Where to stay when you are traveling

Everyone has preferences of what kind of lodging they want or need when traveling – types of places they like to stay in, what amenities they require and location. After traveling for over 2 weeks, I realized that I love hostels and places with communal meals. I really enjoy meeting new people and hearing about their adventures, as well as learn from their experiences. It makes the travel experience so much richer for me.

My first experiences with hostels were in 1987 when I was backpacking throughout Europe. The hostels came in all shapes and sizes; some of the hostels we stayed in were converted castles and fortresses. It was unbelievable to stay in a castle for $10 per night, which also included breakfast. My simple goal was to find a clean, cheap place to stay and cook my own food (another way to keep things inexpensive). Hostels satisfied these goals plus the bonus of meeting fellow travelers. Sometimes we even hooked up and traveled together for a while.

I didn’t frequent hostels again until 2008, when we drove from New York to California. The hostels in the USA offered more amenities than the ones I visited in Europe. In Europe, most rooms were dorm style and only a few had doubles. In the USA, it was easy to find rooms to accommodate a family of three. Mathew loved the social aspect of the hostels. I remember arriving in Flagstaff, getting settled into our room and Mathew asking in earnest, “Can I go meet people now?!” He was only 4 ½ at the time.

In Costa Rica, we had difference experiences with the hostels. The first hostel was Pensión Santa Elena in Santa Elena, near Monteverde. It was a full service hostel. Not only did they have a kitchen for guests to use, they had a small restaurant (breakfast was included and other meals were reduced by 10%), and a full service concierge. The staff was incredibly helpful and booked great hikes with amazing guides and transportation for us. The room I booked was much more than we needed. It came with a full size bed, bunk beds, and a loft with a full size bed and a private bath. Mathew had three choices of beds; he chose the loft, of course. Next time when booking a room, I think it would be wise to request the smallest room that would accommodate 2 adults and a child with a private bath.

Pensión Santa Elena in downtown Santa Elena, in the middle of it all.

Pensión Santa Elena in downtown Santa Elena, in the middle of it all.

The view from our room

The view from our room

The next hostel we stayed in was referred to as a “boutique” hostel. Essence Arenal is located in El Castillo in Arenal Volcano National Park. The 100 acre property has lovely hiking trails and an organic farm to tour. There are wonderful views of Arenal, when the clouds do not cover it. Unlike most hostels, guests are not welcome to use the kitchen. Nevertheless, the food that was provided at a nominal fee far exceeded anything we would cook up. During dinner, Chef Marvin taught us how to prepare a part of the meal and then we all ate family style. The first night was Moroccan and the second night was Mexican. Dinner conversation was very lively as a man from Malaysia, working in Canada as a fracker, sat next to a wind energy worker from Austria. They ended up traveling the next day together. The hostel also provides a full concierge service, along with massages, yoga classes and wonderful outdoor area with Jacuzzi or place to simply sit by a fire and relax. The rooms were rather basic but provided us with more than we needed.

Bananas, a Scarlet Macaw enjoying breakfast

Bananas, a Scarlet Macaw enjoying breakfast

Rooms at Essence Arenal

 

View from the organic farm - that's Lake Arenal and beyond that Arenal.

View from the organic farm – that’s Lake Arenal and beyond that is Arenal and it’s still active.

Tranquil grounds to stroll around. Tranquil grounds to stroll around.

After leaving Arenal, we went to Cahuita on the southern Caribbean coast. Since we were staying six days, we decided to stay in a cabin I found on Airbnb. It was ideal for our time, but I did miss all the lively conversations we had at the hostels.

 

 

 

Complaining about winter

winter in house 2Around this time of year, I start hearing “I’ve had enough of winter! or I’m ready for spring!” At first, I’m always confused. It really hasn’t been such a bad winter, the cold weather and snow has just really started. But, then I remember that we do most of our traveling between November through March, and, for the most part, to warmer climates. We are not usually gone for the entire winter, but rather a week or so each month during the winter. This conveniently reduces the amount of time we are in the frigid north. Before I met my husband, my travel pattern was by design. Since my 20s, I realize traveling in the winter made winter bearable and much shorter. Besides, I’ve always lived in wonderful places with lots of things to do, so there was never much need to travel during warmer months. Then I fell in love with a farmer who has a lot more time to travel in the winter than in the fairer months. A match made in heaven.

Besides cold weather, winter brings more darkness than light. We are fortunate to have a home that aids in this challenge. We live in an old farmhouse with large picture windows and lots of smaller windows in each room. Most of the walls throughout the house are painted with an off white, which adds to the cheerfulness of the rooms. It is so bright in the house most of the time that I feel apart of nature while sitting all cozy next to our wood stove  Although I love to hike and snowshoe in the winter, the house allows me to forget that I’m indoors. Some days, I find little desire to venture outside as my room is filled with sunshine where I can watch all the critters take care of their business.

Complain about winter? Not me. I have created the perfect balance that will get me through the cold grey months of wintry weather. I simply leave and go where it is warm and sunny from time to time and return to a home that allows the sun to shine in all the rooms. Okay, not everyone can travel during the grey days of winter, but adding light and brightness to your home may be possible. What do you do to make winters bearable? Please share and I will continue to share.

A typical grey winter day in our home

A typical grey winter day in our home