5 Interesting Things About Tamarindo, Costa Rica

I know I keep going on and on about Costa Rica, but we really loved it. It was such a quick and easy flight (we flew on Southwest but many airlines fly there) and you felt like you were worlds away - I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a tropical getaway!

1. You Can Use US Currency
You can pay in Colon, the local currency, or US dollars, and occasionally by credit card ;) If paying with USD, they will calculate based on the most current accepted exchange rate. What's funny is they might give you change back in Colon (which I think is kind of fun). I remember living in London and people asking if we accepted Euro at the store I worked at, when England uses the GB Pound. I thought it was hilarious that they would even ask! I guess this is proof it happens some places... but good luck finding a US store that will take Costa Rican Colon ;)

It's smart to bring cash and assume you'll use it - because everyone will accept it. Credit cards were excepted a lot of places, but not everywhere like we're used to in the US.

Side note - 5 & 10 Colon coins are made out of aluminum. I could literally bend them with my fingers, which is crazy! But when you think about it, 5 colones is almost worth 1 penny.... but not quite. I actually think they're on to something since our pennies cost us more to make than they are worth! But seeing bent coins made me laugh.

2. Everything (Local) is Very Affordable
When we visited in November, the exchange rate was a little less than 500Colon =$0.90 US. To make it easier, we just rounded up to $1 = 500c so we could do fast math. We went to dinner at Bamboo Sushi Club, and Matt ordered the Tuna Steak Special. I realized after he ordered, we never asked about the price! We joked about how it was going to be $50 or something crazy, but assumed it would be around $25, which isn't the end of the world. When the dish made it to the table, the tuna steak was HUGE. Easily 12oz. When the bill came, we had to laugh - the tuna meal was just under 7000Colon, or around $12 US. Insanity! Can you imagine getting a fresh, perfect tun a steak for that price at any restaurant in the US?

On the flip side, some items at the grocery store were very expensive - anything imported has a high premium price. Luckily, all of the local, seasonal food is what makes Costa Rica such a delicious place, so stick to those!

3. It's Developed - But Also Undeveloped
The water is safe to drink. The food is safe to eat. It's a safe place to walk around at night. Everywhere has running water and free wifi and all the comforts you're used to! But then you look, and many of the roads are unpaved and there are no sidewalks or actual traffic rules. I liked this about Costa Rica, because it felt like a real place - but I also could drink water from the tap without worrying :)

we were walking on the "sidewalk" 

this is the center of town, and has a large section of paved road - but it drops of if you notice the huge mud puddles

4. It's Wild!
We saw so many different types of birds, monkeys, sea snakes (don't worry, they were dead), tons of huge iguanas, crabs, and other kinds of animals! The jungle comes right up to the ocean, so it's really a unique little eco system. The only animal I hoped to see but didn't was a sloth... but maybe next time. What's cool is that we didn't do any type of tour or excursion, these were just animals we saw around town. So fun!

not the best photo, but this little bird was so pretty!

5. It's Casual
And I mean casual. It's the epitome of laid back surfer culture. Very no shoes, no shirt, no problem, attitude. Leave the heels at home, ladies, you won't be able to use them here (and you wouldn't want to since the roads are muddy and rocky and unpaved!) Even at the nicest restaurants, people were wearing cut off jean shorts and t shirts or tank tops. More about packing for Costa Rica here.

Matt "dressed up" for dinner ;) 

As you can see from the number of posts, we really loved Costa Rica. I think it was the perfect combination of tropical, comfortable, easy to get to, and easy to be there. It would be easy with kids, everything is very family friendly!

Pura Vida!
xo

Costa Rica Packing List

Costa Rica was so fun, but I truly had no idea what to pack. I did a decent job in the end, but there were a few things I'd change. Here's what I think is ideal to pack for about a week. We easily packed carry on only for this trip (much easier for warm trips than cold trips, huh)

Shoes
I was tempted to bring heels (low, casual heels, but heels nonetheless) because we were going to at least one nicer dinner, but I'm SO GLAD I DIDN'T. Two reasons; Costa Rica is not overly developed and many of the roads are gravel only or mud, and it's such a casual place! Even at the nicest restaurants, most people are wearing shorts and a tank top. So so so so casual.

Running shoes were key, not only for exercise or excursions, but like I said, the gravel roads (and 1 mile walk we had) were easier to walk with a sturdy shoe. 

Durable sandals (my Reefs) were the best pick! I barely wore my J.Crew leather sandals because they slip so badly on mud, and I didn't want them to be filthy. BUT I'm glad I had a prettier option for nicer dinners.

Dresses
I brought 3 maxi dresses - but wish I would have only brought 1. For the reasons above, walking was a pain in them since I was trying to keep them off the mud! Midi dresses and regular sundresses were a much better option. These were great for dinner, because most restaurants did not have a/c or were outside.

Shorts & Tank Tops
I brought 1 pair of athletic shorts and 2 tank tops, 1 pair of jean shorts, and mixed and matched them all. Like I said, this place is CASUAL! While I'm not really a yoga-pants-in-public kind of girl, there was no point in getting all dressed up to walk a mile in the mud/gravel to get breakfast, 1 mile back, and then put on a bathing suit for the beach. 

Bathing Suits
Bring at least 2! On a trip that is primarily focused on the beach or pool, 2 bathing suits are necessary.  You don't want to get stuck with a damp suit from the day before (yuck). I brought 1 cover up and bought a pretty sarong on our first day in town!

Protect Yourself
I don't burn easily, but I do wear 15-30 SPF at all times. Matt burns quickly and easily, so he opts for rash guards & sun shirts that protect his shoulders and chest from the sun. He still applies sunscreen to legs & face, but his shoulders are always what get charred. Bring lots of sunscreen, any protective clothing, and a hat! There are also a lot of bugs around, so bring a good bug spray - especially for the evening!

Weather
Costa Rica is HOT. Hot hot hot. We were visiting over Thanksgiving, and the temperatures were in the low 90's each day. The evenings were not much cooler. We were sweaty. The sun is also quite intense, even in the "winter". The rain forest is also right off the beach, so it's very humid and can be buggy. I didn't bother to blow dry my hair the entire week, because I knew it would be in a bun before long anyway, so why fight the curl? (especially with the nice salty ocean to help!)

Part of the charm of Costa Rica was the fact that it's laid back and a little "unfinished". It's so nice to be able to be so casual in a beautiful place. 

I hope this helps you plan how you'll pack for your trip to Costa Rica!
xo

Photo Diary: Tamarindo & Playa Langosta, Costa Rica

Costa Rica was an absolute dream. We did a home exchange in Playa Langosta (the smaller town about which is less than a mile from Tamarindo, a slightly larger surf town) and used our Companion Pass to get there. Thanks to great deals, we used less than 20,000 Southwest Miles to get there (originally over 40k miles round trip! We were refunded nearly half of our points).

We spent the week eating local seafood, walking the beach, playing in the ocean and catching an amazing sunset each night. I'll write more details about our trip later, but for now, here's a photo diary of the trip. It's so pretty and untouched!

Seriously, how beautiful is Costa Rica? We were so lucky that our condo gave us sunrise & sunset views and we could see everything from the 5th floor! The country is so beautiful, I can't wait to visit again someday.

Have you ever been to Costa Rica?

xo