This post is late and normally I have a day by day recap from a week long vacation. I don't think that is needed in this case. Instead I will try and put all the important stuff here in one post. Enjoy! 

If you don't know, most of our travels are no longer J & J trips, but are now J & J +2 trips. We are now doing most of our traveling with our two kids because they are finally old enough to go to the bathroom without needing help, can actually manage the day without a nap and most importantly seem to appreciate the difference between a foreign country and a trip to Dairy Queen. 

There are a few things we said we would never do. Go on a cruise is one of them. I won't turn this into a Pro and Con cruise post. We just thought (think) you are either cruise people or not. The simple fact that we prefer to be in the middle of the jungle with no WiFi or even English speaking folks should explain why we most likely aren't cruise people. We like to explore, be unconfined and immersed in as much culture as possible. We travel to learn and experience life at a new level. 

With all that said, our extended family wanted to try and spend the holidays together. With the ages of our group ranging from our 5 year old daughter to my 80 something year old grandmother, and a lot of ages in between, a cruise was suggested. We preferred the week between Xmas and New Year's but the prices were a lot higher. So we picked a week during Xmas on Celebrity Silhouette. With stops in San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Kitts. Here would be my overall breakdown. 



Celebrity Silhouette
If you like cruises, I would imagine this boat would be pretty great. I don't have much to compare it to but it was much smaller than the other ships at port with us. It seemed more boutique. Everything was clean. The service in our rooms was great. Our personal attendant made different towel animals every night. The kids loved her. At dinner our waiter would spend enormous amounts of time entertaining the kids with tricks. He was great. 

For Kids
Even though it was Xmas there were very few kids on the boat. Therefore most things were geared towards adults. Day 1 our son got in trouble at the Kids Club so they spent the whole week with us. They just wanted to swim. That was fine, but it wasn't really a kid geared deck. Most of the pool games seemed for adults. So unless they were in kids club we were providing the entertainment. A few exceptions were the daily movies in the theatre. That was a nice break in early afternoon. There was also an egg drop contraption competition that we did and the family loved. I wish they had more stuff like that. 

The Food
Was probably our favorite part. We ate at two specialty restaurants and thought the food was just as good in regular dining. On Christmas Night the four of us ate at the restaurant on the very back of the boat at the window. There was an amazing moon. It might have been a harvest moon. Definitely a full moon. The light on the water was amazing. 

Christmas
This was the hardest part for me. I love Christmas and I love traditions. I brought our stockings and bought little decorations to put around the room. We made a xmas tree out of wrapping paper and put it on the wall. We tried our best, but I was depressed having Christmas on a boat, at sea. They had Santa and some activities on Christmas morning, but it was just hard. I missed my Christmas Eve Service (the only one was a midnight mass, doesn't work with a 5 and 6 year old), breakfast casserole and running outside to watch the kids play with their toys. 



The Ports
I enjoyed these but having such short time was difficult. I've been to Puerto Rico before with a friend who lived there so I know how beautiful it is. We arrived to Port around 5 (two hours late) and only had a few hours in San Juan. Our kids normally are asleep by 7:30 (yes they are early risers) so we got to eat dinner and that was it. The forts were already closed. St. Kitts was our favorite because we got very off the beaten path. I researched and found a local guide (Myislands Tours by Javin). We loved him. He grew up on the island and took us to all sorts of places, including an old gin factory where he played when he was a kid. There were some "adventuresome" moments using a rope to get down to the black rock beach. Beautiful island and money well spent to see it away from the cruise crowd. St. Maarten was our last stop. We were there on Xmas Eve. We had booked a private boat to beach hop. When we arrived we were told the water was choppy and they would give us a full refund if we wanted to back out. We have been on some bad boat rides and new that could ruin a day. We weren't going to risk it with the kids. Instead we took a taxi over to the Airport Beach (Maho), watched the planes and grabbed a table at the cafe to eat and watch some major planes land. The kids loved it. 

