Pura Vida & Monkeys in Costa Rica

Pura Vida & Monkeys. Yup, that pretty much sums up our trip! Pura Vida, literally translated as "Pure Life", is everywhere in Costa Rica. It's used as a salutation (probably even more common than hello or goodbye), it's plastered all over t-shirts & hats in the souvenir shops, and most importantly it's the way of life for the people living in Costa Rica. By far, Costa Rica is more advanced than the U.S. when it comes to being green. Besides the fact that everyone (everyone!) recycles, the food we ate was grown or caught locally. The fresh fruit, the fish, the drinking water. The drinking water...was...amazing! I know it's sounds silly, but Costa Rica has the best drinking water in the world! So clean, so pure, so soft... Figi Water lookout! Everything we consumed was f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s. The only complaint about the "green-ness" was from my husband who didn't recognize the chicken wings he ordered when the server brought them out. Yes, the wings were scrawny, but I told him they probably came from a nearby farm where the chickens had a good life running around freely pecking at their brothers and sisters versus the steroid pumped chickens--too fat to stand--that we are used to here in "super size it" USA. Even the air felt pure, it was humid but in a good way. Coming from New England during the winter, everything that was chapped & dry was instantly cured. By the end of the trip my skin & hair was so soft (no moisturizer required) from the muggy rain forest air. It's probably why the Costa Rican's (a.k.a as Tico's) age so well and typically live longer than Americans. Tico's live a Pura Vida year round.

 We stayed in a boutique hotel in Manuel Antiono, about a 3 hour drive (very scenic) from the San Jose airport. It was dark already when we arrived at the hotel, but as soon as we arrived I quickly scanned the grounds to see if I could spot a monkey. Everyone that I had spoken to that had been to Costa Rica before told me the monkeys were everywhere! I ran into a hotel staff member and asked him where the monkeys were..."do they not come out at night?" I asked. He laughed at my question. He told me the monkeys come out during the day and not to worry since I will most likely see one before the week was through. Day 1 no monkeys. Day 2 no monkeys. Day 3 no monkeys. Day 4 not one single freaking monkey! The hotel staff got to know me as the girl who wants to see a monkey and everyday when we returned to the hotel after our daily excursions, the staff members would say "you just missed the monkeys!" or "the monkeys had day off today".  Ha ha I would say in response to the Tico's jokes. Finally on day 5...MONKEYS GALORE! Monkeys at the beach, monkeys at the hotel, baby monkeys, humping monkeys, grumpy monkeys, lazy monkeys...I was in monkey heaven.

In addition to the monkey hunt, we did all of the other touristy stuff, saw gators at the famous Alligator Bridge, spent a lot of time at the beach, and took a tour through the forest where we saw more alligators, turtles, and lizards. Relaxed a lot, shopped, read a lot, and ate a lot. We spent a couple of afternoons at the hotel's infinity pool that overlooked the jungle drinking passion fruit smoothies (my new favorite fruit). We even took salsa dancing lessons at the hotel. One of my favorite purchases was when I found a bathing suit shop that custom makes suits to fit your body perfectly. I was able to pick out the design, pick out the fabric, and after measuring me, my suits were completed the next day! The suits had such great quality and only cost $70 each! Unheard of in New England. Unfortunately, I did not discover the shop until the day before we were scheduled to leave, and since then I have convinced my husband that we need to book our next tropical getaway soon (which we did this evening ;-) so I can wear them!

The most memorable excursion was when we took a catamaran cruise around the shores of Manuel Antiono National Park. The boat anchored near an isolated reef where I had the most amazing snorkeling experience! We saw all sorts of vibrantly colored fish in the warm water. After snorkeling the captain fed us a lunch of fresh fish and rice and beans. The best description of cruising around the beautiful rocky shores with a full belly is "Pura Vida".

"Pura Vida" and Monkey's. Yup, that pretty much sums up our trip. I can't wait to go back and explore another part of Costa Rica's beautiful country!



