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Honeymoon in Costa Rica

By : Denis Mason
Trip Begins April 5, 2009
Trip Ends April 16, 2009

Our honeymoon in Costa Rica was truly the trip of a lifetime. However high our expectations may have been, they were constantly surpassed. We were left feeling very lucky to have experienced such a special adventure.
See my photos : Honeymoon in Costa Rica

Want to go? Adventure Pacifica

I went to: Ecuador, Costa Rica, Quito, San Jose, Arenal, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Hotel Fonda Vela, Osa Peninsula - Golfo Dulce, Grano de Oro
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April 5, 2009
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The longest day of our lives

Grano de Oro, San Jose

Travelling from Sydney to San Jose, Costa Rica was an adventure in itself. It took 40 hours including a half day in Santa Monica (L.A.) between flights. Our luggage was last off the plane in San Jose - we had started to worry but there was no need, all was OK.

Thanks to AL there was a seamless transfer to our hotel. After a much needed freshen up we went for a walk to see what sunny San Jose has to offer. We had lunch opposite the Teatro Nacional before visiting the Pre-Columbian Gold museum. A great introduction to the history of Costa Rica.

Diner at our hotel was top quality and a very romantic setting. Now we really felt like we were on honeymoon!

April 6, 2009
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Welcome to the Hotel Fonda Vela

Hotel Fonda Vela, Monteverde Cloud Forest

After a hearty breakfast we set off on the winding road to Monteverde. The mountains and plantation scenery was made all the more interesting by William, our guide's commentary. The last 10km are still gravel roads - very bumpy - but that just adds to the sense of adventure.

After checking into our hotel we went for a walk on the hotel's Dry River Trail and right from the start saw huge butterflies, colourful birds, strange insects and mammals we had never seen before (e.g. agoutis). What we didn't see was any other people - we had the forest to ourselves.

That night we went on a fascinating Night Walk tour and saw even more exotic wildlife, thanks to Jorge's amazing powers of observation. A sloth was the first encounter - a dream come true as we had hoped to see one while in Costa Rica. We then saw Coatis, Armadillos, Grey Foxes, Fire-flies and Click Beetles...Jorge seemed to know exactly where to look to find the most incredibly camouflaged insects and other critters that come out at night thinking they will be able to hide in the darkness.

After the walk we had dinner at our hotel where Ruth spotted a scorpion under our table - the close encounters with wildlife are non-stop in Monteverde!

April 7, 2009
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The cloud forest without any clouds

Hotel Fonda Vela, Monteverde Cloud Forest

On the short drive to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve it became clear that we were not going to see the reserve in its typically cloudy conditions. We were lucky to enjoy this special place in perfect sunshine.

We saw White-Faced Capuchin Monkeys swinging through the trees, and William was on hand to tell us all about the complex relationships between the various plants and animals of the forest. In a garden at the entrance to the reserve we saw Humming Birds feeding, their brightly coloured wings just a blur as they fed.

That afternoon we had a look around Saint Elena and enjoyed sunset drinks on the balcony before another tasty meal by the log fire at our hotel. No scorpions tonight, but there was a grey fox outside the window with a taste for fresh bread.

April 8, 2009
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A room with a view to cry for...

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal

The transfer to Arenal was billed as the "ride of our lives" by William and indeed took us down some of the bumpiest roads in the country, and then onto a ferry for the last 30 minutes. It was great to see the volcano getting closer and closer and more spectacular as we crossed the lake. We could see smoke coming from the crater and even William was excited to find out what Arenal was going to show us over the next few days.

Before we had checked in to our room we spent two amazing hours on the observation deck, watching the clouds clear to reveal the volcano in all its glory. From what people were saying we timed our arrival well, it hadn't been this clear in a long time.

Huge rocks were falling at regular intervals, breaking up noisily as the fell. At the same time, colourful birds were feeding in the gardens. Sometimes we didn't know where to look next: at the volcano, down to the lake, at the birds or at the Howler Monkeys in the trees...we almost forgot we were waiting for our room.

When we did go to our room we found it was more than worth the wait. Ruth actually shed a tear or two as she (and I) felt so lucky and happy to be staying somewhere this special. The view of the volcano from our balcony was just as good, if not better than from the observation deck - Marissa had done us proud requesting what was surely the best room at AOL (25).

