Playa Tamarindo

Friday, May 29th we arrived at Tamarindo. As we drove into town Ron & I were reminded of our old college party days. Tamarindo is famous for its surfing and party tourist destination. So... you might ask why did we come here???? Well we had a great opportunity to meet up with the writer for International Living. If you are not familiar with International Living, it is a magazine geared towards people thinking of living outside the United States. In addition they offer conferences in different countries on living internationally with speakers from various countries with expertise in moving, legal matters, realty,  healthcare, language and tons more. Ron & I attended such a conference a few years ago in Quito, Ecuador and then explored other areas of Ecuador while there. We highly recommend attending their meetings if you have not traveled a lot abroad or have an interest in relocating.

We have been emailing Jason prior to leaving the US about our travel plans and our hopes of meeting him along the way. He has been living in CR since 2008  and currently lives with his wife and two children in Tamarindo. He covers Costa Rica for International Living and as a result has rented homes in many different areas of the country. We so enjoyed meeting with him! Jason gave us a lot of good advice and feedback on our thinking.

While here we have taken pleasure in swimming in the Pacific and have enjoyed our stay at Arco Iris, an off the beaten path hotel. (one of Jason's recommendations) We rented a wonderful cabin and have dined in their well known Seasons by Schlomy restaurant. Tonight our last night here we will search out a wood fire oven cooked Pizza!

Arco Iris in Tamarindo

Pool at our condo at Playa Potrero

Sunset at Playa Potrero

Art wall outside of Tamarindo 

Visitor at pool in Arco Iris

Meeting with Jason

Nogui's Restaurant in Tamarindo

Playa Tamarindo

Playa Conchal, Morning Walks Outside our Condo, Ron's New Buddy

Yesterday morning after Ron made us a hearty delicious breakfast we took a ride over to Playa Conchal. Playa Conchal is a very isolated beach with virtually no waves, no strong undertow and beautiful water. This is truly a spectacular spot to swim. It takes a bit of creative driving to get to it but it is worth it!

Scrambled eggs w/cheese, roasted veges & red skin potatoes, avocado. YUM!

Horseback riding on Playa Conchal

Interesting drive to Playa Conchal

Super tall cactus all over the Pacific

Playa Conchal

These guys are everywhere

This morning we took a long walk along the beach. There are hardly any people on Playa Potrero since it is mostly privately owned condos & homes.

Nobody wanted to face the camera 

Poro tree, definitely got to have one at our next house 

Two pit bulls loving the ocean

Beautiful private home on Potrero beach

Interesting shell

Ron's new buddy

We have named her Maya

Playa Flamingo

Next to Playa Potrero is a beautiful beach called Playa Flamingo. One of the main differences is that Flamingo has white sand as opposed to the black sand one finds here in Potrero. There are three estuaries that flow into Potrero and as a result discolor the sand. In Flamingo there are no estuaries. The water is more blue as well, but the currents are extremely strong. So swimming in Flamingo is difficult and you can feel the current pulling you away from the shore.

This one is for you Peggy! :-)

One of our favorite eateries is the Cacao Lodge B&B in Potrero. Yosef & Soraya are wonderful and fun people and have made us feel part of the family. We stopped in one morning for breakfast and have been back a few times for spectacular dinners. (Goulash, Mahi with tomatoes & olives and Lebanese spaghetti!!!)

With Yosef & Soraya

Cacao Lodge B&B