The best reason to fly to Costa Rica in January
It’s not hard to find good reasons to go to Costa Rica; the rain forest, the beaches, the people, the sunshine. But there’s nothing like the guarantee of a golden tan in January to make a girl hop a jet.
Here are my best reasons to book your getaway to Costa Rica – right now:
1. Um, the weather. Yes, it’s always tanning weather there, well on the coasts anyway. Have you ever booked a trip to Florida or California because you needed some winter sun and spent your vacation buying sweatshirts because it wasn’t sunny – or warm? Stop taking your Vitamin D from a bottle and get it as nature intended – with a non-stop flight.
We took pictures of each other like a couple of gooby honeymooners
2. It’s an easy flight. Can you say JetBlue and a brand new airport? Other carriers fly there as well, enough so that the prices are competitive. Our flights from New York were around $400 each. Compare that to the $860 Delta wants just to go to Charleston. I’ll take Latin America thank you.
Hello paradise
3. The rain forests, volcanos, hiking, zip lining, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding. This is no “sit on your butt” vacation. The rain forest is 2 1/2 hours each way from the Four Seasons. Next time we go to Costa Rica we’ll stay in there to hike and explore, then follow up with some luxe relaxation. We did however head out to nearby Witch’s Rock for some zip lining. For our 10th wedding anniversary we did a death defying bobsled ride. Ziplining for 15. Guess we’ll have to sky dive for 20?
Mr. Evans first time zip lining – the smile is all nerves
Not one picture of him smiling while zip lining – though says he loved it
4. The wildlife. Our hotel was literally in the jungle. Howler monkeys kept us up at night and posed for photos during the day. The hotel driver said they were getting closer overhead to pee on me, I insisted I was having a deep human/monkey conversation with him.
Howler Monkey – I swear we were having a conversation
This little guy literally joined us for morning coffee on our verandah
4. The food. I can’t speak to the whole country, but the food at the Four Seasons was sublime. They use produce grown nearby and the chefs are wonderfully inventive.
I’m not a food blogger and hate people who photograph every meal they eat. However this dessert was adorable and a sweet gift after our celebration dinner at the amazing Caracol overlooking the golf course.
A special treat from the Four Season staff
5. The coffee. It’s everywhere, in the ice cream, in the scrub they use at the spa, if you’re a coffee addict like I am, Costa Rica is your mecca. Actually, Seattle is, but you can’t get a tan there.
6. And we’re back to the sun. Sunny all day, sunny until night. I downloaded my photos and I had taken 100 different pictures of the sunset because it was so breathtaking. So I’ll leave you with just one (or two) of my sunset shots and the advice to book your trip. It’s easier, and cheaper, than you think it is. Oh, and all of the electrical plugs are the same as the US. I’m not sure why, but that really thrilled me.
The beach outside the Four Seasons – it’s public – but you wouldn’t know it
See? One sunset photo is NOT enough
Our trip to the Four Seasons in Costa Rica was a surprise 15th wedding anniversary gift from my husband. Tim Burke of at TMB Travel Concierge snuck around behind my back with my husband to make the arrangements. We scored an upgrade due to his Virtuoso connections and charm. We were not hosted, or compensated by, Four Seasons, though they were very nice to us. Our room was around $1,000 per night, the upgrade to one bedroom home with view was priceless.
