Long Haul travel goes from fun to not very quickly Long Haul travel goes from fun to not very quickly. But there is nothing quite like the post flight shower. Would you agree? ✈️🛀🚿
🇬🇹Guatemala Places you need to visit in Gua 🇬🇹Guatemala

Places you need to visit in Guatemala: 

🧡Antigua
🧡Acatenango Volcano
🧡Lake Atitlan
🧡Semuc Champey
🧡El Paredon 

Is Guatemala on your bucket list?
Reintroducing myself 🙋🏽‍♀️🌴🐢🏝 Reintroducing myself 🙋🏽‍♀️🌴🐢🏝️

Had to repost this because my audio got removed on the original even though my voice is my voice and no one else’s so let’s hope it’s second time lucky 😅
2 week Costa Rica Itinerary 🍃✌🏽🦥🏄🏼

Day 1 – Landing in San Jose
Day 2-5 – Puerto Viejo
Day 5-7 – Tortuguero
Day 7-10 – La Fortuna
Day 10-12 – Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 12-14 – Dominical
9  things to NEED to do on your Barbados holiday🌴🇧🇧:

🐟 Oistins Fish Fry on a Friday Night
⚡️ Go for a drink and swim @thunder.bay.beach.bar 
🌅Watch the Sunrise
🐢Swim with Turtles
⛵️Boat cruise with @silvermoonbarbados 
🌮Sunset Dinner @seashed_barbados 
🐎Watch the racehorses at Pebbles Beach 
🌊 Walk along the Hastings Boardwalk 
🌅Watch the sunset
📸=🧡 📸=🧡
TRAVEL OFTEN AROUND YOUR 9-5⬇️ 🟠 Obvious c TRAVEL OFTEN AROUND YOUR 9-5⬇️

🟠 Obvious choice but make use of the weekends. Fly out on Friday night and home Sunday evening. Really good to squeeze in a mini city break. 

🟠 For longer holidays use the same method as above. Fly out on a Friday night and home the following Sunday. You can get almost 9 days away and only have to take 5 days off work.

🟠 Make use of your bank holidays. Tag on an extra day off around a bank holiday. For example around the Easter break. 

🟠If you are flying on weekdays fly out late evening and fly home early morning so you don’t have to take those flying days off work.

🟠 Work from your holiday. Commit to working one or two mornings whilst you are away. This can help in saving up a few half days when you get to the end of the year. However this is probably not worth it on shorter trips

🟠 If you are able to travel with work. Make a holiday out of that by tagging on a few days holiday after the work trip is over.

Do you have any other tips?
The cutest audio. I heard it on TikTok but I could The cutest audio. I heard it on TikTok but I couldn’t find it on here. It’s from @aftersunmovie ⭐️🎆🌞🌙☀️🌅

Not normally a quotes girly but I think this is so sweet 🥹
📍The SPACE - San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua 🇳🇮 @thespace.sjds 

This is the perfect hostel for travellers looking to unwind and relax (unless you are there on a Sunday when it’s part of the Sunday funday bar crawl 🙈)

🛌Dorm rooms start from £11 and Private from £50 🛌

🚖 It located a 6 minute drive and a 30 minute walk outside of the town. They do offer a free shuttle bus to town and from town everyday!
✌🏽This did well on TikTok so sharing it here ✌🏽This did well on TikTok so sharing it here 

🧡One thing I’m super grateful for is my supportive boyfriend no matter how ludacris my ideas.

✈️He loves to travel and explore new places but it’s definitely not on the same scale as me! 

💻 He also doesn’t have a job that gives him the same freedoms as mine does 

🌎I’ll be leaving him for a while  very shortly, and Ive talked about how I want to go away for a few months at some point in the future. 

❤️Despite the fact we miss each other he’ll always support my travels whether he can come with me or not.
BEST THINGS TO DO ON OMETEPE 🌋 📍Swim Ojo de BEST THINGS TO DO ON OMETEPE 🌋

📍Swim Ojo de Agua
📍Hike to San Ramon waterfall 
📍Sunset at Playa Mangos
📍Lunch at Santo Domingo
📍Hike Volcan Concecipon
📍Walk the sandbar at Punta Jesus
Have I sold you on Nicaragua yet? 🇳🇮🏄🏽 Have I sold you on Nicaragua yet? 🇳🇮🏄🏽‍♀️🌴😎
🇳🇮GUIDE TO LITTLE CORN ISLAND 🌽🏝️ G 🇳🇮GUIDE TO LITTLE CORN ISLAND 🌽🏝️

Getting There ➡️

✈️🛥️Plane and Boat - The best option for less time but a bigger budget and those who suffer from sea Sickness. 

