Costa Rica Archives | Travels With Baby

Photo Fave: Costa Rican diaper changing station

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Before our family adventure in Costa Rica, I had not expected to encounter many, if any, high chairs along the way, let alone a diaper changing station. Now I know better. Although there doesn’t seem to be a common word to specifically mean “high chair” (“chair for the baby” is more like it), it became almost a joke how one would turn up nearly everywhere on our path, from the busiest roadside restaurants to a backroads barn-turned-restaurant where we ate by a pile of bricks and a wood stove (there they actually had three!). And here in the ladies’ restroom at Zoo Ave in Alajuela: a beautiful wooden diaper changing station, of course. And it works great!

If you missed my post earlier this week, don’t miss my tips for visiting the marvelous Zoo Ave – a must if you’ll be in Central Costa Rica with small kids. Also, my review of family-friendly Hotel Villa Dolce where we stayed just 10 minutes away.

This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.

Related posts and pages:

See all Costa Rica tips from Travels with Baby

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli

Author of the award-winning Travels with Baby guidebooks

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Photo Fave: Arenal Hanging Bridges with toddler, central Costa Rica

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Here’s a favorite photo from our hike through Arenal Hanging Bridges near Lago Arenal and the Arenal Volcano in central Costa Rica. With 25 lbs. on my back, it was a good workout, but what a fantastic place to explore with the kids!

This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com – a happy weekend to all!

Related posts and pages:
5 Ways to Ease your Arrival in Costa Rica with Kids

Traveler beware: Car seat laws in Costa Rica are stricter than in the U.S.

Dinner with our private chef in Costa Rica
Review of Blue Batik Villa

Review of Casa Vista, Manzanillo, Costa Rica
5 Best with Children Under 5: Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula
See all Costa Rica travel tips and posts from Travels with Baby

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
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Photo Fave: Pancakes in Paradise (a.k.a. Manzanillo, Costa Rica)

Shelly Rivoli — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 02:20:00 +0000

I recently saw a tweet from @SoulTravelers3 that read, “Family travel is often about doing ordinary things in extraordinary places.” It got me thinking.

Traveling with a school-age child now, it’s things like watching her do homework on the airplane or on a balcony in Spain that sets my heart a-flutter about family travel as never before. It’s easy to see how the “Soul Travelers 3” have not stopped traveling since they left home with their 5-year-old in 2006!

But for many people considering whether or not to travel with their children as babies and toddlers, it’s having to deal with the ordinary things that era of parenting entails–diaper changes, feedings and snacks, bedtime routines, babyproofing, and possible tantrums–in extraoridnary places that can be a most daunting. And I can tell you from experience, it’s not always easy.

Yet there is also a certain magic in it, especially in the way doing these same mundane tasks a parent must do one thousand times over just once in one unusual place helps crystallize a key experience that might otherwise blur into the weeks, and months, and years of overseeing a young child’s development.

I started to recall breastfeeding in Bangkok–after trying so hard to find a quiet place to sit down where curious onlookers would stop coming up to play with my fair-haired baby. Then changing a diaper on the ground at Pompeii in a place I thought no one would notice–when a large tour group suddenly began passing by, and later trying to brush the volcanic soot off my flannel-backed changing pad. And helping my daughter learn to walk as she insisted on going up and down and up and down the steps of a movie theater during the Cannes Film Festival–when we thought that she would sleep.

And here? Our family’s weekly ritual of making a pancake breakfast, but one time we’ll surely never forget, as we sat in the outdoor dining room perched in the trees at Casa Vista, with tropical birds coming to rest at eye level, red squirrels on the fly, howler monkeys in the distance, and an iguana on the roof.

Ordinary. Extraordinary. And some of my favorite memories as a mom so far.

This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.

Safe journeys,
Shelly Rivoli Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby travelswithbaby.com Travels with Baby on Facebook

All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

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Photo Fave: DIY family beach hut at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

Shelly Rivoli — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:39:00 +0000


How to spend Palm Friday in Costa Rica? Build your own beach hut on the Pacific.

If you enjoyed last Friday’s Sunset at Playa Hermosa Photo Fave, here’s a glimpse of how you can pass the hours (and hours) of the afternoon with your kids on this family-friendly beach, while taking a break from the sun.

Along the shady border of this vast sandy beach, you’ll find palm fronds, driftwood, and coconuts all crying out to be crafted into one-of-a-kind shelters. While our beach hut was rather modest by the standards of several more experienced and imaginative builders on the beach, the kids were quite proud they could help their dad build it.

And if you’re wondering, this photo really was taken on Palm Friday! One that I’ll never forget. This post is part of Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com, and part of my ongoing Photo Fave series (click here to see more).

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
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Dinner with our private chef in Costa Rica

Shelly Rivoli — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:54:00 +0000

Note: That’s not me in the kitchen. (Heheh.)

While planning our Costa Rica trip, there were so many things to look forward to—an aerial tram ride, monkey sightings, wildlife sanctuaries, hanging bridges, beaches, volcanoes, butterflies, waterfalls—but one thing I especially looked forward to (as the uninspired cook for a family of 5) was the night we would have a private chef come prepare dinner for us at Blue Batik, our villa at Playa Hermosa.

I was completely on the fence about whether to go with beef, chicken, or fish as a main dish, guessing and second-guessing what the kids would want to eat as I always do at home—until we arrived at the Pacific and I knew we’d be crazy to go with anything other than fish.

