[…] my trip to Costa Rica in March, I picked up a non-fiction book that I read in 2 days (it was so good I almost cried at the ending […]
Back in March, I traveled to Costa Rica with Carmeon and Shavonda on their Creator-hosted TrovaTrip (they
partners with Creators to host authentic travel experiences to help make travel easier, safer and more accessible to all), and after way too much delay, here is my recap!
This was my first time traveling to Costa Rica (and my second international trip), and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. While we received an outline for the trip so that we knew how to pack and what we were generally doing, we didn’t know many details beyond that. We stayed at the Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort, which was right off of the ocean. We didn’t have ocean views (our rooms where across the street near the pool), but it was literally a matter of crossing the street to get there.
So “Pura Vida” (which means “pure life” in Spanish) is a Costa Rican philosophy that they live by, so instead of us having an itinerary packed trip, we embraced ease and went with the flow. Our first day was for travel, so once we all got settled in (Carmeon and I traveled together and met Shavonda and her daughter Bri), we grabbed pizza and pasta at an Italian restaurant across from the resort before grabbing gelato and heading back to our rooms.
The next day, we slept in (Pura Vida!) and then enjoyed lunch at Ocean Tamarindo, which was located right off of the beach. It was a little humid, but the breeze was amazing. I loved being able to look out at the ocean while we talked, and they also had some beautiful artwork throughout the restaurant as well.
That night, we had our welcome dinner at the resort’s restaurant with the other travelers. Enjoying dinner with an ocean breeze is truly dreamy!
I loooved this H&M Dress. It’s sold out in orange but they have it in stock in multiple colors!
Our hosts for the trip, Shavonda & Carmeon.
The next day was all about exploring. You had the ability to do whatever you wanted, so some of the women went exploring in the area (the resort is surrounded by little shops, kiosks and restaurants), while some of us went to the pool after we had breakfast. I chose to chill, read a little and nap by the pool in the sun for a bit. It was glorious!
That evening, we headed to Flying Bull, a steakhouse that was down from the resort. The cocktails and food were amazing, and we even got serenaded by a mariachi band! Before we headed back to our rooms, we walked around for a bit and grabbed gelato.
The next day, we traveled by minibus to Santa Cruz, which is known as Costa Rica’s “National Folklore City”. The area was once a region of the Chortega tribe, so the area has retained some of its rich folklore and culture. On our ride there, Miguel, our TrovaTrip guide, gave us a history lesson on Costa Rica. Our trip was to visit Casona Santa Barbara, a home/museum that was filled more than 100 years of Guanacaste history and culture. The owner, Ms. Clara, grew up in the neighborhood and told us the history of the museum, which has been many different businesses throughout the years. She purchased it in 1985.
During our visit, we learned about traditional Chorotega pottery techniques; all of the pieces are created and painted by hand and then sold at markets to help the village remain self-sustaining.
After our pottery lesson, they showed us how to make traditional corn tortillas (corn, water and wood ash), and then feasted on a traditional Costa Rican lunch.
Afterwards, we took a walk through the neighborhood while Ms. Clara told us a little more history about the area. I was enamored by both the history, and the beauty of the women in the village that worked there. They had the most beautiful skin; we told them to package up the clay masks they use to maintain their skin because omg!
The architecture of the homes and building we saw were beautiful as well. I loved how brightly colored so many of the homes were. It was like looking at a painting come to life. I love visiting museums and learning about the history of different cultures, so this was the highlight of my trip!
Once we made it back to the resort, we took a quick catnap and then walked down to Red Dor, a restaurant and beach bar, for dinner.
On our last day, we enjoyed breakfast and a little bit of shopping and exploration that morning before we met at the beach to hop on a catamaran for a Sunset Sailing Tour and Snorkeling. I am NOT a swimmer, but I love being out in the water (within reason, lol). My goal was to sip cocktails, listen to music and relax while others went snorkeling. The water wasn’t as clear as we would have liked due to recent storms, but we DID see a ton of dolphins! There were so many of them swimming and jumping in the water, it was unreal. I will never forget witnessing that-it was beautiful.
Our farewell dinner was held at El Pelicano, and I had some of the best seafood of my life. It was quite possibly my favorite meal of the entire trip. It was also one of the girl’s birthday’s, so they surprised her with a cake and we sang happy birthday (the mariachi band returned too!). It was a wonderful way to end our trip.
I truly enjoyed my time in Costa Rica. There’s so much more to explore about their history and culture, so I hope to visit again in the future.
Have you ever been to Costa Rica?
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