Costa Rica is such an amazing country — did I mention they have beautiful beaches? Whether you’re looking for an exotic island-style vacation get-a-way, or thinking of relocating to a relaxing in a kick-back chill place, Costa Rica is it. With sweeping view of the Caribbean Sea, inspiration is is a walk or short car ride away.

Playa Avellana for instance is one of the best beaches in the country. Not only does it showcase the clear waters, but offers lots of fun activities, like surfing and sailing. Don’t know how? No problem, they are plenty of instructors to turn you into a pro.

And to the adventure seekers that love to explore, the sight of a black sand beach with tickle your inner explorer. Playa Hermosa is one of the very few costa rica beaches with jet black sand. It is a unique and amazing gift of nature. Costa rica beaches are definitely Instagram-worthy.

These are two of the many beaches to get your chill on. And theree are a lot more in store for you if you make this trip happen. Check out the infographic below for more information. Once you’ve been, you’ll be planning your return, for sure.

Surrounded on three sides by water, India has many beach choices, including Pondicherry (Puducherry) on the east coast, and Kanyakumari on the southern tip. But Goa is the more popular area, with beaches littered along the west coast for hundreds of kilometers.

Every beach has it’s own personality, some drawing large party crowds (such a Baga Beach), while others remain a more tranquil experience. Palolem beach has the best of both.

On the spur of the moment, a few colleagues and I decided to travel to Palolem via motorcycle, and the ride itself was a thrill. Despite having to initially endure 400 kilometers via highway, the last 200 kilometers were all country roads — that took us through villages, forests and snaking through “S” curves in the mountains.

Everyone has different expectations of a beach vacation, and I am no exception. I sought a peaceful place, had some recreation, enough people to make it enjoyable, and restaurants and bars on the beach — and, served cocktails — not just beer. I wasn’t disappointed.

WHERE TO STAY

The beach, swaying palm and coconut trees, the sound of the surf with the bright sun overhead, what’s not to like about the beach? Palolem Beach had many options to indulge your restless soul that range from as little as Rs. 500 per night (on the main road just off the beach), up to Rs 1,00 – 4,000 per night on the beach.

All of them on the beach have the same setup, with stilted huts over the restaurants (most with balconies) that overlook the ocean, and others set behind the restaurant, most of those with a clean line of sight views to the ocean through the open restaurants.

All the beach hut resorts have lounge chairs and umbrellas by day, and dining tables and chairs by night. You’ll want for nothing; it is all here. You can take a boat cruise, rent a kyack, a bike, or talk a walk. For the adventurous, there are excursions to the waterfalls, scuba diving, dolphin watching and so much more.

Cuba Beach Huts Resort is perhaps the most visible online and offers beach huts on stilts with a large balcony (with Cuba Havana right next door (same ownership, same pricing), though their rooms are slightly smaller, but the balconies larger. Their restaurant, also with a sand floor, I thought had better music and more bohemian feel to it; a young, international crowd.

NOTE: between Cuba Huts and Havana, out on the beach is Sai Palolem; they had very good food options, and 3 for one drink specials, and a friendly and accommodating staff.

Ciarans has more of a beach hotel feel in their restaurant, with dark wood floors and a touch of elegance. They also have ocean front huts on stilts with balconies (Rs. 4000). Their huts — behind the restaurant — don’t have quite the same open ocean view as the former two above. But are set in a more wooded cabin setting, with flower and garden lined pathways and lots of trees overhead. It appeared to cater to an older, more affluent crowd.
Rs. 2,000 – 2,500 per night

Banyan Tree and Fernandez — both 50-100 meters further north of the others –, had nice restaurants with couches, and featured Italian coffee; most of the others serve instant.

Brendons, which calls itself “the cool place” offered huts just beyond it’s the open restaurant at Rs.1000 a night. It has a porch and reminded me more of a cabin set among the trees, though it had a clear eyeshot to the beach and earshot of the soft, easy waves crashing upon the shoreline. The restaurant had good food — like steak marinated in Rum, topped with cheese with potato and vegetables.

Sai Presley and Sameer were two other mid-price options.

