Close your eyes and imagine sitting under a coconut tree overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica (and the world, we believe), with a refreshing and really delicious cocktail or fresh tropical fruit juice while wondering at the most amazing sunset that showcases the vivid reds, oranges, and purples never seen before. Pranamar...Read More
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
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
Nancy co-owns Pranamar Villas, along with her mother, who was the first of the two to discover the natural beauty of Costa Rica. Native to San Diego, California, Nancy moved to Costa Rica over 20 years ago in search of a simpler life in connection with nature. With the objective of catering to needs of...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
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
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
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
If learning to surf is on your life wish list and you enjoy yoga – or vice versa – it’s time to make your next vacation in 2016 a surfing and yoga retreat in Costa Rica. From the rush of catching your first wave to the complete blissful relaxation of yoga on the beach at...Read More
There is so much to do and see in Costa Rica that families with kids can go nearly anywhere and be happy. What child, teen or adult wouldn’t appreciate rainforest exploring, canopy zip-lines, surfing, snorkeling, nesting sea turtles, endless beaches, and plenty of wild animals and cool bugs, plants and trees? One of the best...Read More
Practicing yoga outdoors has many benefits, especially at the beach. In addition to beautiful scenery and fresh air, it takes balance, concentration and strength to hold yoga poses in the sand, so you get more of a workout. Here are six reasons why yoga is fun on the beach, from Nancy Goodfellow, resident yoga instructor...Read More
In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, organic healthy living is alive and well – especially at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat. Budda Eyes Restaurant at the beachfront Santa Teresa Costa Rica hotel is dedicated to serving healthy, nourishing and innovative cuisine. “At Pranamar we try to satisfy not only your stomach, but also your soul...Read More
There are women-only professional clubs, women-only gyms, women’s athletic events, and girls also rule at Pura Vida Adventures surf retreats in Costa Rica. Founded 10 years ago by surfer Tierza Eichner, Pura Vida Adventures brings women from the U.S. and other countries to the pristine beaches and rocking waves of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for...Read More
I am never the same person walking into a yoga studio as when I leave. Usually I am always rushing to get to class, arriving just in the nick of time to get my mat laid out, and frantically trying to breathe my way into calm, poised relaxation. After an hour or so of stretching,...Read More
There are many attractions on the southern Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, but few visitors explore the tiny fishing village and mysterious island of Cabuya. Cabuya is known as the gateway to the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, Costa Rica’s first privately protected reserve at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Seven kilometers after...Read More
“Without water, there can be no life. Without clean water, there can be no healthy life.” This is the driving force behind the worldwide environmental organization Waterkeeper Alliance. Based in the United States, the Waterkeeper Alliance aspires to protect every major watershed around the world, to advocate for every person’s right to clean water and...Read More
One of the best places in Costa Rica for Stand-Up Paddle Boarding is in Santa Teresa Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula. SUP (Stand-up paddling) is a great all-body workout, is relatively easy to learn, and is lots of fun. Surfers started using Hawaiian-style stand-up paddle boarding as a way to keep fit when there...Read More
Why is Costa Rica one of the most popular places in the world to have a destination wedding? According to the experts, it’s due to affordability, great weather, natural scenic beauty, ease of travel, and first-class services. Approximately two million people in the United States get married each year, according to The Huffington Post, and...Read More
Santa Teresa’s awesome waves will be in the limelight once again as top Costa Rica surfers roll into the Pacific Coast town at the end of April for the fifth 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit competition. The COPA Unit tournament will be held April 26 and 27 at the spectacular beach of Santa Teresa, Costa...Read More
Reinventing a business is a process not every company takes the time to tackle. It is like soul-searching. Who are we? What are we about? What are we doing and why? And it is the most urgently talked about business concept over the past five years. After 15 years in business, Hotel Tropico Latino at...Read More
I’ve been reading about ocean pollution, and the facts are really quite shocking. Apparently, it was once a common practice to “get rid of trash” by dumping it into the ocean, and there was even a positive catchphrase: “The solution to pollution is dilution.” People assumed that the oceans were so vast and deep that...Read More
When you finally arrive to your destination on vacation, there is no better way to slip into full relax mode than with a massage. It really is amazing what a professional therapist can do in 60 or 90 minutes to make your muscles and body loosen up and bring you bliss and well-being. Massage therapy...Read More
Looking for a relaxing, restoring and uplifting vacation? Try a yoga retreat. A yoga retreat is not only yoga – add in getting away from it all to a beautiful and sunny place, exercise that makes you feel good, healthy and delicious cuisine prepared for you (as in, you didn’t have to cook it!), nature or...Read More