Pura Vida
Tay and I spent a week in Costa Rica for our honeymoon last year, and every single thing about it was nothing short of magical. We got to see humpback whales (cue the tears…. if you know me well - you just know), go zip lining through the jungle, swim to our hearts content in the ocean (one of my favorite places to be), and eat. all. the. things.
I, of course, somehow worked my way into meeting the head chef of our resort restaurant, Sentido Norte, who ended up inviting me into the kitchen to learn how to make costa rican tortillas! One of the highlights of the trip for me - SO cool. Costa Rican food consists of lots of beans, rice, and plantains. A genius blend of caribbean and spanish spices enhance every dish revealing brand new flavor profiles I’d never tasted. But, the best parts: the coffee, the seafood, and the fruit. The ceviche changed my life, I feel like I had breakfast for the first time in my life every morning, and those tortillas… which are really more like a masa pancake, it’s everything you never knew you needed. Tacos and burritos aren’t really a thing — all tortilla dishes are “knife and fork” style, which just helps you craft and savory each individual bite. Unreal.
If you end up in Costa Rica, here’s our list of must-visit spots:
Casa Chameleon Resort. We stayed at the Las Catalinas location, an adorable up-and-coming town right on the coast with access to trailheads outside your villa, a walking-distance marketplace for in-room essentials, and complimentary golf cart services to the different restaurants off the resort which was so fun to explore!
La Limonada. Our favorite nightly happy hour spot post-beach/pre-dinner (though they have great food, too), this was our go-to for a mojito or pina colada on the beach and lunch or snack after our day’s adventure. We also ate dinner a couple of times here for a true, authentic taste of the culture (you know how resorts can be a little “pretentious” about their cuisine). The FRIENDLIEST staff and great casual meals. Please, please go!
SUNSET CATAMARAN! This was hands down the best part of our trip and the most bang for our buck activity. We set sail around 2pm, saw ALL the dolphins and some super special whale sightings, got to snorkel, snack, and drink all included in the price! Then we watched the sunset over the ocean on the way back. It was magical - you gotta sign up.
We learned that Costa Rica is one of the few “blue zones” in the world, which means that the lifestyle is so enriching to its inhabitants that everyone lives way past 100! And it’s no secret why. The people are SO kind, the food is ethically sourced and so fresh (preservatives are simply not a thing there), and there is just no stress whatsoever. This place has a piece of our hearts forever. Pura Vida!
