I believe we last left you enjoying this view of Fenix Hotel on Sámara Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. What a paradise we found there! Mike had done some research on TripAdvisor, and this small motel had been the top-rated hotel on Sámara by their customers - we were not let down. It has only 6 rooms so it is cozy and you get to know your neighbors. It is always fun to meet people from all over, especially when they are on vacation on a beach! Beautifully-landscaped gardens surround the grounds, with hammocks, swinging chairs, and picnic tables scattered about - all with award-winning views of the beach and ocean.
The photos below show Deanna relaxing in the hammock while working on the computer and occasionally taking a sip of beer; Mike relaxing in another hammock while reading and playing with one of the local cats; the kids doing their homework by the pool, listening to the ocean waves.
Below are photos of the swans that greeted us on our first day, and the view of the kitchen area of the room at Fenix. Nico and Papi are preparing dinner while Kiana studies and Deanna waits to be served - this is the life! The kitchen is quite simple in its decorations and its accoutrements, but it has most of the necessities available. We could either buy groceries at a small corner store near the motel, or we could walk up the beach about 3/4 mile (15 - 20 minute walk) to the town of Sámara and either eat at restaurants or go to the Super to buy food. Anything grown or produced locally is reasonable, but everything imported (which is considerable!) is taxed so heavily that it is exhorbitant. So grocery shopping and/or eating out is a large portion of our budget while here. Which leads me to the stories of slaughtering cows and chickens in backyards of La Fortuna. But I digress - I will keep to the timeframe of our trip, and we are still on Sámara Beach!
These are photos of people who obviously think they are having fun, and they are! We were only going to stay on Sámara for a week, and then move on to explore various national parks. But we were so taken with our "Asbell's Island" (we would spontaneously start singing the "Gilligan's Island theme song often!) that we ended up staying for three weeks! It allowed the kids to get into a routine of doing their homework from the states before we headed to La Fortuna to join the local public schools.
The final group of photos for this post include Kiana "hanging out" watching the incredibly beautiful sunsets; Nico loving up our favorite local cat "Mad Max".
Our next blog will contain info and photos of the various activities we did while at Sámara for those three delicious weeks! I must admit to you that Sámara has so much pull on our family that we are currently back there for more R & R, after a month of very difficult living circumstances in La Fortuna. Our host family is wonderful, but quite poor with the husband unemployed, and we were living in what quickly became a dark, damp, mold-infested prison. When Kiana became quite ill, we decided to pull them out of school and come back to the sun and dry warmth for a health break. We told the family we would be back in 5 days, but we may change our plans. No matter what, we have enough stories and photos to publish for several more posts already! I apologize for the large delay between posts. I don't get much time on the computer, and I am new to blogsites and photo manipulation. But I am learning!
We'll leave you today with Kiana enjoying a "peaceful" sunset from her favorite hammock!
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