Weddingbee Blog

After a six hour drive (with lots of stops for sight seeing along the way) we made it to Hotel Parador located between Quepos and Manuel Antonio. Once again, everyone was so nice and helpful. On our first morning, with no plans, we decided to explore the hotel grounds. There were trails all over the place.

It was probably not yet seven in the morning in these first two pictures. I should not that our sleep schedule went with the sun while on our honeymoon, so we were in bed around eight or nine and up by five.

Since it was still so early, we were able to snag a spot on a kayaking tour that same day. There was a boat tour that started from the same dock as us, but I totally recommend going the kayaking route. You can get deeper into the mangroves and see a wider variety of animals. Our guide was super passionate about his job and that was really cool to experience.

We saw lots of animals from snakes to rare birds, and of course, a troop of monkeys.

After the long day kayaking and sore arms, it was time to eat. I had to mention this dinner because it was one of the few I remember the food from. I haven’t mentioned food much up until this point because, well, really the food was kinda meh. We’re not super picky eaters, but I cook a lot and live for the Atlanta foodie scene. We follow a Paleo diet and maintaining that in Costa Rica was easy, but the food in general was just average. The restaurant in the following picture is Kapi Kapi. The service here was amazing and the food was really good. Chef Darren Remy is from California and really knows how to season and cook the fresh seafood Quepos has to offer without going overboard. They even got a little creative with their spelling and decorated a complimentary dessert for us.

Who says you can’t wear your wedding dress twice in one week?

The next day we took a bus to Manuel Antonio National Park. In August, Forbes magazine nominated this park as one of the top ten most beautiful parks in the world and it was immediately apparent as to why. There were several beaches surrounded on all sides by dense rain forest. We took advantage of the hour of so of sun and took a nap out on the beach.

Remember our guide from the kayaking? He was in the park that day giving a walking nature tour. Seeing as we didn’t pay for a tour, we hung around long enough to hear him point out a sloth and some interesting bug and then headed off on our own.

While lying out, this little lady decided to come right up to us and lay her paw on our bag. Like, right next to my head. The raccoons, coatis, and deer at this park are REALLY used to people. If I didn’t have such an irrational fear of raccoons I could have very easily pet her. When we were hiking I realized something was throwing these little orange fruits at me. Upon closer inspection we found this guy. He would eat a bite or two and then through the fruits down. After about ten minutes of taking pictures (there are probably fifty…he was a total ham) he decided to poop and we decided to start moving on just in case he decided to throw that as well.

That evening, we went to a restaurant recommended in my super helpful Lonely Planet Costa Rica guide called Ronny’s Place. We were hoping to see the sunset that the review raved about, but unfortunately the clouds rolled in and instead we were entertained by a very brave gecko and his two friends who very much enjoyed the cherries from our sangria.

We woke up a little groggy the next morning. We were a little boozy after the sangria, but once Ronny himself heard we were honeymooners, he brought out some sort of “special drink” in a coconut. I refused to let a little hangover stop me though. I was determined to take surf lessons. I snagged a spot with three other girls and had a BLAST! Mr. Skunk was our photographer for the day and despite my lack of skills, he managed to snag a shot of me actually up on the board! I’m hooked. Normally I route climb in the summers, but I think next year I’ll have a new hobby.

We made it back to the hotel and took advantage of our last afternoon on the beach. Beach Biesanz was walking distance from our hotel. This afternoon it was deserted and made for a really relaxing afternoon.

Overall our honeymoon was the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. If you need any recommendations please comment or message me!

My Beta for Quepos/ Manuel Antonio

• Book spa treatments early in the week! We didn’t get to take advantage of any because everywhere was booked up.
• Take recommendations for food from locals. Most food is mediocre…be prepared.
• Carry LOTS of water and snacks. I turned into cranky pants while hiking cause we ran out of food and water before noon.
• Always mention your honeymoon.
• Going during the ’rainy’ season meant that we got lots of one on one attention. My surf lesson was with a tiny group and our kayak tour was just us and our guide. I suggest these places!

Do you plan on getting active during your honeymoon? What fun outdoorsy things do you have planned?