A 9 Hour Tour – The View from Lajeune

I should have known that our planned vacation to Costa Rica was destined to be unexpected once our driver didn’t show up at 5 a.m. on the Sunday morning we were scheduled to depart for JFK International Airport. We didn’t know it at the time but apparently the night before this, said driver (a friend of a friend) entered 4pm instead of 4am on his smartphone. What we did know was that we were 85 miles from Queens, New York, and neither of us was in the mood or desire to deal with early morning New York City traffic. What ultimately moved us forward was our original idea of ​​flying out of the country to enjoy a stress-free (and news-free) week in a dream destination.

The prospect of a vacation in Costa Rica, or the “Rich Coast,” a relatively small country in Central America, was very exciting for me, because zip-lining, mud bathing, and hot springs would now be on my bucket list, and James was mostly thrilled because His intense fascination with everything related to nature.

We chose October for our Costa Rica vacation because the resort hotel rates are very attractive during the rainy season so you can get more for your dollar. We also expected that it would not be as crowded as it is during the so-called “dry season” which runs from December to March. We were at the end of “winter” in Costa Rica when rain falls intermittently on the South Pacific coast between May and November. During our week there, it usually rained every afternoon between 3pm and 6pm, but occasionally we were surprised by fast, strong downpours in the early morning or later evening. The upside was that all that annoying rain created beautiful greenery and a landscape that looked like it was from a postcard once the bright sun returned.

We stayed at Secrets Papagayo Resort in Guanacaste on the South Pacific coast. We were blown away by the promotional video for the Bungalow Suite King room and stunning ocean views.

What we discovered when we got to our room and immediately pulled back the sheer curtains and hard curtains onto the deck were what can only be described as peek-a-boo views of the ocean. James got on the phone immediately and worked his magic with the concierge to the point that by the next day we were moved from our room in the 30s to a room in the 30s. This room was identical to our other room but now we were not only closer to the action, but more importantly, we got the expanded view of the ocean that we were drawn to in the promotional video. If the holiday had been a man, he now began to resemble a tall, strong, muscular creature with long arms and curled fingers, inviting me to seek refuge in the comfort of my new surroundings…

We took a 2-hour guided jet ski tour of the Pacific Ocean on our second day there. We stopped at 3 different beaches during this tour. The first beach we stopped at had a dark cave-like area where we and the other couple we were on the tour took turns taking silhouette photos.

The second beach had a cliff that we had to climb. Once we got there, we stood close enough to take great photos.

The third and final beach features a forested area with white-faced monkeys – those sneaky little thieves who steal your sunglasses and hats right off your head – these mischievous monkeys boldly rejected the other couple’s healthy peaches in favor of salty-rich Doritos dropped by some kids (smiles).

The ride back on the jet ski was fast and furious as we were now heading straight into the high winds which had me clinging to James’ waist even tighter. I couldn’t avoid the spray of cold ocean water as it spat on my face and bare arms. Brrr, it was cold!

Upon returning to the resort, I was not impressed with the cuisine at all. However, the Market Café, which serves a buffet of international cuisine, was surprisingly good. I’m not a fan of the buffet but the daily breakfast, lunch and dinner meals weighed heavily in their food choices. We both looked forward to eating at Himitsu, an Asian place, because we love sushi and Asian food in general. As it turned out, Himitsu did not disappoint. Our favorite dish was the pork belly – we literally ordered it on three separate occasions!

Portofino, a fine Italian restaurant, offers 5 courses plus a dress code (which means men must wear trousers and if they show up wearing shorts, they will be shown a pair!). We get that Portofino was known for its wine list, but since I gave up wine at the start of the pandemic in 2020, I sipped on cold bottled water.

Speaking of giving up alcohol, my favorite non-alcoholic drink was the Green Monster – it was healthy, refreshing and delicious! One afternoon I drank 4 Green Monsters drinks by the pool just because the bartender kept refilling my glass (smile).

The Seaside Grille was the resort’s seafood restaurant – during the day they piled up fried seafood on platters and served it poolside, and at night they served up sumptuous entrees where you could dine in their cool, air-conditioned interior.

Overall, we love resort life (especially all-inclusive) because you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to do for the day, your bed is made and room cleaned every day, there are planned activities posted daily, food is everywhere whether you’re looking for something quick or… Casual, there are plenty of things to do on and off the resort. If you come as a couple, you have the opportunity to meet and hang out with other like-minded couples. We met this wonderful couple named Randy and Rachel from Nashville, Tennessee for dinner on our second night at the resort. We were eating at Himitsu – sitting outside – and since we were sitting so close to them, we couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. James said it reminded him of a Seinfeld episode. Suffice it to say, we kept meeting our new friends on holiday until they talked us into joining them later in the week on a massive 9 hour tour.

They caught us at the right time too because we were getting ready to book the rest of the tours for the week with Amstar (since we enjoyed the Jet Ski tour so much) when they told us about this young man who was hidden from view of the resort but not far from the Preferred Members Club where we were meeting for drinks. They took us to him and it turned out that his tours were very cheap because they were Costco tours. Suffice it to say, we got a huge 9 hour tour (horseback riding, coffee cultural tour, sugarcane cultural tour, mud bath, hot springs, giant water slide, zip line, bus ride to and from and lunch(!) for We just met them and 4-5 other couples on Thursday morning at 745am for the hour and a half bus ride to our first stop of the huge tour, which was horseback riding.

The horse riding was interesting because the horses were so well trained that we didn’t have to do anything but hold on to our crampons. They basically took us on a long walk down a muddy dirt road where the horses playfully took turns pooping everywhere and then getting into each other’s mess (smile).

The next tour was the Sugarcane Cultural Tour where we were served a delicious expresso, cornbread, sugarcane and goat cheese on small plates. Here we sat in hard-backed chairs and listened to the guide introduce us to the history of sugarcane. We then walked down the hill (as it suddenly started to rain!) and met the star of the day, the bulls. These bulls (with the help of two volunteers – James and Randy) walked around in circles to produce fresh sugar water while James and Randy stuck sticks into a tree like a hole. It was delicious!

The next round was zip lining. I was feeling a little under the weather that day, so the trek up the mountain to the zip line literally took my breath away. Once I was restrained and felt secure, the rest was easy. We went through 5 different zip lines, so I didn’t have time to think about whether I could do it or not – it was definitely exhilarating!

Some people on the tour bus said this was the best part of the day – lunch! We were fed healthy portions of authentic Costa Rican cuisine including rice, beans, and spicy chicken. We sat in a large room with wooden tables and got a much needed rest while inhaling our delicious hot food.

The last part of the tour included the large water slide which we skipped because I didn’t have the ability to walk to another mountain to get there. Then came the mud bath and hot springs. I loved the hot springs because the water was so hot. The mud from the bathroom had to be removed in a cold outside shower so that wouldn’t be very enjoyable. I smeared clay into all the cracks without realizing that I would need to use cold water to remove it. If I had known… The hot springs (5 in total) were amazing and felt like heaven on earth with the heat rising from the water. Each hot spring we entered got a little cooler than the last, and by day five, it was like being in a lukewarm bathtub. A wonderful and fitting end to our day. And a beautiful end to an unpredictable holiday (smile).