Blogs

Ever wanted to have your own private tropical island?

That was the dream of Argentinean Jorge Benatuel, co-owner of eco-boutique Hotel Laguna Azul in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

The intense city-life of Buenos Aires is a far-cry from the backwater southern Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro in northwestern Panama. But in 1998, Benatuel and his wife traveled from Argentina to Bocas del Toro on vacation. They spent 15 days boating around Bocas del Toro’s nine major islands and 200-plus islets, lo

Legend tells that when God made the world, after he finished painting the sky a brilliant pastel blue, he washed his brushes in a beautiful Costa Rican river, coloring the river the same intense sky blue.

Rio Celeste (Sky Blue River) is still revered as a sacred site by the indigenous Maleku tribe who live in this Northern Costa Rica region near the Tenorio Volcano. The river begins its journey as crystal clear water tumbling and flowing down the lush rainforest of Tenorio Volcano National Park;

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

Heard about Atenas, Costa Rica – a favorite place for international retirement – and want to know more information?

The charming country town, strategically located between the capital city of San Jose and beautiful Pacific Coast beaches, has several sources of information to let you know what’s happening in Atenas, Costa Rica. All are available online from wherever you may be. Then, the best thing to do is to visit Atenas in person.

ATENAS TODAY E-MAGAZINE

One of the best sources of information a

If you are a Pack Light traveler, you probably often find yourself with extra room in your luggage when you go on vacation. Have you ever thought about using that available luggage space to provide supplies to communities you visit?

The desire to give back or contribute to the place people visit as tourists is a fast-growing movement around the world. Volunteer vacations, or volunteerism, are a very popular way to take a vacation. Another way is to “pack for a purpose” and bring needed school an

Let’s face it; we all care about what we eat. So if visiting a remote jungle eco-lodge is in your plans, you might be wondering if mealtime will resemble a Mission Survive episode or be awesome.

In fact, remote Costa Rica eco-lodge Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge gets regular rave reviews from guests about its exceptional, fresh, gourmet cuisine. The abundance of fresh, healthy and wholesome ingredients is inspiring, and head chef Edixon Lezcano adds a huge helping of creativity to Nicuesa’s menu

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

The way Omar Arce sees it, the Costa Rica tradition of the oxcart driver and his oxen is an important cultural heritage that must be kept alive. Nowadays in his country town of Atenas, Costa Rica most roads are paved and cars zoom everywhere. But when Arce, 73, was a boy, the only way to bring the vegetables his father sold from their family farm to the town center was by walking with their team of oxen pulling a wooden cart loaded with produce. The 7 km journey – now a 15-minute drive – would t

In celebration of Earth Day 2015 – celebrating its 45^th anniversary on April 22, 2015 – Horizontes Nature Tours in Costa Rica asked one of their long-time naturalist guides what was his favorite element of Costa Rica nature. Costa Rica’s national parks were his answer.

From a country that was nearly devastated by deforestation by the early 1980s, today over 52 percent of Costa Rica’s territory is protected between national parks, private reserves and wildlife refuges. Costa Rica’s progressive re

Surfing hotspot of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is a favorite among national pro surfers in Costa Rica. The award-winning beach was in the spotlight April 18-19, 2015 for the season’s fourth 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit competition, sponsored by ISAW Action Cameras of Australia.  Competitive surfers from all over Costa Rica came to Santa Teresa to compete. 

Surfing in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

On Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais draw visitors f

Like all travelers, when you plan a vacation to an unfamiliar location, you want to have an idea of what to expect. TripAdvisor is a great resource for getting insider information about a place from guests who have been there.

Here are 5 great travel tips for your vacation to Nosara, Costa Rica from guests who stayed at L’acqua Viva Resort & Spa by Playa Guiones.

1. What’s the best way to get to Nosara, Costa Rica? Fly.

The area of Nosara includes the town of Nosara and the beaches of Playa Guio

I’m sitting at my desk, meant to be working. What I’m really doing is daydreaming about snorkeling in the Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica.

I’m plotting how I can get back to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge on Golfo Dulce. I’m remembering swimming in that calm sea and the feel of delicious water – not bath-water warm, but not cold either. I’m thinking about how clear the Golfo Dulce water is, and how vibrantly it changes color from deep jade green next to the shoreline where it reflects the jungle, to b

After a big day of hiking, zip-lining, horseback riding or other adventure tours in Costa Rica, there is nearly nothing better than soaking in steamy thermal springs so hot they make you tingle all over. Your tired muscles are soon relaxed into spaghetti-like existence and the cares of the world melt away.

Mineral-rich hot springs have rejuvenating and therapeutic properties treasured for centuries by people all over the world. Travelers pay big bucks to visit famous spas with mineral springs. A

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

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

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

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

Article by Shannon Farley

“Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature,” is the message from Conservation International. The environmental organization’s widely popular video campaigns use famous actors’ and actresses’ voices with beautiful video footage of nature in two-minute messages to promote their important manifesto:

“Human beings are part of nature. Nature is not dependent on human beings to exist. Human beings, on the other hand, are totally dependent on nature to exist.”

In Conservatio

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