I was fortunate enough to spend a week in beautiful Playa Aranilla Costa Rica at the Secrets Papagayo Resort to celebrate my dear friend, Alicia’s 40th birthday. We have been talking about this trip and planning for a year now, so it was a little surreal to have the time finally arrive. Admittedly, we wasted most of our opportunity to explore this country and spend most of our time at the resort and in the pool. I felt a tad bit guilty about not seeing a volcano, zip lining through the rain forest or hiking to the hot springs, but if I’m honest, hiking is not my thing. I did manage to paddle board for the first time and I didn’t fall!

Having someone else cook, clean my room and bring me drinks IS a vacation from my real life. Indulging in food that is not on my eating plan and getting to work out if I wanted to was just what I needed. I managed to read a teeny tiny bit, meet some new friends and my skin got a little bit closer to a golden brown. Not getting sunburn, soaking in the pool until my fingers are toes were prunes was about all the energy I could muster and more fun than I expected.

My one “excursion” was to venture over to the gym one day to workout and to the Spa to get an amazing massage. It even rained during the massage, which was more relaxing than the sound of rain as white noise.

Our nightly dinners were amazing. We tried everything on each of the menus from Hibachi Grill and sushi to steaks, and Italian food. Each restaurant at this resort was delicious. The waitstaff was amazingly patient, as well.

Most of our days by and in the pool were spent planning our next vacation and coming up with our hashtags - some published and some only shared in our group chat on WhatsApp. If you’re curious, check out #costa40rica. In the end, though, we had a blast and came home with stronger friendships and excited about our next trip together - Turks and Caicos here we come in 2020!

Costa Rica - Pura Vida!