Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste

I have decided to check out the resort area before heading to the beach today. I had to turn off the AC as I am not used to it and I think it makes me sleepy...it was very hard to get up this morning. All the staff are so helpful and very friendly...I am so glad I chose this place to stay for the next 5 days. The guests at the resort are very different from a hostel however. Almost everyone speaks Spanish and they are all in large groups...typically families. They do not really go out of their way to socialize with you, which creates a really different vibe. This is find however, because I think I need a bit of down time to just enjoy things on my own. As I was walking to my villa, the waiter at the pool bar/restaurant came up to me and asked me if I wanted breakfast...he wanted to make sure I knew it was free. To my surprise, it was HUGE...coffee, juice, fried plantain, gallo pinto...which is beans with rice...natilla...which is really the same as sour cream...and you could of had ham and eggs as well!!! This type of food really gets you started for the day. I spent the morning laying at the pool and enjoying my lounge chair...the things you miss when you are backpacking!!! After I hadenough of the pool, I decided since I had a rice maker, I wanted to make some rice. I had no idea how to use it though, so the maid came by and gave me a lesson...how awesome is that!!!! It was all in Spanish, but I think I have it town pat....the rice was so good at supper. After I made my rice I decided to head to the beach. It is about a 15 minutes walk to the second entrance to the beach from my villa. Since Thursday was a holiday, there were LOTS of people at the beach by 2pm. Playa Hermosa is a gray sand beach that stretches about 1 km from tip to tip. The sand is very soft and there is not a shell or rock to be seen...it is really nice. The water here is cooler than in Playa Santa Teresa and without waves...it is a swimming beach for sure. The air is also much drier here...it is kind of refreshing not to be sweating so much...but it is still HOT!!!! I stayed at the beach for about an hour and then the tide was pretty high, so I decided to head back to my villa. The are lots of huge, beautiful homes on the mountain side overlooking the water. They are mostly owned by foreigners. There is not much to do in Playa Hermosa. Although tourists are here in some capacity, the town has not become very touristy yet...but give it time and I am sure that will happen...unfortunately. There is a supermarket, a few real estate offices, a couple shops and restaurants along the 2 km stretch of the town. Once I arrived back from the beach, I had a refreshing swim, made some dinner, had a couple of summertime drinks and watched a movie...this is the life!!! Until tomorrow...