Granada

We left Ometepe with saddened hearts and boarded the ferry and shuttle to take us to Granada. Based on the recommendations of an awesome couple we met on the ferry to Ometepe (they were actually from our neighborhood!) we booked a place, close to Park Central called Casa Agua- amazing little boutique hotel run by a Irish fella named Gerry. 

Casa Agua

The front of Casa Agua-very unassuming until you step inside- like most properties around Granada

Saying good bye to our new friends

Park Central

Park Central

We immediately felt at home here, and quickly settled in. From the moment we arrived I LOVED Granada. Every building was painted a beautiful hue, but it all seemed to blend, (I later found out that if you bought a place here and renovated you have to follow the strict codes of use of colour and structure, maintaining the colonial look inside and out. The town is built around the central park, people are everywhere trying to sell you something, (I have quickly learned how to say "Non Necessito, Gracias", but it also seems to be a meeting place for the locals. There are beautiful churches all over each one grander then the next. 

A Funeral Carriage

Many people climb the bell tower here to watch the sunset

From the bell tower

One of the many churches right on the square

This is from the bell tower from the Yellow church

There is actually so much to do in and around Granada we ended up staying one extra day so we could fit it all in. After we arrived Gerry set us up with a tour for that evening to see over the crater of a live volcano and view lava. (apparently one of 3 volcanoes in the world where you can peer over the crater edge and see lava flow inside). At first I was kind of ho hum about the whole thing, as far as all the Nicaragua trips went this one was kind of on the pricey side, however once we were up there looking in, I understood how cool this was, and figured it would probably be the only time in my life I would get to do this....

The crater at Masaya Volcano

The black smoke was billowing out as we were driving to it

 The following morning we booked a day at Apoyo Lagoon, about 20 minutes away from Granada, Apoyo is an old crater with crystal clear fresh water surrounded by lush greenery and volcanoes in the background. The lagoon has resorts all around, that will supply day passes for visitors so they can use their waterfront, kayaks, bathrooms and restaurants. We were taken to Hotel Paridiso for the day and it did not disappoint. The first thing we all thought was that it looked like somewhere in Northern Ontario. The water was a perfect temperature to swim in and we had the best day just swimming and pretending we were at Lake Wahwashkesh:)  (Our lake from back home...)

The next day two more families moved into our hotel so suddenly the kids had friends (and so did the adults!) to play with. We all booked the afternoon to have a boat tour of Las Isleta (an area comprised of 365 small islands) The tour was with a guy from Toronto who packed it all in to start this boat tour company. His boat had two floors, tables, a bar, a dance floor and an amazing water slide and jumping platform from the second level.We all had such a blast, it was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. 

 The rest of our time was spent touring around the city just enjoying everything Granada had to offer. We took a horse drawn carriage ride (much to Johnny's chagrin) and went back to Apoyo Lagoon one day as the kids had so much fun and it was such a fun inexpensive day. 

Anneka and little Kai, possibly the cutest 4 year old I have ever met!

We left Nicaragua and were a little sad we only had two weeks here, knowing that we could easily come back and spend much longer exploring different parts of the country. We were off to Guatemala the next day, having to leave our hotel at 7:30  as we were flying out. Johnny and I found these crazy cheap flights so we could avoid the long bus ride, however the flights included a route that had us stopping in El Savador, then having a layover in San Jose, then up to Guatemala city where we had to board our shuttle to take us to Antigua....

WHEW!!!! What a crazy next couple of days...

Tamarindo

A pretty and non eventful drive through the mountains, 4  hours later and we were in Tamarindo. The locals call it Tama-Gringo, as there is a large expat and tourist population. The surf is pretty consistent and there are many cheap lodgings and places to eat and drink, making this part of Costa Rica a favourite to many. That said compared to every where else we have been so far Tamarindo was the most expensive- we were still able to score some amazing accommodations thanks to Johnny. (long story short, we stayed at a very reputable hostel, Selina's, the room they gave us was a 4 bunk dorm, there was no hot water, WiFi wasn't working great and we were right next to the DJ...after some serious grumblings they upgraded us to the most amazing space we have stayed in yet!)