Any of the above and so many more are sure to provide you with a relaxing vacation experience. They’re all similar, most of them offering stilted huts overlooking the ocean, with others in a line behind their respective restaurants.

The real treasure and best-kept secret, however, is at the far north end of the beach. Set on a little peninsula, which at hide tide you have to wade through thigh-high water to reach. There is a little outdoor bar called Sundowner where you can watch sunrise or sunset, and many conjugate there for sunset. They have huts for rent at Rs 800 a night, perched and embedded into the mountain — with a view of the beach to the left and rocky coast to the right. They appeared quite rustic on the outside but were quite cozy on the inside.

They are also a destination for those that want an outdoor wedding, for those that want to experience a sunset Goa beach wedding.

Fresh fish, of course, is readily available at virtually any of these resorts and included Shark, Tuna, Red Snapper, Black Snapper, Pomfret, Lobster, Calamari, and Prawns. You can enjoy them grilled, sauteed, or tandoori. And there are many other cuisines including Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Indian, Chinese, and continental.

Palolem is globally represented too: we met people from Bulgaria, Sweden, Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, and Israel; there were even a few Indians there!. It was the first time during my three years in Bangalore that I was in the white majority. Diversity always makes a trip more interesting.

Unlike Om Beach (which I’ll write about in another article), where the town itself is 4 kilometers away, Palolem Beach has two streets of shopping (with incidentals as well as tourist crafts) that are all a just a few minutes walk from your beach hut. There is even a Cafe Coffee Day, and then the main town is just a kilometer away. There are also places to stay there on the main road as well, ranging from Rs. 500 upward.

Getting Cash. I didn’t see an ATM on that previously mentioned street just off the beach, but there is a tourism office just in on the right that can swipe your card and give you cash (they charge 2-3{3e606923dd75739fa0997ea01c1efa34f2a8d56b6ebb334122bb9153c0608d88} for the transaction.)

Being on motorcycles, we opted on our 4th day to take a drive 60 kilometers to the Dudhsagar Waterfall. However, once you get to the little town nearest the waterfall, you have to take a 45-minute trek by 4×4 jeep up the mountain. The road is rough, jostling your insides lose every 5 feet, as the jeep navigates over a rock-studded dirt road, several times crossing through small ponds deep enough that water reached the bottom of the doors.

Once on top, after a short hike along a trail, you can elect to take a refreshing swim in the natural pool at the foot of the waterfall, which we did. You may also want to check out other places to visit in Goa.

Read about traveling in Rajasthan, India

View more India travel photos here on my Facebook gallery

Rajasthan translates to “Land of Kings.” Jaipur is the capital with 2.2 million people and a good place to start. Rajasthan tourist places are vintage. If you want a piece of history, then Rajasthan tourist places is your gateway.

Once there you can begin your exploration in the Pink City, an old market place in the center of town where you can visit the Sheesh Mahal (Lahore Fort or Hall of Mirrors). Afterward walk the streets and shop till your heart’s content. From trinkets to handmade shoes, clothing and jewelry, you’ll find it in t he Pink City of Jaipur. The territory is also known for its textiles and you can find beautiful handmade sheets, rugs and more.

After a few hours walking the Pink City you can take a short autorick ride to the Albert Hall Museum. It is an hour or two of your time featuring rugs, tapestries, mosaic tiles and many historic artifacts.

If you like history and architecture, the City Palace (also within the city) is a must see. It iis quite stunning in it’s sheer size and grandeur, and you should allow yourself a few hours to wander about. And if you didn’t make any purchases in the Pink City, you’ll find an entire street of shops leading to the Palace entrance.

If you like stepping into the past, there are many treasures to behold in Rajasthan. We spent one day hiring an autorick for 800 rupees and visited the Amber Fort, which is expansive, not only having served as a fort but, a palace as well. And after trekking through passage after passage you can finally sit and relax at the Cafe Coffee Day located deep within the complex, it’s terrace overlooking the hillside.

Another fort [and summerpalace of the queen] was Nahargarh Fort, set high on the hill top with a vast view of the city on one side and the hills on the other (see cover photo).

