On Saturday, May 7, 2011, we started our honeymoon adventure to Costa Rica! We booked an all-inclusive resort: Riu Guanacaste through Apple Vacations, which also set up our flights and included transportation from the airport to the resort.
We got up early, before 6am, to catch an early flight out of the Pittsburgh airport. We had a connecting flight in Charlotte. The layover was only about an hour, so we had to hustle through the airport, to reach our gate. From there, our flight to the Liberia airport in Costa Rica was a little over 4 hours. We stuck our noses in books or rested and the flight went quickly.
The Liberia airport was pretty small. There was no ‘tunnel’ up to the plane’s doors, as we went down the portable stairs and walked across the tarmac towards two hangars…that were apparently the airport terminal! It was a little surprising after being in the larger PIT and CLT airports. Through the open side walls, we could see people waiting to board our plane back to the states. One of two ladies watching us walk shouted “Take us with you.” Haha…sorry, no.
Security and customs was easy. As we were the only plane arriving at that time, the checked luggage was arriving at the same time as us.When we exited outside, we briefly felt like celebrities. “TAXI??” “DO YOU NEED A TAXI??” “I CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE!!” The area was surrounded with a bunch of locals looking to take us anywhere. Thankfully, our trip package included transportation to the hotel. As we passed through the crowd, Tim got someone to point over to the Swiss Travel agent, through which Apple Vacations arranges for trips. He was o
ur contact to get to the resort, and we were taken to a transportation van, got on, and waited for 3 other couples. From the van we could see the new, modern terminal that was being built.
Once the van was loaded, we were warned to expect a “Costa Rican massage” during the drive, meaning that the roads would be bumpy. There were certainly bumpy, unpaved stretches. But, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the roads were paved, and only parts, off the main stretch, were unpaved and bumpy.
While driving, the countryside appeared fairly dry. As it was the start of the rainy season…it was also the end of the dry season. We passed by open pastures with cows grazing and small, one-story homes.
After about 40 minutes on the road, we arrived at the resort, which was pretty remote. There was a large gate out front and several smaller buildings built in the same style as the main resort building, that we later found out were shops, a casino, a disco, a spa/fitness center and a couple of other places. The check-in was pretty quick and included a staff person walking around giving out fruity drinks. We were given a plastic b
racelet to wear and set off to find our room.
Once we found it (took a wrong turn at first, to find an elevator that didn’t service the 2nd floor), we were pleased by the decent-sized space and king size bed. And the curtains that matched the chairs were funny too. Outside was a nice little patio with simple patio furniture.
After some unpacking and relaxing, we quickly set off to explore and head straight for the beach. Our first views of the beach and surrounding area were rather nice, as the sun was heading towards the horizon, over some nearby hills.
We noticed a brown pelican flying low over the water, looking for dinner.
As the sun set further, some dark clouds came in over the Riu (but didn’t rain).
Finally, the sun disappeared, making a nearby hill look like an erupting volcano.
After a long day of travel, we were quite hungry. Earlier we had grabbed a bite to eat at an afternoon snack area – an open air food area near the pool. For dinner we ate at the buffet, which had a very wide selection and had servers scurrying everywhere clearing plates and restocking food. It was quite the operation!
After dinner we decided to walk to the front of the resort, to check out the nearby buildings. As this shows, the grounds were very well maintained.
The shops looked interesting, and we decided to return later in the week. Finally we took a brief walk around the deserted pool, between the resort and the beach, which was beautifully lit at night.
After that, we were ready to sleep after a long day of travel. Ahead: fun in the sun!
What great pictures, and what a happy looking couple! Your description of the airport, and the many, many hopeful natives wanting to help you with luggage (for money, of course!) sounds like the Port au Prince, Haiti airport. Grandpa and I loved the beauty of the Caribbean ocean (or is it a sea?). I imagine the temperature there was like it was in Haiti. On to another picture group.