Buckle up for the details on our 9-day Costa Rican escapade! Our adventure began with a two-day stay in the vibrant surf town of Tamarindo, then we rolled into the beachy bliss of Las Catalinas for a solid seven days of tropical paradise. This blog is your backstage pass to the whole shebang – each and every restaurant and bar we visited, our UTV ride through rainforest trails, our full-day sailboat cruise with breathtaking views, and of course, the mandatory beach bumming sessions. Get ready for the full scoop on our Costa Rican saga, where every day brought a wave of new discoveries and unforgettable memories. Let’s dive in!
DAY 0 (as we like to call it) – Travel to Tamarindo
Our travel day began with a shockingly early wake-up call at 3:45 AM, before heading to the airport to catch our 5:25 AM flight. Our route this time around wasn’t the most convenient, with a 3 hour layover in Houston before our last flight landing in Liberia, Costa Rica around 3:00 PM. However, after our long morning of travel, our driver, Alex, was ready for our pick-up at the airport with a full cooler of cold beers and waters! This was our second time using Alex’s company, Red Pacific Sunset, for our transportation, and we would HIGHLY recommend him – he and all of his drivers are extremely professional and so kind!
After ~45 minutes in the van, we arrived at Sunrise Condos in Tamarindo, where we spent the following 2 nights. We quickly unpacked and were off to explore! We began our evening on the beach at Walter’s Place, where we grabbed drinks and snacks while watching the fire performer (until it started raining). After this, we made our way to El Mercadito, a food park nestled in the heart of the city. During our time here, Bachata dance lessons began on the stage, which the girls immediately joined! After 30 minutes of learning some new moves, the group ended the night at Pacifico for a drink!
DAY 1 – Full Day in Tamarindo
We began our day in Tamarindo at the cutest cafe – Santa Rita Cafe, where we ordered lattes, acai bowls, and the yummiest banana bread we have ever eaten! The weather this day, however, was not on our side, as it rained all. day. long. BUT in the nature of making the best out of a situation – that’s exactly what we did!
Despite the rain, a junior surf competition was happening on Playa del Tamarindo, so we found an open palapa at El Vaquero and scoped it out. Approaching lunch time, we decided to brave the rain and head closer to downtown, where we ended up at a fabulous restaurant called Patagonia, an Argentinian steakhouse. After empandas, provoleta, and a steak, we left full and happy! At this point, the rain was at an all-time high, so we made our way back to the condo to play some mid-day card games before getting ready for an evening out on the town. Our plans this evening consisted of a drink at Chiquita’s, dinner at Bamboo Sushi Restaurant (Court’s favorite meal of the trip), and a night-cap at Sharky’s!
DAY 2 – Tamarindo / Las Catalinas
Our last morning in Tamarindo – since we had such an amazing breakfast at Santa Rita Cafe yesterday, we decided to run it back! Just as we expected, it was again a 10/10!
After we finished our delicious breakfast, Alex picked us up to transport us to the beautiful Las Catalinas. On the way to the house, we made sure to stop at MegaSuper to pick up food and drinks for the upcoming week. Once we reached Las Catalinas, we dropped our bags in the house and began our exploration of this special little town, gaining our bearings and locating new arrivals since we had last visited. We ended our evening with a fabulous dinner at the Mediterreanean restaurant, Ponciana.
Some background on Las Catalinas – this is an enchanting new beach town along the Guanacaste Coast of Costa Rica. Its purpose is to create a way of life that is healthy, sustainable, fulfilling and fun. Las Catalinas is a car-less town, with walking paths leading throughout the entire town and its amenities. The primary influences on the town’s design are adapted from places in the Mediterranean, including Ronda in Spain and Pienza in Italy.
DAY 3 – Las Catalinas
Our first day to truly relax and enjoy everything Las Catalinas had to offer! After a morning workout and some quick computer work, we headed over to the adults only pool located at the Beach Club. Here, we lounged in the sun, grabbed a yummy cocktail, and even saw monkeys moving through the trees!
