Nearly halfway through this year, I’m working on making a dent in my travel wish list for 2018.   I made it to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and now I can check Costa Rica off the list too!  At this time last week, I was wandering through shops in Jaco, headed for the pool (deep sigh).   While the memories are still fresh, here are some tips from my first trip to Costa Rica.

1. Rise and Shine

Much like The Big Island of Hawaii, Costa Rica is a place that will reward you for getting up early.  A destination known for beautiful rainforest, great surfing, zip lining and other outdoor activities, you don’t want to sleep on Costa Rica.  Known for having frequent afternoon showers and thunderstorms, during our visit the mornings were pleasant, dry and often sunny.

Even our group of sleepyheads managed to get up bright and early, for excursions, walks on the beach and time at the pool.  Get up and out when it’s cooler, you’ll be ready for a nap if and when the rains come in the afternoon.

2. Don’t Worry About the Forecast

It may rain during your visit, it may not.  Several times on our trip, the weather forecast on my phone said it was raining where we were.  In actuality, it was either slightly overcast or sunny and completely dry.  The day we planned to visit the rainforest, the forecast called for storms all day.  It didn’t rain at all.  The rainforest was beautiful and the beach was sunny and hot.  Plan to do whatever you want, you won’t be able to predict the weather, much less change it.  So relax and go with the flow!

3. Consider a Vacation Rental

Our group hardly ever stays at hotels anymore.  The option to stay in an apartment or condo provides many perks, including a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, and oftentimes many of the amenities of a hotel (pools, jacuzzi, gym facilities).  Vacation rentals are also often a much cheaper option when you’re traveling with a group.  Our rental at Jaco Beach Village Apartments had 24 hour security, was directly across the street from the beach and a block away from the main shopping area.

The three bedroom rental was cute, cozy and had a great outdoor patio with views of the ocean.

We used HomeAway for this trip, but have had success using AirBnB, VRBO and even renting through realty companies at other destinations.  Also, having a house manager was a great benefit.  She arranged all our transportation, had access to discounted excursions and made great restaurant suggestions.

4. Visit the Rainforest

Manuel Antonio National Park is a must see.  You can do a self-guided hike like we did, or hire a guide.  The park entry fee is $16/person.  Our house manager said guides generally charge an additional $20/person if you want an escort through the park.   But you can (and should) negotiate.  If you are an animal enthusiast or a bird watcher, you may want a guide.  We were happy to follow the well-marked trails (many were elevated with rails) and use the maps provided at each intersection.

Make your way to Manuel Antonio Beach- it’s gorgeous!  And only about a 30 minute hike from the entrance of the park.

The trail is easy to navigate and mostly flat so you won’t have an accidental adventure like our infamous hike in the redwoods in Occidental.  Wear tennis shoes for the walk through the rainforest.  Pack flip flops for the beach, if you like.  We saw several people struggling through the hiking trails in flip flops, both coming and going from the beach.  They looked pretty miserable.   Save yourself from the same fate- wear your sneaks.  If you plan to swim, you can wear a swimsuit (like we did) or use the restroom/shower facilities at the beach to change.

Keep your eyes open for wildlife along the way.  Playful monkeys jumped through the trees (and in some cases over our heads!) for much of the walk.

5. Eat on an Airplane

Before you write me off, I’m not suggesting you eat airplane food!?  After visiting Manuel Antonio National Park, at the suggestion of our driver, we stopped for a late lunch at El Avión.  It’s worth a trip just to see the historic cargo plane (with the amazing story) and the beautiful ocean views.

Great drinks and fresh seafood were the perfect way to end our day at the beach in Manuel Antonio.

6. Catch a Sunset (or two)

We caught a few amazing sunsets, right outside our condo at Jaco Beach.  There’s something magical about watching the sky change colors, again and again.  When the waves are rolling in and the sky is beautiful shades of orange, pink and purple, it doesn’t get much better.

If you are planning a spa day, head to Hotel Villa Caletas.   People make the trip just to experience sunset in the amphitheater.  Watching the sunset from their infinity pool was one of the best moments of our trip.

7. Leave the Glam Girl At Home

Costa Rica is a laid back type of place.  Much like Hawaii, everyone is dressed casually in flip flops and shorts most of the time.  You won’t need anything fancy for this vacation, so leave the heels, extra make-up and curling irons at home.  TK tried to curl her hair one day on our trip.  We opened the condo door to that 85% humidity and her curls were flat before we made it down the stairs.  Don’t even bother ladies.  Throw on a swimsuit, shorts and flip flops and put your hair in a ponytail.  Keep it simple and enjoy the beach!

8. No Paper, Please

While we’re leaving the glam girls at home, let’s talk about another rustic aspect of Costa Rica, shall we?  Arriving in our condo after a long journey, we started getting settled and I noticed a sheet of paper on the hallway table.  Apparently, septic systems in Costa Rica can’t process paper of any kind in the toilet.  Let that sink in for a minute.  My first thought was, “Oh, like the usual, no paper towels, no sanitary products.  They don’t mean no toilet paper, right??”  The house manager cleared it up, no paper of any kind.  A hush fell over our group.  That’s a little too much like camping.  We could have used a warning before we showed up, just to prepare ourselves.  Consider yourself warned.  Ask for extra garbage bags and if you have princess tendencies (we do), do your best.

9. Pack Light

You will most likely spend most of your day in a swimsuit and cover up or shorts.  We wore maybe 25% of what we brought.  Keep it simple; in this case less is more.  Also, if you’re staying in Jaco, there are several boutiques and swim shops.  You can always do a little shopping if you’d like.  Relax Boutique was my favorite shop from our stay in Jaco.

10. Plan Your Second Trip

If you are anything like us, you have all types of activities and things you want to do on your first trip to Costa Rica.  The bad news?  You won’t see everything you want to see in one trip.  The good news?  You’ll need to plan another trip!

Janá and I had big plans to zipline in the rainforest.  But between the monkeys, sloth, the amazing rainforest and beautiful beach- we were sidetracked and fully entertained and never made it to our zipline adventure.  TK had grand visions of horseback riding on the beach.  I’m also pretty sure our entire group wouldn’t have minded another trip back to Serenity Spa before we left.  We barely scratched the surface on our first trip.  Costa Rica seems to be the type of place you could visit again and again and always discover something new.

Have you been to Costa Rica?  If so, what else should be on the list for my next trip?