Costa Rica: Day 2
So it turns out that Hotel Grano de Oro is actually a pretty cool place. It seems to be a series of corridors linking various courtyards and rooms, each with a distinctive feel. It’s a shame we don’t have time to admire much more than our own private courtyard and the main dining courtyard as we need to get packed up and ready to hit the road for Arenal, our first proper stop on our Costa Rican adventure.
As we settle down for our four hour transfer we are surprised at how good the roads are as we had been warned that they were a little, er, ropey. It was tarmac all the way to our destination. On the way our driver treated us to an eclectic mix of latino music, Michael Jackson (including the longest megamix ever of all his hits), Queen, GnR and the Rolling Stones. Nice. As we drive we also pass endless coffee, mango, papaya and orchid plantations.
We finally reach our destination and I knock back my first Costa Rican beer. If you can find Imperial beer then buy some - it’s gooood, especially on a hot day! We are staying at La Mansion which is a small family-run hotel with fantastic views over the lake.
We have a small self-contained hut to ourselves and have to head up to the main dining area for our meals. We spend the rest of the afternoon chillaxing and dipping in the pool (which was pretty cold). The day was rounded off with the worlds largest filet mignon cooked to perfection!