¡Vamos a Costa Rica!

Hola amigas, I am so excited to share with you all our adventure to Costa Rica this month! Having scoped out some pretty epic places, we (Me, Wylie, Chelsea, and Ryan) decided that Costa Rica was the place to go for the perfect couples get-away.

Starting off the trip with a travel day, 2 flights with a long lay-over, we truly could not wait to be at our resort and relax! After arriving in San Juan, our shuttle driver picked us up in a mini-van and we started the trek to the Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal. Fun fact, this resort is where the Bachelor Peter stayed with 13 girls on his season. Also fun fact, Costa Rican drivers are crazy and we all got a little car sick on the three hour drive of twists, turns, bumps, and very interesting views.

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Our shuttle driver, Pablo, was excellent and stopped at a few places for us to pick up fresh fruit, drinks, and some snacks for the week. At one of the stops, we seen a sloth up in a tree! It was so cool! We also had to learn very quickly the conversions between US dollars and Colones (Costa Rica dollars). Although almost all places accepted US dollars, the total would be shown in Colones. For example, 1 US dollar is 569.54 Colones, so if our total was 20,000 Colones, we would pay roughly $35 US dollars. We had our calculators on our phone handy at all check-registers.

About 30 minutes outside of the resort, our driver stopped at a pineapple field where he showed us how they grow and how they are harvested. Wylie and Ryan were all about asking farming and hunting questions during the drive. We learned that hunting is absolutely illegal and will cost you a huge fine and 3 years of jail – VERY different from Wisconsin lol.

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The final drive up to the resort, which was on top of a huge hill in a rain forest with views of the Arenal Volcano, was absolutely stunning. The sun was setting behind the volcano, and made for a perfect first night view.

We were all greeted with a wonderful welcome drink, map tour of the resort, and a golf cart ride to our room. We stayed in a Vista Guest Room which had one king bed, two twins, two bathrooms, a huge whirlpool tub, and a patio with hammocks and a great view! It was easily one of the most incredible rooms we have ever stayed in.

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After settling in, we went to grab a bite to eat by the pools. I ordered a pork chop, which was so tasty, and Wylie got a plate of sushi. We relaxed in all of the hot springs until they finally kicked us out. The resort was beautiful at night, but we couldn’t wait to explore more on day two!

Day 2 of Costa Rica – Click HERE!! – Engagement Video

Photos by Chelsea Bauman. ©2021 Chelsea Bauman. All Rights Reserved.