The morning of our big dinner, “Chef Pablo” stopped by to introduce himself and discuss the evening’s menu. Fish was not a problem, he assured me. “But what kind?” I wondered out loud, staring at our group of six. Silly me, this is not the kind of thing one pulls out of a hat (or freezer, if you are at my house). Naturally, he would leave us to drive straight to the fish markets at Malpais to see what was the best of the morning’s fresh catch. That sounded perfectly acceptable to me as I glanced over at our private swimming pool, and the footpath to the glorious Playa Hermosa just beyond it.

Chef Pablo, ready to get to work, and wondering why I’ve pulled out my camera.

We spoke in more general terms about the kinds of dishes we would like to go with the fish, so he could shop accordingly once determining the type of fish. While it felt a little strange to still have some things up in the air, I admit I was relieved to be leaving some of the details, and the shopping, in somebody else’s hands for a change.

Then we discussed two more very important components of the meal: wine and dessert. Chef Pablo, having grown up and received his earliest culinary training in Argentina, and then going on to work in Spain before settling in Costa Rica, had a great knowledge of wine and indeed led us to an excellent bottle to pair with our meal (I went with Argentinean, of course, and for $25 we got a fantastic white from his supply).

That evening, I hustled up the beach trail at the appointed time to find Chef Pablo arriving with all of the ingredients in his backpack and a small cooler, which he’d carried down the pedestrian lane to our villa. I watched as he quickly took over the kitchen of Blue Batik, having no idea I intended to report on our experience to more than a few friends. After a few quick pictures, I quickly realized there was really nothing left for me to do but to slip on that crumple-proof, quick-dry maxi dress rolled in the corner of my suitcase and climb into a hammock.

Not-cooking on vacation? More of that, please.

We visited as the children played on in our private restaurant, and I suddenly realized what was missing. Without batting an eye, I pulled up an old Argentine tango album I’d almost forgotten was on my laptop, and plugged into the villa’s sound system. I saw Pablo crack a small smile, but said nothing as we lit the candles and adjusted the evening lights of the outdoor rooms to suit.

Before we knew it, dinner for six was served on our long slab table beside the illuminated pool. The red snapper was incredible, and even the 2-year-old at the table ate his with relish. Chef Pablo had thoughtfully set aside certain ingredients from our salad that the children enjoy, though not necessarily mixed together (including olives!), and arranged them on separate plates.

Dinner was delicious, to be sure, but to be cooked for and served in the outdoor dining room of our beautiful villa no one wanted to leave but for the beach, where the children were free to play—and eventually pass out—once finished, while we slowly enjoyed our meals, our wine… our chocolate ice cream cakes, all the while enjoying the magical setting of Blue Batik… it was a definite treat and highlight of our stay on the Nicoya Peninsula.

Another satisfied customer.

We booked Chef Pablo through Costa Rican Vacation, who can help you hire a private cook for one special meal, for one meal each day, or for all of the meals during your family’s stay in or around Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, including at two of their properties where we stayed as guests: Casa Vista and the Blue Batik villa you see here.

While I enjoy some perks as a travel writer, those who are interested may be assured we paid the full rate for our dinner with Chef Pablo, and this review of our experience, as always, is subject to my own opinion. In this case it would have to be a definite: “Two thumbs up!”

Now… what on earth are we eating tonight? Seriously!? Perhaps a little tango music will help.

Related posts and pages:

Review of Casa Vista vacation home in Costa Rica

Visting Doka Coffee Estate in Alajuela, Costa Rica

5 ways to ease your arrival in Costa Rica with kids

See more family-friendly Costa Rica features from Travels with Baby

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli, Author of the award-winning Travels with Babyand Take-Along Travels with Baby

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Curious about this content? See my editorial content disclosure.

P.S. As I explain in my review of Blue Batik, this could be an ideal place to stay with extended family (as we did) and/or a vacation babysitter and celebrate a special anniversary or birthday—in which case a festive dinner in with your own private chef could be the icing on the (birthday) cake. To help maximize your vacation bliss, a local babysitter is also available to guests through Costa Rican Vacation. See details in the review.

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Photo Fave: Sunset at Playa Hermosa, Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

Shelly Rivoli — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Me. There. Now. (Clicking heels.)

Well, at least I have some hundred photos to help remember (and try to relive!) all the fun our family had at the gorgeous, and even toddler-friendly beach we stayed by at Playa Hermosa. Here you can see what I mean by my description in the review of Blue Batik villa (just a few minutes’ walk from this very spot) of how the smooth sand beach is vast and wide–so much so that as the tide comes in and out it creates this mirrored expanse that seems to make all the world a sky as sunset draws near.

I’d seen some brilliant photos of sunset here before we arrived, but I never expected that taking magical pictures of it would be so easy–or addicting. Case in point: This photo was not taken with our good camera, but with the very basic but beachworthy waterproof (and nearly toddler-proof) Kodak Play Sport, which also captured some magical video footage of kids splashing in the surf and blue crabs on the run in nearby tidepools, among other treasures. (And in case you were wondering, we chose and paid for this camera ourselves.)

This post is part of the Photo Friday Fun over at DeliciousBaby.com. Have a great weekend, and if you’re looking for more Costa Rica family travel tips, see the links below.

Related posts and pages:

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
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All content of this blog (c) Shelly Rivoli

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