Costa Rica is a top honeymoon destination

The best part about all of the effort to make your wedding day the most memorable occasion is what comes next … the honeymoon, of course! There’s no better way to finish celebrating a lifetime commitment than with a trip of a lifetime.

Wishing for sand and surf, sunny days, palm trees, lounging in hammocks, relaxing dips in a cool pool, romantic couple’s massages, and candlelit dinners with tropical breezes? Think Costa Rica. According to CNN Money and travel experts, Costa Rica is one of the most “up and coming honeymoon destinations.” The Central American country ranked as one of the top 10 world’s best honeymoon destinations by Brides Magazine and the Signature Travel Network in 2011.

With its diverse landscape and dual-ocean coasts, Costa Rica is the place to be for couples seeking the thrill of adventure or a peaceful place on the sand. Off the beaten path on the southern tip of the Pacific’s Nicoya Peninsula are some of the country’s most beautifulbeaches. Less developed with no crowds, fine accommodations and quaint fishing villages along palm-tree fringed shores create the perfect recipe for your romantic celebration of marital bliss.

Santa Teresa Beach is custom-built for fun. You have the perfect combination of relaxing beaches, exciting tropical rainforest and luxurious accommodations and spas. White sand beaches, lush vegetation and spectacular sunsets set an amazing stage for your romantic holiday.

An excellent choice for your tropical honeymoon scene is Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat, winner of the 2012 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Award. Pranamar Villas is a gorgeous, intimate boutique hotel right on the water with luxury two-story villas built around a free-form saltwater pool and tropical gardens, and elaborate beachfront villas. Picture Balinese architecture with bamboo, hardwoods, stone, water and plenty of windows and doors to let in fresh sea breezes.

Pranamar offers a deluxe 4 night, 5 day honeymoon package that includes accommodation in a posh oceanfront villa or bungalow, a la carte breakfast, dinner for 4 nights, a complementary bottle of wine, flowers and aromatherapy in your room, one yoga lesson per day for each of you, plus two couple’s massages during your stay.

Pranamar also specializes in extraordinarily beautiful beach weddings, with their own on-site coordinator to help you make your wedding the day you’ve always dreamed of having. You can combine your wedding, honeymoon and a vacation, as is the growing trend.

Getting there is an adventure in itself! Best way to get there is by local flight on Costa Rica’s Nature Air; a short 25-minute scenic flight will get you from Pavas Airport in San Jose to Tambor. From there, you can either have a car rental company meet you or the hotel’s driver will pick you up for the 50-minute drive to Santa Teresa Beach. An excellent alternative is to take advantage of Pranamar’s VIP meet-and-greet service starting the moment you arrive in the country at Juan Santamaria International Airport and caring for you all the way to the hotel.

Suggested activities while in the area: Hike in Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, go on a full-day tour for snorkeling, swimming and kayaking to fabulous Tortuga Island, explore the rainforest on a naturalist-guided walk, swim in a secluded pool at Montezuma’s waterfall, fly through the trees on a canopy zip-line tour, take a fun surf lesson, ride a horse along the beach, wind down with a relaxing yoga class … and don’t forget to lounge in a hammock for an afternoon “siesta”!