It was time to find out what else there was to see in the AOL grounds so we walked the forest trail down to the waterfall - a spectacular view awaited us there, sunlight illuminating the water in another magical setting.

Dinner was a very satisfying buffet while we watched rocks glowing bright orange as they thundered down, before clouds covered the volcano for much of the night.

April 9, 2009
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Non-stop Arenal fireworks keep us up all night

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal

Up early for a paddle on the Penas Blancas river. A great way to explore the area in silence and at a gentle pace. As well as the many birds, we "Jesus Christ" lizards, Otters, Bats, a 3.5m long Crocodile (!!!) and a Sloth hanging lazily in a tree.

On arrival back at the hotel we were treated to a crazy five minutes. Two Toucans (and many other birds)were in the garden, Howler Monkeys (one holding a very cute baby) were swinging through the trees, and in perfectly clear sunshine the volcano was loudily spitting out bigger and bigger rocks, we really didn't know where to look and I asked William "How are we ever going to top this?" He just smiled, enjoying the show.

That night we went for very relaxing drinks and dinner at Ecotemales hot springs. The series of landscaped pools are in a romantic garden/forest setting, with bars serving tasty cocktails and ice-cold beer. If we weren't 100% relaxed before, we were now!

We must have been relaxed as we fell into a deep sleep so early that by 2am we woke up and saw the volcano putting on its best show yet! Under a clear, star-filled sky we saw rock after orange-glowing rock tumbling down the volcano, sometimes making a sound like thunder. I didn't notice the hours pass and before I even thought about going back to bed the sun was rising - it was 6am. I went back to bed for a token 30 minutes before breakfast but if I am honest I spent half of that time looking at the photos I had just taken.

April 10, 2009
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We need to get our ash outta here!

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal

Driving around the volcano, we noticed it was throwing out even more smoke/ash, more than William had seen before too. It looked like a pyroclastic flow was coming towards us...but we still got out of the car to take photos and have a closer look. Eventually William uttered the probably frequently used "we'd better get our ash outta here now" line and we continued on to the canopy walk.

Another interesting and scenic walk, this time from up in the trees. Back on terra ferma we saw Leaf-cutter ants, Blue-tailed lizards and a huge black caterpillar.

Back at AOL we enjoyed our last afternoon in the gardens and on the observation deck. The sunset over lake Arenal was spectacular, a fitting end to our stay.

At dinner I thought it would be a good idea to have three Tres Leches desserts - they were SO tasty but in truth one would have been enough for anyone.

April 11, 2009
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Planes, speedboat and automobiles

Osa Peninsula - Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

To get to Aguila de Osa in Drake Bay we took two small planes, two cars and a speedboat. With just 30 minutes between flights we didn't have much time to play with, although there was live English football on TV in the San Jose departure lounge which despite the score was welcome news from our usual world.

It was great fun sitting behind the pilots in the tiny planes, we had a great view of the cockpit and of the scenery below as we came in to land at the airstrip (as opposed to airport).

Arriving by boat at the hotel felt very dramatic, and the welcome we received was superb. A delicious lunch and cocktail were served within minutes of our arrival and we were then shown to our amazing room by the hotel manager.

We had a huge patio with a hammock and settees outside our room, all very private with a great view back to the beach at Drake Bay.

After settling in we went for a walk through the forest to Cocolito beach for a play in the surf.

Dinner was served family style and we soon got to know all of the other guests.

April 12, 2009
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La Sirena Station - as good as it gets

Osa Peninsula - Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Before we even arrived in the Corcovado national park we had enjoyed a dramatic morning. Minutes after our speedboat had left the hotel we saw a dolphin chasing a fish - both jumping out of the water. One man was so impressed he jumped in to get a closer look (despite the guide's request for him to stay in the boat).

Then the approach to the beach was an impressive piece of navigation...OK, it was quite scary! We weaved our way in through the breaking waves to finally reach the beach for a wet landing and the start of our hike.

As soon as we entered the forest we saw a group of Squirrel monkeys, closely followed by the three other species of monkey found in Costa Rica: Spider, Howler and Capuchin. Next was one of the highlights of the day - a Sloth in a tree, its happy-looking face in clear view.

