What a View
A few weeks after our wedding, we headed off to Costa Rica for our next adventure! We decided that relaxing was overrated, so we thought we would book ourselves on an ‘adventure tour’ for 15 days, before ending up at a luxurious resort at the end of the trip.
We booked with an outfit called Bikehike Adventures, based in Canada. Based on the type of trip we wanted to do, which was a coast-to-coast biking / hiking / rafting trip, they hooked us up with an outfit called Coast to Coast Adventures, our guide was named Fernando. He was well-trained and was an excellent guide, any way you slice it. Plus he was a fantastic cook, so we were sure to never be hungry while hoofing it across the country!
We met our guide and the other two adventurers in our group in San Jose, the main city located in the central area of Costa Rica. The five of us started the trip by flying in a tiny plane from San Jose to a town called Quepos, on the west (Pacific) coast of Costa Rica, where we stayed overnight. We started our 234 km journey to the east coast early the next morning.
Taking a Little Stroll
The first few days were mainly biking and hiking, usually a mixture of both during the duration of the day. It was the end of the rainy season, so they tell us, so we weren’t surprised when we were hit with a few showers in the afternoons. The first day we got soaked hiking in the rain for about 2-3 hours, I don’t think our boots ever were dry after that! Unfortunately, my boots were quite new and not quite broken in… you got it… blister city. Two big ones (one per foot), after the first day. Good thing our guide Fernando was adept in first-aid, and I had sandals to revert back to. Jenn got a few blisters later on, she made up a song about her ‘hating her shoes’ and ‘wishing she had her sandals’. Entertaining, to say the least.
While on our journey, our clothes & other gear were packed in a few bags, which were moved with us across the country via a pickup truck and trailer with the bikes. We typically carried only what we needed for that day in our day-pack, we’d have the chance to change, etc, when we met up with the gear truck.
So over the mountains we went, usually starting early in the morning (with only a few exceptions!) and finishing mid-afternoon most days. We had a mixed bag of accommodations throughout the trip: few days of camping in tents, few days of semi-camping in lean-tos in a ‘Coast to Coast’ camping area with ‘facilities’ like a kitchen and bathrooms, and the other nights were in hotels, some quaint and small, others a little bigger and very nice. The hotels were always a hit as those were the only places with hot showers!
Traveling Light
About 4-5 days into the trip (once we were on the ‘down slope’ of the mountains), we started mixing in some white water rafting with the hiking and biking. The rapids were typically classes 2 and 3, we hit a few class 4’s, and at the end of the trip we did a full 6 hour day on ‘flat’ water, just paddling as we arrived at the east cost. Jenn was fortunate enough to experience falling out of the raft on 2 occasions (once a day the first few days in the raft), but was ok and all smiles after each time. She was quite proficient at executing the ‘get down’ command for the remainder of our rafting days!
So, after about 14 days, a few blisters, a few dumps out of the raft, and a few ‘mofo’ hills on the bikes, we were on a bus back to San Jose, where we would part with our new friends and continue on the relaxing part of the honeymoon!
A short plane ride from San Jose later (in a 6-seater this time!), we arrived at the Tabacon resort, complete with hot springs and spa, located near one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica, Arenal. The volcano supplies the resort with natural hot springs, just the right temperature to relax in. We hit the hot springs the first afternoon we arrived, and the following two days we were there, after our ATV tour the first day and zip-line tour the next.
Heading Out on the River
The room and meals there were fantastic – we booked a ‘honeymoon’ package, which was a fantastic room and included a private candle light dinner away from the main restaurant one night. Breakfast buffets were chock-full of fresh fruit like pineapple, papaya, watermelon, and bananas, and we enjoyed freshly-made guacamole nearly every day!
Plus, as part of the package, we had a ‘couples’ massage’, which was quite nice as well. I’m not much of a ‘spa’ guy, but with it being out near the hot springs with the sounds of water running everywhere, it was quite soothing.
At the end of our stay, we stayed overnight at the Marriott hotel in San Jose before flying back to Bermuda (via Miami) the next morning. Just so happened that the Black Eyed Peas were playing in town that night and were staying at our hotel! We couldn’t get tickets to their show (we tried), but we got a few snaps of the band before they went off to perform.
Should We Be Running Away?
So, people have been asking, “what was your favorite part of the trip?” We don’t think there was a single specific moment that was better than the rest – it was all just spectacular, a very memorable honeymoon to say the least.
Keep scrolling for more photos of our honeymoon!
