Stop Two: Arenal
For the second half of our trip, we decided to stay in the Arenal region—home of the Arenal Volcano National Park. Our resort—Nayara Springs—was so nice and tranquil, however, that we didn't find ourselves wanting to venture out much.
Similarly to El Castillo, our arrival at Nayara Springs included a welcome cocktail. What was very different, however, was the amount of staff and other guests. When you first arrive at Nayara, the staff will bring you a choice of beverages and explain the resort's different areas, optional excursions, and dining options. Then they'll load you and your stuff up in a golf cart and drive you to your villa up a very windy hill.
Excursions
After exploring Costa Ballena and driving across Costa Rica, we felt like we'd seen a lot of the country. This meant we could enjoy our villa at Nayara Springs—an adult-only luxury resort—without feeling too guilty!
Our beautiful villa included a private terrace with a small pool heated by nearby hot springs. This meant it was always the perfect temperature—day or night. Sitting in the pool, we enjoyed hours spent just watching the tropical birds hanging out in the surrounding foliage.
We did take a drive to La Fortuna Waterfall, where we hiked down to some picturesque falls. We also spent an evening wandering around La Fortuna, the nearby town. But there was so much to do at Nayara itself, that we didn't leave too much.
Each morning at Nayara begins with breakfast, which is served in an outdoor pavilion—more on that below.
In the afternoons we would hike the relatively deserted grounds of Nayara.
Here we saw sloths, birds, and other wildlife up close. We also did yoga and enjoyed the swim-up bar at the large communal pool.
Frog Safari
Our final night at Nayara saw our most memorable excursion in La Fortuna: a nighttime frog safari. Equipped with flashlights, our guide walked us through the jungle and pointed out a variety of spectacular native frogs in every color of the rainbow. He really knew his stuff and taught us some tricks to spot frogs—like the famous Red-Eyed Tree Frog.
We were even lucky enough to spot a tiny transparent Glass Frog, which is extremely rare and he hadn't seen in eight years.
This nighttime trek through the jungle was an extremely unique and memorable experience—we saw crazy poisonous insects, lots of frogs and toads, and even a small snake.
Cuisine
We absolutely loved our time at Nayara. While it's definitely a luxury resort, peace and tranquility overtake pretention and fuss. Our stay included breakfast at the on-site restaurant and we had access to a variety of other dining options for lunch and dinner as well.
Honestly, the breakfast was so large that we never ate lunch at Nayara. Breakfast was an extravagant buffet including coconut water straight from the coconut, gallo pinto, and other Costa Rican and American breakfast favorites. The dinners were not as amazing as our special one at El Castillo, but the food was good nonetheless. We also went into La Fortuna for dinner one night.
Everything we needed for the perfect honeymoon
Our experience in Costa Rica encompassed everything we could've asked out of a nine-day honeymoon. We got to relax, go on adventures, experience new sights and tastes, and take in a lovely and special local culture.
Have you been to Costa Rica? We'd love to hear about some of your favorite experiences in the comments!
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