We decided to spend our evening at Sentido Norte, an open-air restaurant situated at the top of the hill, overlooking the gorgeous landscape of the town. Sentido Norte is actually our favorite spot we have ever watched sunset, due to the panoramic views as well as the sunset celebration. After a drink and some appetizers at the bar area, we were seated in the restaurant portion for a scrumptious dinner.
DAY 4 – UTV & Jet Ski Excursion
One of our absolute favorite days of the trip! We booked a UTV and jet ski excursion with Flamingo Adventures, which was amazing! Darwin led us all throughout the rainforests, including a waterfall, as well as to some beaches, with a stop at a fun local bar. After the UTV portion of our experience, we hopped on some jet skis to ride around the coast with a guide. Toward the end of the trip, we asked if Darwin had any lunch recommendations, and he ended up taking us to his friend’s restaurant, called Ander’s, which was a food highlight for our entire group! (If you go, make sure to order the tuna!!)
After 7 hours of adventure, we made our way back to Las Catalinas, where we watched a stunning sunset from the black sand beach, then grabbed a casual dinner at Papagayo Brew House, another restaurant on the Las Catalinas property.
DAY 5 – Sailboat Excursion
This was also a top contender for our favorite day! We booked a full-day charter with Serendipity Charters on a gorgeous 50′ private sailboat and spent our day taking in the beautiful sights of the Guanacaste Coast! Both our captain, Bismark, and first mate, Jefree, were sweet as can be, and took fantastic care of us the entire day. This charter included an open bar, as well as yummy snacks and a taco lunch throughout the charter.
After our excursion had come to an end, we walked over to Coco Loco for a fun and delicious dinner! Each of the couples ended up ordering a steak entrée, which was brought to the table on a 400 degree volcanic rock for us to cook it on! Definitely another food highlight of the trip!
DAY 6 – Playas Del Coco
We decided to venture to the cutest beach town, Playas Del Coco, to spend our Friday! This town is quite the drive from Las Catalinas, timing in at about an hour to get there and and an hour and a half to get back home due to some afternoon road closures. But as always, Red Pacific Sunset took amazing care of us during our rides!
Once we made it to Coco, we immediately ventured to the beach for some seashell collecting, swimming, and volleyball. After our beach bum session, we grabbed some snacks at the Tortuga Bar before bopping down the main street. Throughout the day, we ended up stopping at Zi’s to split a pizza as well as Coconutz Brewhouse before eventually making it to our final (& favorite) destination of the day – Numu Taproom & Bistro. We absolutely LOVED this spot – a pool table, tons of games, and amazing food and craft cocktails! If you end up here, make sure to order the Tacotal drink, made with Costa Rican guaro.
DAY 7 – Las Catalinas
After a busy few days, we decided to chill out and truly enjoy the property of Las Catalinas this day. We began our morning with a self-led yoga flow, then made our way to the Center of Joy for a coffee and smoothie before walking the substantial property. We then hit the beach and adults only pool once again and guess what – MORE MONKEYS!
The remainder of our day consisted of food and hanging at the house due to a quick rain shower – with a yummy lunch at Pots & Bowls and a tasty dinner at Tamaki (the tropical roll is a 10/10)!
DAY 8 – Last Full Day at Las Catalinas
With half of our group leaving this day, we decided to use our morning to get some work done before hitting the beach one last time. Our sushi was SO good the night before that we had to get it again – the Tamaki staff was so sweet and actually delivered our rolls to our spot on the beach!
We grabbed dinner at Ponciana, the Mediterranean restaurant, once again, where we met an amazing human, Oscar, who shared his life philosophy with us, making it the perfect end to our beautiful trip!
DAY 9 – Travel Day
Of course, all fabulous trips must come to an end! After some more quick morning work, we were off to the airport. Thankfully, we didn’t experience any delays, and made it back home and into our cozy bed around midnight!
This trip was truly one for the books – amazing friends, amazing food, and an overall amazing experience in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica!
