Adventurous Costa Rican Jungle Vacation for the 4th of July
I have a standing “date” with my aunt and uncle every other year, where we will get together and plan a vacation together. Now that might sound kind of weird, but they are so much more than just my aunt and uncle. My family grew up living in my grandparents’ house for the first 10 years of my life, so my aunt is more like a sister to me. Since they love to travel too, we always make an effort to go somewhere together every once in awhile. This time around, we were thinking something tropical, but also somewhere that neither of us had been before, and Costa Rica fit that bill. Volcanos, rainforests, monkeys, beaches – all of it was a huge draw for me. We found an amazing deal on Bookit.com. (And no, I am not sponsored, I am just sharing the gems I’ve used to get great deals on vacation packages.) We ended up booking a 7-day, all inclusive vacation at Planet Hollywood Beach Resort with roundtrip flights and airport transfers for $1770 per person. How crazy is that? All meals, liquor, travel and rooming for less than $2000?? If you wanted to leave it at that, you wouldn’t have to spend another dime and you could lounge by the beach or pool all day and enjoy many of the other free amenities the resort offers (psst – stand up paddle boarding). Now I am an adventurous soul, and I had been saving for this trip, so I was ready to tack on a couple excursions.
Zip-lining
We got to the resort around 5pm. So we got dinner, explored the grounds and booked our first adventure of the week. The hotel itself had limited excursions available for purchase through them, but there was a third party group in the main lobby that they worked who would help guests plan excursions all over the island. We arranged to go ziplining with them for a half-day trip. If you’re not terribly afraid of heights, I’d say you should absolutely try ziplining as least once in your life! It is such a crazy experience. After that, we were treated to lunch and then given the option to try one more thing before heading back to the resort. A guide would take anyone that was up for it to rappel down the cliff next to the river and then rock climb back up. I was not about to turn that down, so my uncle and I immediately volunteered. I don’t think anyone really realizes the true weight of a human body until they are clinging to the side of a mountain trying to pull themselves up. I’m just kidding though. It was a super fun challenge. They had handholds and footholds built into the wall and it was not very steep. Suffice to say, we got back totally exhausted and ready to just relax.
Mud Spa
The next big excursion of the week was my favorite. We had a “spa” day… of sorts. After breakfast, we hopped on a shuttle over to _____. The process was this: sit in a sauna for 10 minutes to open the pores. Next, head on over to the river where you will be painted, from head to toe, in natural, heated, clay. After the clay dries, starts to crack, and you look like a Greek statue that has just been carved, it’s time to jump in the cold river to rinse off. Then, it’s a short walk to some natural hot springs heated by the nearby volcanic activity where you can relax for as long as you want. I would definitely do this again if given the chance.
Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
The next thing that we planned was a hike. We wanted to explore to volcanic parks that Costa Rica was so well-known for. We went for a full day at the Parque Nacional Rincon de la Viejja. Google that and you will see all of the amazing pictures from this massive national park. The park is named after one of the volcanos that sits on the land. Rincon de la Vieja means “The Old Woman’s Corner” and the story of how that name came about is that of a Costa Rican Romeo and Juliet.
“Two warring tribes lived near the base of the volcano. The daughter of the chief of the one tribe fell in love with a young man from the enemy tribe. They would sneak out at night to see one another because they knew that neither of their families would approve of the relationship. When the chief found out about it, he was enraged. He sent his warriors to the spot where the two would meet, and when the young man showed up, they grabbed him. They carried him all the way up the volcano and threw him in. Once the daughter found out what her father had done, she ran away, for she was pregnant with her lover’s child. Once she had the baby boy, she could not bear to look at him and be reminded of her lost love. So she took her son and threw him in the volcano as well, thinking this was the only way for their spirits to be together. After that, she became a recluse living on the mountain, rumored to have the powers of healing.”
Crazy right? As we walked through the park, our guide pointed out animals along the way and educated us on the history of the plant life as well. All throughout the hike we would find boiling mud pits, locally known as water pots. These pits, heated by the volcanic hot springs running underground, smelt of sulfur and were hot enough to deliver third degree burns to anyone who dared to enter them. Last stop before heading back out of the park was a beautiful waterfall.
Overall, the trip was such a great time. It was the perfect balance of leisure and adventure. We spent time at the pool, at the beach, explored the island and ate and drank through it all. Planet Hollywood resort has 6 dining options including a steak house, and restaurants that serve Italian, Mexican and Japanese cuisines. There are 3 pools, several jacuzzies, and if you prefer the sound of the waves to a swim up bar, you can head to one of the many chairs that line the beach and hotel employees will graciously bring drink orders directly to you. You really can’t go wrong here. Now granted, I haven’t stayed anywhere else on the island, but if you are measuring pros and cons of several different resorts, I would definitely include Planet Hollywood Beach Resort on your chart.
