Paraiso, Costa Rica

I stayed in Costa Rica in July 2024. I stayed in San Juan for 3 days and 4 days in Límon. I loved Límon the people are warm and very helpful. I hired a local driver for the day and he escorted me to the market and local swimming hole. The villa I stayed in was an Airbnb and the owners built and lived on the property along with a 3-unit and 8-unit building. I stayed in the shipping container unit with a lovely outdoor kitchen and patio. I could hear the waves at night in bed. The compound was located across the street from Playa Bonita. I hopped on the local bus and rode to Playa Negro about an hour south of Límon. I ran into a few Black Expats on the beach! These 3 women were glowing and a beautiful reminder of the glory of black women taking up space. These aunties all said Don’t go back…lol Collectively they had been living abroad for over a decade. Chatting with them while eating gelato and a pizza cone was a major highlight of my trip. The food I ate on this trip was fresh fish and rice & beans and plantain. Oh and an honorable mention for the fresh coconut water. My driver literally cut it off the tree and opened it for me with his machete.🫡😲🤤 Límon and Playa Negro more than made up for the hiccups at the beginning of my trip. There was an issue with the shuttle drivers getting a clear understanding of where my other AirBnb in Putarenas was located. Thankfully this happened at the airport om San Juan and not driving around lost after the nearly 3 hrs shuttle ot takes to get from San Juan. So I pivoted and found a hotel near the capital that included a breakfast and was priced about the same as my prior arrangements. Overall, it was a great stay. It had a very clean pool on the courtyard and was walking distance to several good eateries.
This was my first solo trip abroad and I learned a lot on the fly and didn’t feel unsafe at all on the trip. I would definitely return for a longer stay to really get a feel for the culture and local lifestyle.