Travel Destination: Costa Rica

On the west coast of Central America, Playa Santa Teresa & Playa Carmen are the hidden treasures of Costa Rica.

Situated just above the equator, Playa Santa Theresa is the perfect tropical getaway over New Zealand's summer, November to April. Actually, any time of the year is perfect in Costa Rica!

Last year at the end of november I spent a week on Playa Santa Theresa, which is on a peninsula west of the main city, San José - where I spent my entire day outside (which is my favourite way to spend any day!) enjoying the local vibes around the tiny town, at the beach, in the surf, doing yoga, eating out and relaxing by a huge plunge pool at our lodge. I promise that there is no better beach getaway than this!

There are even organised beach days, where a yoga/surf instructor will organise your for you, where you meditate, go horse riding on the beach, do yoga in the rainforest, then surf - meals and accomodation included! Does it get any better?

I forgot about time, my days were run by the sun - even after returning to San José, I didn't know what day of the week it was or even what month it was!

I loved every minute of Santa Teresa & Playa Carmen, but to keep it short & sweet I've made a quick list of the outstanding favourites of mine! Not all of these are physical activities, but things that were simply enjoyable and that I did a lot of.

1. The beach (duh)

I did a whole lot of NOTHING on the beach - exactly how holidays should be spent! Although the beaches weren't labeled as la Playa Nudista, there was a lot of toplessness/skimpy bikinis - not as shocking as it may sound to kiwis, but it was liberating. Liberating in the way that there was no stereotype - there was a lot of leeway around how women chose to show themselves off or not, and a fair amount body appreciation. At certain beaches around the world I felt like there was pressure to meet stereotypes and I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in some places - like the North Shore in Hawaii 90% of the girls my age were short, tiny bikini bodies, with insane tans and ridiculously long sunbleaches hair - in a group of 2 - 10, wearing almost identical bikinis, followed closely by a couple of guys. Costa Rica was nothing like that. I guess in this particular town, majority of the people were travellers from all over the world. There were yogi's, surfers, holiday goers, mums, dads - all the rest. Each of us shared something in common - the pure and overwhelming sense of happiness for being there.

2. The Bakery

Not as unhealthy as it sounds.

We would rock up straight out of the surf in wet bikinis, the boys all wet and sandy in board shorts.

"The Bakery" is a small restaurant/cafe that bakes delicious fresh food every day.

Best meal at anytime of the day, hands down.

Good food was a luxury whilst we were traveling - trust me, we settled for some below average meals at times, or sometimes no meals at all (cookies were safe in every country) - and this cafe was beyong good. With the perfect mix of comfort food and health foods, they catered for everyone. For my family, it felt like home due to the extensive smoothie list, the freshly baked pasteries, detailed salads and most importantly, NUTELLA PANCAKES!

Decent food = happy travelers.

Accomodation

We stayed in a gorgeous, secluded lodge called the Funky Monkey Lodge, that accomodates all kinds of travellers from back packers, to honeymooners, making the open restaurant a busy and vibrant place for meeting other travellers from all from all over the world.

The bar staff were the most friendly people I have ever met! During our stay was the American Thanks Giving, so the guests and staff were having a barbeque at the restaurant that was free for everyone staying. They also hosted a sushi night twice a week... needless to say our family of five was stoked. (The beautiful bartenders also made the best and biggest frozen margarita's in all of Latin America!)

Our accomodation embraced it's tropical surroundings perfectly. We were completely immersed within the jungle and wildlife, the occasional howler monkeys adding to the ambience.