costa rica honeymoon part III

After our adventure with the monkeys, our trip took an interesting turn. Turns out, the guy who made both of our wedding rings owns some condos in Costa Rica, and often lets people who buy rings from him stay there for a reduced price. Of course, when he told Jacob this, we had already made all our arrangements at La Posada for the week. Still, he said that we could stay there one night for free and just pay the cleaning fee. And so we said, "sure! why not?"

The condos were in a town called Esterillos Oeste-- about 45 minutes north of where we were staying in Manuel Antonio. So we hopped in our little Toyota Yaris rental car and drove up the coast. We stopped at a little gas station, where we were met by a man named Javier who took us here. . .

Pretty nice condos, right?? Here is the inside. . .

Jacob is my model.



Everything in here looked brand new and beautiful.

We were very impressed-- and these pics really don't do it much justice.

This was the view from our balcony.

We could hear the waves crashing right outside our bedroom!

But as nice as our condo was, we really just wanted to go enjoy the beach.

It was a little overcast that afternoon, but it was a beautiful beach. And the best part was that (with the exception of a few distant surfers who were minding their own business) we were the only ones there. It was just this great stretch of sand and beach and trees and then-- us. There was something so enchanting about it.

This beach didn't have the striking blue waters of Playa Espadilla in Mauel Antonio, but it had a different quiet charm that was just as beautiful. It really felt like it was all ours.

The other thing we really liked about this town was that it felt like we were really in Costa Rica. It had this small-town village feel, instead of the tourist paradise that is all around Manuel Antonio. Although we really enjoyed the touristy areas as well, this was just peaceful and authentic. That night we went to a little restaurant in town (maybe the only restaurant in town) that Dave, our ring designer, recommended for us. The restaurant was called "Almendros"-- and boy was it good. I had some amazing spicy Jamaican Jerk chicken while Jacob had a more typical costa rican dish with rice beans and fish, but we both loved it. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, but the best part of this resaurant was, again-- we were the only ones there. Well, except for some goofy, old, american expat having a quiet dinner by himself. Other than that, in the whole restaurant, it was just me and Jacob. Very lovely. Very romantic.

The next morning, we got some breakfast and headed back to the beach! This is Jacob attempting a cartwheel. I was impressed. Although, I had no-idea he was left-footed until he did this.

We coudn't leave costa rica without a good "dip" pic. It is kind of our trademark.

That morning on the beach was exactly the same-- just us, for the most part. When we first got there it was very sunny, but the clouds slowly started rolling in. Still, it was very beautiful in its own way.

My swimsuit kinda looks skin-colored in these photos-- I apologize. In person it is like a shiny golden color. Bad lighting! (picture taken by a log)

The water was very warm and the waves very peculiar, so we spent a lot of time body surfing and playing in the waves. We also found tons and tons of really cool sea shells at this beach, and we made a little collection to take home with us.

 A storm eventually started rolling in, and we enjoyed it!

We then headed back to the condo. Did I mention there was pool on the roof overlooking the ocean?? So awesome. Did I also mention that we had it all to ourselves? Well, we did-- and not just the pool-- the WHOLE CONDO COMPLEX. Just me and my love.

After all of our adventures in Esterillos, we decided to head back to Manuel Antonio. But on the way back we started to get pretty hungry. We were kind of in the middle of nowhere, but Jacob found this really beautiful beachside hotel in Bejuco. It was called Hotel Delfin, and inside there was a really nice restaurant with white tablecloths and panoramic windows facing the beach. Again, we were literally the only ones there!! I was tempted to start singing "empty chairs and empty tables" form Les Mis. It was almost kind of eerie, but romantic at the same time. Every place we went seemed be waiting there just for us.

The food was great. I had some tasty sea bass and Jacob finally got the burger and fries that he had been craving! You kind of feel bad ordering a burger when you are at a fancy restaurant in costa rica, but you never regret it! so good.

After lunch we got back in the car and headed back to La Posada in Manuel Antonio. Though we loved Esterillos Oeste and really enjoyed our fancy condo, after one night we were starting to miss our cozy little bungalow hotel back in Manuel Antonio. That little "parrot room" kinda felt like our home!

And thus ended our adventures in the lovely and  peaceful Eterillos Oeste. . . but we still had one day left in Manuel Antonio! One final post to come.