Long Weekend in Costa Rica

Arrive at LIR midday and grab a rental car from the airport. Drive straight to Hideaway Rio Celeste which is about an hour and thirty-five minutes away. Check in at Hideaway Rio Celeste and enjoy the welcome cocktail, passion potion, in the pool. Head back to your room and get ready for the night hike at 6 p.m., which lasts for an hour. Be sure to wear closed toe shoes. There are so many creatures to see! It was a really cool experience. Have dinner right at the hotel and make sure to try their passionfruit and Rio Celeste margaritas! May take one to go and take another dip in the pool because it does stay hot even when it's dark!

Wake up, grab coffee and a complimentary breakfast at Hideaway. The gym was also lovely, as it was surrounded by tropical plants. Then get the sensory massage at their spa - the chocolate they used made me feel like Augustus Gloop in the chocolate river in Willy Wonka! Check out at noon and drive over to the Rio Celeste National Park. We chose to do the one-hour hike to the waterfall. That was plenty! For those who are more nature-oriented and want to make it a day, there is also a three-hour loop. Make sure to stop and get some fresh coconut water, fruit and smoothies at the stands right outside the park, to keep hydrated! Sit in the river for a bit, cool down and prepare for your three-hour drive to Playa Grande! Once you make it there, definitely catch the sunset on Playa Grande Beach. It is absolutely surreal. Check into your next accommodation (we chose a lovely airbnb: Casa Manzu), and grab dinner to go to enjoy poolside at Onda!

The food highlight of the trip has to be Pots & Bowls in Playa Grande. We went several times in two days, and everything we ordered was divine. Acai bowls, breakfast burritos, smoothies, muffins, cake, poke bowls - you name it, we had it! The service was beyond impeccable, and I would eat here every day if I lived there. We then hit Playa Grande Beach for a little bit before the sun hit its full UV level. For more excitement, you can always head on over to Tamarindo via the water taxi from The Grateful Hotel. Now, there is a chance you may not make it on the water taxi because you got sidetracked at this gem of a hotel. The staff here was wonderful - making us some frozen cocktails and making sure we got where we needed to be. Once we arrived in Tamarindo, we hit up the Red Room for passionfruit margaritas and ceviche. The ceviche here was heavy on the cilantro (in a good way!). We then went to Volcano Brewing Company for some nachos, drinks and mariachi fun! You can skip the nachos and cocktails, but stay for the mariachi and beer! We ended our day in Tamarindo by walking to Pangas Beach Club for one last margarita before heading back on the water taxi.

Since it's the last day, it's almost necessary to wake up and catch the sunrise. Then of course - Pots & Bowls! Soak up the last few moments at the beautiful pool before starting the trek back to the airport. On the plus side, you can take a different route than you came in on and go through Playa Flamingo and grab a delicious last lunch at Surfbox! There is also a bunch of shopping in the marina plaza, where you can grab last minute souvenirs, items for the plane ride or anything you may need before leaving this magical country!