MANUEL ANTONIO, COSTA RICA

Manuel Antonio is a beautiful beach town about two and a half hours from San Jose airport.  Thousands flock here each year to breathtaking views of the Pacific.

BALDI HOT SPRINGS RESORT & SPA ~ COSTA RICA

Baldi is located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Cossta Rica at the base of Arenal Volcano. It has 25 thermal pools rich in minerals and healing properties. There are also two water slides and three swim up bars.

Baldi Hot Springs are 100% Natural, heated from a  a subterranean volcanic river 60 meters below the earths surface.

 My daughter and I decided to splurge and stay one night at the Baldi Hot Springs Resort and Spa.  She had been there for the day during her previous visit to Costa Rica. 

The pools are located throughout the resort with breathtakingly lush, tropical landscaping.  Listening to the birds singing and the sounds of falling water as we relaxed the the pools was an amazing experience.  

EXPLORING ROATAN, HONDURAS (Outside of the Cruise Port)

Roatan, Honduras is my favorite port out of all of the Caribbean ports I have visited.  Of course I'm  leaving on another cruise next month out of Puerto Rico so this may change.  Either way, Roatan is still a great port.

Carnvial has an amazing free Beach, Mahogany Bay, which is beautiful and an easy walk from the ship.  

I have spent my time in port going only to the beach and I loved it.  

The last time I went with my daughter and some friends, we hired a driver right outside of the port and for $30 a person, they carried us anywhere we wanted to go.  You can check out my video HERE.

To get outside of the port, you will want to veer left once you get through the Dufry shop (#12 on map) and walk to the courtyard.  You will want to walk to the end building with the red roof(#3 on the map).  This is the car rental and information area.

MAHOGANY BAY CRUISE PORT ~ ROATAN HONDURAS

Is Mahogany Bay one of the stops on your next cruise? If you’re wondering what there is to do while in port, you may be pleasantly surprised. Mahogany Bay is one of those destinations where you don’t need to book an excursion or even leave the port to enjoy your day. 



Mahogany Bay was built by Carnival, which means it’s designed with cruise passengers in mind and offers plenty to do right in the port area. One of the highlights is the beautiful beach, complete with plenty of lounge chairs where you can relax and enjoy the view. You’ll also find a variety of shops to browse, along with a few restaurants and food stands if you’d rather stay close and grab a bite without heading off the property.

This option allows to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before heading ashore. It’s the perfect opportunity to slow down, enjoy your meal, and even catch the sunrise before making your way to the port for the day.

LAMANAI MAYAN RUINS & RIVER BOAT SAFAIRI ~ CARNIVAL BELIZE EXCURIONS

We just returned from a cruise to Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel.  We cruised on the Carnival Breeze and had an amazing time.  

We wanted to visit some Mayan Ruins while in Belize and chose to book the Lamanai Mayan Ruins & River Boat Safari through Carnival.  The tour was great and I highly recommend this excursions but the phrasing used in some of these excursions can be a little misleading.  Hopefully the information below will help you be a little more prepared for you visit.

Belize is a tender port so you will take a ferry from the ship to the dock.  You will read varying times that it takes the ferry to get from the ship to the dock but I clocked it both directions and it took 15 minutes both times.

CARNIVAL CRUISE PORT ~ MAHOGANY BAY, ROATAN (HONDURAS)

Carnival Cruise ships dock at the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, located in Dixon Cove east of Coxen Hole.  There are a few shops in port along with several restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops.  Adjacent to the cruise center is 10 acre Mahogany Beach.  It's a little walk but you can take the "Magic Flying Beach Chair" for $14 (unlimited rides for the day).

Mahogany Bay is a great ports because you have the option of hanging out in port without spending a penny.  Of course there is shopping and restaurants available but you can still enjoy the beach without having to pay for an excursion.

HENRY MORGAN BEACH RESORT ~ ROATAN, HONDURAS

There’s no arguing that the beach here is beautiful. We didn’t book an excursion through the cruise line, but instead hired a driver/guide outside the Carnival cruise port. We asked to visit a nice beach, and they took us to the Henry Morgan Resort. Admission was $10, which included access to clean restrooms and a beach chair.