To top that would be a challenge for any guide, but Xavier had plenty of tricks up his sleeve and he soon spotted a Tapir for us - a very strange animal, apparently related to a rhino and a horse.

For good measure he also showed us Crocodiles and a Cayman doing an unfeasibly good impression of dead leaves in a river (with just its eyes above the water).

Less scary but just as impressive in their own ways were a bright yellow and black Zebra grasshopper and a Trogon (of the much celebrated Quetzel bird family).

All this, along with the dramatic coastal and forest scenery made for an unbeatable experience, every bit as special as we had hoped it might be.

The boat journey back to the hotel was again a lot of fun. As we pulled in to the hotel's jetty we saw a crocodile sunning itself on the opposite riverbank!

Walking up to our room we saw a 1m long Boa Constrictor - this sort of discovery no longer seemed out of place as we half-expected to see such things on a regular basis.

Unfortunately we had forgotten our room key so I was the dutiful husband and went back down the 100+ steps to get it. The steepest climb of the day!

There was just enough time to relax in the hammock before heading down to dinner.

April 13, 2009
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Cano Island adventures

Osa Peninsula - Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Another speedboat ride another playful pod of dolphins, en route to Cano Island, 1.5 hours offshore from Drake Bay.

We enjoyed some great snorkeling with White-tipped Reef Sharks, Puffer fish, rays and a school of 100+ Bat fish.

Before lunch we hiked up to the top of the island to see the ancient ceremonial stone spheres.

After some time relaxing on the beach, and/or chasing crabs, we got back on the boat and moved on for another snorkel with Reef Sharks before heading back to our hotel.

We still had some energy to burn so we took out kayaks on the river and had a paddle looking out for lizards and birds along the shore.

Enjoying a beer back on our patio we saw two lizards facing off, one puffing up a pouch on its throat. We weren't sure if they were fighing or mating but it was a spectacular display that was sure to make an impression one way or the other.

April 14, 2009
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Should have stuck on Macaws

Osa Peninsula - Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

A "free day" to do as little or as much as we liked. After thoughts of taking it easy we read that there was a walk to a famous beach, 2 hours along the coast, so we decided to do that.

Luckily the hotel gave us a packed lunch as we had inadvertantly bitten off more than we could chew.

After 30 minutes we saw several pairs of Scarlet Macaws and stopped for almost an hour to watch them preen and feed in the trees.

We moved on and it soon started to thunder and rain. We had become used to all-day sunshine every day so we had not brought wet weather clothes. We sheltered for a while but then continued our walk, it was far from cold and time was moving on.

Admittedly we did take a wrong turn to make the walk harder than it should have been, and a Rottweiler had adopted us as its owners for most of the way, but the 'two hours' walk duration started to seem unrealistic even allowing for that. We eventually reached a river but could see no way across and with only a few hours of light remaining decided to turn around and head back.

Light was begining to fade, as were we, but some scuba divers we met came to our rescue with a big bottle of water - we had underestimated our needs and had long since run out. Still with our new-found Rottweiller friend we carried on with a renewed spring in our step for the last few kilometers. Including our little detour the walk was probably 18km or more, but felt like half as much again due to the heat, humidity and sometimes difficult terrain. We agreed it was more than worth the effort just to see the Macaws - if only we had returned to our hammock after seeing them instead of subjecting ourselves to the endurance test of our lives!

April 15, 2009
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Back to the urban jungle

Grano de Oro, San Jose

The 5:30 coffee delivered to our room was a welcome accompanyment to packing ahead of the 50 minute flight to San Jose.

Back at the Grano de Oro hotel we were able to go online and see our wedding photos for the first time - our photographer had posted a selection of them to her website for us to view. They were great!

We had another walk into the city centre before dinner back at the hotel, a meal that felt all the more sophisticated and extravagant for the time we had just spent in relatively informal and simple accomodation.

April 16, 2009
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Time to go to Quito

Quito, Ecuador

After a good night's sleep it was time to check out and drive to the airport for our flight to Quito, leaving Costa Rica behind, but taking with us countless memories of our recent advenures.

