A beach (playa) is for soaking up calm experiences and the ones west of Liberia do not disappoint. First up, there are several to choose from. Do you want to see iguanas and have an SUV? Check out Playa Iguanita. Do you like swimming with lots of manta rays, but not crowds of people? If so check out Playa Cabuyal. Do you like a long beach with gorgeous sunsets and an array of restaurants and souvenir shops nearby? If so, check out Playa del Coco. Honestly, there are tons of beaches in Costa Rica, including some secluded ones you can get to by renting a kayak, so take your pick.
In Costa Rica, there's a saying, "Pura vida." Transliterated, it means "pure life". Is that a philosophy? A euphemism? A relationship? Costa Rica is nowhere near as backward as you might think, so this saying is definitely not a euphemism.
A staple when soaking up nature in Costa Rican is a hike part way up an active volcano to see gorgeous waterfalls. Paraiso Volcano Lodge, the lodge we stayed at I described in the previous article, was nestled in between two volcanos with a third a reasonable drive away. There is Miravelles, which we skipped but would have loved if we had a whole day to dedicate; then there is Rincon de la Vieja, which I had originally aimed for since it has natural hot springs nearby; and then there is Tenorio, which we did.
When scouring the Internet for a great place to stay, we knew it had to be inland surrounded by nature as well as within suitable driving distance (under 90 minutes) from a slew of enjoyable activities. We found it at Paraiso Volcano Lodge (paraiso translates to paradise) at the border of the Guanacaste and Alajuela provinces on route 164.
In my first article about our honeymoon in Costa Rica, I introduced the concept of la pura vida. Here, I provide an example of it by imparting some key details on driving along the streets of Costa Rica, in particular Guanacaste province. And yes, at the time of writing, Canadian driver's licenses were accepted - no special paperwork required.