Month: April 2017

Adventuring in Amalfi | Top 12 Things To Do in The Amalfi Coast

Posted on by annamae161@gmail.com

The Amalfi Coast is hands down one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I know I say that a lot on this blog, but it is definitely up there in the top five most breathtaking places I have ever been, at least. Five years ago I studied abroad in Rome for six weeks, and wanted to book a couple weekend excursions when I was there, since it is so easy to get around Europe once you are abroad. The number one most recommended spot I was given was the Amalfi Coast, so I had to book a trip. I booked mine through Bus2Alps , a local company, which made it so easy to get to and from Amalfi via bus for the weekend, and experience all that this beautiful area on the South of Italy had to offer.

Between the dramatic cliffs and the sparkling Mediterranean sea, the entire area is a dream land, and is a common honeymoon spot or hub for tourists. It is a place to relax and enjoy the warm weather, delicious cuisine, and scenery, and there is also so much to do and explore.

From my experience through Bus2Alps, I included my top 12 favorite things to do below, so I hope this helps you out if you are planning a trip to Amalfi anytime soon!

  1. Drink Fresh Limoncello

The Amalfi coast is famous for their fresh limoncello, a bright-yellow dessert drink that tastes surprisingly sweet, rather than the expected sour lemon taste. Even if you don’t typically like limoncello, I would suggest at least trying a sip as this is where you will find some of the best limoncello in the world! I also brought a few cute shaped bottles per the picture below home with me. You can find limoncello in many of the little shops in the Amalfi coast. However, I particularly enjoyed a little shop attached to Carlo’s Sandal shop in Anacapri (which is mentioned further below), at the top of the island and would strongly suggest checking it out!

2. Get Handmade Sandals at Carlo’s Sandal Shop in Anacapri 

Right next to the limoncello shop I mentioned above in Anacapri, is Carlo’s Sandal shop. This little gem makes some of the most adorable hand-made sandals. You can pick one of the pre-made pairs, or you can pick out exactly which style and gems/decorations you want on your sandals, and they will make them right in front of you! They are definitely on the pricier side, but so worth it. Where else in the world can you hand-pick exactly what you want your sandals to look like; style, gems and all and watch a local hand-craft them in front of you?

3. Take a Boat Trip

One of the most amazing parts of exploring the Amalfi Coast was taking a boat trip. What better way to venture along the coast than floating through crystal-clear, blue and green Mediterranean waters? The views were absolutely breathtaking and it is an experience I will certainly never forget.

The boat left from the Island of Capri, and our tour guides were sure to point out all the pretty sites along the way. It also included the option to take a small row boat through the Blue Grotto, cliff jump, and swim in caves along the way, each of which I will discuss further below.

4. Go Cliff Jumping

The option to go cliff jumping was included on our boat trip. We stopped by a mini beach where you could climb up the rocks and jump into the gorgeous, sparkling water below. This is not for those afraid of heights, but if you are an adventure-seeker and like a good thrill this is perfect for you!

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture below, it is the best picture I could get of me jumping!

5. Row Boat Into the Blue Grotto

Boating into the Blue Grotto is such a cool experience. If you have not heard of the Blue Grotto, it is a world-famous sea cave on the coast of the Island of Capri, known for the bright blue, glowing water inside. The way the sunlight hits the water makes for the unique, bright blue water illuminating the dark cave.

Heading into the Blue Grotto does cost a little extra money (but is very worth it). You also have to pay a little extra to swim in the water, which I opted out of. To get into the cave, I was very surprised at just how small the opening was! You are helped into a small row-boat, and have to actually lie down in the boat to squeeze into the small gap that enters the cave. Once inside, your mini boat captain also sings in Italian as you float through the blue, glowing water. It was so much fun, and I would strongly recommend seeing it for yourself!

6. Go Swimming in Caves

This was another option that you could do on our boat trip. As we floated along the coast, we passed many beautiful caves. They stopped at one point so we can get out and swim through them. You do have to be careful not to cut yourself on any rocks as the water can be a bit wavy, but I had so much fun swimming and exploring these gorgeous caves!

7. Ride the Chairlift to the top of Mt. Solaro

If you are not afraid of heights, this is hands down one of the best things I experienced in Amalfi! For the best view on the entire island of Capri, with 360 degree views, you can take a small ski life to the top of Mt. Solaro. I have to admit that even though I am not afraid of heights, my hands got a bit sweaty as you are on a tiny ski lift by yourself, and it gets extremely steep at some points going up. However, the view is absolutely unbeatable, especially once you get to the top.

At the top of the mountain, there is an adorable bar where you can enjoy a few drinks like Bacardi Breezers (which became my favorite), while enjoying the remarkable view.

