Where's the sandy beach?

Of course by the time my wife and I decided to take our first trip to Costa Rica we had reached a point where we really needed a vacation...so what better way to do it than to book a trip to a large all inclusive hotel, get a little pampered, and do what most tourists do - take advantage of some excursions. As much as this sounds like a great idea (and yes it was a terrific vacation), there is so much more to a Costa Rica vacation than large resorts, non-stop beverages, food, food, and more food. Fact of the matter is that that's not what Costa Rica is all about. Having been to Costa Rica several times now since our first visit in 2015, we've learned a lot of things along the way and I'll cover many of those things in future blogs - so I hope you stay tuned.

...so, back to our first trip, we decided on booking a vacation at #Westinplayaconchal. A spectacular resort, and everything you would expect from a Westin property. Being situated right on #playaconchal you just can't beat it. This beach is like nothing I've ever seen, but wait, where's the sand?...it's a beach essentially made entirely of small sea shells (hence it's name). It's a little weird to walk on, some of those shells have pretty sharp little edges, but on the flip side you're getting a free skin exfoliation when you walk on it. Some people like walking on those shells (me), other people don't (my wife), regardless, it's a beautiful beach and very popular spot in Guanacaste.

Playa Conchal sand....I mean shells.

Sadly, on this trip we ended up not spending a ton of time on this beautiful beach, and the only reason for that was that it turns out we were in Costa Rica during Easter Holy week (end of March/ beginning of April), which is a huge holiday observed throughout the country...and turns out that most of Costa Rica's population seems to migrate to the beaches for the week. They come down in droves, they pitch tents on the beach, have camp fires, bbq, and everything in between. It was super cool to see and experience, but it did make for a pretty crowded beach. Needles to say, it was an experience we will always cherish - to see so many people getting along, having a good time, and simply enjoying life - the Pura Vida lifestyle.