Victoria's Voyage

Our first full day in the beach town of Tamarindo – and, thanks to the previous night’s antics, the one morning I didn’t wake up early… Even so, I still managed to fit in a little shopping, and was in plenty of time for the long-awaited catamaran cruise.

The walk to the beach gave us an opportunity to see even more of Tamarindo and its many restaurants and bars. Arriving, we waded into the shallows before clambering into a small motorboat that would take us to the catamaran. Leaving our shoes and heading straight to the free bar for a pick-me-up, our full afternoon cruise was soon in full swing.

Whilst chilling on the deck, we were stirred by shouting. “Turtle!” Everyone sprung up and hurried to the side of the boat. Lo and behold, there they were, two sea turtles getting a little too friendly with each other right in front of us!

Next came a brief swim stop. I opted to snorkel, but saw very little from where I was. Abandoning that idea, I was content to just swim, float and enjoy the ocean, and the calming feel of the gentle waves that lapped at my back. The water was very salty, but other than that it was perfect.

As we returned to the deck, crashing out in the sun, we were joined by even more marine life. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a whole pod of active dolphins surrounded us, leaping around when we’d least expect it and putting on quite the show. Sadly, I couldn’t get a photo, but just watching them play was magical enough anyway.

Finally, the sunset, the bright blue skies transformed into vivid pinks and reds and oranges. The perfect end to an exhausting yet great little excursion.

Dinner took place in the most gorgeous outdoor food court I think I’ve ever seen – and I even managed to order a burger plain, as well as the most divine homemade strawberry lemonade. I thought the one I had in Antalya was good, but this sweet concoction was consumed in an instant. Delicious!