Honeymoon Recap- Pt. 2 (In love with El Capitan!)

Hotel Capitan Suizo

We discovered our hotel on tripadvisor.com, and it was a GREAT decision to research hotels on that site!! I realize that many user reviewed websites may be biased by mostly people treated poorly getting on and ranting about their bad experiences, but we could hardly find one negative thing about the hotel (except for a few years back when there was lots of construction!) Practically EVERY other review completely RAVED about it, and it definitely lived true to the reviews! We were not disappointed in any way!

It was a pretty rustic place, with no TV's, etc. but it was PARADISE!! It really provided an escape from reality, an escape from wedding madness and provided the PERFECT honeymoon experience!

We started off for the first 4 nights in a regular upstairs room with no AC. Your first thought might be, NO AC?? In a tropical climate??!! That was our first thought but the many reviews suggested that it would be ok. Plus it was cheaper, not to mention all that was available! It was actually perfect!! Our room had lots of windows with open screens to allow the jungle and ocean breezes and two ceiling fans. It was occasionally a bit humid feeling, but it truly allowed you to experience the sounds of the rain that came everyday and the lovely sounds of the jungle birds and other animals.

We forgot to take a pic of our room, so this is off tripadvisor,  but this is pretty much what it looked like! Ours was an end unit though, so it had more windows on the left wall. The bathroom is through the door in the back and it was pretty nice with a window breeze too!

Here is the view from our balcony! You can slightly see the pool right behind me and to the far left by the tree you can get a peek at the ocean. It was much easier to see in person!

It was even fun hanging out on the balcony in the rain!! It was so peaceful and calming!

Our second room was the honeymoon bungalow. Although it wasn't too expensive, it would've been too much to stay there the whole week! We decided to move there towards the end because we were afraid we'd be too disappointed in the smaller room second!! It was a great decision! Although the rooms are great, I highly recommend the bungalows if you can afford the higher price! They are each like their own little house! The honeymoon one is slightly different in that the bed is up a little flight of stairs, almost like a bunk bed! It was so cute!!

Isn't it adorable!!

My hubby testing out the bed!

Our huge bathroom!

Outdoor shower that I was too scared to use because if anyone went for a walk behind the buildings, they'd discover me!!

The food was also absolutely FANTASTIC!! We both packed on quite a few pounds eating here!!

The outdoor restaurant was so much fun! It was very romantic at night by candlelight, and cheerful during the day with animals running around and a GREAT view of the ocean! It was literally two steps away from the beach!

A few nights we even had musical entertainment at the restaurant! This was really nice to hear even from our room at night while falling asleep! No, they didn't play that late, we just went to bed that early some nights!! :o)

We loved the romantic candlelight that reminded us of our wedding centerpieces! And loved how they made our shiny new rings sparkle! At one point during the trip, a lady asked us if we were newlyweds, and said she could tell because our rings were still sparkly and shiny! Love it!! :o)

Breakfast was fantastic- included everyday- it was a huge smorgasbord of yummy fruit, pastries, and a few hot items. They also cooked food to order, but at a minimal charge.

I started everyday with a huge plate of mango, pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Best fruit ever! And because it's all locally grown, it didn't bother me like some fruit here in the states. It's weird but sometimes the pesticides, etc. in fruit makes my throat itch like crazy!

Mmmmmm....my plate of fruit was always followed by this one....apple bread, eggs, gallo pinto (rice and beans), and platanos (my FAVE!!)

For dinner, we ate......

Giant shrimp

Rollitos de tilapia (Tilapia rolls)- these were soooo YUMMY!!! They were strips of tilapia, rolled up and drowned in butter, cream and spices! Soooooo good, esp when they were gone and we dipped our bread in the leftover butter! We ate these pretty much every night!

Filet Mingon (this is actually just half a serving! We split it one night!)

Chocolate Mousse! YUM!!

Banana Split! Best I've ever had!

And Nachos with Guac and black beans for lunch!! (I didn't touch the guac tho! Yuck!!)

Can you see now why we packed on some pounds??!! They also had great burgers, pasta, chicken....mmmmm! Wish I was back there right now!

The pool and the beach were also amazing! Pretty much all we did was switch back and forth from laying hammocks on the beach, to lounging at the pool, to lounging on our balcony or porch! With visits to the restaurant in between! It was so relaxing, so amazing!!

Next up....a post on the amazing, funny wildlife at the hotel!!

Honeymoon Recap Pt. 1

So, I've decided to start re-capping everything by hitting the BEST part first- what happened AFTER the wedding! :o) The much anticipated Honeymoon in Costa Rica!!

