Costa Rica #1 Hot Spot

   Last night I posted the top 10 hot spots according to Tripadvisor and Costa Rica was #1.  This doesn’t surprise me as Costa Rica is certainly in my top 5 places I love to travel to.

 Our first family trip to Costa Rica was just amazing.  From time we arrived to the time we left every one of our senses were constantly being  excited and amazed  by new smells, sounds we never heard before, local cuisine, different textures, and so much around us for our eyes to take in.

  The trip started off staying one night just outside San Jose at a wonderful place called Xandari Resort & Spa.It is located 3900 feet up in the mountains with 40 acres of gardens and trails overlooking the Central Valley and surrounded by coffee plantations.  We had a 2 bedroom villas which had more than enough room for all of us plus 3 large patios with spectacular views of the valley below.  The shower even had a view as it was all glass and opened to one of the patios. I just love a shower with a view.

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  We did some hiking around the resort and the trails were very beautiful with waterfalls, gardens, and flowers everywhere. We had both lunch and dinner at the hotel restaurant which was both outstanding.

   The real excitement came around 2:00am when we were awoken by what sounded like a freight train heading straight for us. At first I thought it was thunder but when the room started to rock and I felt as if we were in the middle of a wacky shut (the kind you find at an amusement park where the floor moves every direction). It was then I realize it was an earthquake. It only lasted a few seconds and everyone was fine but we could hear the after rumbles and shakes the rest of the night. It was very strange and I told many people after wards I guess I understand how the ancient people thought the gods were mad at them when than hear and felt this.  In the morning we found out the earthquake magnitude of 6.4 and 25 miles away with no real damage done. For us it was an experience we will never forget.

   This was just  day 1 of the trip… I will share more tomorrow.