After a year of road trips, Adam and I got our shots and grabbed our passports for our first international trip. It was a bit nerve wracking as I still wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but we were beyond excited to be traveling again.
We chose Costa Rica as we knew it would involve a lot of outdoor activities and sightseeing. We decided to stay on the Papagayo Peninsula at the Andaz Resort. We normally tend to bounce around to a few various locations but being our first trip back, we kept it simple.
Once we arrived on the grounds, it was easy to relax. The Andaz offers a variety of room styles and all-inclusive packages An all-inclusive isn’t normally our preference as we love to explore different neighborhoods and restaurants but due to the remote location of the hotel, this time it seemed like the right choice. And I have to say, we were impressed with the quality of food and the included alcohol options.
As people who are used to being on the go during our travels, I think it both took us a bit of time to adjust to a more relaxed atmosphere, but the Peninsula still gave us plenty of opportunities to explore. Andaz has its own island associated with the property so we took the quick complementary boat shuttle over to check it out.
We also left the grounds to dine at the beautiful Four Seasons property which is only a 10-15-minute drive from the Andaz.
We lucked into the perfect afternoon to explore Del Coco Beach; while the trip started off a bit cloudy, the sky cleared just in time for a spectacular sunset.
But knowing we had to plan at least one day trip, we decided to visit the Arenal Volcano via Sky Adventures. It was about a three-hour drive from the resort, but the roads were in excellent shape, so we made the trip without a driver.
Once we arrived at Sky Adventures, we started off with a rain forest hike and boy did that live up to its potential. The rationale side of my brain told me to take my rain jacket that I specifically packed for this exact event but since the sun was brightly shining I ignored that side of my brain and proceeded to leave my rain jacket in the car. About a half hour later it began to rain and rain and rain until it was a complete downpour. Note to self; take rain jacket.
Next up, we had a date with the zip lining course. I had done my research and knew the course included seven separate lines with one over a half mile long! Now, while I had been sitting home for a year being quarantined, I convinced myself that I was a person who was up for this sort of adrenaline rush. I seemed to forget that outside of roller coasters, most things involving heights tend to terrify me. Once they put my gear on, I went into full panic mode and the more I tried to calm myself down the more upset I became. Finally when we got to the top and I saw the first line I’d have to complete; I realized real quick that I had not become a different person during the lockdown and I should take the same tram right back down the mountain I had just come up. For a split second, I was disappointed in myself but that quickly turned into overwhelming relief. Living vicariously through Adam completing the course was plenty for me. And once he was done, he agreed that I would likely have needed to be rescued by helicopter after a line or two!
Once we both recovered from our adrenaline rushes (mine brought on my sheer fear and panic) we headed out on our drive back and found a great little Costa Rican brewery along the way. The views from the brewery/hotel were pretty incredible.
Our Costa Rica trip helped us get over some of our travel related anxiety and made us anxious to start planning our next international adventure. But after the zip lining, I just made sure to hint that I’d like it to include a little more city time and a little less nature for the next go round. So Labor Day 2021, France, here we come!
Postcards To Mabel 