A Costa Rican Honeymoon: The Husband's Packing List

Last week I posted about how I overcame my "thorough packer" tendencies for my honeymoon by creating a packing checklist. Well, guys can have some packing "tendencies" of their own... my dear husband has the tendency to pack at the last minute and always forgets at least a few things. So he created a packing checklist as well. As requested, I am posting it in the event that it might be a helpful starting point for someone else headed to Costa Rica or Central America for a vacation.

This was my husband's packing list for 10 days, 9 nights in Costa Rica. He also had to keep his bag at 25 lbs for the local flight on a turbo prop from San Jose to Tamarindo.

• Jeans
• Cargo pants (wore when traveling, not packed)
• 4 pairs shorts
• Swim trunks
• Merill shoes
• Sandals
• 8 tee shirts
• 1 long sleeved shirt
• 3 button down, short sleeved shirts
• 2 Cameras
• Waterproof case for camera
• Rechargeable batteries
• Cell phone and charger (with International plan activated)
• Flashlight with new batteries
• First aid kit
• Benadryl cream (for bug bites)
• iPod
• Athletic watch (ie not valuable)
• Spare contacts
• Toiletries
• Novel
• Reservation confirmations
• Passport!

We didn't really use the flashlight or the first aid kit other than 1 bandaid but I did use the Benadryl cream for bug bites. You may also notice that we split up the couple items so to get a complete idea of what we took you can refer to my packing list here; for example I had the CR road map and he had the reservation information. This was about the right amount of clothes for him as he kept it pretty simple with shorts and tee shirts... and he didn't even forget anything!

If you have any specific questions about honeymooning in Costa Rica please feel free to email me (inthisinstance at gmail dot com) and I will be happy to share any info that I might have. You can also read all my post about honeymoon in Costa Rica here.

A Costa Rican Honeymoon: The Packing List

I have a confession to make... I am an over packer. Always have been. When we went to Hawaii last spring I actually had to pay more because my suitcase was so heavy.

So when we booked a flight on the smallest of turbo props from San Jose to Tamarindo my husband informed me that my bag would have to weight in under 25 pounds... eek!

{Images of Nature Air flight from author's personal collection}

So I made a packing list for our Costa Rica honeymoon and pretty much stuck with it. I also weighed my bag at home to know if I could squeeze anything else in there. I have to say, Costa Rica is the perfect vacation to pack lightly- even for over packers. The packing list is pretty basic but it helped to keep me a bit more organized...

• Skirts - 3
• Sundresses - 4
  
• Shorts - 3
• Jeans (you never know) - 1
• Tank tops - 5
• Tee shirts - 2
• Swimsuits - 4
• Beach cover up/tunic - 2
• Three quarter length Tee - 1
• PJs
• Flip flops - 2 pairs
• Toiletries
• Sunscreen
• Costa Rica road map
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray (very necessary)
• Camera
• Hat
• Spare contacts
• Ear plugs
• Ipod
• Novel/Beach read
• Umbrella
• Passport!

We also had a few extras that we ended up not needing really like hiking shoes and the ponchos but we had planned on doing more hiking than we did. I will say that it was pretty nice to have a more manageable suitcase and a "uniform" of skirts and tanks or dresses... little thought went into which outfit to wear that day! I just might be reformed into a light packer...

We will see how well I do packing for our anniversary trip to Europe {hopefully} next year as that will be a whole new ballgame.

Next week I am going to post about a few of the DIY projects we did for the wedding but that I didn't have time to post about when we were working on them. Have a good weekend!

A Costa Rican Honeymoon: Herradura

Our last stop in Costa Rica was the town called Herradura. This was the most relaxing part of our honeymoon as we really just "hung out." Herradura is just a few kilometers north of Jaco which is a very popular vacation spot, is easy to get to and from the airport in San Jose, and also is relatively a short drive to Manuel Antonio so day trips there would be a feasible option if staying in Herradura {or Jaco}. And while you will see more than a few billboards for hotels/resorts and land for sale sign, the area is really beautiful.

We stayed at Villa Caletas, which ended up being my favorite hotel of the trip. The hotel is up on a cliff which you get to by driving up this long, twisty private drive. The grounds were very lush and gorgeous. The infinity pool was really amazing as was the private beach. I highly recommend this hotel as it is truly an escape from everyday life and quite romantic. But definitely have a car as we did need to drive to elsewhere for dinner or to go hiking.

{Pictures taken at Villa Caleta's in Herradura}

We enjoyed Jaco Taco for Mexican and Steve and Lisa's, which was one of the many roadside restaurants that have nice views. Bagelman's was a little disappointing and I wouldn't make the trip from Herradura to Jaco for this place.

One of our favorite restaurants in Costa Rica was the place we went on our last night there... El Pelicano. The view was beautiful, the service wonderful, the drinks tasty, and the food delicious. This restaurant was noted as having a "Costa Rican" style and an ever-changing menu.

