Costa Rica Roadtrip

Pura Vida!

By Brittany Fuller

April 16^th, 2018

Intentional Chaos

On March 5th 2018 we closed on our first house. On March 14th, after a week of moving out and moving in, we left for a Costa Rica. A few weeks before that we both quit our jobs to embrace a year of intentional living.

When we left for Costa Rica we had 1-way tickets to San Jose and a rental car reservation. No hotel reservations. No real plans.

OUr First day in San Jose

We flew into San Jose to pick up our rental car and see the city. The first day we Ubered and walked around Central Avenida and Parque Central. We found an amazing restaurant Cafe Mundo for a late lunch i.e. a pitcher of sangria, salads, and homemade tomato bread.

We checked into the Crowne Plaza for a few nights. Our hotel had a little casino with slot machines. We played penny slots in a language and currency we sorta grasped.

Heading Up & Up to Volcan Irazú

Pit stop for Imperial

We stopped at this mountainside cafe for a couple cervezas on our way up the mountain. By now we already learned to love Imperial, one of Costa Rica's most popular domestics.

The first volcano I ever did see

Our first Flat Tire

On our 3rd day, after a night of gambling, we planned to hit the road and head for the Pacific coast. At checkout the Plaza bellman pointed out our very flat tire.

Jared fixed it so we could be on our way... my hero!

It was the first of three flat tires.

5 nights in the jungle

We stayed in an AirBnB in Marbella, Guanacaste for 5 nights. Marbella is a sorta sleepy fishing village with a few hundred people. The beaches were untouched and gorgeous. We drove an hour on a dirt road to get there. Our hosts doubled their place as a yoga retreat.

San Juanillo

A few minutes drive down the dirt road we came in on was another village, San Juanillo. Of all the beaches we splashed in, this one was my favorite. We also had the best ceviche of our lives right on the sand in San Juanillo.

Hangin' around our Airbnb

One night out the blue our host invited us to join a ceremonia de cacao. We drank LOTS of raw cacao, danced, and sang songs for 3 hours in the middle of the jungle with strangers.

Tamarindo

We checked out of our AirBnB in Marbella and headed to Tamarindo for a few nights. After being in the jungle for 5 nights without air conditioning, a few urban comforts were definitely welcomed.

We stayed at the Ten North Tamarindo Hotel. The owner, Trish, was a true gem of a human. She gave us the cutest hand drawn map of Tamarindo and helped us plan our entire stay.

Our first night we went to Pangas for dinner, at Trish's reccomendation. We had steak and lobster. Well Jared had lobster because I’m deathly allergic. We cooked the meats ourselves tableside on giant lava rocks right as the sun dropped away. I was so overwhelmed with happiness I cried.

Sailing on the Antares

Our adventure on the Antares, an 80-foot Sparkman and Stephens schooner, was my highlight of the trip. We set sail to a private beach for a little swimming and snorkeling. The crew served 5 courses and unlimited pitchers of rum punch, margaritas, mojitos, pina coladas, and more. Everyone lined the deck on beanbags and listened to acoustic versions of all the classics.

The sunset on the Antares is my happy place.

Fishing for rooster fish

One of our favorite things to do is fish. We like to cast lines and bend rods whenever and wherever possible. We knew a fishing trip was a must on our Costa Rica itinerary. Jared was intent on catching a rooster fish.

We went out for a halfday with a local captain from Tamarindo and caught a ton of tuna (a first for us!). Sadly we didn't catch a single rooster fish. We vowed to come back and try again some day.