Surfing really kicked our butt yesterday…we had a blast, but woke up feeling pretty sore so we decided to take it easy today. We started our morning with a wonderful breakfast made by our hotel hosts…these local Costa Rican breakfasts of fresh fruits really doesn’t get old!
The Baliyana Lodge has an amazing pool overlooking a lush green rainforest, so we spent our morning relaxing in the pool…which we had all to ourselves!
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After a relaxing dip in the pool, we hopped into our car and made our way back to the town of Tamarindo to grab lunch at Green Papaya. They offer tacos and burritos, and we landed on the chips n’ dip and chicken burrito, and both were absolutely amazing. Everything is made from scratch…even the tortillas and tortilla chips, which were some of the best we’ve ever had!
We continued walking around the town to find some souvenirs for our family. There are many shops around Tamarindo…likely because it is such a touristy destination, so this is the place for seemingly endless options if you’re in need.
After poking around a few shops and purchasing a few things, we made our way back to our hotel to take a break from the heat. We clearly didn’t realize just how much the sun got to us because we ended up taking a midday nap…
While eating our breakfast this morning, our hosts told us about a local playa with good snorkeling and a beautiful sunset. They had just gone to this beach a few days ago and swam with a turtle…so obviously we had to go! After our much-needed nap, we grabbed our snorkel gear and made our way to Playa Blanca…4×4 DEFINITELY needed as there are a few river crossings. Before coming to Costa Rica, we read that there are some roads where bridges just don’t exist, and crossing a little river (especially during rainy season) is quite likely…so we can’t say it was unexpected. Here we were conquering our first water crossing to make it to Playa Blanca!
It was a beautiful beach and we seemed to be the only tourists in sight, which is something we yearn for when traveling! As the sunset approached, we noticed more families coming…a clear indicator to us of the sunset to come. We set up near a shady tree, put our snorkel gear on and made our way into the water to hang out with our undersea friends! We saw so many different types of fish…and…wait for it…we ended up seeing our first tortuga (turtle)!!
After an amazing time snorkeling, we sat on our beach blanket to enjoy the amazing sunset. The sunsets here on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica have been absolutely magical.
Before it got too dark, we made our way to the car and back to our hotel. We initially planned for an easy day, but with all that Costa Rica has to offer…it’s always an adventure! Tomorrow we’ll be making our way further south to Playa Samara for the day…so stay posted!