Pura Vida

In Costa Rica, Pura Vida directly translates to "pure life.” It means to live a peaceful, simple, uncluttered life with deep appreciation of nature, family and friends; a "real living" that reflects happiness, well-being and satisfaction.

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Finally caught up on the jet lag from my trip to Costa Rica and could not feel more well rested and restored. It also means I am ready to recap our vacation including where we stayed, our top five highlights, and what's next. I also created this Costa Rica Shopping List with some of the items I packed (and some I wish I brought).

I love to travel to celebrate my birthday and this year was no different. With the World Health Organization declaring the pandemic over and lifting travel precautions, I was excited to go international.

However, there was one major difference. This was the first year my father was not around to celebrate my birthday. It has been a really difficult year and I knew I wanted to be with my family. I also knew I wanted to go somewhere I've never been before. I wanted to go to a place that was peaceful, beautiful, and preferably on the beach. My parents had visited Costa Rica previously; knowing my dad had been to the country before made it feel even more like the right place to go. As a result, we turned my birthday celebration into the mother-daughter trip of a lifetime.

Where We Stayed

Our hotel was the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa along the upper west coast of Costa Rica. It was about two hours from the Liberia International Airport. We had a beautiful ocean-view room with a balcony.

I loved this resort not just because it felt like we were starring in White Lotus Season 3 but also because the location was right on the beach.

Hat linked here

Plus, everyone was so kind, and there were ample things to do in the area, from Latin dance class to Coffee making, relaxing by the pool, sunset cocktails by the ocean, and more.

There were plenty of restaurants as well as walking and biking trails, and beautiful spa amenities. 

Howler monkeys greeted us every morning right outside our hotel.

Howler monkeys

We even got to practice our Spanish. The resort was also great at organizing many of our excursions, from visiting the nearby surf town Tamarindo to all the highlights listed below.

Outfit linked here

Top 5 Highlights

From volcanoes and rainforests to wildlife, waterfalls, river cruises, hot springs, mud baths, and other outdoor adventures, Costa Rica has so much to offer. This makes it all the more difficult to pick just 5 top things but here are my favorite highlights from our recent two-week vacation:

1. Horseback riding

I grew up horseback riding and it felt wonderful to get back in the saddle. We ended up on a private tour with our Sabanero (term for Costa Rican cowboy) Valentine, who was the first to show us Howler monkeys, took us on the beach, and even assumed the role of our videographer/photographer. He also acquiesced to my request at the end to gallop (don't worry I wore a helmet the entire trail ride except on the beach when filming at a walk/trot pace). I am really proud of my mom who has not been on a horse in 20 years and ended the trail ride in a gallop as well! One of my favorite moments was when Valentine showed us pictures of his son and granddaughter. It really demonstrated how despite being from different backgrounds and cultures, there is so much we have in common with one another, from the love we share for our families to the appreciation we have for nature's beauty.

Dress linked here

Dress linked here

2. Rainforest

Traveling to Costa Rica's rainforest was better than I could have ever imagined. As a child, I remember doing an art project in school, where we turned one of our hallways into a "rainforest" complete with animal drawings, birds chirping and rain falling sounds, trees made out of cardboard and paper and even a fan to simulate a slight breeze. To experience the rainforest in real life was incredible (though thankfully it was not raining when we hiked). We got to walk across hanging bridges suspended hundreds of feet in the air, see trees where fruit actually grows on the trunks, and observe sloths, monkeys, crocodiles, poison dart frogs, and exotic birds in their natural habitat.

Sloth in a tree

After our hike ended, everyone went inside the lodge to cool off but my mom and I stayed outside to enjoy the view.

It was in that moment I spotted the toucans. The tour guide told us had we gone inside, we would not have seen the birds. It made me realize that sometimes the best things you can do for yourself are to keep your eyes open and not letting any opportunity go to waste.

Toucans spotted after our rainforest hike

Side note, make sure to bring bug spray! And for anyone wondering, I did research this area of Costa Rica and we thankfully did not have to take anti-malarial pills.

3. Waterfall

On the same excursion as the rainforest, we visited the Catarata Llanos del Cortés, a waterfall oasis in Guanacaste where you can go swimming. It felt like absolute paradise. My only wish is that we could have stayed longer.

Swimsuit linked here

Swimsuit linked here

4. Catamaran snorkeling and sunset sail

We went for a snorkeling and sunset catamaran sail where I got to captain the ship (like for real, they put me to work). I wasn’t sure why they chose me but my mom said it’s because I looked capable.

Outfit linked here

Having a boat load of people’s lives in my hand reminded me of managing a hospital full of patients. I’ve always known how to steer the metaphorical ship but now I was literally steering a real ship. Thankfully I managed to guide us to the bay where we docked without hitting any rocks.

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5. Ziplining

Having just walked on the hanging bridges through the rainforest, the idea of being hundreds of feet above a jungle again did not phase me...Even with only two cables holding me up, all I felt was freedom.

There were nine platforms for our excursion and the view was perfect. I even got to do one line in tandem with my mom, which was really fun. She did amazing for someone who is afraid of heights so I definitely recommend this for anyone, adrenaline junkie or not.

In summary, we ended this vacation as the Costa Ricans taught us to say in Spanish, "panza llena, corazón contento" or "belly full, heart content."

Dress linked here

I also commemorated the trip with a new tradition of pressing flowers and hanging them in a floating frame. I cannot wait to fill my wall with these frames for all my future adventures.

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What's next

This trip reinvigorated my passion for travel. Having globetrotted throughout my life, I'm anxious for more adventures. I've been looking up world cruises with wanderlust but at the top of my list is the Scottish Highlands, Australia, and New Zealand. The hardest part will be leaving Westley but he had so much fun at the pet hotel, I don't think he'd mind if I was gone for a couple more weeks. Comment below with any suggestions!