We woke up our last morning at Rio Celeste and took our time eating and packing up. When we went to checkout the charge for our room was a quarter of what we should have been billed. $100 total. I knew that couldn't be right and told them so. One of the managers came over to tell me that they were horrified at what had happened and gave us the first night free and then charged us half of the cheaper room rate for the second. I told them that wasn't necessary, it definitely wasn't, and he said if course it was. We obviously appreciated that and told them so. 

We packed up the car and headed out on the road. Although this was our third trip to the Tenorio area we hadn't explored it much and decided to take our time getting to the next hotel. Our trusty Lonely Planet and my amazing navigation skills led us first to Rincon Corobici for a relaxing lunch on the side of Rio Corobici. We were the only folks but by the time we left it was packed. I could have sat there with the breeze and rapids for hours. 

Right down the road was Las Pumas, a big cat refuge I had heard about for awhile but never made it to. It was very similar to the one we had gone to near Arenal last year. The big differences are that the focus is cats (puma, jaguar, leopard) and that it is self guided. For $10 it was very cool to visit this organization that is doing good work. It sounded like they work with a rescue team in Arenal to save a lot of orphaned or abused animals. 

The cats were pretty amazing to see and the parrots were as entertaining as ever. It's hilarious to hear them mimicking whatever was said to them on a daily basis when they were pets - three didn't childrens cries or screams, "Que esto?" and lots of laughs and holas. An hour was about the right time and we loaded up again. 

This is a good time to note that the main road under construction is crazy! We have to drive on the wrong side of the road with no markings, go on dirt while they are paving, find new entrances and exits when the normal ones are road blocked. That is an adventure in itself. 

Next stop was to a hidden waterfall. Well not hidden to the locals. Although it was a Monday it was packed. Some even camping. The only shady thing we have encountered happened there. To get into the park you make a donation to the local school. When we got to the parking lot a man approached with a clipboard saying we needed to pay $4 to park and go to the waterfall. This didn't seem right at all so I called his bluff and opened the door back up. He then said no, no it was ok and he'd still watch the car. The whole thing made me nervous. I'm sure he was just trying to get a few bucks off of tourists but it upset me a bit. 

We locked everything up and hikes down a steep trail that ended up in one of the most picturesque waterfalls I have seen. Kids swimming everywhere and teens strewn over the boulders. We climbed over the rocks as far as I was willing to go with the cameras and then headed back up. 

The drive to Rio Perdido was quite easy. Good signage. The landscape quickly changed from rainy and lush to dry and hot. So weird since we were quite close geographically to where we had just left. As we pulled up to the front gate of the resort it was obvious that this was going to be luxury. They had our names at the guard shack so we were off to a good start. 

The reception building (which happens to be a three story gigantic structure that houses the restaurant, bar, spa and everything) immediately reminded us of the place we spent our honeymoon - El Tamarindo in Mexico. Ricardo welcomed us and got us acquainted with the property. I wasn't expecting the view from the lookout. Straight down into a narrow canyon that contains the bluest River. We got our first glimpse of the zip lining we would be doing the next day. Yikes! 

Totally impressed we were then given a ride over to our bungalow (we wouldn't see our car again for two days) where they had taken our luggage while we were touring. 

The bungalows. If I were to design a resort it would probably look like this. Modern, simple and eco structures scattered through the hillside. To help people like me wifh bad navigation skills, the 20 bungalows were broken up by colors. Each one being grey with a colored stripe around it. The only thing missing for me was an outdoor shower. 

It was starting to get close to dinner time so we threw on our bathing suits and headed down another steep trail to the thermal springs. 

Oh my! Our own private natural hot springs in the jungle. The property had s string of areas to swim going up the stream. Each one marked and connected with a path. We later learned that the resort has been here for 3 years and started as just an adventure destination. However people wanted to come here and stay. The bungalows have been open for a year and a half and they are building 10 more. If you stay here there is no need to leave. 

We arrived at the first thermal pool where there was a trough of mud and paint brushes. We were warned that it would smell but that if you let if dry and then went in the water it would make your skin soft. I couldn't bare the smell too long so I went in. We explored a few of the pools, the only people back in the jungle. It was one of those amazing experiences I couldn't believe I was getting to experience. As it started to get dark we headed up to shower and go to dinner. 