🛩️Fly from Managua Airport to Big Corn Island (1.5 hours)
🚣🏼‍♀️Boat Taxi from Big Corn to Little Corn (30 minutes) 

💰Approximate total Cost for 1 way = £100-£110 

🚎⛵️Bus and Boat - The best option for more time but a smaller budget 

🚌Bus from Managua to Bluefields (7/8 hours) 
Ferry from Bluefields to Big Corn (6/7 hours) 
🚣🏼‍♀️Boat Taxi from Big Corn to Little Corn (30 minutes) 

💰Approximate total Cost for 1 way = £16-£20

🛌Where to stay 

😎Graces Cool Spot $
🤿Yemaya Reefs $$$

👙What to do 

🌴Walk around the whole Island 
😎Chill out on Otto Beach 
🤿Go Snorkelling 
🦈Go Scuba Diving 
🌮Have Tacos at Tranqillo Bar 
🍺Drink Victoria’s at Beach Bar 
🌅Watch the Sunset and Sun Rise 
💤RELAX 

Would you visit Little Corn?
10-Day Nicaragua Itinerary 🌴🌊🇳🇮 1 nig 10-Day Nicaragua Itinerary 🌴🌊🇳🇮

1 night - Leon 🌋
2 nights -San Juan Del Sur or Popoyo 🏄🏽‍♀️
2 nights - Ometepe 🌋
2 nights - Laguna de Apoyo/ Granada 🛶
3 nights - Little Corn Island 🌴🌽

📆For those of us who are limited to 25 days of holiday a year - 10 days in Nicaragua is TOTALLY doable. You’ll be on a tight schedule and will need to spend more on transport/taxis to get to places on time …. but it’s all worth it. ✈️

⏰If you have more time, I would say stretch to 14 days and up some of the stays to 3 nights. This will give you a chance to relax in each location. 💤

Full-time travel/time freedom is the goal but for now, I’m grateful that I get to experience snippets of these beautiful countries! 

Would you visit Nicaragua for 10 days?
My toxic trait is wanting to be everywhere doing e My toxic trait is wanting to be everywhere doing everything all at the same time ✈️🌍🌴🌅
Day 8&9 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮 Day 8 📆 🤿We p Day 8&9 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮

Day 8 📆

🤿We paid $20 each to go on a snorkelling tour with with our guesthouse (Graces Cool Spot) 

🦈It was a 2 hour trip and we got to see lots of nurse sharks, plus others saw turtles, stingrays and lobsters which I missed

🚤Later that afternoon we had to leave Little Corn 😫. We were planning to leave the next day but they weren’t going to be running the boats to Big Corn due to the wind….. so if we didn’t leave we would have missed our flight. 

⚓️Something to be aware of if you’re travelling to the corn island’s

Day 9 📆

✈️We flew from Big Corn Island back to the main land early in the morning. 

🚕We then got picked up from the airport and we decided to go back to Laguna de Apoyo and stay @paradisonicaragua 

🍺 We spent our last day drinking turbo shandy’s and swimming in the lake (which was a lot warmer than we expected)
🌎Favourite places in Central America 🧡I’ 🌎Favourite places in Central America 

🧡I’m totally in love with Central America and I haven’t even scratched the surface yet (more countries to visit and more places to visit where I’ve already been) 

🌎Whilst I find it difficult to say where my favourite place is because they are all so different, here are some of my favourite places in each country I’ve been to so far:

Mexico 🇲🇽

🌮Valladolid 
🏝️Isla Holbox 

Guatemala 🇬🇹

🌋Antigua (+ Acatenango Volcano hike) 
🌊Lake Atitlan 

Costa Rica 🇨🇷

🦥Puerto Viejo
🏄🏽‍♀️Dominical 
🍃La fortuna purely for @arenal.lodge 

Nicaragua 🇳🇮

🌋Ometepe
🌽Little Corn Island

Still have so many places to visit in these countries but these are my fave so far 🧡
Day 7 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮🏝️ Today was a ver Day 7 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮🏝️

Today was a very chill day 😎

🍳We woke up for some brekfast and then headed off to explore the island. 

