Coffee, Clouds & Waterfalls ☕🌋💦

Costa Rica Day 2:

The first full day of vacation is always my favorite.

Everyone is excited, nobody is sunburned yet, and the adventure is just beginning. 😊

Our alarm went off at 6:00 AM, which sounds painful on vacation, but honestly, the kids were so excited they didn't even complain. Before we headed out, Adventure Inn once again proved why I can't stop recommending them. Since our tour left before their breakfast service started, they packed us a breakfast to-go for the bus ride. On top of that, they let us grab fresh fruit from the breakfast buffet before we left.

Naturally, I loaded up on fruit. 🍉🥭🍍

The kids spotted gooseberries for the first time. I was excited because I've always loved them. The kids? Not so much. 😂 Apparently, I have very different taste buds than my children. Thankfully, the fresh watermelon and mangoes were a huge hit and disappeared quickly.

I had booked the 8 AM–7 PM combo tour through the hotel, which included transportation, breakfast, lunch, a bilingual guide, and admission to Hacienda Doka Coffee Plantation, Poás Volcano National Park, and La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

Our first stop was Hacienda Doka Coffee Plantation.

This was definitely the "for my husband" portion of the trip. ❤️ Anyone who knows him knows he LOVES coffee. Not likes coffee. Loves coffee. ☕☕☕

Costa Rica is known worldwide for its coffee, and after this tour, I can completely understand why. Coffee has played a huge role in Costa Rica's history and economy for hundreds of years. In fact, coffee exports helped fund much of the country's early infrastructure and development.

The tour itself was fascinating.

I honestly had no idea how much work goes into producing a single cup of coffee. From planting and harvesting to drying, roasting, and sorting, the process is incredibly labor-intensive. Hours upon hours of work go into those little beans before they ever make it into your morning coffee mug.

One thing that really stood out was when my 7-year-old was given one of the plantation's old payment tokens and learned about how workers were paid for harvesting baskets of coffee cherries. It sparked a lot of questions and gave him a little glimpse into what life was like for workers years ago.

While the coffee tour itself wasn't necessarily geared toward younger kids, they still enjoyed parts of it. The biggest hit?

The chocolate samples. 🍫

No surprise there.

After leaving Doka, we made our way toward Poás Volcano.

As we climbed higher into the mountains, the scenery changed dramatically. Coffee farms gave way to lush greenery, flowers, strawberry farms, and cloud forests. The temperatures cooled, and the landscape felt completely different from what we'd seen the day before.

Poás Volcano is one of Costa Rica's most famous volcanoes and one of the largest active volcanic craters in the world. The crater measures over a mile across and sits nearly 9,000 feet above sea level.

The catch? You actually have to see it.

And Mother Nature wasn't exactly making that easy for us. 🌫️

When we arrived, the crater was almost completely covered by fog and clouds. Every now and then the fog would lift just enough to tease us with a glimpse before rolling right back in.

We sat and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

If I had one recommendation for anyone planning a visit, check the humidity and weather conditions before you go. The views are absolutely worth it, but visibility can be hit or miss depending on the conditions.

At one point, I was getting tired and didn't want to risk missing a break in the clouds, so I stayed behind with three of the kids while my husband and oldest son continued on to Botos Lagoon.

They ended up getting some incredible photos because the weather cooperated a little better over there. 📸

Of course, because we were traveling with children, the funniest part of the day happened right when the volcano was supposedly at its clearest.

My daughter needed to use the bathroom.

Immediately.

Naturally. 🤦‍♀️😂

So while we were making our emergency bathroom run, my son later informed us that we had missed one of the clearest views of the crater all day.

Was I there to witness it?

No.

Did my son see it?

Absolutely.

Such is life when traveling with kids. ❤️

We loaded back onto the bus and started making our way toward La Paz Waterfall Gardens. By this point, people were getting a little restless, so we made a quick stop at Fresi. My daughter had fallen asleep on my lap, so I sent the boys inside to grab snacks.

When they came back, they were carrying dark chocolate-covered marshmallows, white chocolate-covered marshmallows, pineapple empanadas, and fruit smoothies.

More fruit smoothies.

I told you they were addicted. 😂🥤

At this point, I'm convinced my children could survive entirely on Costa Rican fruit smoothies.

The pineapple empanadas were just okay. Not bad, but not something I'd go out of my way to get again. The smoothies, however, continued their winning streak.

