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John Boggs first fell in love with Costa Rica many years ago when he was in the Air Force stationed in Panama. He visited Costa Rica frequently for R&R and on business, but it wasn’t until 2013 when he and his wife, Gay, finally moved to the renowned tropical country to retire.

Selling their house in Virginia, they opted for the adventure of international retirement life and chose Atenas, Costa Rica for their new home. The couple liked Costa Rica’s family-based culture and chose Atenas for its g

When world traveler Susan Money chooses where to stay on vacation, she prefers smaller family-run hotels. Not as small as a B&B, but preferably not a corporate establishment.

“I feel taken care of at a well-run corporate hotel or resort, but I like the friendships you create at smaller family-run hotels,” said Money. “This is especially important to me because I travel alone a lot.”

Money is a hotel owner herself, in Costa Rica. She runs her fabulous beachfront hotel on Santa Teresa Beach – Pran

Article by Shannon Farley

In the easy-going surf and yoga town of Playa Guiones, Costa Rica, there is a very strange smell in the air this time of year.

Besides the fresh scent of the ocean, from January to April, it smells like a giant stack of maple syrup covered pancakes. What is that gingerbread cookie smell pervading everywhere?

It's molasses – all over the streets.

No, the residents of this little tourist town in the Nosara region of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula don’t have such a sweet tooth

Life in Atenas, Costa Rica is always “pura vida” – life is good. The new video about Atenas, Costa Rica by Pure Life Development of Atenas shows this with stunning footage of the mountain town’s natural beauty and attributes.

Produced by acclaimed photographer and videographer, Oscar Protti of Costa Rica, the four-minute high-quality video depicts life in Costa Rica and in the charming centrally-located town of Atenas. Protti used state-of-the-art equipment and remote control drones to produce br

Article by Shannon Farley

Every February 14, around the world, people exchange cards, flowers, candy and gifts with their loved ones on this day of romance we call Valentine’s Day. But who is this mysterious St. Valentine, and where did these traditions come from?

February has been celebrated as a month of romance dating all the way back to ancient Rome. The Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia, was celebrated in the middle of February from Feb. 13 to 15. In the 5^th century, two martyred saints na

Guanacaste’s celebrations are coming up, exciting dates for this side of the country; full of traditional activities, typical music and folklore dancing.

Up coming for the week of January 15th we have lots of festivities in Santa Cruz, typical Costa Rican rural town, where people gather to celebrate with typical music, folkloric dancing and bullfighting to honor the Black Christ of Esquipulas. Since 1926 it’s celebrated in commemoration of their catholic religion when Christ suffered before being

Street food of any city gives travelers a chance to partake the local cuisine in its undiluted form. The picture doesn't change in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, capital of Andra Pradesh state. A plethora of choices awaits the visitors in the city and they can try out different options without getting bored. This is surely a must do activity for you if you are coming here in the near future. So which are the must try street food options for you during your visit to Hyderabad? Here below

1. Pho Bo 

2. Pho Cuon

3. Cao Lau

4. Bun Cha

5. Banh My

6. Banh Khot

7. Banh Xeo

8. Bia Hoi

9. Che

Special Food in Vietnam

Just in time for Christmas, travelers to Rincon de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, can enjoy charming new guest rooms at award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin.

At the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin is one of the best places to stay in Guanacaste. The eco-tourism hotel is a working horse and cattle ranch and has a fantastic adventure park. They were awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2014.

The spacious new Superior rooms ha

Need to get from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica? Or from Guanacaste to the Monteverde cloud forest? How about from Arenal to the beach at Manuel Antonio?

Transportation in Costa Rica, unless you’ve booked a Costa Rica vacation package that includes transfers, can sometimes be complicated and expensive. Now there is a Costa Rica transportation solution that also makes your travel days fun.

Desafio Adventure Company offers Adventure Connections that take care of your transportation bet

Some of the most elaborate traditional Christmas celebrations take place in the seven countries of Central America. Read on for more about each country’s unique festivity.

