In celebration of Mary and Dave's 50th wedding anniversary, all 23 members of the Kelly/Wilson Family packed up and headed to Costa Rica! Be warned.... this will be a LONG post in order to do the 10 day international trip some justice.
The Wildlife
The abundant wildlife was a highlight for everyone, namely because most could be seen directly from the Villa. Nestled in the rainforest next to Manual Antonio National Park, the home was surrounded by ropes for the animals to play on.
The sloth - so ugly he was cute!
The monkeys were very entertaining - engaging in shouting matches with each other and traversing the ropes around the villa. They even went so far as to steal some pool toys from us!
Piles of crocodiles "sunbathing" as we went over a bridge.
Monkeys swimming in our pool with us!
The Villa (Punto de Vista) and the Views
WOW!!! I'll go ahead and speak for everyone and say we've never seen a place quite this extravagant or architecturally stunning. The location was nothing short spectacular, amidst the rainforest and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This is definitely an instance where photos cannot truly capture the experience.
rooftop hot tub and movie screen
incredible dining space (that sat all 23 people!) with 180 degree Pacific views
the girls' separate cottage
The Beach
Ohhh, the glorious beach! While only a 5 minute walk, we opted to be shuttled in the ultra cool 4x4 Polaris vehicle. Once there, the Pacific Ocean provided the perfect mix of sand and surf to suit everyone's needs.
The Mangrove Boat Excursion
Our jungle cruise included up close and personal interactions with monkeys, crabs, bats, iguanas, exotic birds, an anteater, and a boa constrictor.
Other Excursions
Costa Rica had a little something for everyone. Some of the activities enjoyed by members of the group included rafting, zip-lining, canyoning, surfing, and parasailing.
The Food
We had the distinct pleasure of waking up to an incredible breakfast every morning. Since you'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant (arguably in the world) with a better view, we had a chef come to the Villa and prepare our dinner most nights.
Anders had a pretty serious (mutual) love affair with the ladies that worked at the Villa, especially Jessina the breakfast chef.
The Journey
Our initial day of travel had us leaving home at 9am and finally resting our heads at a hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica after 1:00am the following day! A long layover in Houston, and an even longer delay at the car rental place made for some weary travelers (especially since our kids never napped!). However everyone was ready to go the following morning for the 3 hour drive to the Villa. For the return trip, we spiced things up a bit and rented a couple "puddle jumpers" for the flight back to San Jose.
Anders and Meghan utilizing the cell phone charger station in between flights!
More Memories...
Wow! That looks like a vacation you would see on TV with the rich and famous. It's really going to be hard to beat this vacation.
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I don't know where to begin! When I see you in a couple weeks I want the play by play while I ooh and aah over these photos! Looks like one of the most amazing vacations ever (minus some of the critters of course!) Pam
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