Sometimes the most impressive destinations require a trip to someplace more off the beaten path. Taking a side trip from Napa Valley is a great example.
Iconic in its own right for wineries, stellar culinary scene, and vibrant arts, after spending a week on tastings and soaking in Napa's ambiance, you just might be ready to head north up Route 128 for 2½ hours over hairpin mountain curves into Anderson Valley which eventually leads to the Mendocino Coast.
Surrounded by steep, forested slopes
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Winter has begun across most of the United States, Canada and northern Europe. As chilly winter weather freezes the north heading into Christmas, you are not alone if you have started dreaming about a sunny tropical holiday.
Escape this winter to the land of summer in Costa Rica – the “happiest country in the world”. It’s hard not to be happy with blue skies, warm sunshine, tropical breezes, rainforest, warm surf and soft sand. Sounds pretty good if you are looking out the window at freezing rai
Chocolate lovers pay attention!
Get your fill of chocolate at Costa Rica’s fourth annual Chocolate Festival in Puerto Viejo on the Southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Sample chocolate from local artisan producers and top Costa Rica chocolate makers, try pairing chocolate with single malt whiskey or red wine, and attend workshops and fun events all starring chocolate.
Better than trick-or-treating, the Puerto Viejo Chocolate Festival 2015 will be held Halloween weekend, Oct. 30 through Nov. 1,
You’ve been to Costa Rica on vacation, and you’ve thought: “Wouldn’t it be great to live there?” Or, invest in a vacation home that you can rent out and visit frequently?
Besides being one of the top five best places in the world to retire according to the 2015 International Living Retirement Index, a lot of people from other countries invest in real estate in Costa Rica for vacation homes and rentals.
But where do you start to look for property in Costa Rica?
Location is most important. Two of the
Vacation … we dream about it when we’re working. Time to relax, to unwind, to stop the “fast-paced rat race” and just enjoy.
But how many of us find ourselves finally on vacation and not really relaxing out of our frenetic pace until mid-way through or nearly the end of our holiday?
There is no better quick entry into that unstressed relaxation mode on vacation than getting a massage or spa treatment. It really is amazing how 60 or 90 minutes of making your muscles and body relax can instantly pro
People in other countries pay big money for audio programs like this, while here at Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community it’s real. The sounds of the Costa Rica rainforest: crickets chirping, big bullfrogs burping and booming, Common Tink Frogs “tinking”, myriads of other insects whirring, and the Portalón River bubbling over stones and boulders.
I returned to Portasol Living eco-community on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast a couple of months ago for a much-needed weekend get
Time to get away from it all, but you want something different than the usual packed beaches and crowded hotels? What if I told you there was a tropical paradise of rainforest and beach with bright sunny days and warm balmy nights, and you could have it all to yourself? No crowds.
You’d probably think: now hold on, I can’t afford a private island or multi-million dollar hard-to-get-to swanky hideaway. So what if I told you this place is completely affordable, easily accessible, and brand new in
It's really hard to beat a road trip across California's Central Coast. Challenging but spectacular terrain, wine regions rivaling Napa, beach towns ranging from art enclaves to laid back surfer hangouts, and eclectic lodging at every turn drive you forward towards new discoveries. But if Mother Nature isn't cooperating and extreme weather leads to coastal mud slides over the Pacific Coast Highway, here is an alternative approach:
San Francisco Touchdown
There are other logical points of arrival
Situated in the heart of historic Port Jefferson Village on the waterfront right next to the Bridgeport/Port Jefferson ferry dock, Danfords Hotel & Marina blends modern luxury with a rich local history. The site of this luxury resort dates all the way back to 1870 when it housed a blacksmith shop, boxing emporium, social club, ice cream parlor, painter’s studio, and gift shop before the Hurricane of 1938 demolished most of it including the original foundation.
Fast forward to 1986 when the hotel
Traveling with friends is a must. A friends’ trip is the chance to share some amazing and memorable times, not to mention great stories. I’d even go so far as to say you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced a vacation with friends.
Have you heard about the amazing travel experiences in Costa Rica? The hot travel destination of Costa Rica not only gives you thrilling scenery, exciting adventures and lots of off-the-beaten-path places to explore, the people are also really friendly. So you can g
In Costa Rica – a country renowned for its legendary sensational amount of plants and animals – it’s one thing to boast about having the greatest biodiversity. It’s quite another to have tons of scientific research to back up the claim.
Not only is the rainforest around Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure park in the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica spectacularly abundant with biodiversity, to date 11 new animal species have been discovered by the Veragua scientific research team and 15 endanger
Travel can change the world.
At least former U.S. President Bill Clinton thinks so. “The travel industry has the potential – and the responsibility – to spread peace and change the world,” Clinton told travel executives while speaking at the World Travel & Tourism Council's 13th annual Global Summit in Abu Dhabi in April 2013.
Student travel organizations like EcoTeach and People to People also think so. The two U.S.-based educational student travel organizations promote global awareness, peace an
Planning to come to the Costa Rica Caribbean Coast on vacation? While the drive from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is pretty, there is a much easier way to get to Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast. Fly!
It takes about four hours to drive the 217 kilometers to Puerto Viejo from San Jose. The stretch on Route 32 through the Braulio Carrillo National Park is certainly very beautiful, but can also be treacherous when raining, foggy, or after dark – a good portion of the time.
Save yourself the headache and stre
The start of Caribbean Summer in Costa Rica is the time for special deals. The climate on the Caribbean Coast varies from the rest of Costa Rica. Most of the year, the Caribbean Coast maintains its forever green landscape from regular tropical rain showers. Then, when the rest of Costa Rica enters peak rainy season in September and October, the sun comes out over the Caribbean.
Costa Rica's southern Caribbean Coast has everything you're looking for in a beach vacation – adventure, romance, decad
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.
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
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
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
You want to visit Santa Teresa, Costa Rica – named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with some of the best surfing in Costa Rica. But where is it and how do you get there?
Santa Teresa Beach is located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. There are three ways to get to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: driving, domestic flight or boat taxi.
Hotel Tropico Latino is a Santa Teresa beachfront hotel at beautiful Playa Carmen. Hotel Tropico Latino specializes in
Now getting to the South Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica will be easier than ever with a new 30-minute flight between San Jose and Limon on Nature Air.
Starting Dec. 1, travelers to Costa Rica can fly from San Jose and the Central Valley to the Caribbean port city of Limon on daily flights with the Costa Rican airline Nature Air. Flights depart from the Juan Santamaria International Airport by San Jose at 5:50 a.m., and arrive to the Limon airport at 6:20 a.m. Return flights depart Limon daily at
