costa rica honeymoon part I

tropical tropical honeymoon pic overload!! you have been warned!



I am not gonna lie. While planning and making the preparations for our costa rican honeymoon, I often stopped and wondered,"is this all gonna be worth the time, travel, and money in the end??" We really wanted to go somewhere special  for our honeymoon, but I was beginning to fear that it wouldn't be all that we had dreamed of and payed for. Not to mention, some people warned us that it was the rainy season in costa rica-- which might make the beach and excursions more difficult (if not impossible).

Well, I am happy to report that costa rica was absolutely worth it all! We enjoyed every minute and made so many memories that will be with us forever. And we definitely plan to go back someday. We loved all of it so much.

Me in Manuel Antonio Park

We actually didn't take any pics the first two days we were there. We were having so much fun that we forgot that we even brought our cameras! but we mostly spent the first two days body surfng at the beach (the waves were great!), eating tasty food, taking naps in our hammock, enjoying our cute little hotel, swimming in the pool, and living it up! On the first night we also went salsa dancing which was so much fun! I really wish I had taken a pic of it. We had our own salsa dancing instructor who taught us a lot of cool moves. Plus, salsa dancing is just kinda. . . sexy. There! I said it! Even just the way you count the beat sounds sexy. . .

uno, dos, tres! quatro, cinco, seis!

It's just not the same in English.

The third day we spent exploring Manuel Antonio, the beautiful national park. We saw the most beautiful beaches, jungle vegetation, and so many animals-- all kinds of monkeys, reptiles, racoons, and I finally realized my dream of seeing a sloth in the wild. I love sloths and want one for a pet so bad! Jacob also swears that he saw some kind of "rat-pig" in the jungle while we were hiking. I don't know how I missed this mysterious creature, but the "rat-pig" will forever be a tall-tale legend in my eyes.

jake of the jungle

The beautiful Playa Espadilla in Manuel Antonio.

It really was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to-- if not the most beautiful. Because it is in a national park, it is so clean, pristine, and free from all typical "beach scene" hullabaloo. This place was peaceful and lovely.

Howler monkeys!! We could hear these guys all over the place. They were really loud riotous little guys! This isn't a great vid, but can hear the howler monkeys howlin their hearts out...

sporting my new yellow swimsuit.

I think I was the only female not wearing a bikini everywhere we went, but jacob said he liked it because it "set me apart." Modest is the hottest yaayyy!!

We were afraid that we might lose our wedding rings in the ocean, so we kept them in the safe in our hotel room  and bought some cool "cost rica" rings to wear the rest of our trip.

some views while hiking through the jungle

we found some peculiar things in the jungle like these giant thorns on a tree.

postcard views

sometimes I do really good cartwheels.

Some people have been asking us about the place where we stayed, so here is just a little glimpse:

Here I am standing in front of La Posada Jungle Bungalows with the entrance to Manuel Antonio Park just in the background-- we were literally a hop, a skip, and a jump from the park and a two-minute walk from the beach. Great location.

You can't see them that well, but these are kinda what the bungalows looked like from the outside. Each was seperate and unique.

We stayed in "the parrot room." This was the painting outside of our door.
Perfect for lovebirds like us.

We had our own porch complete with rocking chairs, a table, and hammock.

The inside of the parrot room was bright, colorful, and cozy!
we loved it and really felt at home there.

A lovebird on the grounds of La Posada

Fresh coconut drink on the beach really reminded me of Singapore. So refreshing and so cheap!

On Sunday (the 4th day), we couldn't find any meetinghouses in our location, but we tried to keep the sabbath day holy the best we could. We slept in, relaxed, and took a walk out on the beach. We brought our scriptures along and read together by the ocean. We also had a nice long conversation about our goals and dreams as a married couple.

It was a really nice day.

jacob and I at La Posada

We also discovered that there was an iguana on top of our bungalow!!

This rascally little reptile was making so much noise!

We made our own lunch and ate it out on our porch.

that night we also got to take our rental car out for the first time and go explore the town a little bit more. It was nice to get out and take a relaxing drive.  When we came back we had some pizza at our hotel.



And those were the first four days in Costa Rica. Que bueno es? It really was the perfect honeymoon destination for us-- tropical and luxurious, but also a little rugged and adventurous. Loved every moment-- but there's a whole week left! Stay tuned.