When you visit Malpais Costa Rica, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, be prepared to relax and unwind. This area of the country is so laid-back, that when you’re there it feels as if you’ve left the rest of the world off somewhere else, vaguely in the background. And that’s a good thing. Besides being simply...Read More
Innovative and chic, Caribbean Costa Rica Hotel Le Cameleon keeps it fresh. Like a chameleon, the hip yet relaxed Costa Rica luxury hotel spices up life by changing its colors every day. Decorated in impeccable white, striking dashes of tropical colors around the hotel switch every day. Seat cushions. Paintings. Flower vases. Restaurant napkins. Staff...Read More
Once again, Costa Rica is the best country to retire and also ranked highly for a healthy, comfortable retirement, according to the 2016 Best Countries rankings and Annual Global Retirement Index. Atenas, Costa Rica is not only a top place for international living, but also a popular vacation destination for its ideal location, halfway between...Read More
Have you ever been to a Spanish speaking country? How about learning a few key phrases before you arrive? Costa Ricans are very friendly and helpful and will try to assist in any way they can, but knowing some of the native language will go a long way towards empathy and communication. Where to eat...Read More
Santa Teresa is a beach on the Nicoya Peninsula best know for its beaches and surfing, but what else is there to do there? Activities in the area range from the adventurous to the relaxed. Renting an ATV or going on a horseback tour are both good options to explore the beaches, rivers and mountains...Read More
Costa Rica has always taken pride in its efforts to rely mostly on renewable energy sources. According to the Costa Rica Electricity Institute, the Central American nation was powered 285 days in 2015 fossil fuel-free. Solar is the clean energy of the future, and more and more homes and businesses in Costa Rica are installing...Read More
For its fourth year, the intense ultra-trail running endurance race The North Face Endurance Challenge Costa Rica returns to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. On Saturday, May 28, 2016, hundreds of runners from all over the world will challenge themselves and each other in four endurance trail-running races of 10...Read More
It is always fascinating to look up at a clear night sky and get lost among the stars. Anyone can enjoy stargazing, even if you can’t readily name the constellations or planets. The best places to go, of course, are where the sky is wide open and very dark, with no distracting city lights. Up...Read More
You have decided to move to Costa Rica, or at least buy a vacation home in one of the world’s most popular places for living abroad. How do you choose where is the best place to buy a home in Costa Rica? The five most important things to consider are: lifestyle, climate and geography, infrastructure,...Read More
Windy summer season in Guanacaste, Costa Rica means it’s time for fun wind and water sports. But why is it so windy in Costa Rica this time of year? Blame it on the Papagayo winds. NASA tells us that when it is freezing cold and snowing in North America, the cold air and high-pressure weather...Read More
Many vacationers want to give back while traveling to the communities they visit. In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, two top hotels share a heartfelt initiative that makes it easy for their guests to feel good about supporting the community there. Hotel Tropico Latino and Florblanca Hotel implement the “$5 Check Out Program” that allows their...Read More
From real-life Kermit look-alikes to miniature candy-colored frogs, Costa Rica’s amphibians are wildlife to notice. Maybe it’s the special role they hold in fairytales – think: Prince Charming – frogs and toads seem to hold a certain appeal. They are strikingly unusual creatures that make a whole symphony of strange sounds, and are simply “ribbet-ing”....Read More
Put aside the playful monkeys, the chewing-gum looking frogs and the fluffy sloths by which Costa Rica is known. Then you’ll learn the country is also a paradise for bird watching enthusiasts. Any web search on that matter will confirm the country as a feathered hotspot. As of 2006, there were at least 812 vouchered...Read More
Have you ever wondered where those funny names for yoga poses come from? For example, what is Adho Mukha Svanasana? And how do you pronounce it! Yoga postures – asanas – are given traditionally in the ancient language of Sanskrit. For more than 2,000 years, Sanskrit has been a classic literary language of India and...Read More
It’s 5:45 a.m. The sun is already shining, and I am gingerly making my way through the cow corral, being careful not to step in anything I shouldn’t nor get too close to the long-horned cows. I’m headed to the cow barn at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica, to see...Read More
It’s one thing to boast about having some of the greatest biodiversity in Costa Rica – a country renowned for its legendary fantastic amount of plants and animals. It’s quite another to have plenty of scientific research to back up the claim. Not only is the rainforest in the Costa Rica Talamanca Mountains around Veragua...Read More
Summertime in the popular beach town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica means it’s time to hang out on the beach soaking in the sun and playing in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. It’s a great time to have fun with family and friends on a Costa Rica beach vacation. On the southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa...Read More
A colleague of mine and I both traveled out of Costa Rica for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. He to Western Europe and I to the western United States. What we both found when people learned we lived in Costa Rica was surprising. Everyone said they either loved visiting Costa Rica or wanted to...Read More
It’s the New Year, and that means it’s party time in Costa Rica! Kicking off with the Christmas holidays, the Costa Rica festivals season sashays into full swing in January and keeps you two-stepping to April. Costa Ricans are known for their gregarious, fun-loving style; get bit by the bug when the country celebrates its...Read More
While there may not be 70-foot point break waves like in the movies, Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast still sports some of the top surf spots in the country and will bring Costa Rica’s best surfers to the region at the end of January for the first national surf competition of the 2016 season.Read More
Come January 2016, schoolchildren in the southern Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica will hopefully breathe easy with cleaner air. Roads in front of seven elementary schools in the region, that are now unpaved dustbowls, will be the first in Costa Rica to be made of recyclable plastic, thanks to the Pave the Road initiative. The...Read More
In the coolest travel destination for 2016, you can plan a cool vacation knowing these top things to do in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Monteverde is famous for its cloud forests, nature and wildlife, adrenaline-inducing zip lines and suspension bridges, and its fabulous local coffee, ice cream and cheeses. So, pack your bags and get ready...Read More
The North Pacific Coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica is known for its unforgettable beautiful beaches of white, gold, gray, black and even pink sand. Guanacaste Costa Rica beaches are preferred vacation destinations, having the sunniest climate in all of Costa Rica.Read More