The pool at Selina's

Both of these units were ours they were totally beautiful inside

Another temporary pet- this cat was Anneka's favourite, her name was Maui

We just bummed around the town for 4 days, surfing, eating, and hanging out at the beach. Tamarindo was a pretty easy place to vacation, most people spoke English, (thank goodness, our Spanish is so bad it's embarrassing), nice beaches around the area (the one in town is OK, but if you head outside of Tamarindo they are nicer), great stores, amazing restaurants and bars are everywhere.

this was a beautiful beach about 30 minutes away Playa Conchal

Anneka to impatient to wait for me, decides to venture on her own

Livy has a love hate relationship with surfing

The number one reason we chose to go to Tamrindo when we did is because I had read that they  are one of the few Central American places that really celebrates Halloween. The girls were really disappointed to be missing it back home as its one of their favourite days of the year. Our neighborhood crew usually gets together for some pre-drinks and pizza and then we all head out together. Its really a festive day and the girls look forward to it for weeks. If you read my Facebook you will know that we were were so lucky to be art of such an awesome event. All the expats get together and have a "Trunk or Treat" in the main square, where cars decorate their trunks and hand out candy. It's a huge celebration and there were smiles all around. The girls got their Halloween "Tamarindo" style after all.

The main square where are the kids gather

A decorated trunk

La Fortuna and Monteverde

We arrived in La Fortuna staying at the most beautiful hostel- It was called Arenal Hostel Resort ($45/night for the four of us but if your solo you can stay here for $10)- looked very exotic with waterfalls, a swim up bar and hammocks all over- the girls were in heaven, (let's be honest we were too, it was incredible!)

La Fortuna is a pretty little town at the foot of Arenal Volcano (no longer active, only stopped smoking in 2015)- We were told that the views are often obscured by fog and clouds, however we were quite lucky and had perfect views for a couple of days.

Arenal Volcano

that blur at the top is the tip of the volcano- view from our window

Our friends from the UK that we met in Puerto Viejo were joining us here for a few days so that was something to look forward to. There is so much action and adventure to do in La Fortuna, we had to be picky and choosy...The first day, Johnny did a repelling activity (where he went on several repels down waterfalls- he said it was kind of lame and not worth the $$) and the girls and I went to La Fortuna waterfall- we got caught in a major downpour, having to walk back up a steep incline with very little visibility (when it rains, it RAINS) while at the time the girls were miserable, we could later look back at it as an adventure.  The waterfall itself was beautiful , however pretty pricey just to get into the park- $5 taxi, $16 entry fee (for Liv and myself)  made for an expensive view and short swim at one of Costa Rica's million waterfalls...Pretty for sure but not sure if it was worth the $$$

The next day we went to another animal shelter- this one was called Proyecto Asis. I spent a little more money so the girls could "volunteer" (sounds funny I know to spend money to volunteer, but that is how these places get funding). They had an awesome time learning about the animals and then preparing the meals and feeding them.

Ever since we left for this trip, the girls have been so excited to try white water rafting, we kept promising we would do it in Costa Rica. What a day we had! $45 and we had a full day of adventure- the rapids were not too crazy (we had to do a class 2-3 because of Anneka) but it was exciting enough that we were all happy. Johnny and I even fell in! The girls were pretty freaked out at that point, but after we were very quickly pulled back into the raft, the fun resumed. I have no pics of this day as we did not bring our camera, but this was up there with one of my favourite days. 

The next few days were spent meeting new friends from Montreal (they were all in their early 20's so Johnny and I felt like we were partying with Jess and his friends). Hanging out with Jo, Dan and Esme from the UK and enjoying everything La Fortuna has to offer. The best things after white water rafting was for sure the natural hot springs. You can go to a ton of resorts to pay to sit in the hot springs, or you can go to the free hot springs- this was definitely the way to go. 

Hanging out with our Montreal Friends in the pool

On our last night there, there was a flip cup and beer pong tournament...of course Johnny and I played- about as close as its going to get to reliving our youth- and we totally rocked it.... (except when one of the kids nick named us "Team Mom and Dad" that one hurt-ouch!)

We sadly left the comforts of Arenal Resort and headed to a small B&B in Monteverde, called Nina's Place (the cheapest  by far $30/night including breakfast!). Very basic, but clean (sort of), the room honestly felt like you were at someone's cottage. Perfect for 2 nights. We came to Monteverde to do 1 thing- Zip lining- we heard from several people that the best zip lines were here, so we braved the drive- crazy in the pouring rain, up and down the mountains- but so worth it!

