navigate

Visiting Costa Rica

personal, travel

the blog:

Can Costa Rica be all things to all people? (from a vacation perspective!)

After spending 3 weeks there this past month we think this Central American nation is one of the more versatile locations we have traveled to, something for everyone.

Each year when we decide on a family vacation, we poll the family, get everyone’s opinion. Sometimes we travel with just the four of us, sometimes we include a grandparent, cousin, nephew etc. but this year it was just us.

Our goal was to be away from commercialization, no malls, no fast food chains, no Starbucks, no all inclusives, just a beach town. We wanted to be able to walk to restaurants, the beach, kind of just settle into a routine and pretend we had a fabulous beach house there (thank you Airbnb).

That proved harder than you would imagine. We decided on Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula, there wasn’t a ton to read about it but from what I could gather it seemed to check all the boxes.

But what’s most interesting is that I think it could check a lot of people’s boxes. Beautiful beaches, international restaurants, everything al fresco, walkable, one of a kind, we felt like home after a few hours.

What struck me the most was that this small town seemed to cater to just about every age group and every activity level. There were twenty something hot surfers, families with both young and older children, grandparents (on their own), young couples, single dads with their teen kids, honeymooners, every combination seemed to be enjoying the charms of this town.

So the take away from finding this out of the way beach town is that Costa Rica can be all things to all people. You can be an adventurer, a surfer, a yogi, enjoy riding horses, walking on the beach, exploring food from around the world, spotting birds, noting all the wildlife, snorkeling, scuba diving, deep water fishing, nature walks, jungle hikes or just swinging in a hammock reading your current favorite book.

I could easily see myself coming back here with Keith alone for a more romantic vacation, staying in beautiful little inns with breathtaking views but I would also see myself coming back with the kids and doing more exploring, more adventuring.

I guess the biggest take away is that Costa Rica is one of those unique locations that just has so much to offer so many. If you have a short list of spots to visit, make Costa Rica one of them! (not paid for by the Costa Rica Tourist Board! 🙂

Visiting Costa Rica, beautiful beaches at sunset