Quest for the Conch in Provo

Providenciales (a.k.a Provo) is blessed with 350 days of warm sunshine each year...unfortunately for us, we happened to be there for 5 of the yearly 15 rainy days. We stayed in a hotel across the street from the famous 5 mile long Grace Bay beach. Grace Bay is lined with large resorts and private condominium communities that are required to offer public access to the beach. However, they are not required to provide beach chair rentals... so unless you are staying at one of these places you are stuck with your bum in the sand for the duration of your trip. We quickly learned that doesn't have to be the case if you can turn on your charm and agree to purchase a $20 frozen margarita (which of course we purchased to enjoy the 1/2 day of sunshine that Mother Nature blessed us with).

Since there isn't much to do in Provo besides lay on the beach, we had to find other sources of entertainment that did not require sunshine. Although it wasn't in our original plans, we decided to spend money on a rental car (instead of an umbrella). In fact, driving all over the island through flooded roads turned out to be the best part of our trip. We explored the entire island and soon learned about the Conch that Turks and Caicos is famous for. For those of you who do not know what a Conch shell is, it's the large beautiful shell that you can place next to your ear to hear the ocean.

We gave up on trying to stay dry and embarked on a mission to bring Conch shells home to our family & friends. Our first attempt on Grace Bay beach turned out to be a bust and after making some friends with some locals at a nearby watering hole we soon learned that the Conch no longer drift ashore on Grace Bay. We had to broaden our search to places that the tourists don't track.

We drove to the opposite side of the island which turned into a dirt (and very bumpy) road and our 1992 Nissan Sunny rental car took quite the beating. The car was fun, it even included those nifty automatic seat belt thingies! This side of the island was much different than where we were staying (where it seemed a lot of the guests at Grace Bay had a name like Muffy or Duffy). This opposite side was home to the natives and a handful of ex-pat hippy types. Soon enough we spotted a few sun bleached shells off one of the rustic shores and felt like we hit the jackpot! All of the shells were slightly broken and had the trademark slit near the top where locals forked out the Conch to have for breakfast. We picked our favorites and wrapped them in beach towels and put them in the trunk of the Sunny. We later weren't able to use our beach towels as they inherited the most foul fish smell.

Over the next few days we continued driving around the island in the rain in search for more Conch shells. On the northern part of the island I had the hubby pull over since I spotted a trail with a sign that read "beach access." We trekked down the trail and found another, but much larger, rustic shoreline. This shore was different though, as it had million dollar plus homes monopolizing it. I wish I took a picture of the old man sitting on his chair under his beach umbrella (in the rain) being served frozen drinks by a wet local in an all white uniform (I couldn't help but giggle as we passed). After the distraction of  Mr. Muffy wore off we soon realized that this stretch of shoreline was littered with Conch shells.

We grabbed as many conch shells as we could and experienced an arm workout of a lifetime. On our way back to the car (with Conch shells in hand) we passed another couple with the same mission. They gave us the Conch shell lesson 101 and pointed out that one of the shells I was carrying did not have the trademark slit. After the woman explained that the Conch creatures look like small aliens I made by husband carry that shell the remainder of the hike. When we got back to our hotel room I made sure to put that particular shell in the sink and waited for the alien to crawl out. Luckily that shell was empty.

On our last night in Provo we went to a restaurant on a marina and ordered Conch fritters. It would have seemed wrong to not taste this delicacy that was the theme of our trip. The fritters were yummy and had pieces of Conch that had a consistency and similar taste to Calamari.

When it was time to say goodbye we wrapped our shells in clothing (which I washed with extra detergent when we returned home) and carefully packed in our suitcases. All  of the shells made it home unharmed and ended up being the best souvenirs out of all of our travels. 

Looking back the rain turned out to be Mother Nature's blessing. Who wants to sit on a boring old beach all week anyway?



Living Like a (wannabe) Local on St. John, USVI

We flew into St. Thomas, picked up our open-air Jeep Wrangler rental and took the forty minute ferry ride to Cruz Bay, St. John. The ferry ride was a treat... offering views of the nearby British Virgin Islands - much different than the Long Island Ferries we are used to.

Once we arrived on St. John it was a twisty and steep 45 minute drive to Estate Concordia Preserve. Concordia is on the southeastern part of the island - opposite of the tourist city of Cruz Bay. Approximately 60% of St. John is protected national park so while driving be sure to watch out for the wild mountain goats, donkeys, mongoose, and believe it or not...deer!

