Manuela Antonio was our unplanned home/office/workshop for half of our time in Costa Rica. Even though it is an incredibly small town, there are a vast number of adventures to experience here. We did as much as we could while actually taking a little R&R in for the first time in a long time on these trips. Manuel Antonio National Park, Hotel Costa Verde, Espadilla Beach, and Gran Gallo Sportfishing are just a few of the activities we highly recommend becoming involved with if you visit.

It takes a little patience and a 4×4 vehicle definitely helps to get to this hidden gem of a forest! Captain Ahab’s traverse through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve made him many new friends this day that now share a unique story of breathing, tasting, wearing, and, most importantly, becoming part of the clouds!

First stop on our ‘zero planning before jumping on a plane to Costa Rica’ adventure was at the Peace Lodge & La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Like most travelers, the quick research we did do involved visiting the company’s website and skimming photos and descriptions. Sadly, the website falls short in describing the amazing hotel and grounds – Disney could learn a thing or two about how to create a memorable experience from this place! We could have easily spent several days roaming the grounds, but Ahab said we only get a day. Shout out to Freddie, Daniel, and Dixon for making our stay lawn-gnome-friendly!