Costa Rica surprised me in countless ways when we visited. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, although looking back now I can’t imagine why I felt that way. It is full of lush jungle, so much incredible wildlife, beaches for miles, waterfalls, and just so much adventure!
Dominical was a highlight of our time in Costa Rica and, in my opinion, the most wonderful getaway. I loved its proximity to nature and waterfalls. It was SO green and just felt so tropical. The beach was wonderful and we actually tried surfing here! The town of Domincal is very small, but is PACKED with awesome food options! So let’s get into it!
Where to Stay
In Dominical, we stayed at “Hotel Villas Rio Mar” and we really enjoyed our stay here. The hotel had dining, a large pool, beautiful and VERY large grounds, tennis courts, and the most gorgeous garden! We had our own little “hut” type accommodation and it was so perfect and private. We had our own terrace and a large bed and nice bathroom. Some bats even took up residence on our terrace, it was so neat to watch them daily. The hotel was less than a 5 minute drive down the road from the actual town of Dominical, but this wasn’t an issue for us as you need a car for most things in Costa Rica anyway.
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What to Eat
Phat Noodle: So nice, we ate it twice! We loved this place, it was an Asian fusion style restaurant and everything we had over both of our dinners there was excellent. It was in the middle of a lawn with an open air concept and it was such a beautiful place to dine. I highly recommend it.
Del Mar Taco Shop: This was another favorite of ours. I’m pretty sure my husband ate an insane amount of tacos here. They were delicious and the vibe was just great. You could roll up here after a day of surfing or exploring and grab some tacos and a beer and just chill. It’s super casual and picnic table style which we loved. Highly recommend.
El Pescado Loco: This was another amazing taco shop with a focus on their very delicious fish tacos! We grabbed them midday and they were so delicious and filling!
Dominical Sushi: It was surprsing to find so many different types of cuisine in this tiny town, but each place was just as good as the last. The same goes for this sushi spot. We loved the food, we ordered a ton of different rolls and apps and really enjoyed all of it!
Things to Do
Diamante Waterfall Hike: This hike was absolute perfection, we loved it! But, if you’re going to go with a guide, a major tip from us would be to ask about the group you’re joining. We were FAR more physically fit than the other people we hiked with and we were honestly bored at some points waiting for them. When we finished the hike, we actually asked to hike back to our car on our own because we ran out of patience. They allowed us to complete the hike on our own, thank goodness, and we were back at our hotel pool within a few hours! Honestly, this hike is incredible. It’s a solid level of difficulty and a lot of incline (we love a good workout). You have the option to go waterfall jumping, and we had a vegetarian lunch cooked for us in a cave behind a waterfall! It felt unreal! The lunch was amazing! The actual Diamante waterfall is an incredible sight, and from the top you can see for miles around the area, all the way to the ocean. There is a rope you can hold onto near the edge so you can get the views without feeling nervous. Overall this was one of my favorite things we did in Costa Rica!
Beach: Just hanging on the beach in Dominical is so nice. It is a VERY chill vibe here and theres plenty of space to spread out. The water was really nice and there are little market stalls set up all along the beach that you can browse on your way in or out.
Surfing: It was really easy to rent a surfboard here right by the beach. Griffin tried surfing for the first time and really enjoyed it, he even stood up a few times. It was a very casual environment and a very easy vibe on the beach so we didn’t feel uncomfortable in any way by giving it a go.
Manuel Antonio Park: In my opinion, this park is a MUST DO when in Costa Rica. Once you get through the initial shock of the parking lot situation, everything else is amazing. Thankfully I’d read many other blogs before traveling here and knew to ignore the tons of people shouting to you about parking and just head straight for the real lots and park your own car.
Once you’re in the park, it’s truly fantastic. We saw SO MUCH wildlife here. There are also two picture perfect beaches within the park and we swam and hung out at both of them. Monkeys hang out in the trees between the two beaches which kept us entertained for hours.
We hiked quite a few trails and saw so many birds, lizards, monkeys, and sloths. We even saw an anteater climbing around up in the treetops! This was a perfect way to spend a day and I couldn’t recommend it more.
If you’re interested in our other stops in Costa Rica check out my blog post here: Road Trip Costa Rica
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Plan for me dani 