On the road again, this time we headed to the Pacific Coast. We drove through hours of rainforest before descending out of the clouds into more arrid, savannah type terrain. By afternoon we had arrived in sunny Playa Grande, and to a house right on the beach!

Sam is waiting for the housekeeper to open the gate. Later we had the key and kept both rental cars inside the gates.

WELCOME!

Our view from the patio of the house we rented. Those chairs were for us!

This is the view of the house from the beach. There was a small yard inside the white gate. The patio area had a place to wash the sand off our feet, and a shower to get the salt off.

On Christmas Day we went to Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Hot Springs Resort. The photos will not do it justice, as it is a huge place with three thermal springs flowing through the property. There were five pools and a swim up bar in the main area, but it is the natural pools and waterfalls full of warm to hot water that make this place totally amazing! In the middle of the rainforest, on a warm and misty Christmas Day, we got a massage, ate lunch and dinner, and soaked and played in the soothing waters of Tabacon.

Below is a photograph of some of the waterfalls. This long one had a place to sit. You can see two people sitting in front of the falls, but under the falls there are people too! When you sit under the falls, you are behind them, looking at a sheet of water! If you sit in front of the falls, the water is like a powerful jacuzzi massage.

There were many places to sit and relax. Here are Joe and Karen enjoying a drink.

It is hard to imagine a creek setting like in our Bidwell Park, but with hot water! There were many waterfalls and pools to soak in. You could walk up the stream or walk on the many paths and bridges to find a good place.

Bruce, Sam, and Ariana have found the perfect spot to soak!

Included in our entrance fee of $95 was a buffet lunch and dinner. While Bruce finished up this 90 minute massage in the spa area, I ate lunch.

So many beautiful tropical flowers to photograph!

The hikers hoped to get a glimpse of the volcano, but the rain never let up and they hiked in a rainforest cloud on slippery, muddy, steep trails.

...and some photos from the shopping trip...

On our first full day at the house on the hill, our group of eight split up... half of us stayed at the house, going into town for lunch and a bit of shopping, while Sam, Ariana, and Wayne went on a hike to the volcano. Here are photos from the lunch group.

The big house is where we spent most of our time... preparing meals, birdwatching, and enjoying the warm, rainy climate of the rainforest.

We rented a house with a cottage on top of a hill overlooking Lake Arenal. Sam and Ariana slept with us in the cottage.

cottage off the main house.

After a full day of driving through beautiful and changing countryside and mountains,small towns and villages, we arrived in the town of Arenal.We found a small sports bar that had a varied menu... from sushi to Chinese... and we filled up before checking into our rental.

We drove along winding roads for hours, heading to the rainforest. Along the way we stopped for gas, and a man along the road sold us snacks. For a few more colones, he sang us a song!

December 23, 2012