We could never have hoped for a better experience on our Honeymoon, everything went so well. A very good advert for married life!

My Photo Album: Honeymoon in Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano, erupting - time to get our ash outta there!
Arenal Volcano, erupting - time to get ...
Grano de Oro Horel - an oasis of calm in a busy city
Grano de Oro Horel - an oasis of calm ...
Fonda Vela Hotel, Monteverde - where are the famous clouds?
Fonda Vela Hotel, Monteverde - where ...
Friendly little bird we saw while on the hotel trail
Friendly little bird we saw while on ...
Hard to believe this is not a leaf - good spotting Jorge!
Hard to believe this is not a leaf - ...
The honeymoon couple walking in Monteverde
The honeymoon couple walking in ...
Hungry Hummingbird - spectacular colours and so small!
Hungry Hummingbird - spectacular ...
Golden beetle on our doorstep - it really looks metalic
Golden beetle on our doorstep - it ...
Arenal Volcano seen across Lake Arenal
Arenal Volcano seen across Lake Arenal
Huge rocks rolling down Arenal Volcano, view from AOL garden
Huge rocks rolling down Arenal Volcano, ...
Secluded waterfall at AOL. So peaceful, worth the climb down
Secluded waterfall at AOL. So peaceful, ...
Man-sized leaf in AOL garden
Man-sized leaf in AOL garden
View from our room at AOL - a unique location
View from our room at AOL - a unique ...
Three-toed Sloth, hanging around on the Penas Blancas
Three-toed Sloth, hanging around on the ...
3.5m crocodile - seen from our inflatable raft!
3.5m crocodile - seen from our ...
A Toucan or two at AOL
A Toucan or two at AOL
Arenal Volcano on a starry night - truly magestic
Arenal Volcano on a starry night - ...
Hot rocks erupting fom Arenal Volcano
Hot rocks erupting fom Arenal Volcano
Orange glow from the crater of Arenal Volcano
Orange glow from the crater of Arenal ...
Clear view of all the craters on Arenal Volcano
Clear view of all the craters on Arenal ...
Plugging the volcano - it had to be done...
Plugging the volcano - it had to be ...
Coatimundi in the AOL garden
Coatimundi in the AOL garden
Hummingbird feeding on flowers at AOL
Hummingbird feeding on flowers at AOL
Howler Monkey chilling out in the AOL garden
Howler Monkey chilling out in the AOL ...
Rainbow next to Arenal Volcano - it just gets better...
Rainbow next to Arenal Volcano - it ...
Beautiful sunset over Lake Arenal
Beautiful sunset over Lake Arenal
View from the dinner table at Aguila de Osa, Drake Bay
View from the dinner table at Aguila de ...
Colourful garden at Aguila de Osa
Colourful garden at Aguila de Osa
Squirrel Monkey in the Corcovado National Park
Squirrel Monkey in the Corcovado ...
Tree-hugging Sloth
Tree-hugging Sloth
White-faced Capucin Monkey - having a good look at us
White-faced Capucin Monkey - having a ...
Tapir - a relative of the horse and rhino
Tapir - a relative of the horse and ...
Not a good time to go for a swim...
Not a good time to go for a swim...
Hello to you too, little fella!
Hello to you too, little fella!
Lunchtime in the Corcovado NP - frog on the menu today
Lunchtime in the Corcovado NP - frog on ...
Trogon - same family as the Resplendent Quetzal
Trogon - same family as the Resplendent ...
I was thrilled to see this lizard outside our hotel room
I was thrilled to see this lizard ...
Tranquil river on the Osa Peninsula
Tranquil river on the Osa Peninsula
Macaws mate for life - great to see them on our honeymoon
Macaws mate for life - great to see ...
What a good looking couple
What a good looking couple
Helping out with a hard-to-reach itch
Helping out with a hard-to-reach itch
Macaw in flight - showing of its huge wingspan
Macaw in flight - showing of its huge ...
Anyone at home? Birds nest at Cocolito beach
Anyone at home? Birds nest at Cocolito ...
Boa Constrictor in the hotel restaurant!
Boa Constrictor in the hotel restaurant!
Frog on the path near our hotel room - lucky I had a torch
Frog on the path near our hotel room - ...