Traveling with kids. For the seasoned traveler, it’s no big deal, they say. A bit more luggage and stuff to carry. For first-timers they tend to fall into two camps – optimistic or terrified. My sister is probably the most efficient family traveler I know. She has her work cut out for her with 2-year-old...Read More
Dreamy, breezy, sun soaked days. Should I lie in the sun on my terracotta tiled terrace, or splash about in my private pool? Or maybe I’ll go for a swim in the sea in an azure blue cove edging a blindingly white sand beach. Later, I’ll take a siesta on my cushy white sofa, terrace...Read More
One of the most amazing things I’ve learned how to do is scuba dive. It’s the closest thing to flying I’ve ever felt, and given my fear of heights (or, rather, falling from them), it feels a whole lot safer. When you get your buoyancy worked out right, being weightless under water, drifting here and...Read More
The neat thing about river rafting is that you get to see parts of the country that otherwise go unnoticed. The Peñas Blancas River in north central Costa Rica is a good example. The clear tropical river runs through the Tilaran Mountain Range, fed by pristine waters of the Monteverde cloud forest, and converges with...Read More
It’s been a good year so far for Nataly Bernold. The 19-year-old from Jaco Beach, Costa Rica, was just crowned Costa Rica’s National Surfing Champion in the Women’s division in August (2012), making it her third national surfing title. In May, she won the Quicksilver Cup on the Olympus National Surfing Circuit in Dominical, placing...Read More
While the rest of the northern surfing world is gearing up for snowboarding for the winter, Costa Rica is heating up for the 2012-2013 summer season. Sunny days, blue skies and dry trade winds are soon headed our way … ideal for surf vacations! Look your best and get the most stoke with the latest...Read More
I want to be part of a Blue Zone. What is a “Blue Zone,” you ask? It is a place where people live happily and healthily for a very long time. The term was popularized by author-educator-explorer Dan Buettner in his 2008 book, “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from People Who’ve Lived the...Read More
Tourism all over the world is on the upswing. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) statistics show that the number of international tourists around the world grew nearly 5% during the first six months of 2012, as compared to the same period in 2011. Despite lingering worries over the global economy, international tourism is bouncing back. A...Read More
Most tourists to Costa Rica never see San Jose. They are whisked off from the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside the city to the “pretty” sights of the country; or they fly into the northern Guanacaste international airport at Liberia and don’t go anywhere near the Central Valley. That’s too bad. San Jose has a...Read More
The year was 1998. There was a very small flow of visitors coming to Costa Rica, about 100,000 according to the official numbers. A decade later, that number has increased up to 2 million tourists per year. This $1.9 billion industry is mainly based on Eco-tourism and has been driven by the green buzzword. As...Read More
Think about the best holiday destination. Have you considered Costa Rica? Have you ever wondered why it is one of the most popular choices by travelers? Looking at vacation reviews is a pretty good place to start for choosing a holiday destination. That is the way most travelers have found first-hand information about this place....Read More
Did you know that kids have an actual right to play? Article 31 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “… the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural...Read More
A quick Google search on “the importance of relaxing” yields 49,100,000 results in 0.30 seconds. Apparently, a lot of people, everywhere, think it really is important. I know what you’re thinking, “I already know this.” The thing is we all do. And yet, most of us don’t heed the wisdom. We work, do, be in...Read More
This year’s Costa Rica National Surfing Championship Finals promises to be one of the hottest surfing events of the year. For the first time ever, seven of Costa Rica’s top male surfers – all of whom are very close in points so far for the season – are vying board to board for the national...Read More
Del Mar Surfing Academy in Costa Rica has a new and exciting teen group trip that combines the best of its surfing training on the Central Pacific Coast with a Caribbean jungle adventure in Tortuguero. Del Mar Surfing Academy is one of the top surf schools in Costa Rica for teens (ages 13 to 19),...Read More
At Pranamar Oceanfront Villas on Costa Rica’s Playa Santa Teresa, it’s all about the adventure. To start with, it’s an adventure getting there! Santa Teresa is on the outer edge on the Pacific just above the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The roads are not paved here, and you must either come by way of...Read More
Sometimes called the “Hawaii of Latin American surfing,” Costa Rica is positively one of the world’s top surfing destinations. Add up warm water, consistent surf year-round, over 700 miles of coastline between both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, literally thousands of beach breaks with easy access, and friendly people, and you get paradise! Costa Rica’s...Read More
I still remember vividly the first time a local gave me directions in Costa Rica: Go north 700 meters. At the “pulperia” turn left, and go west 300 meters. At the corner where the old fig tree used to be, turn right. Go 175 meters and it’s the papaya-colored house on the left with the...Read More
What’s all the buzz about Stand Up Paddle Surfing? It’s one of the fastest emerging global water sports, that’s what. Also called Stand Up Paddle Boarding, or SUP for short, the sport is popular with surfers as a way to keep fit when surf is low and also as another way to catch waves. Because...Read More
“Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” ~ John Muir Leaving everything you are familiar with and going to a new destination could be the recipe for any manner of trip. Add in a...Read More
If you live anywhere near the ocean, even if you don’t surf, teaching your kids to surf is a great confidence booster that lets them learn a fantastic sport that brings enjoyment to all who do it. In surfing hotspot Costa Rica, at Jaco Beach on the Central Pacific Coast, Del Mar Surfing Academy is...Read More
One of my favorite quotes about summer is … “The things we did last summer, I’ll remember all winter long.” Teens and kids, summer is almost here! What memories are you going to make to last all winter long? How about a really cool surfing camp vacation in Costa Rica with Del Mar Surfing Academy! Head...Read More
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,...Read More
Congratulations to Costa Rican Chef Randy Siles and the staff at Hotel Tropico Latino in Playa Santa Teresa! The star chef and the hotel’s Shambala Restaurant were featured in a key article edition of Costa Rica’s important cuisine magazine “Sabores.” The full-page article features Siles’ fusion style called “Author’s Cuisine” – a free-style way of...Read More
