been apart for 2 weeks before the wedding.

I'm honestly on cloud nine being married to this guy and to be able to spend the rest of our life adventures together. I'm a lucky girl.



...and not even 24 hours later we were standing in the freezing cold rain back in Alexandria waiting in line at the Social Security office to change my name. It's good to be back!

Costa Rica - Nayara Springs, Arenal Volcano (Part 2)

On our second full day, we had plans that morning to go ziplining. This was also something I'd never done so I was very excited!





We had to take little cable cars up to the top.



The view was beautiful, and the ride was just long and slow enough to really work up the nerves as we got higher ;)



We met so many nice people along the way from all over. There was one group of women that were pretty terrified of the first jump. Eric was happy to take the first leap.



I wish we could have taken a picture from the middle of one of the ziplines, because when you looked out, you saw the most spectacular view of Lake Arenal. It was such a cool experience.



After a few rides about halfway down, we stopped for a quick break where they offered us drinks and cookies before continuing on.





My husband <3



When we got back to our place, we relaxed on the deck while we waited for the sun to come out.



I'm telling you, it doesn't get much better than this.



The sun came out and we headed straight back to our favorite pool!



We spent the rest of the afternoon here, before going to get sushi for dinner.



I don't think we were ever "inside" except when we were sleeping.





Even their restaurants had the best couches/beds to lounge on.



The next morning we were right back at the pool before we headed out for another excursion.



Today - waterfall repelling.



We loaded up into some trucks and headed into the rainforest.



We got fitted for our gear, got a brief lesson from one of the instructors, and we were off!



The first one was the highest - 169 feet.



It was a little scary at first, but 100 times more fun!



We had 5 repels on this tour. Eric was already drenched after the first one. After the first repel, they did something called the "Monkey drop" where they reel you out into the middle of a line, and then let you sit there for a few seconds then drop you when you least expect it. We ended up wanting to do this one a few more times.







We didn't get too many pictures of Eric actually repelling because he was the one with the camera, but he was awesome. At first while everyone else was still a little skeptical, he was always willing to be the first one to volunteer. He did great leading the way and cheering everyone else on.



In between repels, we got to enjoy a gorgeous hike through the forest.



The instructors were great. They made us feel safe and comfortable and worked so well together as a team. We ended up having a lot of fun with them too.





This experience was by far one of the major highlights for both of us during the whole trip.



We were both soaked by the end of it.



Back to "basecamp".



There were a lot of chickens and roosters roaming around.





We picked up and dropped off a couple of the instructors along the way. Had to stop to pet some adorable puppies at one of their houses.



Then time to head back to Nayara for our last night. Trying to soak in every last bit of this place while we can. Our entire stay here was far and beyond anything we could have hoped for. I only hope we can come back here someday!



Next up - the beaches of Playa Conchal...