Costa Rica Highlights Tour

Steve's Picks:

Nauyaca Falls, Dominical

From Ballena's whale tail, to the cascading waters of Nauyaca, to the sloth filled trees of Manuel Antonio, to the precarious bridges of Rainmaker, to the mosquitoes of Palo Verde, to the jungle trails in Rincon de la Vieja, to the snorkeling in Playa Hermosa, to the mud pots of Las Hornillas, to the amazing falls of Bajos del Toro, to the Hanging Bridges of Arenal, we did our best this July to take in the awesome beauty of Costa Rica.

 Favorite Falls:  Nauyaca Falls outside of Dominical

Favorite Beach:  Playa Blanca (next to Mantas) near Punta Leona

Favorite place to see animals:  Manuel Antonio

Favorite Hike: Rincon de la Vieja to the Cascada

Favorite Restaurant:  Brujas in Escazu

Favorite Ice Cream Sandwich:  Pops

Favorite Pizza by the slice:  Brujos in Escazu

Favorite Hotel: Hotel California in Manuel Antonio

Favorite Eco Lodge: Princessa de la Luna, Arenal

Favorite birds:  Scarlett Macaw, Tucan, and Quetzal

Favorite Animal: Sloth

Ballena National Park

Hanging Bridges Park, Arenal

 Favorite Falls:  Nauyaca Falls outside of Dominical

Favorite Beach:  Playa Blanca (next to Mantas) near Punta Leona

Favorite place to see animals:  Manuel Antonio

Favorite Hike: Rincon de la Vieja to the Cascada

Favorite Restaurant:  Brujas in Escazu

Favorite Ice Cream Sandwich:  Pops

Favorite Pizza by the slice:  Brujos in Escazu

Favorite Hotel: Hotel California in Manuel Antonio

Favorite Eco Lodge: Princessa de la Luna, Arenal

Favorite birds:  Scarlett Macaw, Tucan, and Quetzal

Favorite Animal: Sloth

Hanging Bridges, Arenal

Two turtles mating at Playa Hermosa

Rincon de la Vieja Park

Bajos del Toro

Cuba Libre

With the kids in the U.S., Ilana and I ventured off the beaten path to Cuba. We loved it! 

Old Havana fascinated us with its 50's cars, colonial architecture, live music and dancing. We stayed only one block off the Parque Central in a casa particular room rental.  The location was excellent, the room clean and the air conditioning cold.  As we were walking around looking for a place to eat dinner, we were offered a lobster dinner with mojito included.  It was too tempting to pass up.  We sat out on a balcony overlooking the busy street below and feasted on our first meal.  Little did we know that there were several more lobster feasts in our near future.  

The next day we did our own walking tour of Old Havana.  We were advised to see as much as we could before 11 o'clock because the temperature gets unbearably hot.  We walked and walked and walked and eventually it was 12:30, we hadn't stopped for lunch and we were melting on the sidewalks.  We rested in an old hotel that was connected to the underwater aquaduct system that was used to replenish the water supply on ships at the waterfront.  Fascinating!  

Day 2 in Havana, we took a bus tour (which we do not recommend) and eventually went to the castle and fort to see the museums and traditional canon firing at 9 pm (also not recommended).  It was 3 hours of waiting for a quick blast of a canon.  

We then headed to Vinales.  Take the bus, as the shared taxis are hot, crowded and over-priced.  We stayed at a casa particular that was very comfortable and had an amazing view across farm land toward the giant "magotes" (giant rock outcroppings) in the distance.  While we were told you must take a guided tour, we elected to explore the Valley of Silence on our own, without all the tours of tobacco farms (selling you cigars) and rum distilleries.  We set out early, never got lost, swam in the lake, explored a cave, and made it back by about 11:30.  Had we dawdled, I don't think we could have done the walk in the afternoon heat.  It was unbearably hot!  But, the landscapes were gorgeous and we felt like we got a good sampling of rural Cuba.  

In the town of Vinales we discovered a crab meals and lobster meals for prices that were too good to pass up.  I don't know how close we were to the sea, but the seafood was fantastic.     

Last stop was Varadero, where we spent our 18th anniversary at the Barcelo Solymar All-inclusive, eating a lot, drinking a lot, and enjoying the amazing beach. The sand was white, the water was crystal clear, and the weather was divine.  We kayaked, went out on the catamaran, but mostly just stood in the calm waters, marveling at the beauty, and people watched.  Ilana discovered that she could bring her water bottle down to the beach, fill it with beer and ice, and drink all day.  Steve discovered that every meal should end with a giant ice cream sundae.