The Maintex sales incentive trip for 2018 took place in May in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica.  I was previously in this region with my family back in 2007. That previous trip involved long car rides across the countryside and lots of sightseeing – this one was based at an all-inclusive resort and was focused primarily on relaxation.  The area was beautiful, the resort sprawling, and the experience decidedly different.

Katy and I arrived early and partook in one of Costa Rica’s abundant combination “eco-tours”.  Ours involving zip lining, horseback riding, and a lovely river tubing adventure.  We were also served a delicious lunch, one of only two authentic meals we enjoyed on the trip.  Over lunch we learned all about the business of HoneyBaked Ham™ from a fellow travel companion/franchisee.

  • Horseback riding
  • Wearing zip line harnesses
  • Group tubing down the river
  • Tubing down the river
  • Crossing a rope bridge

One of us enjoyed traveling from platform to platform via zipline. One of us was decidedly less thrilled, but managed to brave the trek.

When we arrived at the resort, we were offered bottomless drinks, abundant poolside sunbathing, and lots of different types of cuisine.  As I’m genetically incapable of relaxing for very long, I quickly became antsy.  This is reflected in my photos: there is not a single one of the room, the pool, or the resort grounds, except insofar as they were incidentally captured while pursuing pictures of the monkeys, lizards, and birds that roamed the area.  Oops.

The resort is in an area designated as some sort of wilderness preserve, so I trekked out with a water bottle and the hotel-provided map in search of said wild places.  It did not go well — if there was a park or preserve here, it does not seem to be functioning any longer.

The highlight of the trip was a group catamaran adventure out to a secluded bay for snorkeling and water activities.

The Maintex crew on the catamaran

I kayaked to a beach and collected shells while others in the party partook of fish sightseeing.  On the way back we were joined by a pod of dolphins that delightfully played in our wake.

Another fun perk of the area was the strange anteater-type creatures that occasionally appeared in the morning in large herds right near our room.

Anteater

Katy and I both mostlyavoided sunburn through the use of copious amounts of sunscreen and our respective doofy hats.  We also got to break out some “tropical chic” outfits for the group meals.

  • Posing in tropical chic attire
  • Walking along the beach in doofy hats

The locale was beautiful.  The trip was fun, relaxing, and even included a touch of adventure.  I guess I had better hit may sales goals this year so that we can go on next year’s trip to Barbados!