Our Trip to Costa Rica

View from the resort pool

Good morning!

Guys, it’s FRIDAY. We did it!

This so called short week has felt very long with Zain home on quarantine for much of it and it continuing to feel like chaos. I am hopeful for a smoother week next week and crossing our fingers we don’t get any more school emails 😉

I have been working hard trying to get this post together since I know so many of you are wanting to get away and plan a trip yourselves. I tried to include as much detail as I could below and if I missed anything or you have any other questions just leave them below. Also, I shared this on stories but I saved our itinerary to my profile in the OOO App. It’s great if you are on the go or traveling to check out people’s recommendations and I have notes on most places for you to reference.

So, first things first let’s talk traveling out of the country with Covid. This trip was a celebration of our 10 year wedding anniversary and we planned and booked it before Omicron was even a thing. Determined to make it happen we kept the kids home the week following holiday break to reduce risk of exposure before we left and had our parents test before they stayed with the kids.

With that said, I don’t know if I would travel out of the country right now. I am an anxious person and although you don’t have to test to enter Costa Rica (we still tested before just to be certain we weren’t asymptomatic carriers and going to get stuck there) you do have to PCR test within 24 hours of your departure to enter the US again. Everyone’s situation is different but we both needed to get back to our kids and our jobs so being quarantined out of the country wasn’t high on our list of wants. It ran through our head throughout the trip on and off and then the last day we were tested at 9am and didn’t get our results till 5:30pm so it kind of looms over your last day of vacation. That said, I’m so happy we went but it would definitely be more relaxing once this peak wave calms down or travel restrictions change.

So, all the details on where we stayed and what we did:

*we skipped some of the excursions we probably would have done otherwise because of Covid like hiking tours, a catamaran ride, ATVing but relaxing was honestly what we needed and we enjoyed it so much*

Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas

I found this spot thanks to a reader! They had just traveled there for their honeymoon and Trevor and I have never been to Costa Rica so I was immediately excited. I also loved that it was a small resort with only 20 villas and every room has its own plunge pool. We had no desire to be around people so the giant patio with a table, lounge chairs, a daybed and pool was perfection. Also, unlike many luxury spots we checked out the surrounding area seemed easy to navigate and you weren’t tied to their restaurant. There were several food options in Las Catalinas which is just a 5-10 minute walk down the hill and thankfully the Sentido Norte restaurant at Casa Chameleon was delicious and not overpriced! Breakfast was included in our stay and this was not a buffet or lacking. It was a seated made to order breakfast that blew us away everyday. The grounds were absolutely spectacular, the staff was small and wonderful so you felt like you knew everyone and it was very secluded and private. We opted for the private transfer from the airport which I highly recommend! There was a driver waiting at the airport for us when we landed and had everything we could want in the car. It takes about 45 minutes to get there which is totally worth it!

Las Catalinas

The town is small and so pretty! It is man made and reminds me of Holland really. There are condos, one hotel you wouldn’t notice and a few quaint restaurants and beach shops. It’s nice that it’s a quick walk but someone from Casa Chameleon will always be available to ride you down via a golf cart and they pick you up when you need it! We ate down here a lot and I recommend making reservations for dinners. They are all smaller places and can get full!

Pura Vida Ride

This is the surf shop on the beach and they are so kind! They have amazing gelato and fresh empanadas every day that tend to sell out so get those early. They have every water sport available for rent and we decide to kayak which was a blast.

Limonada

This was the beach restaurant where you may have seen us many times. We would take Bananagrams down to the beach, order a drink and play while we watched the sunset and then have dinner. The staff was wonderful and the food was amazing!

Pots and Bowls

This place was so cute and had delicious food. We usually grabbed it during lunch hour but I know they were open for dinner too. If you go, definitely try the poke bowl!

Pascual

This is right next to Pots and Bowls and perfect for a dinner outside! The patio is so cute but reservations fill up fast so ask the staff to get you in one night if they can!

Punta Penca Trail

Covid aside we probably would have hired a hiking guide and attempted some other trails but this was easy and just off our room. We hiked to the top and then all along the water early in the morning which was perfect.

Copper and Stone

This is the market in town where you can grab almost anything you need and almost feels like a mini Whole Foods. They also have a patio and menu if you wanted to do a casual meal there.

Hopefully that sheds some light on our trip and if you are looking for details on anything I wore on the trip, check out this post here or my LTK!