Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Tamarindo was the next stop on the boys tour of Costa Rica. Unlike Arenal, Tamarindo has ample places to go out at night, and is generally a younger crowd. Their favorite place to go out to at night was a reggae bar where there was dancing, pool, foosball, and locals skate boarding on an indoor half pipe. There was not only ample things to do at night, but there was also a ton to do during the day. This is where they decided to spend most of their time on the beach. They rented surfboards (about $5 for two hours) each day they were there. Tamarindo is generally a good place to go for surfers. There are plenty of places to surf in Tamarindo itself as well as other surf spots within driving distance including Witch’s Rock and Playa Avellanas.

When they weren’t surfing, they were either relaxing on the beach or on the hotel lawn. In Tamarindo they stayed at the Tamarindo Diria, a favorite of those at TheBigDay who know where to go. The hotel is very relaxing; it touched the beach, had places to lay out, and even had people walking around the grounds giving massages (for a small fee of course). The room the boys had at the Tamarindo Diria was relatively small, but it had top class furnishings and an awesome balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Costa Rica Travel - Arenal Volcano

Since I work for TheBigDay honeymoon registry and travel agency, I sent my son on a vacation trip to Costa Rica for his college graduation. He and 3 of his friends spent 8 days traveling around the country. He was thrilled with every apsect of the trip, but really liked the Arenal Volcano area.
Arenal is a quick four to five hour drive northwest of San Jose. When they first arrived the guys were stunned to see a giant volcano without any snow! The volcano overlooks the town of La Fortuna (a small town with a few restaurants and shops) as well as Lake Arenal. Arenal is the perfect place for the traveler who wants to take in the natural beauty of Costa Rica, and wants to relax while doing so. You can go on jungle hiking tours, horseback riding, relax in the hot springs, go on a canopy tour…etc. They spent most of our time hiking through the jungle looking at the howler monkeys and all sorts of interesting animals you don’t get to see in the US.

The highlight of their time in Arenal was the canopy tour that they went on. If you’re looking for a scenic ride through the trees, this one isn’t for you. The guides start you off on two cables that are 20 meters long. These are only 5 feet or so off of the ground and are meant to teach you how to stop and handle yourself flying through the air. After the first two cables, the guides ask if you wish to continue because once you go on the next cable, there is no other way to get back to the starting point other than finishing all of the cables. The most daunting cable was 400 meters long and 200 meters off the jungle floor where you travel at almost 45 miles per hour!!!

Take a trip to Costa Rica and check it out.