Christmas Celebrations in Central America

Panama

The Panama City Christmas Parade is the big festivity here. Decorated floats, marching bands and dancers in traditional costumes parade through Panama City to the beach where there is a tree lighting ceremony. At nightfall, there is also a parade of boats decorated with Christmas

Is it a good time to buy real estate in Costa Rica?

According to real estate experts, it is. Costa Rica – one of the hottest real estate markets in the Americas in the early 2000s – is coming back stronger than ever after the economic slump throughout the United States and Latin America.

“Costa Rica definitely has bounced back, especially in the Central Valley and the popular beach areas on the Pacific. Prices are on the rise again,” commented Dennis Easters, co-owner of Pure Life Development of

To your holiday decorations this year, add some pretty Christmas plants for a living touch of good cheer. Surprisingly, many holiday plants are tropical in origin, which means that you care for them like a houseplant if you live in a cold climate.

The Else Kientzler Botanical Garden in Sarchi, Costa Rica, has several fun ideas for traditional and novel Christmas plants to decorate your home this holiday season. They recommend using decorative planters in different levels, along with hanging bask

The fascinating fact about plants and trees in Costa Rica is that each one has a story, or a folk tradition or a specific use. There is much more than meets the eye in this tropical paradise.

Ovido Esquivel, director of the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden in Sarchi, Costa Rica, uncovered the mystique of some of Costa Rica’s commonly found plants and trees, which you will more than likely see in your travels around Costa Rica.

Bougainvillea(veranera in Spanish): Native to South America, the vibra

Planning your next vacation? You might be used to staying in hotels and resorts, but maybe you should consider vacation rentals. More independent travelers are choosing to rent private homes and apartments these days instead of hotels, using websites like Airbnb and VRBO.

Vacation rentals are often the most economic travel option for families and groups of friends, giving more space and amenities at better value than a hotel room. Living like the locals also helps to give that authentic travel e

Educational tourism is one of the fastest growing areas of travel and tourism. Not just for students, educational travel is about learning and being involved in community action projects while traveling and relaxing on vacation.

Costa Rica offers a wide variety of educational travel and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. An excellent destination for educational tourism and volunteer groups is Lirio Lodge by Tortuguero in Costa Rica.

The Costa Rica eco-lodge is located in an area of

The buzz for the next Inca Trail hiking season is underway.  Permits for 2015 season will go on sale in early January.  (the exact opening day for the permit office is not known.  They open when they're ready!)  Last year, permits for hikes in the month of May sold out first.  Most of the month of May sold out opening day. 

It's recommended that people planning to hike the easy 1-day hike or the strenuous 4-day hike to Machu Picchu should reserve their dates now for April, May and June.  And any

The exciting Manuel Antonio Stand-Up Paddle Games 2014 will come to the Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, in December.

At the Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica on Dec. 13 and 14, 2014, athletes will compete in four events in the popular sport of stand-up paddle boarding. There will be a 300-meter time-trial race, a 300-meter competitive race, an obstacle course, and distance racing in three events: 1.5, 4.5 or 9 kilometers. The competition is open to three categories: adults, teens and c

Death.

It's finite. It's tragic no matter when, where, how. And when it comes to the loss of a parent who lives in another city or country, it comes with an even heavier weight of guilt, of non-closure and logistics.

But we all deal with death - it's part of life really. And we often leave our home towns before or after college and head to places with better or more unique career opportunities. Sometimes we meet our life partners while away at school or elsewhere and we end up living in their cit

This time of year as chilly winter weather freezes the northern countries, heading into Christmas, you are not alone if you start to daydream about a tropical beach holiday.

Keep on dreaming because there is a 7-day Costa Rica beach vacation ready to turn your dreams into reality.

Horizontes travel agency has combined two outstanding Costa Rica beach destinations for their Quiet Ocean Gateway Costa Rica tropical beach holiday.

To start, you should fly into the Daniel Oduber International Airport