8. Go Shopping at the Boutiques/Walk Around and Just Enjoy the Beautiful Scenery!

The town of Capri has some of the most adorable boutiques, and I was sure to explore them and buy myself a few items. Additionally, simply walking around the island, everything is so bright and beautiful. There are pretty flowers growing, rolling cliffs, and views of the Mediterranean, so make sure to take some time to just explore and walk around to take it all in!

9. Taste the Italian Cuisine

Now, this is a given. Italy has some of the best food in the world, including the most delicious pasta and sauce, pizza, and sandwiches I have ever had. Everything tastes so much more fresh than it does in the U.S. (Sorry, America). Be sure to check out the delicious restaurants, you won’t have one bad meal! When we were in Positano, Bus2Alps recommended the Vini e Panini for sandwiches, and I swear I could eat those things everyday for the rest of my life – delicious!

10. Relax on the Positano Beach

Along with Capri and Anacapri, on our Bus2Alps trip we visited Positano. The positano beach was gorgeous and they gave us a good chunk of time to just relax on the beach, get super bronzed, swim in the glittery water, and sip on some Bacardi Breezers! Be sure to wear a serious amount of sunblock if you are here in the Summer – it gets HOT!

12. Enjoy the Nightlife

While Amalfi Coast is a very relaxing, romantic place, there are a few bars to check out and a minimal amount of nightlife. We did not get to visit this on our trip, but heard that there is a really fun cave bar in Positano! We did have fun at the bar we went to in Positano (pictures below). If you are a lady – just be warned that Italian men can be super aggressive, so be sure to go with a group!

12. Visit Pompeii

If you have time, visiting Pompeii is an amazing (and slightly creepy) experience when heading home from Amalfi. If you are not familiar with Pompeii, it is an archaeological site that used to be a full-blown Roman City, but was destroyed by the eruption of a volcano. Due to the lack of moisture and air underneath of the volcanic ash, much of the city was preserved, including actual human bodies, frozen in time.

You can pay to have an official tour here, but we opted to do a self-guided tour – completely up to you. It is definitely eerie, but something really cool to see, especially if you have an interest in Roman history.

I hope these suggestions were helpful if you have a trip planned to go to the Amalfi Coast anytime soon! Leave any other suggestions or questions/comments in the comment box below!

Costa Rica | Top 10 Things To Do For An Adventurous Trip

Posted on by annamae161@gmail.com

Costa Rica has always been on my bucket list of places to travel. I had never been to South America, and considering I can’t survive a full winter in Boston without at least a quick trip someplace warm, my friend, Erin Silva, and I decided it would be the perfect January trip. Although it is quite touristy, there are so many adventurous activities to do, and endless amounts of beautiful scenery. From breathtaking beaches, to luscious jungles, and cute, fuzzy animals (my favorite), you really can’t go wrong.

We chose to get the true backpackers, “Pura Vida” experience, and stayed in two different hostels in the two different areas of Costa Rica we went to: Manuel Antonio and Arenal. The hostels were conveniently called Backpackers Manuel Antonio and Arenal Backpackers. I would recommend staying here if you want a cheap option. However, neither of the hostels had hot water (luke warm at most) in the shower, and Manuel Antonio had communal showers/bathroom, so keep this in mind if you go this route! We definitely preferred the Arenal Backpackers hostel as it was slightly nicer, with a bigger and more beautiful pool, and a cute bar area in the front where you could eat traditional food and drink delicious Pina Coladas (or whatever you fancy).

During our four days there, we jam-packed a lot of activities for an adventurous vacation. The great thing about Costa Rica is that you can relax at the beautiful beaches, go surfing, and eat coconuts, if you want a relaxing vacation. On the other hand, if you want more action and adventure, there is so much to do, from boating, horseback riding, zip-lining, hiking and more. For us, we opted for the more adventurous route, so if that is the type of vacation you are looking for, I have included some of our top 10 favorite experiences below!

 

 

  1. Go on a Jungle Tour | Manuel Antonio National Park

    I am a HUGE animal person, so was most excited to see adorable sloths, little monkeys, and other more exotic animals in their national habitat. The great thing about staying at the backpackers hostels, was we could organize all of our activities through the hostel, which was so convenient. We scheduled an early morning tour, and our tour guide picked us up in van at the hostel, and took us both to and from the Manuel Antonio National Park.

    Our tour guide was absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t recommend going to the park without a tour guide. Some of the animals are unbelievably hard to spot unless you have a trained professional to find them (whether its way high up in the tree, or blending in with the ground). Our guide not only spotted many animals for us, he used his mega microscope with zoom to ensure we could see them and take zoomed-in pictures with our iPhones, along with providing detailed descriptions about each one. We got extremely lucky, and got to see a rare anteater in the day, cute monkeys playing, a sloth and its mama, and many more amazing animals. It is an experience not to miss!

