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last updated: 04/01/2008

2006 Costa Rica Trip...

April 26th, 2006, Eileen and I went on our honeymoon to Costa Rica. We had a great time visiting her sister and brother-in-law Kathy and Alan Snitken, the owner of the B&B, Ville De La Roca, in Playa Grande. Unreal scenic view of the beach with daily sunsets to awe at. 11 days of rest and relaxing with small adventures along the way. From just driving around to seeing exotic animals to absorbing the local culture. We arrived in Liberia International Airport and drove to Playa Grande in our Alamo rented 2005 Toyota Rav4 over rough roads of dirt and pot hole ridden pavement. Everyday was a new experience for us. Met some great new friends from different places around the US. Got to surf every morning to start our day. Went to small towns like Playa Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo, Playa Del Coco, Belen, Mato Palo and Huacas.

Traveling: There was "Here to There", "While There" and "There to Here". The main thing we learned was go as direct as possible. The layovers are killer. Also, travelers checks aren't easy to cash. Long waits at the bank only. No stores or restaurants would except them. U.S. dollars were as good as colones just about everywhere but you had to do the math cause the bill was in local currency and had many digits to make the conversion complicated.

Surfing: Everyday had some kind of surf right outside our backyard. The sun would start showing around 5:15am with absolutely no wind. Warm water inviting you in. Hardly anyone around, you had you pick of waves to catch. As the sun crept up into the sky, the gentle breeze came from the shore putting a slight texture on the water and feathering the small barrels to perfection. The tide was a critical factor. As came up, it allowed the energy to get over the outside reef and get the shoreline. At low tide, the gradual slope of the sand went out over a 100 feet to expose the smooth sandy floor.

Adventures: Once we got settled in and adjusted slightly, to the time change, we ventured out to nearby towns. The major towns were Playa Tamarindo, Playa Flamingo and Playa Del Coco. There were smaller towns the we past through and didn't even now what the names were half the time. The people were very nice and extra patient with the language barrier. Not once did we feel we were taken advantage of. I found the buildings interesting and the building techniques were unique.

Accommodations: Eileen's sister (Kathy) and brother-in-law (Alan) own a vacation rental in Playa Grande right on the beach. We were lucky enough to stay with them as our wedding gift. Awesome views and relatively uncrowded beach with great surf. We also had a room in Liberia the night before our flight to make getting to the airport easier at 5am in the morning. To see this sunrise gallery, click here.

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