The wedding was on Saturday, and we didn't head to Costa Rica until Tuesday. Best idea ever! It gave us time to open wedding presents and get things organized. And things were a MESS!! I spent a good part of Monday on into the wee hours of Tues. searching for missing shoes, clothes, and toiletries! That's what I get for having my stuff moving all over the place from 2 hotels, my apartment (which I officially moved out of that same day!), and our new place! Oh and the church and the reception site! (I'm pretty sure that someone out there still has my navy blue Old Navy flip flops I wore to the church that day!!)  So after moving and searching for all our stuff and needing to get up for the airport at 4am, we got 2-3 hrs of sleep! Good thing we were headed for paradise!! :o)

When we checked in at the airport, we were given the option to upgrade to first class!! *Note to budget-savvy travelers- if you use airline points- be sure to do the self check in! For some reason the attendants can't upgrade mile users to first, but the e-check in allows you to!!*

Our first newlywed pic at 4am in the airport--Too early for make-up!

It was quite early in the am and NOTHING was open so we killed some time in the food court, then took our chances to get into American Airline's Admiral's Club! We probably shouldn't have....but we got in! It was so early that the few people there were hardly making a peep, and we quietly said, "Oh we're on our honeymoon and flying first class to Miami and wanted to see if we could get in." And we got in! Technically you have to purchase a one day pass if you aren't a member, but somehow we did it! She did mention she didn't see us on the list, but still let us go!

It was nice to kill some time by drinking coffee and OJ and eating cute little muffins. Btw, there was a basket of apples on the bar- which cracked me up! I made reference to feeling like Monica and Chandler sneaking into the first class lounge in a previous post....and that REALLY made me feel like them- except we were permitted to enter, and could eat the apples! I expected someone to tell us to leave at any moment and we'd run out screaming and grabbing apples along the way! Hehe!

If it wasn't for his head, you'd see the bowl of apples!

I've never flown first class before, and I'm sure to some people it's pretty run-of-the-mill normal!! At first glance, it seems that it's the same as the rest of the plane- except with bigger seats, lots more leg room, and you don't have to sit pressed up against a stranger next to you! However, the free mimosas (or whatever other drink you want!) keep coming, breakfast is served, hot towels are offered to freshen you up, and there is plenty of room to spread out and play your favorite card game with your new hubby (and thoroughly beat him!!)

 

On our next flight, we couldn't upgrade, but the flight attendant sure tried to get us up there once we were on the plane. Didn't work, but she did bring us some free champagne- no one in coach gets that for free!! :o) There is something magic about the words "We're on our honeymoon!" I suggest using them often!!

 

My wonderful hubby was even gracious enough to allow me to have the window seat all 4 flights (2 there, 2 back!). The view as we arrived in Costa Rica was amazing...especially the coast line.

Doesn't even do justice to how amazing it was!!

Customs were a breeze (in and out) of Liberia, and we walked out of the airport to find someone holding a sign with Ray's and our hotel's names. We did have to pay for our hour ride to the hotel, but they actually sent someone from the hotel, along with our driver to get us there safely. They were pretty great. They even stopped twice for us- once for me to use the restroom and once so we could get a drink.

One amazing thing about everywhere we went in CR- I never used a nasty bathroom!! At a gas station, souvenir store, every restaurant, and of course our hotel- the restrooms were spotless! Neater and cleaner than many bathrooms here! That's not something I'm used to traveling overseas, so I was pleasantly surprised. That's not to say they really are all great because I didn't see em all- but I didn't find a bad one!

We have arrived!!!

Our hotel- Hotel Capitan Suizo was spectacular! Although I'll admit on that first day, jet lag (and wedding-lag!) slapped me big time the second our journey was over and we entered our room! Ray thought I wasn't happy with our hotel, but he hasn't experienced my travel routine- I'm pretty used to running myself ragged before a trip, then traveling all day to an overseas location, and collapsing when I get there- or if unable to collapse, I get in a pretty foul mood! I almost got in a foul mood, but we got food and slept to the sounds of the rain forest and the beach. Best sleep ever-until interrupted by sounds of children jumping in the pool!!

Next up....a full summary of our hotel and what we did in lovely CR!!

Oh my Capitan, how I miss you!!!!

I'm alive!!

Yes, I am back from the honeymoon (it was wonderful!!)....for exactly a week now!! Just still soaking up some of that wedded bliss, I guess! And enjoying getting my house together, and spending time with the new hubby!! (oh and our nephews who we watched all weekend!!)

Promise I'll be catching up soon! LOTS to write still!!

In the meantime, check out my photographer's blog to catch a few sneak peeks on the wedding pics! Her latest blog is on us! :o)   Check out my hot mom while you're at it too! (hehe, gotta read her blog to understand!!)

