Pura Vida!

"Pura Vida" is Costa Rica's motto, meaning the pure life, the simple life, or the happy life.  So we made it our motto too as we headed off to Costa Rica with a few other families from Golden -- the Snodgrasses, the Mitchells, and the Bailesses.  For 10 days, we lived the happy life, and the kids agreed it was definitely our best family trip yet.

We split the trip up into three phases.  First, we spent two nights in Rio Celeste, which was in the rain forest; then three nights in La Fortuna, near the Arenal volcano; and finally, we headed to the beach for five nights near Tamarindo, on Playa Langosta ("Lobster Beach").  Along the way, we went tubing, ziplining, waterfall rappelling, hiking, surfing, and boating.  Pura vida indeed!

And we're off!

Rio Celeste (the "Rain Forest Phase")

First stop, Rio Celeste.  This area is famous for its aquamarine blue waterfalls and rivers.  Here, we stayed in the fanciest hotel of the trip -- the Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel, nestled right in the rain forest and teeming with wildlife.

There were tropical flowers everywhere.

Welcome to paradise.

The beautiful dining area was open and airy.  We enjoyed many a good meal here with old friends...

...and new friends.

On second thought, I think these guys were more interested in our food than our friendship.

And they weren't the only ones.

Aaron loves the tropics.  He was enchanted by all the beautiful colors and flowers.

He even took my phone one evening and went on a wildlife photography jaunt.

Koi pond in the middle of the lobby/restaurant area.

We never ended up using our outdoor shower...

...but we got plenty wet...

...mostly in the swimming pool.

Oh how we loved that pool!

Especially the swim-up bar.

And the "pool tables."

With so many kids around, there was always someone to play pool games with.

And when the clouds came low and the rain started falling, we just jumped in one of the three hot tubs to warm up.

Living the happy life.

The hotel also had a couple of hiking trails through the rain forest.

Pictures really don't do it justice.

 

The happy life is tiring!

One day, we went on a tubing excursion in the Rio Celeste river.  Unfortunately, the rains had churned up the water so much that it lost its aqua blue color and just looked like a regular river.  But that didn't make it any less fun!

Adventure, here we come!

On the way to the river, our guides stopped to let us take pictures in front of "Abrol de la Paz" -- i.e., the tree of peace.  Apparently, it's more than 600 years old! 

Danny found a "Peine de Mono" or "monkey's comb" -- a spiky little seed that monkeys apparently use to comb their fur. 

We also saw our first (and only) sloth.

Ready to get on the river.

Listening to the safety lecture.

Family flotilla.

Post-rafting snack, including the best pineapple we've ever tasted!

Eating out on our last night in Rio Celeste.

Sad to say goodbye.

Farewell Hideaway Hotel, we will miss you!

La Fortuna/Arenal (the "Volcano Phase")

Next, it was time to head to La Fortuna for the second phase of our trip.  On the way, we stopped at Dona Luisa, a beautiful restaurant up in the mountains with a great view of the volcano and a cute play area for the kids to stretch their legs.

Then we headed to our next hotel, El Silencio del Campo, in La Fortuna.  This area is known for its volcanic hot springs.  Many of the hotels (including ours) funnel the warm water into pools on their properties.  

Fruity drinks at check-in.

We had the cutest little bungalow...

...with a view of the volcano from the front patio.

The hotel grounds were full of pathways and hidden oases.

There was also a working farm that supplied much of the fresh food we got to eat in the restaurant...

...if you could catch it.

Yum.

And then, of course, there were the hot springs.

El Silencio had multiple hot spring pools connected by little waterfalls.  Some were big, some were small, some were hotter, some were cooler...all were beautiful.

We spent a lot of time just hanging out by the water.

The hot springs restaurant/bar was a big hit.

We even had dinners in our swimsuits!

Mostly, it felt good to slow down and enjoy time with friends.

Although, some friends were a bit prickly...

...or slimy...

...or snobby...

...or busy.

When we weren't sipping cocktails by the springs, we were out on death-defying excursions.  First, we went waterfall rappelling with the Snodgrasses.

Before the fall(s).

It was not for the faint of heart, but it sure was fun!  We did five waterfalls total, one of which required a bit of a bungee/freefall (I skipped that one), and most of which got us "socking wet" (as our guide put it), but we didn't mind.

In addition to jumping down waterfalls, we also tried ziplining for the first time.  A number of other tourists freaked out, started crying, or even refused to go altogether.  But Broyles are brave (even though it was a little freaky gliding above the canopy).

Before we floated over the forest, we hiked through it.

Didn't see much wildlife, but the views were good.

These are the only guys we saw.  Not sure what they are, but we called them Costa Rican racoons.

All geared up.

Photo op spot on the way to the launch.

Jill, of course, made it funny.

Wheeee!

And that was a wrap for our time in La Fortuna.  Next stop, the beach!

Tamarindo/Playa Langosta (the "Beach Phase")

For the final part of the trip, we got a beach house with the Snodgrasses in Playa Langosta.  The Mitchells and Bailesses were there too, in another house down the road.  And as it turns out, the Schwabes were also in Tamarindo (staying with grandparents).  It was a Golden invasion.

Our beach house wasn't super fancy, but it had a pool...

...and great roommates.

And it was about a block from the beach.

Cool neighbors too.

Even though we weren't all in the same house, we still spent plenty of time together.

What's better than getting to hang out with some of your favorite people?  Doing it on the beach!

We tried surfing one day.

It was harder than it looked!

One of our favorite days of the trip was a sunset snorkeling cruise with all five Golden families. The snorkeling wasn't all that impressive, but the company and the weather made up for it.

On our last day in Costa Rica, we drove down to Playa Avallana to spend the day at Lola's Cafe.  We rented some beach chairs, boogie boarded in the waves, and soaked up our last few hours of sunshine.

Adios Costa Rica.  Gracias por todo.  Pura vida!