Having Too Much Fun

When it comes to vacation, I go all in and I go HARD!  I want to find the best hotels and get the best deals just to make our money stretch.  This time around, we're planning an impromptu mini vacation with my grandmother and uncle's wife, who will be visiting us for 2 weeks this month.  They want to enjoy their stay in Costa Rica and so enjoy their stay they will (I'll make sure of that).

My grandmother already knew what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go; Puerto Viejo.  We had been there with her before and she loved it.  So planning that trip was easy.  We know Puerto Viejo pretty well, as it is one of our favorite vacation destinations.  I found a nice, simple hotel with a pool and quaint rooms near the town center.  And because it is currently low season for tourists, prices were at a rock bottom low.  Puerto Viejo: CHECK!

Next, I figured my uncle's wife (who is really the one who wants a 'real' vacation while on this visit) would like to also do something else fun while she's here.  So I looked up a few inclusive tours to places like Baldi Hot Springs in San Carlos near the Arenal Volcano.  I was lucky enough to find a tour company that I had already toured with who as offering a great deal on a one day tour to Baldi with three meals included along with entrance fee.  However, they only offer tour dates on Saturdays and we only have one weekend with my grandmother which is already planned for.

So what to do?  I know going to the beach alone would not suffice.  So here I am, on this Friday, searching for car rental companies so we can head to Baldi Hot Springs on our own.  I called Baldi and the price is fairly reasonable, so I think we can do it.  As a bonus, we can go on a Sunday morning and be back by Sunday night in time to get the kids ready for school.

We do need to reserve all these things ahead of time as my grandma arrives on the 21st of May and Baldi would have to happen on the 22nd to give us time to enjoy our beach trip the following weekend.

The other vacation I find myself planning is the big family trip we will hopefully be taking with my family in December (my family as in my hubby and kids and my extended family as in my sisters and brothers, nephews, mom and stepdad).  That is is going to be a nicely planned vacation.  We're planning 7 days at the beach, so we need a really nice place to stay.  A hotel spacious enough for everyone but affordable enough for us to make sure we can throw in some fun activities while at the beach like off roading and jet skiing.

Since December is a high season time of year in Costa Rica, prices tend to double for everything from the hotel to the food.  And places also tend to book up fast so that is a vacation we need to book ASAP as time is not our friend.  And because we're traveling as a large group, a lot of hotels offer group rates, which we hope will be beneficial for us if we book early.

So yeah, I am having too much vacation planning for sure.