Costa Rica

Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Where I stayed: Nayara Gardens

What I did: Ziplining, spa, canyoning, coffee tasting.

Unfortunately, my travel addiction hit at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic. I was extremely limited in where I could go. I decided to go to Costa Rica for my first solo international trip. This trip was planned to cover Valentine's Day, the completion of my one-year separation and filing for divorce. I confirmed that my lawyer could file for divorce without me present and booked a flight.

I chose this hotel because I didn't want to do much planning. I wanted to rest, recharge and heal. I was mourning the end of my marriage. The hotel has multiple restaurants on site, a spa, multiple pools. I never had to leave the property. They also offered yoga every morning.

I booked a sloth tour because I REALLY wanted to see sloths and I honestly regret it. You will see sloths, everywhere, for free! There is no need to book a sloth tour. A lesson learned for the newbie traveler.

My favorite activity was the Pure Trek Canyoning + Zipline experience. They picked me up from the hotel, took me straight to the site. Ziplining was such a fun way to see everything around me. I saw monkeys bouncing from tree to tree as I passed by - so cool! Then we went canyoning - repelling down several waterfalls. The experience ended with the "monkey drop." Highly recommend this experience.

The hotel has its own coffee roastery so I was able to do a coffee tasting onsite. This was actually really fun. I learned a lot about coffee.

The spa was pure heaven!

Overall I cannot recommend this property enough. I can't wait to go back!