{Picture taken at El Pelicano in Herradura}

As I mentioned, our itinerary for Herradura was to relax and we did just that. Alternating our time between the beach and the pool and restaurants and the terrace off our room... Villa Caletas was the perfect hotel for the final days of our honeymoon. There were many tours offered in this area and through the hotel if you are looking for a more activity oriented stay.

{All images via author's private collection}

A Costa Rican Honeymoon: Arenal & Manuel Antonio

Those of you familiar with Costa Rica may be saying how can you post about Arenal and Manuel Antonio in one post as they are not exactly close to each other... So this is where one of the "adventures" came about with our trip. We were not planning to go to Arenal. However when the bridge on the road to get us from Tamarindo to Manuel Antonio was out (this where we learned the phrase No Paseo!) the detour that we had to take took us up to Arenal. I am thrilled that we ended up spending time in Arenal even if most of it was by car! So while I don't have a lot of recommendations for these areas due the short time period spent here I will share what I learned...

Arenal is a gorgeous part of Costa Rica and we left Costa Rica saying that if we go back we want to spend the majority of that next trip in this area. I definitely recommend having a car here... and make that a 4WD! The driving can be a little intense as the roads are very twisty but you will see so much of the countryside and amazing vistas by driving. Things to do in Arenal: Arenal National Park, Lake Arenal, Monteverde Cloud Forest, and multiple hot springs. There are the activities that one might expect: fishing, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, ATV tours, hikes to waterfalls, etc.

{Image of Arenal volcano from author's personal collection}

If we go back here and spend some time in the area, we would stay at the Tabacon Grand Spa. I can't recommend this place as I didn't get to stay here but as we drove by I sighed and said "We should have stayed here!"

Manuel Antonio is a very popular vacation spot in Costa Rica. So if you are planning your honeymoon or a vacation to Costa Rica you have undoubtedly seen quite about about Manuel Antonio. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend as much time here as we planned. However, the time that we did was wonderful. The area is gorgeous and has its own personality.

If you are driving and staying in Quepos... once you hit Quepos most of the hotels are up the hill, follow the signs towards Manuel Antonio.

We stayed at La Mansion Inn and loved this boutique hotel; it is gorgeous. We had an ocean view off the terrace that was amazing. The hotel bar is the Bat Cave which most guys will find entertaining. The Jacques Cousteau Restaurant was lovely.

{Image of Manuel Antonio sunrise from author's personal collection}

We went to the hotel Si Como No for breakfast before going to the butterfly garden. This hotel looked nice but I am not sure that I would stay here for a honeymoon. It is very kid friendly which is cool but the kid water slide at the pool seemed a bit more kid friendly than I would want for a honeymoon. The butterfly atrium was really cool and we had a lot of fun here.

There are so many beautiful hotels and things to do in Arenal and Manuel Antonio that it is easy to see why they are top spots in Costa Rica to visit.

A Costa Rican Honeymoon: Tamarindo

Tamarindo was the first town that we stayed at in Costa Rica. It is a very cool "surfer town" with a laid back vibe... perfect for relaxing after the wedding. The beach is expansive and there are plenty of restaurants within a short walk. If you are up for a bit more activity there also lots of tours out of Tamarindo, much like most of the tourist areas in Costa Rica. While we here here, we decided to focus on relaxing so lots of beach & pool time and dining.

We stayed at Tamarindo Village which is a small secluded hotel with villas. For the same reasons we selected this place I would not recommend it... We loved the villas and that it was a bit removed from what I will call "the strip." However this meant we were hiking up and down a muddy road to get to the beach or to anywhere to eat. If I were to "replan" our honeymoon I would stay at Hotel Capitan Suizo or Hotel Tamarindo Diria.

Hotel Capitan Suizo looks gorgeous and is directly on the beach. We stayed at a different hotel owned by the Small Distinctive Hotels in Costa Rica group and based on that wonderful experience would try another one of their hotels.

{Image via Hotel Capitan Suizo}

Hotel Tamarindo Diria has a perfect location and very pretty grounds. You would be able to walk down the beach to a variety of restaurants or down the street to rent a scooter.

{Image via Hotel Tamarindo Diria}

For breakfast Grinds was one of our favorite restaurants. It is a little ways from the beach but worth finding. The same location becomes Kahiki in the evenings and we had one of the best dinners in Costa Rica here. The chef is European and moved from New York... and they had the best mojitos of the trip!

{Image of Kahiki from author's personal collection}

Nibbana Bar is another wonderful option for drinks and/or dinner that I would recommend. The atmosphere and service are great... And they make yummy drinks. It is a pretty open air restaurant on the beach with a great view for a sunset.

{Image of Nibbana from author's personal collection}

Several people recommended Nogui as being one of the best restaurants for dinner but we were pretty unimpressed. However, maybe we just didn't order the right thing...

Overall, Tamarindo is a fun place to vacation... whether you are looking for relaxing by the beach, taking surf lessons, or going on tours to volcanoes. Enjoy!