We were only there for about three hours, so I can’t personally speak to the food or lodging, but you’ll find plenty of information on TripAdvisor. Overall, most of the negative reviews of this resort relate to the food. The beach itself is public, so you’re likely to find a great place to eat nearby.

8 PLACES OUTSIDE OF THE US YOU CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD TO TRAVEL TO IN 2017

I have said this many times....Travel doesn't have to be expensive.  If it was, I would never leave my house.  I live in Arkansas where the minimum wage is $8.50, so many of us have to work extra jobs to earn travel money.  Some work three jobs!

The good news is that there are some places where you can consistently find cheap flights and lodging.  Places like Spain, Italy, France, Ireland,  many Caribbean islands, and almost all of Mexico.

One of your biggest expenses is airfare so be sure to check out my post on Finding Cheap Airfare HERE.

My travel companions and I have put a list of some of our favorite budget places to travel.

#1 ROME   I don't remember ever seeing Rome and a list for budget travel.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe because flying directly into Rome can be expensive.  If you fly to a cheaper destination like Barcelona, you can fly on to Rome for around $25.  Once you are in Rome, there are tons of things to see for free.  We paid to get into the Colosseum but you can walk to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, and many more places for free. 

The public bus cost €1.50 for 100 minutes or €24 for a week so you can travel around Rome cheap.  There are tons of places to eat in Rome but if you are looking for someplace inexpensive, pop into one of the pizza shops where you can get a huge slice of pizza and soda for around €5.

#2 BARCELONA I never realized how popular Barcelona was as a travel destination until I traveled there the first time.  Barcelona is fairly easy to get around and there is always something to do.  Buses to and from the airport are very affordable (I think we paid ­€7) and if you stay in a hotel (or use Airbnb like we did) near the Placa CAntalunya, it's just a short walk to everywhere.  If you really want to eat cheap, find a tapas bar where you can pick up a tapas for €1 each. 

COSTA RICA SCRAPBOOK

I finished the photo book for my daughter and her trip to Costa Rica in 2012.  

I know I have mentioned it on numerous occasions, but I love Mixbooks.  They give you a huge selection of photo book themes with tons of add-ons.  The have coupons codes often and you can get a good quality book at a great price.  

If you have a lot of photos you would like to scrapbook, check out this company.

If  you print your photos for scrapbooking, you know how expensive it can be. My local Walmart charges $2.84 for an 8×10 so multiply that by the number of photos you have.  I can have a professional looking, hardback, bound book for a fraction of that so it is such a cost-effective way to go.

If you would like to see my personal albums, you can check out my Europe album  HERE. You can also check out my Jamaica album HERE.

MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK, COST RICA

Manuel Antonio contains a charming combination of rain forest, beaches and coral reefs. These beaches are the most beautiful in the country, lined with lush forest, and the snorkeling is excellent too. The forest is home for sloths, iguanas, the rare and adorable squirrel monkeys and millions of colorful little crabs. And the trail that winds around Punta Catedral affords some spectacular views. The park is easy to reach, south of the town of Quepos, and is near a good selection of hotels and restaurants.

IGLESIA DE SAN RAFEAL, ZARCCERO ~ Costa Rica

The picturesque town of Zarcero is perched on the edge of the Central Valley in the San Jose Highlands about 67 km northwest of San Jose, Cost Rica.   The town has a beautiful cottage style church and the interior is covered with gorgeous religious paintings and elaborate pastel stencil work. 

Crocodile River Adventure in Costa Rica!

Our group took a tour on the Tarcoles River in Central Pacific Costa Rica.  The Taracoles River is perhaps best known for its abundance of American crocodiles. It's said that the Tárcoles River has one of the highest populations of crocodiles in the entire world - 25 crocodiles per square kilometer. We had the opportunity to get up close with American crocodiles of all sizes, and observe an abundance of beautiful exotic birds!