Spring Break in Costa Rica: A Relaxing Family Getaway

This spring break, we took a much-needed family vacation to the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica. After a mostly smooth direct flight to Liberia, we had a hour and a half private transfer to the Dreams Las Mareas Resort.

We were lucky enough to have two rooms right next to each other, each with its own attached swim-up pool right out our back door, which made it feel like our own private oasis. The resort’s relaxed atmosphere, surrounding jungle, wildlife, and ocean sounds were perfect for disconnecting from work and screens and simply reconnecting with each other.

After a 5 hour flight we were so ready to be at our resort, unfortunately we still had an hour and a half private transport to our resort, which was about as far northwest in Costa Rica as you can be. We were a few miles from the Nicaragua border. Nevaeh wanted to use my favorite NORDACE BACKPACK.

We finally made it to our resort around 3pm. Luckily the check in process was pretty quick and our rooms were ready.

How dreamy is this swim up pool right out our back door?!? Our rooms were next to each other and the pool ran the length of the building.

This was the view from sitting in our swim up pool outside our room.

A Relaxing Daily Routine

The structure of most of our days was the same. Ethan and the boys would wake up early, grab breakfast, and then bring coffee back to Nevaeh and me. Then it was time to get ready and head to the pool for the day. Luckily our concierge was able to reserve a cabana by the pool for the duration of our trip. Having our own little spot made it easy to relax and enjoy the sunshine while still having space for the kids to run around and enjoy themselves.

We had a blast swimming in the pool, boogie boarding in the ocean, playing catch in the pool, and sliding down the water slide. Grayson even made a couple friends, one from England. His accent was so cute. We spent most of our time between the pool and the beach. The weather was perfect, and the waves were perfect for the kids to have a ton of fun in the water.

I could get used to this. The warm ocean breeze blowing through the cabana, the kids playing nearby, cold Diet Coke in my hand, and a good book. OUTFIT

Unlimited Diet Cokes with Nevaeh. We made sure to alternate with water, to stay hydrated.

If you like reading, you have to get yourself a KINDLE PAPERWHITE. I really enjoyed this book

The kids really enjoyed the all-inclusive aspect. Every time I turned around this kid had another virgin pina colada. Grayson’s swim trunks.

While the beach may not have been white and powdery, it was secluded and calm with bath water temps. OUTFIT.

I’ve never been much of a 1 piece swimsuit gal, but I am obsessed with this one. OUTFIT

The sunsets

Who doesn’t like a good sunset?!? The sunsets at this resort were by far the most beautiful we have ever seen. I am pretty sure we walked down to the beach every night before dinner to take more pics with this “postcard worthy” backdrop.

Our 3 amazing kiddos. This trip was so good for my mama heart. How cute is Nevaeh in this AMAZON DRESS.

It’s not vacation without a sunset handstand.

Another great family pic, selfie style. Austin does an awesome job taking pics when we need him. He has an eye for it. OUTFITS.

By far one of my favorite family pics. Luckily we found another resort guest to take it for us. MY OUTFIT. NEVAEH’S OUTFIT.

One of my favorite pics of Grayson from this trip.

Austin and Ethan both got these SHIRTS on Amazon. True to size and looked great on them.

This girl is so crafty. This cute tank top was originally a dress. She decided to take a scissors to it and make it into a tank. Well done Nevaeh.

The Fishing Adventure

Halfway through our trip, the boys chartered a boat for sport fishing. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip! They left early in the morning, and ended up being the best fishing trip they have ever done. The highlight of the day was Austin reeling in a massive 100lb rooster fish after a 30-minute fight. It was a once-in-a-lifetime catch and a memory that will last forever.

Austin hauled in this roughly 100lb rooster fish after a 30 min fight. It is by far the biggest fish he has ever caught and most likely one of his hardest workouts. He was gassed.

About 5 min after Austin caught his fish Grayson hooked on to this 50lb amberjack to finish off their day.

A Much-Needed Spa Day

While the boys were off fishing, Nevaeh and I got to enjoy a spa day at the resort. The spa was awesome and was just what we needed to recharge after a few days of sun and sand. Even though Nevaeh wasn’t feeling her best and spent most of the trip fighting off a sickness, she made the most of it.

Me and my mini getting ready for our 3 hour spa session. We got massages, scalp massages, and more.

This spa session was needed. Especially for Nevaeh, as she was fighting sickness for the first half of our trip.

Dinner & evening entertainment

Our evenings at the resort were just as fun. The resort offered multiple dining options, including Mexican, French, hibachi, sushi, buffet, Italian, steakhouse, and seafood. We tried each one, and while the food was good overall, we’d give it a solid 7 out of 10. The Mexican restaurant was our favorite, with its flavorful dishes, our favorite being the birria tacos. After dinner, there was always a live show or music, which we enjoyed, but by the time the performances started, we were usually so exhausted that we’d head back to our rooms halfway through. Once back, the kids made sure to take advantage of the all-inclusive room service, ordering fresh fruit and desserts to enjoy before bed. It was the perfect way to finish off our days.

