My First Visit to Costa Rica: Pure Joy and Relaxation Taking in the Pura Vida

I planned an itinerary to explore some of the coastal areas and included a park, I wanted to have an opportunity to take in the beautiful nature of Costa Rica and the experience was beyond my expectations. The wildlife and the flowers are stunning. The monkeys, iguanas, coati, sloth and butterflies are absolutely beautiful.

We flew into San Jose and out of Liberia and rented a nice four-wheel car that made the driving easier as at times some of the roads were unpaved or had large holes. We planned a ten-day vacation that gave us plenty of time to visit and explore several beautiful coastal areas where we found stunning nature and wildlife.

Our itinerary included a visit to Manuel Antonio National Park — we conveniently stayed a resort next door as we booked an early entrance to the park in the morning.

Then we moved on Jaco where we stayed in a beautiful resort called Villa Caletas on a hilltop. The views were stunning, the setting as well, and we reached the private beach by driving through the forest with the resort's jeep.

We then moved on to Nosara peninsula where we spent a few days exploring the beautiful beach along the coast. We ended the trip at Peninsula Papagayo and Four Seasons with stunning nature. It was the perfect trip with a combination of exploration and relaxation on beautiful beaches and activity with yoga, kayaking and massages.

It is a great destination for a relaxing vacation and also an opportunity for an active vacation that can include activities such as hiking, yoga, kayaking and boating. It can be a great destination for a destination wedding or for a romantic honeymoon or getaway.

I visited Costa Rica in October, the winter season. We got a little bit of rain and the temperature overall was good and we avoided the crowds of the busy summer season.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Costa Rica page.