As we drove through the mountains, I couldn't stop staring out the window. Everywhere I looked there were rolling green hills, rainforest, flowers, waterfalls, and views that looked like they belonged on a postcard. 🌿🌺 Then we arrived at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

And this? This was the "for me" portion of the trip. 💚

My husband got his coffee plantation. I got waterfalls.

I absolutely love waterfalls. Everything about them. The sound. The power. The beauty.

If there is a waterfall nearby, I want to see it.

When we arrived, we started exploring right away.

The hummingbirds were incredible. I have never seen so many in one place before. They zipped around us so fast it almost looked like they were teleporting from flower to flower. 🐦

Then we made our way through the butterfly gardens.

The butterflies were absolutely beautiful. 🦋

The kids loved standing still and seeing if one would land on them. Every time a butterfly got close, there were squeals, giggles, and everyone trying to stay perfectly still. It was one of those simple moments that ended up being one of my favorites of the day.

Next came the frog exhibit.

Oh, the frogs. 🐸

Most of them were sleeping and perfectly still, but the colors were unbelievable. Bright greens, reds, blues, oranges—some of them honestly looked like someone had painted them.

One unexpected highlight was getting to climb onto the back of an old ox wagon and pet the oxen. 🐂

It was such a great hands-on learning experience for the kids and a fun way to learn about Costa Rica's history.

The animal exhibits ended up being the highlight for my daughter. She wanted to stop and look at everything. 🦜

The sloths and monkeys were for my 12-year-old. Watching him light up when we got to see them made my heart happy. 🦥❤️

The hiking and exploring were definitely for my oldest. While the rest of us were wondering how many stairs we had left, he was still ready for more adventure. 🥾

And my 7-year-old?

The food.

Without question, the food. 😂

That child could eat and eat and eat if I'd let him. Between breakfast, chocolate samples, snacks, lunch, fruit smoothies, and everything else we found throughout the day, he was living his absolute best life.

Then came the waterfalls. The real stars of the show.

Every turn revealed another waterfall, each one somehow more beautiful than the last. The sound of rushing water echoed through the rainforest, and everything around us felt alive. 🌿💦

Pictures don't do it justice. Videos don't do it justice.

Standing there, looking at those waterfalls with my own eyes, I honestly couldn't believe I was actually there.

All the planning. All the packing. All the traveling, And now I was standing in a Costa Rican rainforest, looking at waterfalls I had only seen online before. It was outstanding. ❤️

By the end of the trail, my legs were definitely feeling it. At one point my husband even threw me on his back for a little while, and my daughter scored a few piggyback rides herself. 😂

Teamwork makes the dream work.

The coffee plantation was for my husband. The waterfalls were for me. The animal exhibits were for my daughter. The sloths were for my 12-year-old. The hiking was for my oldest. And the food was definitely for my 7-year-old. Everyone had something. Nobody was dragged through an activity they hated. Everyone got a piece of the adventure that was meant for them.

After La Paz, we headed back to the hotel.

As much as I enjoyed the coffee plantation and seeing Poás Volcano, if I were planning a day just for myself, I would have spent the entire day at La Paz.

It was perfect. 💚💦

When we got back to Adventure Inn, we did what any vacationing family should do.

We changed into our swimsuits.

Immediately. 🏊‍♀️☀️

The kids headed straight for the pool while we settled in poolside at Moon Glow Bar & Grill. I ordered another sangria because, at this point, it had become my official vacation drink. 🍷🍓

The fresh fruit, the warm air, the sound of the kids laughing in the pool, and the memories from the day made for the perfect ending.

As the evening wound down, I found myself thinking about how lucky we were to be there.

Not because everything went perfectly. But because it didn't.

The best family vacations aren't perfect. They're full of little surprises, funny moments, tired legs, changing plans, and memories you couldn't have scripted if you tried.

And Day 2 had all of that. A husband who got his coffee plantation. ☕ A mom who got her waterfalls. 💦 A daughter who got her animals. 🦜A 12-year-old who got his sloths. 🦥 An oldest son who got his hiking adventure. 🥾 And a 7-year-old who got enough food and fruit smoothies to keep him happy for days. 😂🥤I'd call that a successful day.

Actually, I'd call it perfect. ❤️

Costa Rica Day 2 was everything I hoped it would be and more.