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January 30, 2013

Honeymoon Highlight: JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

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Continuing with a few more of our honeymoon highlights from Costa Rica in December! Miss the first honeymoon recaps? Check those out first. :)

  • Our Honeymoon Overview
  • El Silencio Lodge: Hiking Adventures
  • El Silencio Lodge “Cultural Tour”
  • Waterfall Rappelling!
  • White Water Rafting
  • Hanging Bridges, Volcano Hikes, Waterfalls & Hot Springs!

After departing from the Arenal volcano area of Costa Rica, we headed to our final stop on our honeymoon adventures – the northwest Pacific coast and the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa.

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The first week of our honeymoon was filled with a lot of rain and clouds, rainforests and hiking, so arriving on the sunny coast was like stepping into a completely new vacation. Apparently this area of the country (which was about a 4.5 hour drive from Arenal) has a different dry/wet season schedule than where we were before. Hello, dry season! It was sunny with blue skies every single day we were there.

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In addition to a couple fun excursions (posts on those to come), Matt and I enjoyed soaking up the sunshine (with lots of sunscreen on… and usually under an umbrella – that sun was intense!), swimming in the pool and ocean, walking along the beach, eating good food, having fruity drinks, and relaxing. It was wonderful.

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As you can see, my waterproof camera came out to play quite a bit. 🙂

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Since we were on the west coast of Costa Rica, we were also treated to stunning beach sunsets almost every night. They were seriously magical… collages don’t do them justice so get ready for a billion photos.

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One of the most stunning sunsets was when we went into town for dinner one night with our new friends John and Diana (who you’ll remember we first met on the whitewater rafting trip in Arenal!). This was the beach in the nearby town of Tamarindo, which was a really cool surfing community.

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We had some great dinners in town that I unfortunately didn’t take photos of, but another food highlight was Lola’s restaurant, a 40 minute walk down the beach from the Marriott where we were staying. This place came recommended from a ton of people we talked to at the Marriott and had great reviews online, so we knew it would be worth the trip. One of the afternoons we walked down there for lunch with John and Diana.

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40 minutes later and we found it, tucked away just off the main beach.

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I started with a smoothie while enjoying the view.

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And our table shared some ceviche.

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I had the chicken pita, which was delicious (and huge!).

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I shared it with Matt in exchange for a few bites of his ahi tuna sandwich.

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Delicious food – two thumbs up! Check this place out if you’re ever in the area. 🙂 They also offer yoga – wish I’d had the chance to try it!

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Stay tuned… two more honeymoon recaps to go: ziplining and scuba diving!

- anne
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you might also like:

Honeymoon Highlight! El Silencio Lodge: Hiking Adventures

Honeymoon Highlight: White Water Rafting

The Final Honeymoon Highlight: Scuba Diving!

Honeymoon Highlight: Ziplining!

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9 comments
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    January 30, 2013 · 5:50PM:
    Truly could not be more jealous! Such amazing photos!
    Reply
  • Mary January 30, 2013 · 6:18PM:
    Hi Anne! Did you and Matt arrange your itinerary on your own or did you go through a travel agent? Sorry if you've answered this before!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      January 30, 2013 · 10:21PM:
      We went through a travel agent! Someone at Frosch Travel (http://www.facebook.com/froschtravel) who one of our friends recommended. She did a great job! I would have done it myself but I was so swamped with grad school, internships, wedding planning, etc. it made more sense to have someone else deal with it!
      Reply
  • T.G.I.F!!! (the goal is fitness) January 30, 2013 · 9:39PM:
    Wow! Gorgeous sunsets. Absolutely paradise! Looking forward to more recaps! :-)
    Reply
  • Healthy Eater January 30, 2013 · 10:00PM:
    I guess this is what paradise looks like! Wow! (And love those handstands!)
    Reply
  • Angela
    January 30, 2013 · 10:38PM:
    Those sunsets are heavenly!!!!! I would love to go there!
    Reply
  • Megan January 31, 2013 · 9:55AM:
    I have been reading your blog for a little while and just HAD to comment. I am also in grad school at UNC, got married on Oct 13, went to CR for our honeymoon, AND surfed/ate at Lola's! Too crazy! Hope all is well in DC and I love your blog :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      January 31, 2013 · 1:01PM:
      No way! That's awesome :) Which program are you doing at UNC?
      Reply
      • Megan February 3, 2013 · 1:19PM:
        I'm in the Micro/Immuno department and am really interested in nutritional immunology but was considering getting my MPH after I'm done. Who knows...seems like a great program, too!
        Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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