The Hibachi was also one of our favorites and the kids enjoyed the chef’s performance.

This was such a comfortable OUTFIT for the warm evenings.

This guy is sneaking kisses every chance he gets. Also, this was shortly after their fishing trip where his face and neck got fried, despite the 50spf. OUTFIT

Love this pic of the kiddos. They took great pics this trip.

How cute does my mini look in this beautiful maxi dress from Abercrombie. OUTFIT

Another awesome pic of the kiddos in their resort dinner attire. OUTFITS

My first baby is growing up way too fast. What a handsome young man he is becoming.

This was by far one of my favorite resort casual outfits that I brought. Super comfortable and simple. OUTFIT

This dress was perfect for one of our nicer dinners at the resort. Very comfortable and breathable. DRESS. Also, this PURSE is everything. I wore it pretty much every night.

The Perfect Duration

A full week in Costa Rica was the perfect amount of time to unwind and enjoy everything the resort and surrounding area had to offer. We had enough time to relax and create memories together.

Though Nevaeh’s sickness was not ideal and caused some worry, the trip was still everything we had hoped for. We reconnected as a family and spent quality time away from everyday distractions. Costa Rica was truly the perfect spring break getaway, and we left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and grateful for the time spent together.

If you're looking for a place to unwind, disconnect, and enjoy a tropical destination, we highly recommend Costa Rica – it’s a vacation we’ll never forget!

What an incredible trip for Ethan and I. This getaway without kids was much needed. 2024 threw some punches our way but they caused some much needed growth for both of us, our family, and our marriage. It was great to reconnect, go on dinner dates, walks on the beach, read by the pool, and some off site activities. We stayed at the St. Regis Bahia Beach, which was roughly 30-45 min from the airport. A much more secluded resort, away from the hustle and bustle of San Juan.

While the main intention of our trip was to relax we did decide to plan a couple off site activities, with Castillo Tours. After a couple days laying by the pool relaxing and not having an agenda we decided to do a food tour in Old San Juan. Our tour guide taught us so much about San Juan, the history, and food.

The next day we did a Catamaran Snorkel and Sail Tour. It was an early morning but our driver picked us up with some fresh baked local bread that was incredible. Reminded us of a fluffier Hawaiian roll/bread. We were on the Catamaran with 40 other people. They took us to another island called Icacos. We parked on the beach with a lot of other boats and spent a couple hours relaxing in the sun and water. They fed us an incredible lunch and unlimited drinks. To wrap up that tour we got to snorkel for an hour or so before heading back to the mainland. We got fried this day, especially Ethan’s legs.

The last full day we layed by the pool and finished with a couples massage that Ethan had booked for us. Our one regret is that we didn’t visit the rainforest. Overall, we loved Puerto Rico, the people, the food, the culture, and the beauty.

On our way to the airport to catch our flight to Puerto Rico. This is the only time I enjoy getting up early. Travel OUTFIT

Our first dinner the night we arrived. Amazon for the W on this dress. I loved it so much. OUTFIT

We were so happy to finally be in paradise, feeling the warm ocean breeze. My OUTFIT, Ethan’s OUTFIT.

This was every morning for us, besides the catamaran day. We had no agenda. We let our bodies wake up when they were ready, had French press delivered to our room, and read/journaled for an hour or so.

This Aerie Pajama set is so comfy. Perfect for morning coffee and reading/journalling. LINK

Just all the pool/beach day essentials, except I do prefer Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi. LINK

How cute and comfy is this beach/pool day outfit?!?! LINK to all the things.

My favorite vacation PERFUME at the moment. Also, my go to face ROLLER.

The Old San Juan food tour was absolutely incredible. This OUTFIT was so comfy and perfect for this afternoon tour.

Well then Mr. Anderson……Such beautiful architecture and cobblestone streets. They were used to keep empty Spanish ships stable as they came to Puerto Rico for gold, sugar, and other valuable materials. They were offloaded and ended up being used to create streets in Old San Juan during the 18th century. My OUTFIT, Ethan’s OUTFIT.

I loved this swimsuit from Cupshe. True to size and comfortable for an all day Catamaran tour. LINK. Code coming soon to save even more.

Ethan snorkeling on our catamaran tour. He did much better this time. For those that don’t remember he acted like he was drowning in Hawaii when he first snorkeled. lol.

The narrowest house in the western hemisphere. Only 5ft wide. How crazy would this be?!?!

This was a nice surprise. Cute little coffee food truck called The Coffee Break, parked right by the marina where we boarded our catamaran. Delicious iced coffee drinks and croissants.

We would absolutely highly recommend this resort. It is a higher end Marriott property that Ethan was able to cover with his Marriott points for this trip. St. Regis Bahia Beach

Their in room dining was incredible. We definitely ordered this margarita flatbread a few times.

