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More and more travelers want to feel they are contributing in some way to the place where they vacation. Giving back while on vacation has become a global movement sparking volunteerism and community outreach with tourists.

In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, two top hotels share a heartfelt program that lets their guests feel good about supporting the community there.

Hotel Tropico Latino and Florblanca Hotel implement the “$5 Check Out Program” that allows their guests to add an optional charge on thei

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 sunset, you will wonder why you haven’t done this sooner.

Engaging in daily activities of surfing and yoga, you naturally step into the flow of nature and the Earth’s energy. Faced with new situations, you learn more about who yo

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 southern Nicoya Peninsula is one of those iconic Costa Rica tourism spots, where you can find paradise beaches, world-class surf breaks, forested coastline, and charming towns

It’s a simple recipe: Fresh, good food.

The Buddha Eyes Restaurant at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica has that recipe down to perfection.

Now it’s even better. Known in the popular beach town for its fresh, healthy, innovative cuisine, Buddha Eyes Restaurant recently changed its dinner menu to bring back old favorites and give diners new dishes to look forward to trying.

“Over the years, many different chefs had brought their influences to the hotel menu. We wa

Article by Shannon Farley

Famous for its year-round surf, spectacular sunsets and friendly beach town, Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica was once again named a top beach in Central America in the newest TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.

The global travel site announced its 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards on Feb. 18, awarding Costa Rica the honor of having some of the best beaches and hotels in the world.

Santa Teresa Beach and Hermosa Beach by Santa Teresa were both listed as Top 10 Beaches in C

Article by Shannon Farley

Renting a vacation home in Costa Rica, especially one at the beach, is a great idea. Stay steps from the sand at beautiful Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in the new beachfront vacation home, Martha’s House.

The two-story octagon-shaped house is just off the beach and surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The house sleeps up to 10 persons with four air-conditioned bedrooms and three baths. Other luxury features include a fully-equipped kitchen, large swimming pool, Jacuzzi, saun

Most people when laid off from their job, especially a high-powered dot-com career, don’t do what Tierza Eichner did. Instead of polishing her resume and job hunting, Eichner took off on an eight-month surfing vacation to Central America, Hawaii and Mexico.

At the time, in 2001, the northern California native had only been surfing about a year. She had tried surfing in her early 20s. It didn’t go well – pummeled by waves, bashed by the board, and leg muscles ripped. Then, in her early 30s, Eichne

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 Teresa is one of the best beaches to surf in Costa Rica. National surf competitions are held here annually.

Knowing what you are doing when you go in the ocean, taking precautions and water safety are t

Healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies are awesome liquid fuel for your body. Smoothies provide important vitamins and minerals from nutritious ingredients like fresh fruit, raw vegetables, Maca Root, chia seeds, protein powder, spirulina and coconut oil.

Start your morning, or have an afternoon snack, with one of these quick, delicious and healthy blended smoothie drink recipes from Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Try these out at home and dream you are on a

Yoga retreats at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat, on award-winning Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica, draw people from all over the world. So do Pranamar Villas’ daily yoga classes with popular instructor and Pranamar yoga director, Nancy Goodfellow.

Now Nancy will be holding two inspirational Costa Rica yoga retreats, called “Embracing Totality”, at Pranamar Villas in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, next year in 2016. The seven-night all-inclusive retreats will be held May 21 to 28, 2016 and

What’s the latest vacation craze? Surfing and yoga retreats in the balmy tropics are the hot fashion.

But what if you don’t know how to surf or live far from the nearest ocean? Is it still an adventure worth taking? Try it and you’ll see. Here’s what a few surf retreat fans had to say:

“This week has been about so much more than learning how to surf ... the support & encouragement you have given me, and this beautiful place will stay with me for years to come. I never imagined myself as a surfer c

Being right on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, with warm Pacific Ocean, uncrowded white sand and shady palm trees, you may never want to leave your hammock or cushy lounge chair. However, there's also a lot going on in this region of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, so if you should get the urge to be active and adventurous, here are 8 top things to do in Santa Teresa Costa Rica.

Daily Yoga Classes

You can go to beginner and advanced yoga classes every day

A fresh, vibrant, personal style marks the energetic new website of Hotel Tropico Latino in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

The intimate beachfront hotel launched the new 2015 website to the public this week, giving viewers a fully-responsive user-friendly experience with a mobile-first design, making it easy to navigate on a wide range of web browsers and devices.

There is a lot of new information for people to find out about the magnificent hotel, delivered in bite-size chunks easy to digest, and that

Finding your bliss is easy on a Costa Rica beach vacation at Hotel Tropico Latino.

With inspiring daily yoga classes, Costa Rica yoga retreat vacations, and the marvelous natural spa at the beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, there is no better way to relax.

Imagine having a soothing massage or relaxing in a yoga class while listening to the rhythmic sound of ocean waves (real ones, not recorded), enjoying cool sea breezes, and looking out at shimmering white sand and the brilliant blue

Dining is avant-garde at the Shambala Restaurant at Hotel Tropico Latino in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Now, the restaurant section of the Hotel Tropico Latino website matches the creativity coming out of the kitchen.

Large high-density images flow across the top of the restaurant webpage. Caution: the images of sample dishes may induce drooling. Photographed in such full color detail, you can almost smell and taste the tantalizing cuisine. A video shows off the restaurant of the Santa Teresa beach

Costa Rica is celebrating International Surfing Day on June 20 big this year. Costa Rica’s surfing “dream team” made national history on June 7 when they were crowned 2015 World Surfing Champions.

Costa Rica’s team won the overall gold medal in the International Surfing Association (ISA) 2015 World Surfing Games held at Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, competing against 26 teams from around the world. The medal, along with the Fernando Aguirre World Team Trophy and the International Olympic Committee (I

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

Coming very soon to Playa Hermosa by Jacó in Costa Rica are the Costa Rica National Surfing Championships for 2015. The annual national event will take place July 17 to 19 on Playa Hermosa in front of the Backyard Bar & Restaurant.

If you are in Costa Rica at this time, don’t miss this fun beach party and exciting Costa Rica surfing competition on the third weekend in July 2015. Newly opened Hotel Tramonto is the best place to stay in Playa Hermosa by Jacó. The modern 76-room hotel is located on

Once, Santa Teresa was a small fishing village, home to a handful of families who lived off the sea, along with small-scale agriculture and cattle ranching. Like many of Costa Rica’s top beach destinations along the Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa’s isolation from poor or non-existing roads kept this tropical paradise off the beaten track for decades.

From the hilly interior, the jungle sweeps down the mountains to the Pacific Ocean, hugging the shore and creating some of the most beautiful and hi