Playa del Coco

After being cooped up in the apartment, I was finally feeling up to going out and exploring Guanacaste a little bit. On Monday, Melo and I packed a bag with water and snacks and headed to the beach!

We were a little too hype, though, because we forgot to pack towels, a blanket, and put on sunscreen. That’s okay, though, because I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the International Day of Happiness than soaking in the sun and swimming in the warm waters of Playa del Coco!

Yes, I said warm. The pacific is known for being particularly cold, even in the summer. But these waters were really warm. It was perfect! We stayed in the water for about an hour and a half before we got hungry and decided to walk into the centro to grab something to eat.

We stopped at Soda Jardin Tropical. Our taxi driver from the airport said it was his favorite place in town for local food. We decided to share one of the larger plates: breaded fish fillet, fried plantains, and veggies. Melo was also curious about something on the menu called “salchipapas” (basically french fries cooked with sliced hot dogs/vienna sausages; it’s like a fast food dish) so we ordered those as a side and then I ordered a fresh blackberry juice. We loved everything except the salchipapas. Those were just, eh. But the fish was so, so good; very tender and cooked perfectly. The plantains were huge. The veggies were cooked and seasoned so you can’t really go wrong there. And the fresh blackberry juice was–OMG.

After our late lunch, we walked over to a souvenir shop to pick up a couple of postcards. Then we hit up a small produce stand to grab some green beans and avocados. And finally, we made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some fresh bread. On the walk home we passed by the local school and even go to see some of the local grafitti art. When we got back to the apartment, we were so hot and sweaty, we decided to take a quick dip in the pool.

That quick dip turned into several hours of sitting in the jacuzzi. And, thanks to my very own Chatty Cathy (aka: Melo), we also ended up chatting with a Costa Rican family on vacation for Semana Santa (Adrianna, Diana, and Carl). They had just arrived earlier that day. After telling us about several beaches we had to visit, they invited us to road trip with them to see some of the beaches they were telling us about.

By the time we got back to the apartment, we were so exhausted. We just wanted to shower and do nothing else. We had planned on cooking, but instead ate some leftovers and ramen. And by the time you read this, we’ll be traipsing around Costa Rica with our very own tour guides.

Ciao! And don’t forget to subscribe to Plate and Passport via email for more travel and food inspiration!