Costa Rica with a 6 month old

We had such a lovely experience in Costa Rica. The country is so beautiful and the people are so friendly. Addie was adored everywhere we went and it was not uncommon for strangers to engage her and even offer to carry her. We limited activities to just one thing a day which is really hard to do in Costa Rica! We only drove to 2 other cities after the airport: La Fortuna and Manual Antonio plus quick stops in between.

La Fortuna: We hiked to the waterfall and it was somewhat steep but not too difficult. Angel carried Addie in the wearable and took her out to enjoy the water once we reached the waterfall. We also spent an entire day at Baldi Hot Springs which is super beautiful and relaxing. The water temperature was bathtub warm, so it was perfect for Addie. I must add, the best customer service I have ever experienced as a mother was by a waiter who upon seating us at a restaurant in La Fortuna, lifted Addie from my arms, placed her in the high chair and entertained her as I looked over the menu... it was great and small acts of kindness like this continued to happen throughout the trip. It was such a contrary restaurant experience to fine dining in San Diego, where restaurant staff would often give us judgmental looks for daring to bring a baby in such a nice establishment... 😒

Manual Antonio: We stayed right at the base of the national park so it was perfect for nature walks and easy beach access. Each morning, we were greeted by monkeys in our patio, in the trees and in the outdoor hotel lobby! We had a lot of downtime to just relax at the pool and beach.

Logistics: We hand carried a play yard- one that turns into a backpack and it was useful for airport naps- I even took a nap it in on our long layover in Mexico City! It also served as a crib in our room. We did NOT bring a stroller on this trip and didn’t miss it at all! Instead, we wore Addie for hands free navigation throughout the airport, hikes and tours. We brought our own infant carseat and rented a car.

Flight: This was Addie's first flight and she did pretty good! We used binky/bottle during take offs and landings, she slept for most of the time and we walked around the aisles with her when she got fussy. We did change her diaper (pee only, thank goodness) in our seats with her lying across us. She was minimally disruptive to other passengers, kicked a guy next to me only once and he was very nice about it! :)

Itinerary:

Day 1 We flew into San Jose and drove straight to La Fortuna. Day 2 Hiked to La Fortuna waterfall Day 3 Arenal volcano, Baldi hot springs Day 4 Cholocate making tour Day 5 Drove to Manual Antonio and did a short stop in Jaco and small waterfall Day 6-7 Manual Antonio National Park! Monkeys in our patio everyday, the beaches and numerous sloth sightings! Day 8 Drove back to San Jose to catch our flight home.