Our family decided to go on a weekend getaway with some friends. We’ve been in Santa Ana for a little over a year, and have visited quite a few beaches since we moved to Costa Rica, but we hadn’t yet made out way over to the beautiful Guanacaste area. Oh. My. Gosh. Why did I wait so long?

Scott took the day off Friday so we could get an early start on the four hour drive. You see, in Costa Rica, four hours can quickly turn into six or seven, depending on how bad traffic is. We figured an early start would help ensure a speedy trip. It paid off. We arrived at the Westin, Playa Conchal, an all-inclusive resort, just after 1 p.m. and immediately knew the next couple of days would be amazing.

I tried really hard to keep my camera in my bag and just enjoy my vacation, but those who know me well know it’s SO hard to not photograph everything – especially since it was just such a stunning location.

The highlight of our trip – Maddie and her buddy went horseback riding at sunset. While it looked like a romantic first date, the two spent almost the entire ride arguing about who was better at riding horses. Haha. <3 *Note: There was a guide with these kids and horses the entire time and safety was certainly a priority. I just used a little editing here to remove the extra person to make the pictures a little more visually appealing haha.*

Here are a few of my favorites from our vacation. I can’t wait to go back!