Costa Rica Adventures, Day 1

7 years later and there's been many adventures but no blog posts about them. Instagram and Facebook have pretty much been my default for posting about trips. But since the trip to Costa Rica was such a big trip, I'm going to resurrect the blog.

We flew out of our local airport on December 17 at 6am and landed in Costa Rica around 1:30pm. Our temperature was taken after getting off the plane and we headed to immigration. While standing in line, Cruz Roja (Red Cross) workers were scanning the QR codes for the mandatory insurance that is required in order for non-residents to enter CR. We purchased ours about a week before the trip from Sagicor as their website was more user friendly than INS.

We grabbed our one checked bag and headed outside to find the rental car representative from VAMOS. It's a little chaotic as there are all kinds of people trying to get your attention and your business. The scene is the same as when we've traveled to Mexico and the Dominican Republic in the past. We found our guy and boarded the shuttle to the office. Once there, J (my husband) and K (oldest kid) went in to fill out the paperwork. After about an hour, the 6 of us loaded up in the Mitsubishi Montero and headed out to Liberia which is approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive. 

*You may be wondering why we didn't fly into Liberia. If I had planned the trip first and then bought the airline tickets, I would have. But when I changed the flight date from June (a completely different trip/itinerary) to December, we weren't even sure if we'd be able to go in December. I picked dates that worked for our family of 6 and even then waited a bit before planning where we would go.*

I'd read repeatedly on various blogs and the TripAdvisor forums that drive times in Costa Rica are most definitely suggestions. And guess what? Our 2 1/2 hour drive to Liberia took over 5 hours. There was construction on the main road and we also ended up accidentally taking a more scenic twisting, mountainous road at one point. We quickly learned what a "reductor" is. A speed bump!

We arrived at our destination, Hacienda Guachipelin a little before 8pm. Prior to entering the building where the front desk is located we washed our hands in the outside sink then applied hand sanitizer. The front desk staff was very helpful. It was explained that due to COVID most communication would be done via WhatsApp. We would need to reserve a time for our meals and we could preorder our meals. Shortly after checking in I was sent details plus a map of the property, restaurant menu, etc. 

After checking in, we headed to the restaurant to grab a meal before settling in for the night. Some of the family stuck to the familiar and had pizza and chicken strips while others had Tacos Ticos and Arroz Con Camarones. The servings were substantial so there was a lot of passing around and sharing. A great meal had and then we headed to our rooms to rest up for the next day.