      

 

2. Go on a Boat Tour

Going on a boat tour is something I absolutely would add to your list if you are in Costa Rica. It is a relaxing way to spend the day or night, and see the beautiful Costa Rican waters while you are at it. We had an absolutely amazing time, and it is very are easy to book through the hostel or online.

We chose the afternoon to sunset tour. Our boat tour provided snorkel gear so we could swim in the beautiful water and spot fish, as well as a delicious dinner and drinks. It was also a great way to meet some other tourists and have fun socializing. We watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen (Titanic theme-song playing in the background, for all those romantic couples – haha). The absolute best part was spotting dolphins that swam right in the wake of our boat! It was an experience I will never forget.

3. Climb the Arenal Volcano

I have never in my life had the experience to climb a volcano (an active one – mind you), so it was something fun to check off my bucket list. It is great way to get moving and get some exercise while on your trip, and you get to see the most breathtaking views while you are at it.

In all honesty – you cannot actually climb to the top of the Volcano (considering it is still active, this would be a suicide mission). However, you can definitely get a good work out in climbing very close around the bottom of it, and it makes for some amazing photo-ops!

4. Go horseback riding

Horseback riding was one of my favorite activities at camp as a kid, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to go in years and years, so was very excited to get out my riding boots again (or sneakers – Haha). We booked our horseback riding trip through a local company in downtown Arenal. There are tons lining the main street and it is extremely easy to schedule. We combined this with zip-lining, and swimming in hot springs, all in one day (I will talk about each below), so it was quite the activity-filled day!

However, the day that we went it happened to be absolutely pouring rain, which made for an interesting experience. When you go horseback riding, you have a guide with you, who leads you through the jungle and to the hot springs, and sets the pace for the ride. Between the pouring run and mud, along with trotting through the bumpy jungle with a rocky terrain, it was an extremely fun experience, but not one for those who are timid about horseback riding with some speed (and bumps)!

5. Go Zip-lining Through the Jungle

Zip-lining was one of the most exciting (and scary) experiences of our trip. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, considering we were extremely high-up skyrocketing through the jungle. Additionally, it was pouring rain the day we went which made the zip-line go faster. However, our guides were amazing, making us smile the whole time and ensuring we weren’t too scared, and that we had a blast.

Additionally, all of the other tourists cancelled their zip-lining trip that day due to rain, so Erin and I were the only ones with the team on the zip-line. Due to this, they let us try so new zip-lining techniques including the super-man, and zip-lining upside down! I felt like I accomplished a lot to say the least after this excursion.

6. Swim in the Hot Springs

Swimming in the hot springs was another part of our zip-lining/horseback riding excursion, and as mentioned it was pouring rain, which made it a bit chilly. Since the hot springs were warm, it was a nice temporary relief from the cold rain, and since we were already soaking wet anyways, we opted to take a dip!

It was also beautiful as we were in the middle of the jungle. I would definitely recommend this if you have the chance!

7. Swim in the La Fortuna Waterfall

Costa Rica is home to some of the most beautiful waterfalls. Erin and I would have loved to go to them all, but we chose the La Fortuna, and we were happy we did!

It does take a lot of hiking to get to, but it is well worth the trek! It was absolutely breathtaking and so much fun to swim in (although it was freezing). It also makes for some beautiful photos.

8. Experience the Local Cuisine

One of my favorite things to do whenever I travel anywhere, is to eat. Of course Costa Rica is known for it’s delicious rice and beans, and ceviche. I had actually never had ceviche in my life prior to the trip, and by the end I was a huge fan!

The food was all so fresh and delicious, and I was glad we got the chance to taste local cuisines outside of just our hostel. Definitely set aside some time to try new foods and enjoy what they make locally, you will not be disappointed!

9. Drink Fresh Coconut

One of the best coconuts and coconut milk I have ever had in my life was at the beach in Costa Rica. It is easy to get a coconut from locals that sell them on the beach, and it was the most fresh, delicious coconut I’ve ever put my lips on! Do not miss the chance to get one if you find yourself on the beach and see a local selling them. Additionally, all of the fruit in Costa Rica is so fresh and juicy, I would recommend trying as many types as possible!

10. Relax at the Beautiful Beaches/Surfing

Costa Rica is known for having some absolutely beautiful beaches, so we were sure to cut out some time to relax and check out the scenery at the beach. It is of course known for surfing, but Erin and I had never surfed and unfortunately didn’t have time to include this in our schedule with all of our other activities. However, of course this is something I have heard great things about and would recommend doing if you are a surfer or want to learn to surf.

Erin and I chose the relax and tan on the beach, drink a coconut route. 🙂

I hope this post was helpful for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica! Be sure to leave any questions in the comments box!