We had reserved an "eco tent" at Concordia, which consisted of a wooden frame, with canvas material for walls, and zipped screen windows. The tents had a modest kitchen, composting toilet, and a solar heated shower (or garden hose and for those of us with a thick head of hair it requires some interesting one on one time with the significant other). For people who enjoy camping, it is luxury camping at its best. Concordia was all we needed with it's 360 degree ocean views and the trade wind breezes.

We spent our days exploring and lounging at each one of St. John's perfect beaches. Our favorite, Trunk bay, had a snorkeling trail with so many exotic fish it made us feel like you were swimming in an aquarium. All the beaches had water that was crystal clear and the sand was super comfy. The north shore beaches have romantic views of the surrounding islands and once you are there, St. John's nickname "Love City" is easily understood.

Once night fell we spent our evenings in Coral Bay enjoying the local live music. Laid back Coral Bay is where all the ex-patriots live and the inspiration for many of Kenney Chesney's Caribbean songs. Some refer to Coral Bay as the Cruz Bay of 25 years ago. Everyone at the bar had a story of how they vacationed here and never left. Everyone was is permanent care-free mode... the bartender singing along to her favorite song and mere strangers buying us drinks for just being there.

Despite the obvious hardship of living in such an expensive place, ironically all of the locals we chatted with seemed to be living the life we all strive for: a stress free paradise. We found ourselves chatting on the plane ride home about how we could become like the locals, pack everything up and move to this incredible island.

To be continued...

Cabana Living in Tulum, Mexico

Drive approximately two hours south from the Cancun Airport on a single highway and you will arrive in the small laid-back Mexican city of Tulum. The drive to Tulum is a piece of cake - with the exception of a few surprising Topes (speed bumps)!

Forget your all-inclusive mega resort...you won't find any kiddie-pools, buffets, or drunk spring breakers here.  With a yoga flare, Tulum consists of small thatched roof cabanas dotting the coastline and boutique restaurants serving fresh fish that were caught the same day.

Local chefs can be seen fishing at sunset, so if you enjoy fish tacos - this is the place to be. In addition to the abundance of fresh fish and pico de gallo, visitors will find specialty restaurants that serve Argentinian and believe it or not...Italian food.  Be sure to visit the open air restaurants located on the jungle side adjacent to all the hotels. There, local chefs will whip up amazing cuisine in front of you using only fresh local ingredients. You won't find a better atmosphere than being smack in the middle of the jungle having candles as the main source of light.

Some refer to it as the Cancun 50 years ago. You won't find any high-rise hotels, only small hotels and cabanas with eco-friendly standards. I'm sure many have seen the famous Corona beach commercial, well, it was actually filmed in Tulum. So you can imagine the white powdery sand and ultra blue waters.

Tulum combines the ultimate beach vacation with a lot of Latin American culture and history. The only Mayan ruins on the Mexican Caribbean coast are located in Tulum.  For a small entrance fee, visitors can tour these thousands year old ruins. Be sure to pack beach gear because after walking through the ruins in 85+ degree weather you will need to take a dip at the beach there to cool off.

Just beyond the zona hotelera (or hotel zone) is the biosphere reserve of Sian Ka'an. Visitors can drive through the biosphere or arrange a tour to see unique wildlife in this preserved national park.

Tulum is a great alternative for people who want to escape the tourist crowd in Cancun or Playa Del Carmen. Only in Tulum you will be able to experience a true "beach front" room, open the door to your cabana and step onto the beach. That's my idea for experiencing the Caribbean.

So I Tried the Cruise Thing

We embarked out of NYC in the midst of bitter February. It was a ten day cruise through the Eastern Caribbean on the Norwegian Gem. Since it was our honeymoon, we decided to splurge and get a room with a balcony and I'm so glad we did. There is no experience like waking up every morning to the sight of a new island.

We enjoyed the "Freestyle Cruising" option. Basically, we got to eat wherever and whenever we wanted to. The food was included and the portions were small, but soon we learned that we were allowed to order as many things off the menu as we wanted (my husband has a big appetite).

