Blogs

Costa Rica has become the darling of the international news media even more than usual lately. The popular tropical vacation destination is being featured in everything from news articles to cute commercials.

Well, roll out the red carpet and get the spotlight ready, because Costa Rica is about to premiere to the world in a new Hollywood feature film.

Releasing today, the new romantic feature film After Words, starring Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden (Fifty Shades of Grey, Pollock, Myst

Cape Verde is neither a cape, nor is it verde (green). It consists of ten dry brownish islands in the mid-Atlantic, close to the West Africa coast, with a surface area of a little over 4,000 square kilometers - and they're a real paradise to be discovered. The absence of mass tourism and a warm but not sweltering climate which ranges between 20º Celsius in winter and 24º C in summer are two of its main attractions. And if you add to that the friendliness of its people, its magnificent natural s

The history of a place can tell you a lot about its people, culture and environment, and what makes everything tick. In the case of Nosara, Costa Rica, its unusual and unlikely history strongly influenced how the area developed and how its communities live and thrive today. 

Nosara, and its beaches of Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, Playa Nosara and Playa Garza, are definitely off the beaten track in Costa Rica. The small towns lie on the Nicoya Peninsula, north of Samara, in the Guanacaste Provi

Summer in northern New Jersey can get pretty hot, sticky, and gross in late July, so the idea of a refreshing excursion to a nearby water park was greeted with thumbs-ups from my wife Sue, our teen son, and our tween daughter.

We had some choices: 

• Breakwater Beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey (the locale of MTV’s Jersey Shore) was possible, but we had checked it out when the pups were younger, and it was meh:  there weren’t many attractions, and the layout was pretty crunched in (the whole pa

When exploring Florida's coastline, there are definitive contrasts between the sugar-soft sands of Clearwater Beach; historic streets of St. Augustine; and the ever hip South Beach, shaped by Art Deco architecture, galleries, and clubbing. Florida's Gold Coast, a special stretch from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale is defined as much by waterfront mega mansions as by small walk able towns anchored by beach front parks perfect for pickup volleyball and reveling in the wide open Atlantic.

In recen

by Cristóbal Ramírez

A number of old European cities and towns are commonly described as having “fairytale” cityscapes. But in many ways, the capital of the Czech Republic, dating back to the 9th century, leaves them all in its pixie dust, with its dramatic spires, colourful storybook façades, vibrant red roofs, and glittering river.

The fantasy in the city dubbed “magical Prague” begins inStaroměstské Náměstí (Old Town Square), where you could get a sore finger from all the picture-taking you’

Let's face it: there's an audience for anything. What some tourists find unpleasant, others may say it's their cup of tea. That same formula also applies to cultural activities and touristic attractions such as museums, even the more unconventional ones.

The Dog Collar Museum, Leeds (UK): The name says it all and attracts nearly half a million pet lovers every year! Located in Leeds Castle, the museums displays more than 100 items dating back centuries and celebrates the last owner of the estate,

Vino in the Iberian Peninsula predates even the Romans, the Greek colonies before them, and the Phoenicians before them. But the phylloxera plague of the mid to late 19th century and political instability (including the devastating civil war) in the early 20th were devastating to local wine industry, with the exception of Andalusia’s sherry producers.

Now, after recovering and a postwar phase of churning out bulk wine, in recent decades many Spanish wine producers have soared way beyond plonk t

“Crete, an island bathed in a wine-dark sea, rich, beautiful, populous; many are those who live in its ninety towns, many are its languages.”

The words of Homer, in The Odyssey, written in 700 BC, may help formulate an idea of what visitors will find on this Green island. A historic, Mediterranean, vibrant island with beaches which have nothing to envy of any other beaches in the world. Its cities, under continuous development, contrast with the people who still maintain that spirit, so focus

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Not wanting to outright disagree with a doctor, I countered with the suggestion that we go to a local hotel for the night. The doctor nodded his head without challenging me in any way. When we checked in to the hotel, the first thing I did was to make sure that the toilet and shower were right next to each other. A mother just knows that these things will later turn out to be important.