If elephants fascinate you then take a trip to Elefantasy, an elephant park where you can ride an elephant, and kids have lots of attractions to engage their interest. Riding an elephant was a strange sensation: you can feel every muscle in the grand beast move beneath you. Elefantasy is a well organized park and fun for all: adults and kids.

Traveling in Rajasthan

Another tourist park depicting Rajasthan culture and cuisine is the Chokhi Dhani Village, one of the most visited Rajasthan tourist places. While it’s a manmade recreation of Rajasthani life, it’s still a nice tourist spot where you can wander the village and see cultural dancing, get a sense of history, and feast in a sit down and enjoy a Tahli dinner.

For the adventure lovers, step into a sense of the old silk road of the 8th to 12th centuries during a desert trip. You can drive it yourself, or there are several safari camps.

The Great Indian Desert is Thar, in the northwest of India near the Pakistan border, the 17th largest desert in the world. 60% of the desert is in Rajasthan, with the balance extending iinto Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. The desert region of Rajasthan features the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization at Kalibanga; the Temples of Dilwara, the only hill station — which is the site of a Jain pilgrimage –,

In the ancient Aravalli mountain range you’ll find Mount Abu; and near Bharatpur in eastern Rajasthan is the Keoladeo National Park known for its bird life.

When it’s time for rest and relaxation head south to Udaipur, the city of palaces. You’ll find many comfortable and elegant hotels at one of the two lakesides.

Rajasthan is a trip into history, culture, architecture and adventure with lots of scenic wonders. Leave yourself enough time to see it all.

Read more of my travels through India and expat life

View my photos of Nargarh Fort

View my photos from Amber Fort

View photos of Jaipur and the Pink City

Located on MG Road just south of Brigade Road (nested next to the new City Bar, beside the Cafe Coffee Day lounge), it is set way back off the road. The ambiance is inviting, with lantern lighting hung from the high ceilings, and a multi-colored wall mural running the length of the restaurant; sweeping colors of painted wildlife and scenic views. The mural, which I liked very much was created by Ambika T. George.

Indian kitchen brings to you a little bit of everything; divided by states yet united by cuisine. This is a restaurant to celebrate, savor and relish India on a plate.

With a 5,000+ year history, Indian cuisine has been influenced by many cultures, most specifically Mughals, British, Arab and Portuguese. This, in combination with the intense spices used in Indian cooking, makes every meal a taste festival.

According to the manager of Indian Kitchen “Our aim is to broaden our customer’s knowledge and experience of Indian cuisine. Few restaurants in Bangalore do that. Our chefs have traveled the length and breadth of the country knocking on every household door in an effort to understand, learn and bring back those recipes so we could pass them on to our customers. And too, our mixologists have also crafted the finest cocktails inspired by color and tradition of various states in India.’

Indian Kitchen is open Sunday-Thursday from 12:00 – 15:00, and again from 19:00 – 23:00. Friday and Saturday they’re open from 12:00 – 15:00, and again from 19:00 – 01:00

We tried the Aloo Paratha and it was terrific; I enjoyed the Mangalorean Chicken. They feature dishes from Kerala, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Bengal, Calcutta, Punjab, Mumbai and others.

Desserts were varied, including all the regular options, like Ice Cream Sunday, cookies, cakes, and pastries, though I enjoyed the palm ice cream which was rich and tasty.

There is a full bar, though the Margaria, my staple drink, was good but a little off.

The menu is a bit pricey compared to other restaurants in Bangalore, though not as high as UB City, nor as low as the average restaurant in the MG Road area. With several drinks each, several starters and two main dishes and dessert we spent Rs. 6,000.

While during their soft launch they were still tweaking things, they’ve since had their grand opening. This new addition to the MG Road area, I believe is one of the restaurants in Bangalore to visit. It has something different to offer, a nice ambiance of just the right lighting, easy background music, and inspiring colors.

Check it out and come back to let us know what you think by placing your own review in the comments box below.

OUR RATING: 4 Stars

Also, check out this vietnamese restaurant in Bangalore.