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| Riding in Shuttle to Resort |
Carrie and I made a return visit to Costa Rica from June 18 to 23 to celebrate Javi’s 50th birthday. We had a great time, and it was wonderful to see Javi and his family. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort that Javi had picked out, since he had been there before, and it did not disappoint. Our stay was so enjoyable that Carrie and I decided to add an extra day. The food was good, the drinks were flowing, and we lucked out with the weather. It only rained hard once, and that was our first night.
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| FC with Javi |
Our flight left bright and early on June 18, so Carrie and I stayed in Kansas City the night before near the airport. It was well worth it and made getting to the airport easy. We connected through Dallas, which allowed us to meet up with Javi and his friends, who were on the same flight to Costa Rica. Javi, Carrie, and I all sat in first class, which was a fun experience. It had been a long time since I had flown first class, so we enjoyed it. We were in the same row as Javi, and even though the drink service was a little slow, we still had a great time. The food on American Airlines was really good.
We stayed at The Westin Reserva Conchal on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. We arrived at the resort after about a 45-minute ride from the airport. The ride was fun since we were with Javi and his friends from Dallas, and we made a stop at a convenience store to pick up some local beer, Imperial, and snacks to enjoy along the way.
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| Javi Bday Celebration |
That first night, we headed to happy hour in the main building before going to dinner. Of course, we checked out our rooms first and were very happy with the setup. Most of us stayed in Tower 2, with a few others in Tower 1. Everything was close, which made it easy and fun to meet up and explore different areas of the resort together.
The resort has around 8 to 10 restaurants, so we had plenty of options. The food was good at every place we went, but the desserts were disappointing at most of them. We did enjoy dessert at Cauri Lobby Bar & Bistro, but at the other spots, desserts fell short. The appetizers and main dishes were consistently good, so overall we still ate very well.
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| Us on the Beach |
Our first full day at the resort was spent at the beach. We enjoyed the waves and sand for a few hours. Carrie and I had reserved a cabana by the main pool, so we spent the afternoon there. It was definitely worth it, and we liked it so much that we reserved the cabana again for the next day.
On Saturday, we went back to the beach early to get some snorkeling in before it got too hot and the waves picked up. We rented equipment from the resort, but it was not very good. Javi and some of his friends brought their own gear, which worked much better. Next time we travel somewhere with snorkeling, I plan to bring my own equipment. Even with the subpar gear, we still saw a lot of fish, which made it worthwhile.
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| Snorkeling Spot |
Our days fell into a great routine of getting up early, heading to the beach, spending time at the pool, and then enjoying dinner in the evening. It was an incredible rhythm, and it made it hard to leave. On Sunday, I told Carrie I would check with the resort about extending our stay and keeping the same room. They said it was no problem. From there, it was just a matter of adjusting our flights and transportation back to the airport, which also went smoothly. Just like that, we extended our trip and planned to leave on Tuesday instead of Monday.
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| Dinner and Celebration |
Sunday night, the whole group met at Cauri Lobby Bar & Bistro for dinner. It was a great meal, and as I mentioned earlier, the dessert was very good. The restaurant overlooks the golf course, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset. Since Javi and his friends would be leaving the next day, we said some goodbyes that evening. After dinner, a few of us stayed at the bar to have a few drinks. It was the perfect way to end the night.
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| Flying Home from Great Trip |
On Monday morning, we met Javi and some of his friends as they prepared to leave around 10 a.m. to say our goodbyes. They were heading to other locations in Costa Rica to do some sightseeing, while Carrie and I stayed one more day at the resort.
Tuesday morning, Carrie and I ordered room service and enjoyed a relaxed breakfast before packing up to head out. It was a great way to wrap up our stay. The food was good, and we had plenty of time to get to the airport for our flight home.
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| Sunset Our Last Night |
It was fun celebrating such a big milestone for Javi. I am really glad we made the trip and had the chance to spend that time with him.
Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week!
