Playa Potrero - Hannah

On Tuesday we went to Nicaragua for a quick visa renewal trip--more about that later. But after our trip, we had the rest of the week to relax at an awesome condo in Playa Potrero in Guanacaste, which is on the Pacific northwestern side of Costa Rica. We'd heard great things about the area, and since it was a little farther than what we could do as a day trip, we thought we'd combine it with our Nicaragua trip. Plus it coincided nicely with Thanksgiving break, which, for obvious reasons, is not celebrated here, but during which Michael didn't have to work.

The condo was in a great location. We found it on VRBO.com, which, in case anyone is interested, is a great site for finding vacation rentals. It had a kitchen, comfortable beds, modern appliances, and this was the view from the living room. We had a swimming pool to enjoy, and then a few steps beyond that was the beach.

Here are a few highlights of the trip, in no particular order.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Although we missed family at home, we were able to enjoy a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal together. We walked about a mile up the beach to a Taco bar, where we shared some onion rings and guacomole chips. Then Michael and I had fish tacos, Caleb had buffalo wings, and the other kids had chicken fingers and fries (wherever you go, it seems, you can find chicken fingers). Although we missed pie, we did enjoy topping off the meal with smoothies--half of us got strawberry and half got passionfruit. We were happily stuffed.

Modern Appliances

We haven't had a dryer here, so I took advantage of the dryer at the condo. After putting a load through, I happily enjoyed the fluffy warmth of the laundry.

We also had a microwave, so we had microwave popcorn every night and enjoyed heating up leftovers. And we had a toaster, so I made my peanut butter sandwich with toast, and the peanut butter got melty and delicious. I miss toast, yet it's probably best we don't have a toaster here. The crumbs would be sure to attract ants.

Jonah's Friend

Our neighbors in the condo were very nice. Jonah hit it off with their daughter, Christina, and they played together often. Jonah never quite learned her name, but always called her "my friend." Here they are enjoying some lunch together and building in the sand together.

The Sunsets

Ten minutes down the road was Flamingo Beach. Our neighbors told us it is renowned for its beautiful sunsets. So Friday evening we went, and it did not disappoint. 

There were a lot of people there with cameras and tripods, and the view was fantastic.

Closer to our condo, the sunsets were also beautiful.

The Wildlife

Our first evening there we saw fireflies. They'd glow orange out of nowhere for a moment and then disappear, and then glow from somewhere else. We watched for them during later evenings, but we only saw them that first night.

The first morning there we saw dolphins jumping in the distance. One jumped clear out of the water. There was a cruise ship nearby and it looked like the dolphins were entertaining the guests. If I had a bucket list written down, watching dolphins in the wild would definitely be on it. Julia also saw a whale flip its tail out of the water that morning. It was awesome. 

One night we went crab hunting with our neighbors. Jonah was pretty tired at that point, so I didn't stay long with him, but we were out on the beach with flashlights running after crabs that would get covered and uncovered by the surf. 

Sand and Water

I can think of no better way for the family to relax than with the combination of sand and water. The kids built volcanoes, castles, and tunnels in the sand, and we swam, boogie boarded, floated, and body surfed in the water. 

Julia's first time boogie boarding while in Costa Rica

One night, Michael and I went swimming after the sunset, just because we could. Although it could have been slightly creepy, we didn't go out too far and enjoyed the dark cool water.

Enjoying Time with These Guys

And here are a couple glamour shots, just for fun.