Just a couple pictures… Costa Rica is so beautiful. Everything seems so dramatic there, from the lighting to the wildlife and the sky…

An unusual tree.

Bird in palm.

Reserva Conchal Golf Course.

Pool Chairs.

Iguana.

Ocean vs. Rock.

Red Flower.

Feet on Brasilito. Pedicure, still going strong after 7 days!

Flowers hidden in foliage.

Leaves.

Bar.

Fire Pit.

Reeling in..

Just before the sun disappears…

Where Sky meets Ocean…

So after some serious craziness at the Miami airport (more on this below), I finally made it to Costa Rica.

My main goal, as I’ve stated before, is to let my skin heal in the humidity and relax. I’m a planner by nature, and I couldn’t stop myself from planning my activities for the week. I’ve left lots of time for yoga and relaxing though!

Here’s what my itinerary looks like for my trip so far (assuming everything goes according to plan, which is hasn’t so far so haha)…  the list:

Fri, July 10: Fly from Vancouver, to Dallas, fly to Miami. Overnight in Miami.
Sat, July 11: Fly into Liberia, Costa Rica. Taxi to Paradisus Playa Conchal All-Inclusive.
Sun, July 12: Paradisus Playa Conchal (Bachata Dance Lessons, Dinner, and heading out to the bar)
Mon, July 13: Paradisus Playa Conchal (Spanish Lessons, Yoga on the Beach, Sunset Boat Cruise, and Dinner)
Tues, July 14: Paradisus Playa Conchal (9 holes of golf on the Reserva Conchal course), and then taxi to Tamarindo to check into Villas Langosta Apartment Rental. Head out for an evening surf session.
Wed, July 15: Surf in Langosta and Tamarindo
Thu, July 16: Surf in Langosta and Tamarindo, head out to the bar
Fri, July 17: Surf in Langosta and Tamarindo

Sat, July 18: Fly out of Liberia, Costa Rica into Dallas. Overnight in Dallas.
Sun, July 19: Fly back from Dallas to Vancouver. Back home, yay!

So that’s my plan, anyway!

So let me recap my trip so far…

The Miami International Airport Hotel was horrible. I couldn’t sleep at all… the walls were pretty much transparent and it seemed like there was someo

ne on every side of me banging doors. Not to mention being able to hear the phones ring at 5 AM in adjacent rooms. Word to the wise: Never stay in this hotel. It’s convenient, but it’s not worth it (or the price tag).

By the time I checked out and got to the American Airlines counter to check my bag through to Liberia Costa Rica (even though I already had a boarding pass), there was a CRAZY line-up. I talked to an agent and she said that if I lined up to check my bag, I wouldn’t make my flight. My only option was to bring my luggage on board with me.

Now here’s the problem: The bag I needed to check was the one in my previous post with ALL my toiletries, not to mention a medical pair of scissors. Neither the scissors nor my toiletries would have been allowed on the plane. But I decided to take a chance and try to see if I could get through security without them noticing and make my flight.

So of course they stopped me at security, and the only way I could pass was to throw out my toiletries, which I needed for my eczema and also I wouldn’t be able to replace any of those in Costa Rica. Sooo… after waiting at security for 45 minutes, I decided to go back and that I’d have to re-book my flight for tomorrow. It was 20 minutes till take-off and I hadn’t made it through security.

So I got escorted back by security to a ticket counter, when I happened to see a lone American Airlines employee working at a closed counter. I decided to take a chance and talk to her. I told her I’d have to rebook my flight till tomorrow (and therefore forfeiting one night of my paid-for-already accommodation). She picked up her radio and paged someone called “Ferico”.

Ferico saved my life!

Ferico comes charging over, tells me he’s going to get me on the plane. We grabbed my bag and ran to an AA security door (staff only) and went through and he did a manual bag check for me! Wow! Then he ran me straight to security, rushed me through security, and got me to my gate JUST before they closed it. Literally 30 seconds to spare.

So thank you, Ferico, wherever you are!

Beautiful views of the Guanacaste Coast in Costa Rica from the plane.

When I got off the plane, only my one baggage made it through, not the toiletries one that got manually checked in Miami by Ferico. I was a little freaked out but I hoped that it would make it on the next plane the next day.

I haggled with the taxi drivers at the airport (despite the flat rates and people telling me I couldn’t haggle with the taxi dispatcher) and ended up saving about $40 USD on my taxi. Wohoo!

My taxi driver pointed out the cane sugar plants. Cool!

Mooooooooo!

I finally made it to Paradisus Playa Conchal in the early afternoon. It really is a beautiful place.

I’m looking forward to playing the golf course soon!

After waiting in the lobby for a couple hours or so for my room to be ready, I decided to upgrade to the Royal Service instead. It didn’t even end up costing that much extra since it included wireless internet and I would’ve had to pay for that for 4 days anyway. Plus, since I’m traveling by myself this time, it’s really nice to splurge a little.

Let me tell you, getting the Royal Service upgrade was TOTALLY worth it. The Royal Service suites are in a private part of the resort, where only Adults and NO KIDS are allowed. Awesome. The rooms are really nice, and you have access to a private restaurant and a private bar.

They take a little golf-cart like vehicle and shuttle you to the Royal Service Lounge where you do all the check-in there instead of with the zillions of people in the lobby. They welcome you with a fresh hand towel and a mimosa! Haha. And they give you a full walkthrough of the resort, your rooms (showing you every feature), and explaining everything to you. Plus, since it is an All-Inclusive Resort, all the a la carte dinner restaurants sell out really fast so they help you make priority reservations even when full.

The rooms are really nice! Not to mention you get your own private BUTLER! Haha! Unbelievable. I’m a pretty no fuss hotel guest (I don’t use the air conditioning, I only need water in my minibar, I bring my own pillow and towel, and I rarely complain)… but just the idea of having your own butler is kinda neat. They can even help you pack and unpack your luggage which I think is pretty crazy and unnecessary.

The bathrooms are nice, and I like the rain head shower. Also the big soaker tub would be nice if I was here with Allan, but I don’t think I’ll use it during my stay.

When I first got the room I was a little bit disappointed because I had requested one King bed, but after trying it out for a while I’m pretty stoked about it since I now have my “laptop and putting papers on” bed, and the other one for sleeping.

The minibar is great. Not having to buy bottled water is a huge plus, and the minibar is restocked every day full of beer, water, and liquor. I am loving the all-inclusive!

The view from my patio.

It’s lonely going to dinner by myself!

But I do still enjoy the a la carte All-Inclusive restaurants. This is Mahi Mahi.

I really like the little huts around the Royal Service pool that have the day beds in them. Really nice and relaxing!

The view from one of the little huts. Perfect for staying out of the sun to protect my scar.

The atrium in my building.

A little visitor on the path!

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Overall: So far it’s been great here. I love the rooms, the resort, and the service is fantastic. I’d highly recommend upgrading to Royal Service if you plan on staying at Paradisus. That being said, 3 nights here is going to be plenty. It’s nice being pampered but I don’t really feel like I’m staying in Costa Rica, like I did last time I was here. So I’m really looking forward to my upcoming time in Tamarindo and doing lots and lots of surfing!

On the luggage front, it still hasn’t been delivered to the resort yet. Which means I have no shoes, no toiletries, no contact lenses, and no bandages for my forehead. Which means I’m pretty much confined to my hotel room for the time being.

On the skin front, my body is loving the humidity and seems to be getting better already. I’m trying to stay out of the sun so I won’t get much of a tan, but I’m really looking forward to healing.

And doing yoga every day feels great. I’m feeling very relaxed.

That being said….. I need to surf, ASAP!