June 2019

Saluti da Capri!

It is a joyous occasion for me to be here on this magical Italian island celebrating the wedding of dear friends. Not only do the bride and groom get to be surrounded and adored by loving friends and family, but the entire party gets to enjoy a stunning location while creating beautiful memories and experiences. If you are dreaming of a destination wedding, let us help you make that dream come true.

Featured Trip Of The Month

THE CRIM FAMILY FINDS THEIR ECO-PARADISE IN COSTA RICA

Itinerary

Full Photo Album

Jay Crim and his family recently returned from a magical trip to Costa Rica and has shared a beautiful essay describing their paradise adventure. A few excerpts are below. Read the full essay, including a shortened list of dos and don'ts,

Our first days in Costa Rica - spent exploring Arenal and Monteverde - were in some sense exactly what you might expect. We hiked on a volcano and we walked through both rain forests and cloud forests. We saw coatis, sloths, caimans, leaf cutter ants, poison dart frog, quetzals, toucans, monkeys, and more. We ate fresh tropical fruits for breakfast and Casado for lunch.

Part of me was loving every minute of it. But another part of me knew something was missing. Where could I find a more real Costa Rica?

As I followed a path to the lodge in Piedras Blancas National Park where we’d spend the last part of our trip, I started to get the sense I’d found what I was looking for.

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is surrounded by the jungle on three sides, and Gulfo Dulce on the other. On the meandering path from the dock where we arrived, to the main lodge, we saw as much wildlife in 15 minutes as we had seen hiking for hours on the mainland. Keel-billed toucans called to each other in the trees, while butterflies and hummingbirds went from flower to flower on either side of the path. A rustling in the underbrush turned out to be a white-nosed coati, an animal that visits so frequently that the staff thinks of them as pets. We passed a small pool of water and were treated to the sight of the brown basilisk (a.k.a. the “Jesus Christ lizard” of National Geographic fame) running away from us across the pool.

“It’s paradise,” Karolina repeated over and over again as we were shown around.

This place exists to help you immerse yourself in nature. There are no televisions. The cabins don’t have Wi-Fi, or air-conditioners, or even complete walls. There are no clocks or alarms, not that you’d need one - each morning, the howler monkeys wake up with the sun, and so do you (they’re loud). The most important electronic device you’ll use while there is a flashlight - you need it to find your way back to your cabin after dinner each night, as darkness falls early in the jungle.

How you enjoy the nature surrounding you is, of course, up to you. There are numerous trails through the jungle, that you can explore on your own or with a guide. The lodge’s boats will take you in search of dolphins or ferry you to the Esquinas River so you can kayak through the mangroves. Or, you can spend hours on the “hammock tour”, watching birds and other wildlife from the comfort of one of the many hammocks or hammock chairs hung in the lodge or outside your cabin.

However you do it, having so much nature so close at all times allows you to slow down, and to observe, with all your senses.

The wildlife was so abundant that I found myself choosing between two or more shows at any given time. Do I continue to watch the toucans feeding? Or do I follow the pack of spider monkeys that is jumping from tree to tree as they make their way through the jungle? Or do I continue to watch the basilisks, attempting to get that elusive photo of one walking on water?

Yes, this was the Costa Rica I wanted.