Costa Rica Day One!

Kent and I flew out of Salt Lake on the red-eye on Tues March 3rd. After traveling through a time warp (and getting a wee bit of sleep!), we arrived in San Jose airport in the San Jose province of Costa Rica. We were excited to be there, and our fatigue quickly faded once we arrived in Costa Rica! We were met by our driver Diego, and hopped into his luxurious taxi for our 3 hour drive to the Nayara Hotel and Gardens, in the Arenal Region. Then the lack of sleep hit me. You'd think I would be prepared since I work nights, but I suppose I must be accustomed to sleeping after I stay up all night! I crashed in the van. Kent, however, made it there without a blink! He really enjoyed watching the Costa Rican scenery passing by.
When we checked in at the Nayara, they provided us refreshing wet towels... Sounds lovely, right? Well, it wasn't. It was totally awkward, sponge bathing in front of the concierge. But, we survived this luxury. :) While we waited for our room to be prepared, we took a little tour of the property. It was everything we expected Costa Rica to be! The grounds were lush and green, and we got lucky with sunshine! 

A bridge on the hotel grounds. And a jet lagged traveler. :)

Our beautiful Cabana

The luxurious bathroom, closets, and minibar in our room.

The view from the on-site open air restaurant. In the background you can spot the Arenal Volcano.

The pathway into our little hideaway

Outside the spa... Bliss

After checking into our room we hopped into a taxi headed for the La Fortuna Waterfall. When we arrived we sat down for a quick lunch just outside the waterfall, at a darling little cafe set up on a balcony in the middle of the rain forest. Pure Perfection!!!

Lunch at the Rio Lounge

The La Fortuna waterfall was impressive! It fell from a great height, and hit the pool below with such force that the spray flew several feet into the air. Some people were swimming in the pool around the waterfall, but Kent and I opted out since we didn't have swimming suits.

La Fortuna Waterfall

Kent lookin cool on a little rest during our hike to the waterfall