Playa Carrillo – We are staying in a lovely house in the village of Carrillo, which is about 7km south of Samara. Even besides the swimming pool, this place is paradisaical. This is the view from our upstairs terrace. This…
Puddle Jumpers by Stearns
Playa Carillo, Costa Rica – Does it count as “traveling” if you rent a house with a swimming pool and then never leave the pool? If it does, here’s my expert tip of the day for successful travel with kids:…
Tres Hermanas BBQ
Cañas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica – Travel days are always stressful, but everybody held it together. We had a long drive today, but we also had the pleasure of stopping at Tres Hermanas BBQ, a roadside restaurant that is unmissable for…
Butterfly Conservatory
El Castillo, Costa Rica – Here’s another book that the twins got for Christmas. Marinita the blue morpho butterfly goes exploring in the rain forest and she can’t find her way back to her home near the spring. She befriends…
Arenal Observatory Lodge
Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica – The grandparents and the twins went on an adventure today, completing a 2km hike from from Arenal Observatory Lodge to a refreshing 20-foot waterfall. The boys walked almost the whole way, until it…
Volcano Views
El Castillo, Costa Rica – When I booked our house in El Castillo with fabulous views of Arenal Volcano, I had visions of the twins on the front porch at night, having their minds boggled by the amazing volcanic fireworks…
Twins to the Rescue
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – Daddio and I like to go to the zoo. (In fact, one of our first “dates” was to the National Zoo in Washington DC, but that’s another story.) As a result, the twins are pretty…
Hot Spring Splurge
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – This is what I’m talking about. Eighteen pools with water temperatures ranging from a mild 87 to a steamy 104 degrees, replete with lush vegetation, waterfalls and a swim-up bar. And – supposedly – views…
Coatimundi
El Castillo, Costa Rica – This afternoon, we made the drive to our “new Costa Rica house”, this one at the base of Arenal Volcano in the tiny village of El Castillo. It was a three-hour drive. The middle part…
Stella’s Bakery
Monteverde, Costa Rica – It’s always a perk to live across the street from a bakery, in this case, Stella’s Bakery & Coffee Shop. To be honest, their pastries are not that great, and the sandwiches seem overpriced. But they…