I woke up around 7:15 local time and thought I'd take the time to get acclimated with the resort and go through the information packets we were given when we first arrived. Alexis woke up shortly after and decided to inform her mother it was time to get up by climbing and jumping on her. We decided to get ready and go get some breakfast. After taking our showers and feeding Alexis her bottle, we headed down to breakfast with the map of the resort and our information packet from the travel agency.
We stopped by the agency desk to confirm our day trip to Palo Verde National Park scheduled for tomorrow. Everything was all set and we learned the necessity of being in the lobby at 7:30 and would return at approximately 18:30 that evening.
Walking into the dining area, they had both inside and outside seating so we decided to eat outside because of the beautiful morning it was. There were a plethora of high chairs for us to use for Alexis, so we set one up for her and sat down while Nicole went to get a first round of food for her and Alexis. It didn't take long for Alexis to become the center of attention for everyone around the dining area, as everyone seems to adore her; both other resort guests, as well as the resort staff. I had my first taste of Costa Rican coffee and tasted good. I know I'm supposed to say that it was great, but coffee is coffee to me – I'm no connoisseur, but when in Rome…or, well, Costa Rica. Nicole came back with a large plate full of fruits (papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple) and eggs and bacon and hash browns and began to eat as she shared with Alexis. Alexis was very happy there were fruits – those seem to be her current favorite foods. I walked into the buffet area and was overwhelmed by the amount of food. I tried to get a little bit of everything, including some typical Costa Rican breakfast staples (sausages, rice & beans, and some type of hash consisting of beef and an unknown orange vegetable), and of course some pancakes with chocolate syrup. Alexis was excited that I brought back pancakes because those will always be part of her favorite foods. On my next trip, I noticed a station consisting of shakes and smoothies. Most of these were just ice blended with various fresh fruits including, but not limited to: pineapple, mango, banana & milk, and watermelon. We definitely left eating more than we probably should have.
Figuring that now would be the best time of any to walk off some of the weight we gained from breakfast, we explored the resort grounds. We first walked down the pool and one giant pool that was shaped somewhat like a clover. There were lounge chairs built into the floor of the pool in the shallow sections of the pool that allowed you to lay on the tiles in the reclined position, while you were almost entirely submerged in the water. We saw Riuland, which contained a kiddie pool and playground. The kiddie pool was being cleaned or worked on, but we sure hoped that wouldn't last long. Making our way to the beach we found very hot sand and a decent beach that wasn't bad, but also not spectacular. It was neat to see the mountains on either side of the resort valley go all around us and then end abruptly at the Pacific Ocean. The ocean water wasn't very warm, but also wasn't cold. Alexis still didn't seem to enjoy being around the ocean (much like her first experience with ocean in North Carolina).
Next stop was to scope out the shops just outside the front of the hotel, along the street, but still on the resort property. There were a dozen different sites, but only a few that were worth mentioning. A few souvenir shops, which would be nice for us to buys gifts for ourselves and our friends and family, as well as a doctor which is on call 24-7 at the resort – with all the sickness Alexis has had, there's no telling what we're going to need. It was nice to see some little shops, but we weren't planning to buy anything yet.
After walking in the hot and humid conditions, we decided it was time to go swimming. We grabbed some towels from the shack and were in search of a decent pair of lounge chairs. Most of them were taken and we ended up with a set that were not shaded at all – major mistake. I got us a few drinks from the poolside bar, but virtually took longer waiting for the drink than it would have for us to drink it. Lesson learned: Go to the bar on your way to the pool, not at the pool. Nicole got in with Alexis and the pool was extremely warm – good news for Alexis. She loved getting in immediately and was splashing and playing all over the place. The resort photographers flocked to her to get her picture because…well, she's Alexis. We brought her floaty raft with us and after a few tries really took a liking to it. We were able to push here around the pool in it and she loved it. Even though we planned to spend a half hour or so in the pool, it turned into over an hour because she was having so much fun. Unfortunately, I chose not to apply sunscreen to my shoulder – I'll pay for that a little later.
After a workout like that, we went to get some lunch. They had quite a few choices and a lot of the standard lunch fare you'd expect at a buffet. Of course, fruit again as well. Alexis ate quite a bit for lunch kept us busy as we tried to get enough food ready for her. She got to try some ice cream and loved it, after she got over the fact that it was cold.
She was extremely tired at this point and needed a nap. We got the computer from the room and went to the resort lobby to get on the internet to check email and connect on Skype with Nicole's parents. Nicole caught up on things with them while I pushed Alexis around the resort in her stroller. Laying her back and strapping her in with her blanket (despite the ninety degree temperatures) seemed to do the trick, as she was asleep within fifteen minutes or so, but not before saying hi to grandma and grandpa first. Finally, a few minutes for us to relax while she got some much needed rest.
After at least an hour of napping, we wheeled Alexis back to the pool deck to relax while she was still sleeping. We got wind that the howler monkeys were in the trees and visible from the resort property. Crowds of people were staring at the trees and pointing so Nicole went to go see with the camera. She took a few pictures and then came back to get me. I quickly switched to the large zoom lens and followed them through the trees taking more pictures while they crawled along the branches and jumped from tree to tree.
When she finally woke from her nap, we dressed her for swimming again. We scoped out the afternoon snack and both got a bite to eat even though we probably didn't even need to. The pool was a little less crowded this time, and most were watching the entertainment staff put on a show. We swam around the pool some more until Alexis was ready to get out.
In preparation for dinner, we all changed clothes as the sun was setting over the mountains. I went outside to take a few pictures while the girls were finishing getting ready for dinner. After they met me on the beach, we walked up to the dining hall. Dinner was a little more formal than breakfast and lunch. All of the wait staff was dressed up and the service was even better than earlier. There seemed to be a lot of seafood dishes, rice, and beans in the buffet. Again, we tried all kinds of food they were serving and Alexis ate quite a bit herself. They had all kinds of desserts, including cakes, pies and tarts.
We ventured back to the lobby area and Nicole caught up on some internet activity, while Alexis and I took a stroll around the pool at nighttime in hopes of her falling asleep. The entertainment staff was putting on a show of "Mama Mia!", so we thought we'd get her to sleep and she could sit with us while we watched. Even though she did fall asleep, we didn't stay too long for much of the show. We were still tired and the acoustics were not very conducive to hearing the performance, so we went back to the room and got ready for bed. With excellent teamwork, the two of us transferred Alexis to her crib with her blanket and the room dark. It wasn't long before we fell asleep, as well.
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