During the first two days of sailing down the Arctic Atlantic we found many things on the ship to entertain us. There was a Casino, shopping, and the nightly shows were surprisingly entertaining. By the end of the 2nd day we were ready for our first port of call: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Since we arrived in the late afternoon we decided to skip the beach scene and take an excursion touring the island. The tour was interesting, but it felt good to get off the tour bus and explore Old San Juan by ourselves. We had an amazing dinner at a Mexican restaurant and attempted to walk off our meal by checking out all the little shops, which somehow turned into a rum-punch pub crawl.  Luckily, we were able to stumble our way back to the ship just in the nick of time to hit the hay, since the next excursion was scheduled bright and early in St. Thomas.

We chose the downtown shopping and beach excursion.  We began the day shopping in Charlotte Amalie where I was able to find some cute beach gear, but after a couple hours experiencing the pushy jewelery store sales people, we were ready to hit the beach. We took an open air safari bus to Magen's Bay. Echoing songs from Jimmy Buffet and Zack Brown, this beach made me feel like I was in the heart of the Caribbean.

The third island we visited was Antigua.  We booked an excursion that consisted of a day at the beach and BBQ lunch cooked by the locals. Again, this beach was amazing. My husband had a ball on his rental jet-ski while I worked on my Irish tan.  They began cooking the BBQ lunch mid-morning and the delicious aroma tortured all of us waiting patiently for food on the beach. The curry chicken was amazing. With sunburned skin and full bellies we slept good that night on the ship.

Our next stop: St. Maarten. We arrived on the dutch side of the island, but didn't spend much time there. We were anxious to get to the world famous beach Orient Bay, considered to be the French Riviera of the Caribbean. There was a lot going on at this beach, many restaurants, wind-surfing, jet ski rentals, but most important the people watching (this is a topless beach after all). After enjoying some fun in the sun we took a taxi to Marigot - the famous shopping district. Most things were out of our price range, but it sure was fun being able to practice the little french I remembered from high school.

The following day we arrived at our final destination: Tortola. Located in the British Virgin Islands, it is probably the most beautiful that we had seen. With its lush greenery and mountains, it made for the most impressive photographs. We only had a few hours here, and soaked up every last bit of the Caribbean on Brewer's Bay Beach.

  

Before we knew it we were on our way out of the Caribbean and heading North through the Arctic Atlantic.  Every port of call seemed too short and left us wanting more, but we would have never been able to see so many islands unless we were on a cruise.

Tickled Pink In Bermuda

The flight only took 1.5 hours direct from NYC and we were on the beach by that afternoon. On the approach, Bermuda is a hook shaped island dotted with pastel buildings with pearl white roofs and  turquoise shallows surrounded by the deep blue Atlantic ocean. With its rustic shoreline, the island is very stunning from the sky, and we couldn't wait to be on the ground to explore.

The hotel my husband and I stayed at had its own private beach, but once we discovered Horseshoe Bay (right next door), I was blown away. Horseshoe Bay is world famous public beach, and I have to say, the most beautiful I have ever seen. If you follow the walking trails to the left of Horseshoe Bay you can explore the many smaller beaches. The water is crystal clear and the white/pinkish sand is super fine.  We set up our towels & umbrella for the day on a small beach (we pretended we first discovered it) and enjoyed it for at least 3 hours before we even saw another person.

Bermuda has a good public transportation system and that's a great thing because visitors cannot rent a car (scooters only!). The bus system is easy to follow, and there are multiple ferries that will take you to other parts of the island. 

Hamilton offers good shopping but for a pretty penny. Our  experience at the local restaurants was OK, the food was delicious but a bit too expensive for my budget. To give you an idea... when we arrived we had lunch at the hotel's pool side restaurant, I ordered a chicken panini and my husband had a burger, and we each had a frozen margarita...total cost $80. After that experience,  we hopped on the bus and headed to the local grocery store (about a 5 minute bus ride). You can also find an inexpensive lunch at Horseshoe Bay's beach burger stand.

On our first night we decided to check out a night club since it was advertising happy hour drink specials from 8-10pm. Even with the drink specials, a Coors Light will set you back $8. We spent most of our evenings (with the beer and wine we purchased in town) at the hotel's private beach watching the sunset and listening to the waves. Shockingly we were the only people there, I figured other couples would have the same idea.

Although it's an expensive Caribbean destination, the incredible beaches make it worthwhile, and because of it's close proximity to where we live, we will return again to our private beach that we discovered.