We slept well. When booking this place, we did it directly through the Conchal Hotel site instead of through Booking or Expedia. With that direct booking we were able to secure a better price, breakfast included, and request a quiet room. Although there is an arterial road right out front, being at the back of the property does provide for a little separation from that noise. As a result, we slept well.

Breakfast this morning was great. A choice of an American breakfast, Costa Rican tipico breakfast…or an omelette. Melanie opted for the tipico and I the omelette…the tipico was better. A big side dish of watermelon, pineapple and papaya as well as sweet and salty breads for us to toast to complement that main meal. We filled our bellies for the trek down to the beach.

Today was my mom’s 65th birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! We gave her a quick call to sing her happy birthday and find out what might be new back home. Sounds like more rain, and in some places snow. Yikes, but it is November.

10AM and we were on the move. Little traffic to avoid on that busy road down to the water. The sky blue with only a few dark grey clouds, too scattered and small to be threatening. We made our way down the dirt road trail, past yesterdays lunch stop with the expensive pico de gallo, and all the way to the shell beach. Guys lined the sides of the trail offering beach chairs and tents, or ATV tours, horseback rides, bracelets and necklaces…again No Gracias is all it took to have these guys shy away.

We found a quiet little spot in amongst the trees buried in the light sand. Not too many people on the beach this early. Later in the day though it is bound to fill up, and in a month this beach will likely be more pale white blubbery bodies than beautiful sand. We laid out our goods and hung a few things in the trees to mark out our territory. I was thinking it might be good to try drying out my bag by suspending it from a branch. We realized about a half hour later with the tide rolling in it was only the hung items that stayed dry for us.

Warm winds and incoming tides made for some turbulent seas. I played in the surf for a couple hours, having the sand buff all traces of sunscreen from any exposed skin. My shorts quickly filled up with the chunky white sand and I am still picking bits of shell from my hair. A few rogue waves picked me up and tossed me around in the sandy surf removing both hat and sunglasses. The hat was easy to find. Sunglasses I swore were lost, but 5 minutes of sifting through some clear and calmer water had me locate them in only 2 feet of water. I was not interested in overpaying for some crappy glasses here in a small beach town, so that was a win.

We departed at close to 1PM. Storm clouds were accumulating and the tide chased us further and further into the trees. That big breakfast was starting to fade and we really only need so much sun. As it is, Melanie is turning a shade of beige even she isn’t familiar with since being a kid. We made our way back along Brasilito beach and the last stretch requires a fresh water crossing. This was all of about 8 inches deep when we crossed in the morning. Crossing back with the higher tide makes it a bit tougher. Melanie ventured on first, with me on the camera. Probably about 3.5 feet deep now, and she did just fine without getting washed out to sea. As soon as I stopped filming, I could hear the engine of a rental car whirring as it picked up speed across the sand. The driver, and two occupants, were attempting to skip their car across this tiny river like a flat stone on a lake.

They didnt make it. They did clear the 3-4 foot deep trench, but got stuck shortly thereafter. Water started filling in around the car and up to the bottom of the doors. I hope they got the extra insurance, but pretty certain that wouldn’t be covered. The driver laid on the accelerator hoping the front wheel drive would pull him through…nope…just dug him in deeper. No amount of pushing would help him out here. A couple locals ran up the road and brought out an old orange Jeep with a tow rope. This is probably more common than not and these guys probably wait for opportunities like this. The Jeep hooked up, locked the front hubs, and pulled the little Nissan out of its sandy predicament. Driver was happy. His wife, or girlfriend, hid her head…obviously very embarrassed to be seen in the same vehicle as this guy.

With the excitement over, we made our way back up the hill. Lunch was separated from dinner by a long pool break. Both meals were had in the restaurant attached to this hotel. The latter being almost as pricey as the cost of the room. Costa Rica is not a cheap place by any means. 20USD for a simple entree is a steep price to pay anywhere, and this place is far from civilized. I think the reviews warned us of that though.

So in for the night now. Tomorrow we will have to look into eating either a later lunch or early dinner here…and top that off with a 2 for 1 dessert. Melanie says I need some more meat on my bones. A good start can be made with a little extra sugar.