Tip: take your shoes as you walk around in the jungle...

At dinner we realized that the staff here is huge. Two people per guest I would say. And not just back of house. Tons of front of house. Everyone is super polite and helpful. The tour guides were my favorite as I got to really talk to them but that's tomorrow's post. 

After I stopped having a heat stroke from the hike up I enjoyed my Rio Perdido drink. We were told later in the night that we could call for a cart to pick us up. Otherwise I'd say this place is not for anyone with mobility issues. You hold and climb a lot! It seemed like the folks got a commission on the Rio Perdido drink as they were really pushing it. Or maybe it was because it was delicious. It was like a frozen mojito with lots and lots of fresh mint. Yummy. 

Dinner was good. Josh's Cordon Bleu was actually delicious. My tilapia was fine but not great. Full we headed back and explored the satellite TV. It gets a huge number of channels. Only one in English.... Lights out. 

For those not keeping track, this is our fourth time in Costa Rica. We still haven't made it to Osa or Drake Bay so I'm sure we will be back again. We are coming down with a large group and decided to travel 4 days earlier just the two of us. 

PHOTO DISCLAIMER: All the photos on these blog posts will be from my iPhone for ease. Somebody is the best wife ever and surprised her husband wifh a new camera. So most our photography is being down on our DSLRs. Meaning I only have photos on here from some parts. 

Charlotte has one direct flight to and from Liberia a week on Saturday so it makes our flight selection easy. We were both upgraded to first class days out and with TSA precheck, the travel was super comfortable. When we landed we hit up the duty free store for a bottle of bourbon and wine. We've learned.

When we arrived our Vamos transfer was waiting with a sign and our name and he drove us to get our car. All the big companies are here but we have used this local one for three trips. The main reasons are the ease of the private pickup (vs shuttle bus), the friendly customer service and most importantly no one pushing us for unnecessary insurance. The others are notorious for tricking people into buying hundreds of dollars of insurance they don't need. 

I can't stress how important it is to understand international coverage on credit cards. Only one of our four we tried covered the car like we needed. In case you are wondering, it's American Express. They also have no international transaction fee. Well, at least for us.

We got our RAV4 and headed out. It's rainy season so a 4x4 is a must. We were a bit shocked to see that they were replacing the original Panamerican Hwy 1 with a raised four lane road. Also stranger was that it had sidewalks all along it. Guess tourism is still booming. Construction confused us slightly but we made it to Rio Celeste Hideaway. We tried following the directions from the hotel and discovered that the mileage numbers they gave were actually km. The km directions were just wrong. We chose the "more adventurous 4x4 only" route expecting it to be really horrible. It was actually the road to our favorite La Carolina and not horrible. A car couldn't have done it though and I imagine in full rain it would be hard. 

Here's where it got interesting. You have to go through a guard shack to get in and he has the guest names. He didn't have ours but kept going. We didn't think much of it. It was when reception asked to see my phone with my confirmation that I realized something was wrong. About that time the phone had rung and I had heard them say they were completely full. Hmmmm. 

Without explaining anything they took us on an odd tour, gave us free drinks and told us to sit by a fire. An hour later, yes an hour, the receptionist came over and handed us a key for 2 and said "sorry the room hadn't been prepared yet". She asked us to wait 5 min and then go. We waited 5 min, asked if we were supposed to find it ourselves and we're finally met at the car by Felix. Mind you no one has talked to us yet about what is going on. 

Felix loaded us up and asked us what was going on. He was shocked. Especially since we booked directly through them. He was the only one who hinted at us not getting the right room. Even so, we were happy for a bed and accepted graciously. 

We had read mediocre reviews about the food but we're happy with everything. The ceviche and heart of palm salad were our standouts. The freshness of the fruits and veggies here is unmatched in my mind. 

After dinner we took a quick dip in one of the three hot tubs and called it a night. I'm fairly sure we were snoring by 7:30 or 8.