Bledsoe Photography Blog

I LOVE her!!! You'll be hearing more bragging about her in the days to come....but I just can't say enough about how happy we were with her! If you need a photog in Nashville- Check her out!!! And tell her I sent you! :o)

We're flyin first class...up in the sky....

On the way to the honeymoon.....just had to take a sec to write because we got first class upgrades AND got in the admirals club at the airport....didn't know the Nashville airport could be so nice!! All those poor people down below with no free coffee, muffins, juice, internet and comfy chairs!

Kinda  feeling like Chandler and Monica from Friend's when they go on their honeymoon....at least that's how we felt tryin to get in, but we did!! :o)

I will never be able to fly with all the other poor shmucks again!

Costa Rica......here we come! :o)

Cupcake tree!

 

This is the very first wedding picture! It actually came from the cake master herself- Shara of Cakes by Shara. And if you've been reading my blog at all you know how much I've been looking forward to these cupcakes!!! Sad to say, I did not even see the cupcakes in this untouched state! I saw it when most were gone and sitting next to a pretty messy chocolate fountain that everyone had already happily enjoyed! I didn't get to try one at the ceremony (although I did snatch a shell off the top of my cousin's cupcake!), but we had some packed in our goodie bag that we had later that night! YUM!!!!! My parents even have  a few more left to share with us!

Everyone RAVED that they were the BEST cupcakes they'd ever had!! They were an enormous hit!!! :o)

My main cake was also a huge hit, which I only got a teeeeeeny bite of (the one Ray wiped on the side of my face!)  Can't wait to share about how fabulous that turned out too! (um, except for the fact that my cake knife and server were and STILL are M.I.A.!!)

Ok.....don't tell Ray that his wife (tehe!) is blogging before the honeymoon! Don't wanna get in trouble but I couldn't wait to share my first picture!!! There will be lots to come!!!

It's official!!!

We're officially married now!!!! The wedding was crazy, it was emotional, it was CRAZY, it was beautiful, it was crazy, it was a blast......did I say crazy??!!

Look for recaps and more info on details I didn't have time to get to before the wedding sometime in the next couple weeks after our HONEYMOON IN COSTA RICA!!!!!!

Tata for now!!!

Mrs. H   :o)

Sand Ceremony Kit

Awhile ago, I ordered my sand ceremony kit from The Knot, I expected to like it....but I didn't expect to LOVE it as much as I do!!

Here's their website photo...

 

A reviewer on their site says that the "personalization" is a ribbon to put around the vase with a tag that has names and date on it. Not so with ours!! Maybe they got a clue by the review and decided to actually etch it on the vase! Ours main vase has our name and date inscribed!! Yippee!! I wasn't expecting it but greatly pleased and surprised!

Now it's not put together yet, and won't be until wedding day, but here's what it looks like apart...

I stuffed a dish towel inside the vase in an effort to show the inscription....obviously didn't work to well!

Then the wonderful fiance got the idea to stick it in front of his navy shirt so it would show up! Great idea baby!!

Many people have heard by now about the sand ceremony, but in case you haven't. here is a great website to check out for origin and ideas for your own ceremony.

Here's something similar to the description we plan on using, from the website above...

Officiant: Before us sits a container to symbolize the bonding of this union sealed with the love and blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The white sand symbolizes the purity of a marriage covenant at which Christ Jesus is the center. The sands the couple holds represent their individual selves. As they pour these sands together and mix them, they symbolize the eternal bond that will hold them and their marriage together.
Officiant: (Bride/Groom) and (Groom/Bride) will now come together for the Mixing of the Sands. Just as Jesus Christ is the Lord of their lives and the Rock of their Salvation, He will now be the solid foundation that holds their marriage firm. This is symbolized by the white sand in the bottom of the bottle. (Bride/Groom) and (Groom/Bride) both have sands that symbolize their individual lives and selves. As they pour their sands in together, it shows how their lives- once separate- are now becoming intertwined as one. Just as it would be impossible to separate these sands once poured, their union shall make them inseperable as well. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

I'm loving this new way of doing a unity ceremony. I was pretty sure already that I didn't want to do the typical unity candle- just not me! I loved the idea of how the sands mix together along with the spiritual part.

We plan to have our pastor pour the foundational layer of white sand, then have each of our moms pour in a layer before they are seated, followed by Ray and I mixing the 3 together along with our pastor.

Can't wait to see how it turns out, and we plan on keeping it in the vase as a reminder to us always of how important our relationship is, but most importantly that it is founded in a relationship with the Lord!