🚶🏽‍♀️We headed north of our hotel at Graces cool spot and walked as far around the island as we could, taking in all the beautiful views along the way. 

🌴The most popular beach on the island is Otto beach and we were going to stop here but the bar was shut and after all the walking we were super hungry. 

🍃We decided to walk through the island and into the main “town”. 

🎶We stopped off at a reggae bar  called “Beach Bar” for lunch and stayed there for ages drinking and catching some sun and going for dips to cool off. 

🌮We then headed back to get read for Tacos and Triva night at Tranquilo cafe. The tacos were AMAZING but our trivia was terrible. We came last 😅

One of my favourite days of the trip!
Day 6 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮 ✈️Today we had to Day 6 - Nicaragua 🇳🇮 

✈️Today we had to wake up super early to catch our flight to the Corn islands.

🚕We headed from Leon to Managua airport which was approx 2 hours drive (of course we used our fave driver David) 

🔖We checked in for our flight which was very easy  they give you a baggage receipt  which you must keep hold of as they check it the other end when collecting your luggage. 

🛩️💵The flights were roughly $111 one way with La Costena airlines (they are not on Skyscanner so we had to  book directly) 

💰We then had to pay a $2 tourist tax to board the flight 

🛫The flight was totally fine (I was a tad nervous but had no need to be. 

🚎The flight kind of works like a bus which was so new to me. There are no assigned seats so you just pick whatever is free. 

💙It first lands Bluefields airport where it lets passengers off and more people on. If you’re flying to Big Corn you just stay on the plane. 

⏰In total it was about 1.5 hours 

🚖Once we landed in Big Corn we had to catch a taxi to the ferry port. This cost us $1 per person 

💰Once we got there we then had to pay ANOTHER tourist tax for around $1 to enter the port. 

⛴️We then waited for our ferry to little corn. There are only 2 ferries a day to Little Corn 10am ($20) and 4:30pm ($10). Take a look at this last picture for more info on this. 

🏨Once we arrived we were greeted by someone from our guesthouse ( Graces Cool Spot) at the port and he walked us to the hotel. 

🍹Once we checked in we got showered up and had a little explore. We then spent the evening at at tranquilio cafe drinking cocktails with some lovely humans that we met at our guesthouse. 

Picture locations 📸
📸Big Corn Island Ferry Port
📸Big Corn Island Airport
📸Graces Cool Spot
📸Tranquilo Cafe
📸Little Corn
Graces Cool Spot- Little Corn Island 🇳🇮🌽🏝️

I did not want to leave. If you’re visiting Nicaragua, Little Corn is a MUST!
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Adventure around a 9-5

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Beach Holidays, Central America, Costa Rica · January 27, 2023

15 Awesome Things to do in Dominical, Costa Rica

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Located on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, just a stones throw from the famous Manuel Antonio National Park, lies the sleepy surfer town of Dominical. Every year surfers and yoga enthusiasts flock to this small tropical town to ride the 7ft waves and get some much-needed R&R. 

There are so many incredible things to do in Dominical, from learning to surfing, hiking waterfalls, eating delicious food and admiring stunning sunsets at the beach. Whether you are here for adventure, or simply want to chill, you certainly won’t be short of things to do in Dominical. You are guaranteed to have the most wonderful time in this laid-back and welcoming town. 

After an incredible 2-week trip in Costa Rica, Dominical made it very near to the top of the list of my favourite places in all of Costa Rica (coming in a close second to Puerto Viejo). 

So, what are the best things to do in Dominical? Read on below to find out!

Dominical, Costa Rica

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a verified purchase through the links in this post I will earn a small commission. This will be at no extra cost to you. Thank you 

Contents show
1 Go Surfing or take a surf lesson
2 Hike to Nauyaca Waterfall
3 Day trip to Cano Island
4 Phat Noodle
5 Go to a Yoga Class
6 Playa Matapalo
7 Try Patacones at Fuego Brewing Co
8 Playa Dominical
9 Cafe Mono Congo
10 Kayaking down Baru River
11 Watch the sunset on the beach
12 Grab a bite to eat at Shash’uka
13 Relax at the Spa
14 Day Trip to Uvita and Whale Watching tour
15 Playa Dominicalito
16 Happy Exploring
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Go Surfing or take a surf lesson

It would be criminal to come to Dominical and not try your hand at surfing (if you’re not already a pro that is). After all, surfing is one of the top things to do in Dominical. Dominical Surf School offer personalised surf lessons for all levels. So, if you are a complete novice or just want to get some more practice, Dominical Surf School has got you covered.