Had to pop some champagne before our last dinner here. Cheers to growth, health, and positivity in 2025. OUTFIT

The resort had complimentary bikes so we decided to ride them to dinner our last night. Ethan got us lost on the way back but we did finally make it. OUTFIT

Catamaran day!! This was one of our favorite days by far. Such beautiful beaches and water. LINK for all the boat day things. LINK for Ethan’s shorts.

You guys know I had to get a handstand in with all this beauty around us. LINK to suit.

We had the most incredible driver and he highly recommended this place to experience some local food favorites, specifically Mofongo. He brought us to Don Pepe after our catamaran tour. So worth it. Incredible local food and flavors.

You Guys!!!! This was considered a small avocado here. Most of them are big as my head. This blew our minds. We are so used to the smaller size we get in the states. Suit LINK

We had so much fun on our food tour and exploring Old San Juan. My OUTFIT. Ethan’s OUTFIT.

Capilla del Santos Cristo de la Salud is one of the most photographed sights in San Juan. Legend has it that horse races were held on this street and one rider couldn’t slow down and tumbled over the wall to his death. So they built the chapel to prevent this from happening again.

Paleta de Tamarindo (Tamarind Popsicle). This was interesting. Sweet and tangy with a nutty undertone.

We would highly recommend doing a food tour of Old San Juan. Well worth it and pretty reasonable. We booked with Castillo Tours.

We had such an amazing time on our Catamaran Tour with Castillo Tours. Crew was professional but fun. My SUIT, Ethan’s SUIT.

Happy December!! One of my absolute favorite months of the year. Getting into the holiday spirit, continuing holiday traditions, and starting new ones. We realized this past weekend that we enjoy our time up at the cabin in the winter almost as much as the summer.

As you have probably already realized the Hensel family, Rachel’s family, is our ride or die. Rach and I are obviously besties, Josh is one of Ethan’s closest friends, and our kids just get along so well together. Ethan needed some help from Josh installing our new wood stove, so Rach and I decided to plan a fun weekend for us and the kids.

While the boys worked we made Christmas cookies, Christmas ornaments, listened to Christmas songs, and watched Christmas movies. We also decided to invest in some ice skates for all the kids. Little did we know they would spend the majority of the weekend on the ice. They absolutely loved it. Ethan also picked up a hand auger and ice fishing pole for Austin that he put to use right away. All this to say, there were core memories made this weekend and this will be one of our new favorite traditions. I hope you enjoy this blog and have a very Merry Christmas with family and friends.

The sunsets are just as gorgeous in the winter as they are in the summer. We decided to join the kids on the ice after all our work was done. So much fun!!

These 4 might as well be siblings. Thats how close they have become over the years. It is so much fun watching them make core memories together.

Our happy place!!! Buying this cabin has definitely been one of the best decisions we have ever made.

My ride or die!! Love this girl to death. Also this JACKET is my go to lately. As you can tell this was a chill weekend and I rocked my Aerie Pajamas all weekend!! Last but not least, I live in my UGG Classic Ultra Mini during MN winters. Click this LINK for details as well as a great Amazon option that are more budget friendly.

Had to make sure Josh got into one of the pics. He is Ethan’s go to when he needs a hand, needs some guy time, or wants a cribbage and bourbon night.

If you haven’t yet, please meet our new golden retriever puppy, Presley. She is the sweetest and also loved being on the ice with the kiddos. It was her first trip up to the cabin. She seemed to love the cabin as much as we do, as you can tell from the next photo. Lol.

Someone is exhausted from the play time on the ice with the kiddos.

The original reason we came up to the cabin this weekend was to get this baby put in. How dang cute is it?!?! Let’s just say it is extremely efficient and we needed a window open to cool it down a bit. Ethan painted the brick area a couple weekends ago with a high heat fireplace paint.

Nothing to see here, lol. Josh was Ethan’s attic guy. Cutting holes in the ceiling and roof and connecting stove pipes together. Let’s just say he needed a shower after.

As you may or may not be aware, we lost our beautiful Piper, golden retriever, to stomach cancer right before Thanksgiving. One of her favorite places was the cabin. So we had to get a Mixtiles picture made and hung it right in the kitchen area for all to see.

Rach and I did our annual Christmas gift exchange between the 2 of us this weekend as well. How dang cute is this temp-controlled Ember coffee mug?!?! She said she wanted it to match out cabinets at the cabin.

The girls loved helping with the Christmas cookies. These ones are Oreo truffles and we obviously made this batch gluten free for Nevaeh. We used this Recipe but just substituted gluten free Oreos.

Well no surprise here. If you have been following me for any period of time you know I am a #spiller. I was bringing these PB Cup Cookies outside to cool down and accidentally bumped the pan on the door. 5 second rule, lol.

The ornament making was a hit. Even the adults got involved and made their own.

Ethan was finally able to wrap up the wallpaper in the bunk room downstairs. He had to remove a birch log that was screwed to the wall and patch Sheetrock behind where that was. Love how it turned out. Wallpaper is making a comeback!!