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Costa Rica's Southern Caribbean Coast has everything could want for a destination wedding and honeymoon.

Imagine your dream wedding exchanging vows with your beloved in a stunning beachside ceremony overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, or under the canopy of a tropical garden with the ocean close by. Picture a romantic honeymoon walking on pristine beaches at sunset, torch-lit tropical gardens and balmy evenings, days full of adventure, personalized service, and Caribbean culture and warmth.

When I stay at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, one of my favorite things to do is to swim in the giant tide pool down the beach about five minutes from the hotel.

The larger-than-Olympic-sized shallow sea water swimming pool is one of the best-kept secrets of the area. It is located between Pranamar Villas and “El Peñón,” or the big rock, where Santa Teresa Beach turns into Hermosa Beach – better known as “Playa Hermosa”. Since Santa Teresa and Playa Hermos

In almost every nook and corner of Myanmar - not just in Yangon (Rangoon), Bagan, or Mandalay - at every turn you will encounter a Buddhist temple.  No wonder most visitors think of this country as the “Land of Temples”. But lovely as they are, when you find yourself are visiting temples again and again, it can get a little old. Fortunately, there are many other things to do here, as well, from beaches to local communities to thrilling adventure activities.

There are plenty of beaches, river tr

I love all of the Balearic islands for overlapping but different reasons, and there’s no question that the third-largest is definitely a change of pace from Majorca and certainly Ibiza. Not that there isn’t nightlife, as well as luxury and touches of glam here and there. But Minorca (aka Menorca, as they say in Catalan and Spanish) has managed to make its way into the 21st century with more of that laid-back, old-time island vibe blessedly intact (even despite the fact that tourism has certainl

The fun-loving beach town of Jacó lights up as “beach party central” on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast. Just an hour from the San Jose metropolitan area on the Route 27 and Costanera Sur highways, Jacó is one of the country’s most developed beach towns.

Jacó spreads out in front of a low green mountain range along an azure horseshoe bay and features hotels, funky restaurants, souvenir and surf shops, bars, discos, casinos, and a wide beach. Just before Jacó is Playa Herradura, home to the ren

Long-favored as a site for the Costa Rica national surfing competitions, the white sandy beach of Playa Guiones at Nosara hosted the sixth tournament of the Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit kölbi 2015 in June.

Presented by Adrenaline Rush, the Beach Club Tournament was held June 13-14, the last of the 2015 Costa Rica pro surfing season before the Costa Rica National Surfing Championship finals in July at Playa Hermosa near Jacó.

On the north Pacific Coast of the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacas

Walk down the Pacific beaches of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica and you’re likely to see long, empty stretches of white sand, beautiful blue rolling waves, multicolored crushed seashells and interesting rocks and pebbles. What you won’t see so much is trash.

The southern Nicoya Peninsula beaches of Playa Hermosa, Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Carmen and Mal Pais all were honored once again with the Costa Rica Ecological Blue Flag Award by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being some of the cleanest beache

The clear Pacific Coast waters of Malpaís and Santa Teresa, Costa Rica are excellent for stand-up paddleboarding. There is no better way to explore the southern Nicoya Peninsula coastline, and no wetsuit is needed in this warm water!

Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is fast growing in popularity in Costa Rica. In fact, in Malpaís this past May 23-24 was the third competition in the 2015 season of the Costa Rica National Circuit of Stand-up Paddleboarding (SUP), Masters and Longboard Surfing. The com

Visitors to New York City don’t come for the beaches, certainly. But if you should happen to be in town during the warm weather (say, through September), and want to see where many of the locals get their splash and tan on – especially on weekends – there are some pretty decent spots to get wet, from strands out in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens (reachable from Manhattan by subway) to glorious stretches farther east out along the south shore of Long Island, which also offer a look at a qu

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 to explore the Costa Rica Caribbean coast.

Here are 10 things not to expect when you visit the Costa Rica southern Caribbean coast:

The same weather. Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast experiences nearly comp

It’s no wonder that Jacó Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Costa Rica. There is so muchto do on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica – beaches, surfing, outdoor adventure sports, the Carara National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, and the Tarcoles River with its famous huge crocodiles.

The thing about Jacó, though, is that it is one of the closest beaches to the capital city of San Jose, and is always really busy. If you’re like me, and you want to experience this spectacular re

Your next vacation needs to be to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panamá. Easy to get to from North America and Europe via Panama City, or combine with a trip to Costa Rica, Bocas del Toro has everything you could want in a Caribbean vacation – sun, clear turquoise Caribbean Sea, white sand beaches, coral reef, dolphins – but without the crowds.

Located off the Caribbean coast of northwestern Panama, very close to the border with Costa Rica, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago is an area of incredi

Each of these unique Greek beaches has its special beauty and identity. 

Amolofi Beach, Kavala

Poros beach, Lefkada island

Potamos beach, Crete

Aliki beach, Thassos island

Valtos beach, Parga

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 had no idea it existed before last weekend. But let’s keep it between ourselves … or at least among fellow like-minded people who will keep this tropical paradise beach in the same pristine condition it is today.

To start, for me

Trendsetting Ipanema, the place made famous by the '60s song to bear its name, has a long tradition of dictating beach chic to the rest of the world. The beach was, after all, a launching pad for the skimpy tanga bikini, the once-popular crocheted G-string for men, and the unforgettable (if only we could forget) dental-floss bikini.

As expected, the two kilometers of white sand -- and the bodies strewn along them -- are the star attractions here. Yet the name Ipanema also refers to the surroundin

Spring means a return to sunshine; and if the sun is not shining yet in your part of the world, it’s time for a sunny Spring Break getaway.

There is a reason Spring Break is called what it is – a break from winter’s chill to tide you over until summer. But if you are looking to avoid the crowds of heavily partying spring break students and instead have a true getaway, then choose a destination not frequented by that set.

Costa Rica is being talked about everywhere for vacations, but is not a touri

Lush nature, golden beaches, tropical fauna, emerald mountains, tradition, culture and an enviable climate. That is how to sum up what to expect in Riviera Nayarit, the 307 kilometers of Mexican coastline which have become one of the world’s new paradises for vacations. Cradled by the Pacific Ocean and the stunning Sierra Madre Occidental, the Riviera Nayarit is a dazzling gem. From the very first moment, you will be amazed by its intense blue skies, its vegetation, the spectacular whale sightin

Article by Shannon Farley

Continuing to be a favorite with world travelers, beaches and hotels in Costa Rica were named among the best in the world according to the latest TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.

The popular global travel site announced on Feb. 18 its 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards for the best beaches and hotels in the world. The annual awards are based on traveler reviews gathered by TripAdvisor over the past 12 months. In addition to an over-all top 25 world winners list, top winne

Lagomandra

Lagomandra has become quite well-known to tourists during the last few years, so there’s no problem of accommodation, food or enjoying a good cup of coffee. One visit is enough to make you a fan of the area!

Toroni

The beach of Toroni is excellent, while having a lot of options to offer during your stay!

Sikia

It’s a picturesque village at Sithonia peninsula, captivating visitors with its beautiful lush beaches. The largest beach of the area is named after St. John.

Vourvourou

A beautiful

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 receive mass arrivals of female turtles by the tens of thousands, and the Costa Rica Caribbean beaches have crucial world nesting sites. Of the seven species