Dominical, Costa Rica
Dominical, Costa Rica

Hike to Nauyaca Waterfall

Nauyaca Waterfall is one of the most famous and popular in all of Costa Rica, for good reason. Nauyaca serves as a tropical oasis in the midst of the lush green and very hot Costa Rican Rainforest. Water cascades down the upper and lower falls (both of which you can climb to) into a large emerald blue pool. A dip into the crisp and refreshing water is just what you’ll need after the 1.5-hour hike it takes to get there (but don’t worry, the trail is fairly easy). 

Nauyaca is only a 20-minute drive from town and is one of the most highly rated things to do in Dominical.

Day trip to Cano Island

60 km off the coast of Dominical lies the rugged paradise of Cano Island. Praised as the 2nd best snorkelling and diving site in Costa Rica, you can expect to see endless schools of rainbow coloured, fish, dolphins and maybe even some harmless reef sharks (if you’re lucky). 

To get to Cano Island you’ll have to make the 20-minute Journey from Dominical to Uvita, where the boats depart. I can highly recommend booking a tour with Bahia Adventures, we had such a great experience with them on the half-day Cano Island snorkelling tour. We got to see a diverse group of stunning marine life, were well fed and learnt a ton of interesting facts about the area from our guides.

Cano Island Costa Rica

Phat Noodle

One of the best things to do in Dominical is to grab a bite to eat from the popular  Phat Noodle restaurant. The quaint, shabby-chic setting makes for perfect chilled dinner vibes. You can expect to order a scrumptious array of Asian and Asian fusion delights, with huge portions to match. The food here is SO GOOD, we came back twice. Do not skip a dinner date with a Phat Noodle.

Go to a Yoga Class

As I mentioned earlier, Dominical is super popular with Yoga lovers as well as surfers. If you’re not an expert yogi but still want to give it to go, the best yoga studio in Dominical Danyasa Yoga Retreat. Danyasa offers 2 yoga classes a day, plus ecstatic dance and cacao ceremonies. They also regularly hold week-long retreats if you truly want to immerse yourself in the yoga experience.

Playa Matapalo

Just a 15-minute drive from Dominical lies the tranquil Playa Matapalo (also known as Playa Linda). This beach is a true hidden gem, which means you’ll find that you’re one of the only people there. Playa Matapalo is an amazing Sloth watching spot. Within 5 minutes of my arrival there I saw two in the trees. The best part of all was being able to see the sloths awake, climbing across the trees rather than in their usual sleepy state. 

Playa Matapalo, Costa Rica

Try Patacones at Fuego Brewing Co

Fuego Brewing Co was probably my favourite restaurant in all of Dominical. They serve up a diverse menu of Latin fusion foods. As you’ve probably already guessed my favourite dish was the patacones (fried plantains) served up with the most delicious refried beans. I urge you to give it a try. 

If you’re wondering why “brewing” is in the name, Fuego Brewing company is actually a craft beer brewery first and a restaurant second. They pride themselves on have “the best craft beer in Costa Rica” so be sure to give some of their beers ago (I recommend the pale mango ale) 

If that wasn’t enough, Fuego also has an onsite cafe, making it the perfect place to get a grab’n’go coffee in the morning before a day of adventures.

We visited Feugo’s twice in our 3-day stay so you could say eating here was one of our favourite things to do in Dominical

Playa Dominical

Spend your day lazing close to the shores of Dominical’s main beach, Playa Dominical. Grab a book, set your beach towel down in the shade, grab a beer from the nearby beach bar and enjoy the chill time. A visit to this beach is one of the most popular things to do in Dominical.

NOTE: Dominical can get extremely hot and the sun is very strong. Make sure you spend time in the shade and top up on the sun cream.

