Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Costa Rice: Resort Living

You're getting an extra post this week. I want to get all of the Costa Rica trip in this week and there was just too much for 2 posts so I decided to split it into 3 and give you an extra post.

So when we last left off, Mario had left us at the resort, Arenal Paraiso. We got there on Monday night and he made plans to pick us up on Thursday so we had a few days at the resort.

When we got there, we settled in and then mom and I explored a little bit. It gets dark pretty early and there weren't a ton of lights at the resort, so we ended up going to bed fairly early every night. And if you think I wake up early, you should know that I get it from my parents. We were up and ready for breakfast every morning at 6:30 when they opened.

Then we came back to our little cottage. There was lots of time spent sitting in the rocking chairs, reading and admiring the amazing view of the Arenal volcano.





We did some more exploring and came to the "Hike at your own risk" sign, so naturally we had to do it. It said that it led to the waterfall, but we didn't make it that far. The path was steep and really slick because of all the rain and mud, so we went as far as we thought we safely could and then decided to turn back. The views, of course, were incredible!



After our hike, we walked around the resort some more, checked out the hot springs, and admired all the beauty. And took lots of pictures!









After plenty of exploring, my dad went off to do his own thing while my mom and I decided to hit up the pool and the hot springs. (The hot springs get cooler as you get lower down and farther away from the volcano, so while the lowest ones were warmer than the pool, they were not hot). We also hit up the swim up bar for drinks and apps!

 


When we got back to the cottage, we decided to get ready for dinner. My dad was on the porch reading, but came inside to show us his new friends. He really is an animal whisperer!



We explored a little more before dinner- and caught sight of an iguana! Then headed to dinner at the restaurant. After dinner it was starting to get dark- and looked like rain so we went back to the cottage and read and watched a little Spanish television before calling it a night.



The next morning, we woke up early again and were one of the first ones to breakfast. 


My parents had a friend picking them up to go look at some other properties close by, but I decided not to tag along so I was on my own for most of the day. I decided to go hiking a little bit again. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do by myself, but oh well. I went further than the day before but still couldn't make it all the way to the waterfall. 



Between the hiking and the altitude and the heat and the humidity, I was dripping sweat! It was time to head to the pool! I read and swam and alternating between the 2 for a few hours. Then I got hungry, so I went back to the swim-up bar for a snack and a drink (with pineapple, of course!)


Everywhere we went seemed to be on top of a mountain. There were so many hills! I tried to take multiple pictures, but none of them did it justice.


When my parents got back to the resort, we hung out for a little bit. Then we went back to the bar for happy hour. Half of it is swim-up and the other half isn't (in case you're wondering why we are fully clothed...)


While we were there, it started raining. Not just raining- pouring! We decided to stay at the bar for dinner. It wasn't as fancy as the night before, but so good!



 


The rain finally let up and it was our last night at the resort so we all headed to the hot springs for a late night dip. We hiked all the way to the top so we could get to the hottest spring. So relaxing! A perfect end!








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