We have been looking forward to and talking about being in Costa Rica for almost a year now. Everyone keeps asking us when we will be there and for how long and as boaters this was a difficult question to answer. But finally our arrival day was about to come. On April 2nd 2024 Jeff and Kurtis (our friend on Summer Breeze) checked out at the office in Puesta Del Sol and we all readied ourselves for our overnight passage the next day. At 0837am we threw lines and set out for our 187.5 mile journey south to Playa Del Coco, Costa Rica. The moon wasn't with us until 2am that evening but otherwise the seas and wind were very cooperative. Summer Breeze was having some battery issues and every three hours when we checked in Kurtis informed us of it's depletion all the way down to 0%. Fortunately he later found it it was a problem with the gage and not the battery but nevertheless they had us worried. We made good time and at 0646am we were dropping the hook in Playa Del Coco. Since this is our first port in Costa Rica we had to check in with the harbourmaster and customs and immigration. Kurtis launched his dink and picked up Jeff and the two of them set out to begin this process while I laid down to nap. We had been warned this this could be a long and arduous process that could take all day. Luck must have been on our side because by 1pm we were pulling anchor and making our way to Marina Papagayo. There were many Panama Posse boats already here (Long Windid, Que Vendra, Brigadoon 3 and Pause) and we were anxious to reconnect with our old friends. After saying hello and grabbing dinner at the marina I was fast asleep by 7:30pm. Those overnighters really take a toll the next day.
Check Out with Juanita
Fishing Boat We Passed
Into The Night We Go
Moon Rise
Kurtis Picking Jeff Up
Tidings Of Joy Anchored in Playa Del Coco
Securing Summer's Dink On Shore
Playa De Coco
Waiting For Customs
Ran Into Splinters On Shore
Heading to Marina Papagayo
Mega Yacht Anchored Outside of Papagayo
Marina Papagayo
The next morning we woke up super refreshed and ready to go. It's a good thing because it was a very special day. April 5th 2024 marked our 25th anniversary. 25 years of non-marital bliss as we like to say. The day itself couldn't have been nicer. First thing the marina delivered a gift bag with a nice note wishing us happy anniversary with a bottle of red wine and some water bottles with the marina's name on them. It was so kind of them. We took a very hot stroll to the Andaz resort next door and scoped out the pool and a facilities for future use. After lunch on board we ventured up to the marina pool where we ran into Brigadoon 3 and met new friends on Perception. Later that night we returned to the Andaz for anniversary dinner. The resort was lit with lots of lights and it felt charming and magical. Couldn't have planned a better anniversary if we had tried.
Anniversary Note From Marina Papagayo
Iguana On Our Walk
Marina Papagayo
Hot Walk to Andaz
Andaz At Night
Andaz Lobby
Path To Dinner
The Ostra Restaurant
25th Anniversary Dinner At The Andaz Resort- Ostra
We were definitely on a high - we were in Costa Rica at an amazing marina with lots of friends, we just had our 25th anniversary and there was nothing but exploring and adventure to come. The day after our anniversary we did some catch up on the boat and later that night the boaters all got together in the boaters lounge at the marina and did some catching up as well.
Panama Posse Boaters Get Together- Remedy, Brigadoon, Long Windid, Summer Breeze. Pause & Us
Still riding our high the next day would just perpetuate that. My gift to Jeff was a private cabana at the Andaz Resort. We could arrive anytime after 8am and stay until 5. The resort even sent a shuttle to pick us up. About 10:30ish we hopped in the shuttle and our day began. We were welcomed and shown to our cabana where a welcome bag (one each) was waiting full of sunscreen and lotion. We then were given a welcome drink of something fruity along with a fully stocked mini bar. At some point a massive fruit plate showed up with so many fruits, some we didn't know what they were. We snacked on that and enjoyed the view of the infinity pool and the beach. We had the cabana section all to ourselves. Next came champaign and a variety of juices and berries in order to make mimosas. We tried to drink slowly and we laid on our lounges soaking up the pampering. Sometime after the champaign we were given a snack. Jeff got tuna and avocado tostadas and I got mushroom and avocado tostadas. We spent the afternoon swimming and staring working our way through the mini bar. Around 3pm our masseuse showed up and gave us each at 20 minute massage right at the cabana. The day was finished with a refreshing mojito popsicle before we left the cabana. With our day pass we were entitled to use the spa as well so we made our way into our separate gender locker rooms and enjoyed the jacuzzi, cold plunge, sauna and shower. It felt like being in another world. Jeff loved his gift and so did I. But the day didn't end there. Later that evening we would return to the Andaz with our friends on Pause and try the smoking cocktails and tapas in another restaurant. Perfect day.
Cabana at the Andaz
Our View
Welcome Drinks
Mimosas
Fruit Plate
Tostadas
Monkeys at the Pool
Mojito Popsicles
Our Pool
Jacuzzi
Dinner With Pause
The next few days we got ourselves ready to fly out to Tampa for my cousin Tyler's wedding. Our friends on Long Windid were going to be setting sail soon so we had a nice farewell dinner with them and on April 10th we flew to Tampa.
Farewell Long Windid
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