Dominical, Costa Rica
Dominical, Costa Rica

Cafe Mono Congo

On the banks of the Baru river lies Cafe Mono Congo. The cafe is a super popular breakfast, brunch and lunch spot in Dominical. You’ll often see long queues of customers at the counter waiting to get a taste of their delicious grub. Think fresh fruit smoothies, granola bowls, breakfast tacos and strong coffee that packs a punch. If you can, try to get to Cafe Mono Congo early and grab the best seats in that house, overlooking the Baru River.

Kayaking down Baru River

Fancy doing something a little different? Why not Kayak or paddleboard through the majestic Rio Baru River with or through the Mangroves of Matapalo? If you’re lucky you might be able to spot one or two sloths and monkeys hanging between the trees. One of the top-rated tour companies in Dominical for these activities is Pinapple Tours. Pineapple Tours runs their excursions from December – June (during the dry season) and tours run depending on the tides.

Watch the sunset on the beach

Watching the sunset at the beach was probably one of my favourite things to do in Dominical. Everyone from town heads down to Playa Dominical about an hour before sunset to chill on the sand with a few drinks whilst they wait for the sun to dip below the horizon. What I loved about the sunset moments in Dominical was watching how happy everyone was. From the solo traveller to the surfer in the sea, you could tell that everyone was present and in the moment and enjoying life. 

Dominical, Costa Rica

Grab a bite to eat at Shash’uka

Enjoy dinner at the shabby-chic Shak’shuka. As you have probably guessed from the name Shak’shuka serves up Morrocan delights as well as traditional Latin dishes, and to-die-for cocktails. Their breakfast menu is one of the most highly rated in Dominical.

Relax at the Spa

After a hard day of exploring you’ll definitely deserve some R&R. So why not indulge in a spa treatment at the Alegra Soul Spa? Massages start at $40 (US) and other treatments such as body wraps start at $50 (US).

Day Trip to Uvita  and Whale Watching tour 

Just a 20-minute drive from Dominical lies the small province of Uvita, and the famous Parque Nacional Marino Ballena. Every year tourists flock to the national park to grab a glimpse of the impressive ‘whale tail’ beach. The whale tail occurs during low tide, revealing the tail like the formation of sand and rocks.

Not only is Uvita famous to the whale tail beach, but for real-life whales too!. If you go during the migration season (December – April and July-November) you will be able to catch sight of one of the thousands of majestic humpback whales who pass through this area in search for warmer waters.

Uvita, Costa Rica

Playa Dominicalito

Playa Dominicalito is Playa Dominical’s cooler, younger brother. It’s just a few short minutes in the car or a 40-minute walk. Playa Dominicalito is a great option for those craving a quieter alternative to Playa Dominical. Unfortunately, there are no restaurants near this beach, so you’ll either have to head back to Dominical town or pack a cooler box full of snacks and drinks so that you can settle down for the day. 

Dominical, Costa Rica
Dominical, Costa Rica

Happy Exploring

I hope you have a wonderful time exploring all that Dominical has to offer. If you have any more questions about anything discussed in this blog post, please feel free to reach out!

Looking for a place to stay in Dominical? Why don’t you check out my review of the Tribe Boutique Hotel?

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Hello Beautiful

I'm Christina a part-time traveller who is exploring the world around my 9-5. From canyons to coasts, I love all kinds of adventures. I've created this space to provide you with all the travel inspiration and my top tips for seeing more of the world in less time.

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christina.inthe.clouds

Long Haul travel goes from fun to not very quickly Long Haul travel goes from fun to not very quickly. But there is nothing quite like the post flight shower. Would you agree? ✈️🛀🚿
🇬🇹Guatemala Places you need to visit in Gua 🇬🇹Guatemala

Places you need to visit in Guatemala: 

🧡Antigua
🧡Acatenango Volcano
🧡Lake Atitlan
🧡Semuc Champey
🧡El Paredon 

Is Guatemala on your bucket list?
Reintroducing myself 🙋🏽‍♀️🌴🐢🏝 Reintroducing myself 🙋🏽‍♀️🌴🐢🏝️

Had to repost this because my audio got removed on the original even though my voice is my voice and no one else’s so let’s hope it’s second time lucky 😅
2 week Costa Rica Itinerary 🍃✌🏽🦥🏄🏼

Day 1 – Landing in San Jose
Day 2-5 – Puerto Viejo
Day 5-7 – Tortuguero
Day 7-10 – La Fortuna
Day 10-12 – Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 12-14 – Dominical
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