The two coastlines of Costa Rica – Caribbean and Pacific – are about as opposite as you can get in landscape and lifestyle – kind of like New York and California. Most tourists to Costa Rica head west to the Pacific Coast beaches. It is the adventurer looking for the unique Costa Rica who chooses...Read More
Time to get away from it all, but you want something different than the usual packed beaches and crowded hotels? What if I told you there was a tropical paradise of rainforest and beach with bright sunny days and warm balmy nights, and you could have it all to yourself? No crowds. You’d probably think:...Read More
Like all travelers, when you plan a vacation to an unfamiliar location, you want to have an idea of what to expect. TripAdvisor is a great resource for getting insider information about a place from guests who have been there. Here are 5 great travel tips for your stay in Nosara Costa Rica. from guests...Read More
I’m sitting at my desk, meant to be working. What I’m really doing is daydreaming about snorkeling in Costa Rica. I’m plotting how I can get back to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge on Golfo Dulce. I’m remembering swimming in that calm sea and the feel of delicious water – not bath-water warm, but not cold...Read More
After a big day of hiking, zip-lining, horseback riding or other adventure tours in Costa Rica, there is nearly nothing better than soaking in steamy thermal springs so hot they make you tingle all over. Your tired muscles are soon relaxed into spaghetti-like existence and the cares of the world melt away. Mineral-rich hot springs...Read More
I’ve been to a lot of beaches in Costa Rica. Most of them I like, some of them I don’t. Then there are others that are so off the charts in fabulousness that I nearly don’t want to tell anyone about them. All right, I’ll tell you. I’ve discovered a hidden gem. A place I...Read More
When world traveler Susan Money chooses where to stay on vacation, she prefers smaller family-run hotels. Not as small as a B&B, but preferably not a corporate establishment. “I feel taken care of at a well-run corporate hotel or resort, but I like the friendships you create at smaller family-run hotels,” said Money. “This is...Read More
The last time I was at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, I was down at the beach cooling off from the hot sun in waist-deep tranquil waters of the Golfo Dulce, when suddenly there was a splash very close behind me. I turned quickly to look out toward the Gulf and was greeted by three Bottlenose...Read More
Costa Rica offers some of the world’s best whitewater rafting on beautiful, wild rivers that flow through spectacular tropical wilderness. Considered the “cleanest river in Central America”, the pristine Savegre River on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast flows down a picturesque valley from its origin high in the mountains of Cerro de la Muerte near...Read More
The southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is a big melting pot of traditions and cultures. It is the heart and soul of the country’s Afro-Caribbean community, as well as home to indigenous populations of Bribrí, Carib, Miskito and Cabécar. There are descendants of Spanish conquistadors, North Americans who worked for United Fruit Company during...Read More
Famous for its year-round surf, spectacular sunsets and friendly beach town, Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica was once again named a top beach in Central America in the newest TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards. The global travel site announced its 2015 Travelers’ Choice Awards on Feb. 18, awarding Costa Rica the honor of having some...Read More
Renting a vacation home in Costa Rica, especially one at the beach, is a great idea. Stay steps from the sand at beautiful Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in the new beachfront vacation home Martha’s House. The two-story octagon-shaped house is just off the beach and surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The house sleeps up to...Read More
Article by Shannon Farley In the easy-going surf and yoga town of Playa Guiones, Costa Rica, there is a very strange smell in the air this time of year. Besides the fresh scent of the ocean, from January to April, it smells like a giant stack of maple syrup covered pancakes. What is that gingerbread...Read More
Article by Shannon Farley You can’t visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica without listening at least once to the distinct resonant sounds of a traditional marimba. Considered a symbol of culture and tradition, especially in the province of Guanacaste, the marimba was declared the national musical instrument of Costa Rica by President José María Figueres in 1996....Read More
Thousands of visitors come to Costa Rica each year with the hope of witnessing the extraordinary phenomenon of seeing sea turtles nest and lay their eggs. These ancient reptiles have been swimming Earth’s waters for at least 150 million years, mysteriously returning to the same beach where they were born. Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast beaches...Read More
Three of the prettiest beaches on the Southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica are Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva. That is if you like long stretches of gorgeous picture postcard Caribbean coastline with warm turquoise ocean and graceful tall palm trees. When you are on the beach on the Costa Rica Southern Caribbean...Read More
Just in time for Christmas, travelers to Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, can enjoy charming new guest rooms at award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. At the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin is one of the best places to stay in Guanacaste. The eco-tourism hotel is a...Read More
Sunsets in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica are some of the most spectacular I’ve seen, especially if it is low tide. When the Pacific Ocean recedes from the long coastline of this stretch of the Nicoya Peninsula – Playa Carmen, Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa – the setting sun reflects its fiery colors in millions...Read More
What do a little black mare and the Virgin of Guadalupe have to do with Christmas traditions in Costa Rica? One of the more interesting Christmastime festivals held in Costa Rica is the Festival of “La Yeguita” (the little mare) on December 12. Held annually on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, the celebration combines...Read More
In southern Costa Rica, the end of the year is celebrated very uniquely at the country’s biggest indigenous cultural event, the “ Fiesta de los Diablitos Costa Rica ” The four-day annual “Festival of Little Devils” takes place over the New Year’s holiday from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 in the village of the Boruca...Read More
Looking to shop for unique Christmas gifts this year? Combine Christmas shopping with a holiday in Costa Rica and go to the Holiday Art Fair in Playa Guiones by Nosara on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014. More than 35 talented international and national artists will be selling handmade art and products at the third annual Holiday...Read More
Educational tourism is one of the fastest growing areas of travel and tourism. Not just for students, educational travel is about learning and being involved in community action projects while traveling and relaxing on vacation. Costa Rica offers a wide variety of educational travel and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. An excellent destination...Read More
One of the most magnificent birds in Costa Rica is the Great Green Macaw. This time of year, from October through December, Great Green Macaws (Ara ambiguus) return to the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge in northern Costa Rica from the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve in Nicaragua. Following their main food source of mountain almond tree...Read More
Now getting to the South Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica will be easier than ever with a new 30-minute flight between San Jose and Limon on Nature Air . Starting Dec. 1, travelers to Costa Rica can fly from San Jose and the Central Valley to the Caribbean port city of Limon on daily flights with...Read More
