In a Costa Rica state of Mind

I have been in a Costa Rica state of mind now for the last couple of months and it’s only getting greater. Maybe its the excitement of our upcoming trip. This morning while sipping my cup of Costa Rican coffee I was going through some of the pictures from previous trips and figured it’s time to share some more of them. 

Our last trip to Costa Rica was short only a couple of days but good. We flew into San Jose and made the 3 ½ hour drive to Arenal which is an adventure in itself. Roads here tend to be narrow with lots of potholes and the road to Arenal twists and turns while truck drivers tend to speed right pass you. The good part is the scenery is beautiful and it was truly a spectacular site as we got closer to see Volcano Arenal smoking right there in front of us. This is as close as I have ever been to active Volcano and it is really something to see.

Arenal Volcano is Costa Rica's youngest & most active volcano.

It is estimated to be around 4,000 years old & been dormant for at least 400 years until 1968

We spent 2 nights at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, which is located right at the base of the Volcano.
It’s a wonderful resort with lush gardens full of flora & fauna, hot springs, and amazing views of the volcano. 

   At night if its clear you can see the volcano flow.  After a long day of travel we spend some time in the hot spring before having a delicious meal at the resorts restaurant, Los Tucanes.

 Tabocon Lodge is a great choice when visiting this area.

View from our room

The front of our room

Hot Springs

view of the Volcano from the hot springs

Banded Peacock butterfly

Basiliscus Lizard or Jesus Christ Lizard gets its name because it can run across water on its hind legs

waterfalls in the hot springs

After 2 wonderful days, we drove to Playa Conchal for a few days on the beach. It's about a 3 hour very scenic drive around lake Arenal. 

You just never know what your going to encounter on the roads in CR

Playa Conchal Beach

     The last part of our trip we stayed a couple of nights at the Paradisus Playa Conchal Beach & Golf Resort. Now I am not one to give out a bad review and for the most part this was a good resort but I just didn't like the overall experience here. The resort itself is very nice and the rooms have everything you could want but it didn't feel like we were in Costa Rica. I am not totally sure why I felt this way but sitting by the pool and looking around we could have been anywhere. Maybe it was the fact the resort is so large or there are no ocean views but it certainly lacked something.
  All that being said the resort does have many good amenities, along with lots of activities, kids clubs, a adult only section, casino, and a 18 hole golf  course, it was just not for me. The best part for me was the beautiful white sand beach that you can access from the resort. The beach gets its name from all the shells that wash up and get crushed into the sand. Conchal is Spanish for shell.

  Just up the beach is the little town of Brasilito and the hopping restaurant/ bar The Happy Snapper. We found this wonderful place our first trip to Costa Rica and had an amazing lobster lunch. This trip we took a group of people we meet at the resort there for Monday night football and lobsters. It did not disappoint.

  I can't wait to back in Costa Rica. Less then 2 weeks and counting.