Two days later, I emerged with my son (who was 20 lbs. lighter) emerged from the vomit-r

Nearly all of Costa Rica’s two million-plus tourists each year visit at least one beach during their vacation. Logistics are easy given that the San Jose International Airport is a little less than one hour from the closest Pacific Coast beach, and it only takes 30 minutes or so to get to the coast from the Liberia International Airport in Guanacaste in the north Pacific.

Called “El Coco” by Costa Ricans or “Coco Beach” by foreign visitors and residents, Playa del Coco is one of the oldest beach

We were making an autumnal writing swing through New England and the surrounding states, visiting some of the regions finest B&Bs and resorts. A week or so into our trip, we hit a nor'easter just outside Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and found that a few days in a storm can be great fun – if you happen to be staying at the inspirational Inn by the Sea.

A Very Different Resort

The Inn by the Sea is an eco-luxury, pet friendly, beachy rustic resort, located on mile-long Crescent Beach, a short 7 miles from

With a name like PGA National Resort & Spa, home of the annual Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, you'd be right to assume that golf is big here, with five onsite championship golf courses including one that's brand new and Tom Fazio-designed. But even for travelers who haven't swung a club and never plan on it, PGA National's wide array of other award-winning amenities make it a premier go-to Florida escape.

Staying Here

You know you've arrived once you're standing in their expansive

There’s no doubt that landing a giant aircraft in fog is not among a pilot’s favourite things. Fortunately, many airports in the second decade of the 21st century are equipped with advanced instrument landing systems (ILS) sophisticated enough to avoid cancelling operations merely because of foggy conditions.

Pioneered as early as 1929, today’s ILS equipment allows an aircraft crew to perform a runway approach in low-visibility conditions – even in nearly zero-visibility if necessary – by keep

If you only know the name of one British lake, it’ll probably be Loch Ness. It’s one of a chain of lochs making up the Great Glen, a massive fault line separating the north of Scotland from the rest of the country, from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast.

Sixty miles separate these towns – but, when Thomas Telford dug out the Caledonian Canal joining them, to prevent shipping making the long and hazardous trip around Cape Wrath, he only had to excavate 22 miles. The res

source: https://flic.kr/p/2o1P7J

Considered one of the most beautiful cities of Italy, Florence is famous for its picturesque scenery, and rich historical and cultural heritage, with numerous museums, galleries and architectural landmarks.

It has also historically been the seat of world-known Italian artists, writers, and other personages such as Amerigo Vespucci, Dante Alighieri, Michelangelo. and Leonardo da Vinci. Their masterpieces and others can be seen until our days throughout the city

Playa del Secreto, situated in the municipality of Solidaridad, in the state of Quintana Roo, in the Riviera Maya, has 21 inhabitants and no monuments or constructions worthy of mention for miles around. So what makes it so special? The answer lies precisely in the nature which remains unspoiled by buildings. An endless beach of white sand and crystal waters at the perfect temperature all year round.

Playa del Secreto is considered the best beach in the Riviera Maya and, despite being relative

Summer is the time to take a road trip for a day or two.

There are so many places in New York State that it is impossible to visit all the great sites. We have been exploring the state for years and are still amazed at the new places we discover.

A good way to plan an adventure is to travel one of the state’s scenic byways. The Seaway Trail is a one such byway that extends from the Pennsylvania border to the S

The current global uproar over the brutal slaughter of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe brought back vivid memories of my visit to a Namibia taxidermist several years ago. Cecil's killing is far from an isolated case... 

The last thing one expects to see while driving along a road connecting Namibia's capital Windhoek and its airport is a lifesize, pink-and-purple elefant alongside the road. Is it art? Advertising? A little further along is another imposing sign, this time with the words “Taxidermy