The day for zip lining came (we were even lucky enough to have sunshine, which rarely happens)....I have never been so scared...10 platforms- 2 superman's (that's where the zip line is attached  from the back like your flying). Some valleys we went over were as high as 2-300 ft and 1.5km long! Then came the Tarzan swing- jeez this thing...you literally leaned against a door, held on to a rope then had to jump off, free falling for about 80 ft until the rope caught and swung you. This was 148 ft high and at first I refused to to do it, but then BOTH girls finally mustered up the courage so I was shamed into it. Glad I did, but kept my eyes closed the whole time. 

Anneka Braving the Tarzan Swing

Next up...Tamarindo- our last stop in Costa Rica- WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Quepos and Manual Antonio

We left La Paz and headed down to Quepos a small town just outside of Manual Antonia National Park. We decided to stay at a hostel that was highly recommended in our guide books and quite cheap. This one was called the wide mouth frog, really great location (right in the heart of the town) and was lovely...had a great pool (kids must have) and a bright and airy common room/kitchen area. We felt right at home and quickly settled in.

Wide Mouth Frog Hostel

The next day we left early and headed to the park...It is Costa Rica's smallest park however it is the most visited, this is because of the beautiful beaches and abundance of wild life. We have been spoiled so far with the amount of animals we have seen and had very high expectations. Before we entered the park we started to see evidence of what was to come....and once we paid our fee ($15/pp) and entered the park we were not disappointed. 

just outside the entrance to Manual Antonio

Wildlife was everywhere, from the sloths to the iguanas, there was no shortage. Once we got to the beach, the monkeys, racoons and Coatis (a mix between a raccoon, badger and anteater) were everywhere, they have obviously been fed my the tourists so they were so pesky trying to grab your bags from from under yur nose, got to a point that the kids had to chase them away....

Check  out the monkey and raccoon  

Other then Manual Antonio, we really didn't do much in Quepos...We loved our little place so much one day we stayed and just hung out all day. Part of me always feels guilty when we do this, I think to myself- "there is so much to see here we shouldn't just be sitting around". But I have to remember the kids can't constantly be on the go...and hanging out at a pool all day watching some Netflix and lounging around is all they want to do. We did manage to do a quick little zip lining ride (nothing compared to what we did in Monteverde- wait until that post!), and went to a cool airplane restaurant in Manual Antonio (literally an old airplane from the gun running,/drug dealing CIA /Nicaragua days- we just saw Made in America starring Tom Cruise so this was particularly cool)... 3 days later we were off to La Fortuna for some serious adventure.

The Airplane restaurant

La Paz Waterfall and Garden

As sad as we were to leave , we were all excited to start new adventure. We were heading down to Manual Antonio, (on the Pacific side in the south of Costa Rica). Manual Antonio is Costa Rica's smallest National Park, however one of the most visited because of the wildlife and beauty of the park. After talking to our travelling friends we decided to make a pit stop in La Paz, an area in the middle of Costa Rica up in the mountains. La Paz Gardens is a privately owned ecological park, that has 5 waterfalls as well as many animal houses (kind of like a zoo meets animal rescue place??). We picked our car up for the next few weeks in Puerto Viejo (very cheap only $400) and away we went.

We didn't have our accommodations yet as it is off season we figured we would just find a place when we got there. Just as it started to get dark we were about 30 minutes away from La Paz, I saw on my Trip Adviser a very highly rated pace in San Miguel...we took a chance and drove up. What an amazing find! A small family run business, the son spoke perfect English and said he would give us our little cabin for $75 for 2 nights (what a steal!).

Hotel Los Gallitos a special little gem

our sweet little cabin for two days just outside of La Paz

We drove to La Paz the next morning bright and early, as we knew we would probably want to spend the day, this place was quite expensive to get in (a little high for our normalyl frugal budget about $40/ adult $20 for kids)... but man was it ever beautiful. The hike around the grounds was very well planned, wide walkways and staircases to make it easy even for the young ones get around. They had a butterfly garden (the most butterflies in one place I have ever seen!) a monkey area, the cats center (all the big jaguars etc were here) A snake house, frog area, the aviatory  and a hummingbird garden (that had so many hummingbirds buzzing past your head, it was incredible! The grounds were so beautiful with infinity pools and waterfalls around every corner totally worth the visit despite the expensive price tag.

1 of 5 waterfalls at La Paz Gardens

The girls help out fruit and the butterflies kept land on them

three monkeys watching 3 monkeys

sleeping poison green dart

this was the biggest hummingbird I have ever seen