Jan 5, 2011

A friend of mine alerted me to these last minute holiday deals at 5-star properties in Costa Rica. So, I thought I’d pass them along. Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort and Costa Rica Marriott Hotel are both offering discounts on Christmas/New Year’s stays when you book before December 17, 2010. Heat Up Your Holiday! Costa Rica Marriott

Sep 15, 2010

My friends and I drove through a drizzly night in San Jose after a long day of sightseeing some of Costa Rica’s best attractions: colorful animals, happy people and green jungles. Then, there was a long drive back into the city and a long slow dinner. While I knew we were all exhausted and had full bellies, I asked anyway. “Who’s up for the merengue?” I

Sep 1, 2010

That’s what people always ask me when it comes to tropical vacations. And lately, the question of Costa Rica has come up. I’m there in August, which is smack dab in the middle of Green Season. This means lots of sun in the morning and a smattering of the rain in the afternoon. Not to worry. The rain is actually a good thing since it leaves the whole place

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my visit to Costa Rica. To say that nature is one of the primary draws would be a wild understatement. By the end of my first day, I had seen four types of monkeys! Having said this, there is much more to Costa Rica than its nature and wildlife. On a lark, I have been going through all of my photos and all of the

There are certain things I get when I take advantage of local travel outriggers vs. large corporate hotel chains. On my solo trip to Costa Rica I wanted a taste of both. I visited Playa Hermosa first, and my local guide and surf coach Gaby took me places I’m sure I never would have gone had I stayed at a large hotel chain. The first experience was going with

Today is Costa Rica and seeing all the zoo animals I could fit into my camera’s viewfinder. I also had a moment between horseback rides, beach combing and releasing turtles into the the sea with Lauren of the Iguana Lodge in the Osa Peninsula 15 minutes outside of Puerto Jimenez in Costa Rica. She points out some of the highlights of the locale, lodge and

The rain came down in torrents that I want to describe as mythical, but I will just call it buckets. Lightning flashed and for a few moments the jungle wildlife hushed under the will of Mother Nature. I was again stranded in the rain in Costa Rica, this time on horseback. “Chocolate,” my trusty steed spoke no English so all my “Giddyups”

There is a romantic notion when considering staying in the rain forests, communing with nature, frolicking in the foliage, sweet and charming animals that purr and pose for your camera. It is all so simple and charming, just like out of a Disney movie. In fact, when I first saw the room I would be staying in I thought, as I looked out an untouched, unvarnished

How did I get here, I walked down a lonely, rainy hill toward my room — a place so far removed from anything that I could be scarcely be missed if I were to be swallowed by the night. I whistled the whole way to my room. I also wondered, how did I get so far from civilization? First I left San Jose, Costa Rica, on one of those 20-seat, puddle jumpers with

It started with a flight out of San Jose, Costa Rica in the morning. The hour long 20-seat puddle jump landed in Drake Bay on a crusty and humid runway before landing in Golfito. Then it was a 20-minute, high-speed boat ride to Puerto Jiminez and another fifteen minutes from the dock to the hotel agent and then an unpaved jeep ride to an eco-lodge in the middle

I have a list of things I want to do before I die, and learning how to surf is one of them. So I searched the web for surf camps anywhere in the world. From the uber swanky to a relaxed experience, I decided on a combination with Waves Costa Rica. After years of traveling with a spouse, I became comfortable traveling anywhere. However, this changed when it came

Day 12 – Though only 90 miles from San Jose, the van ride back takes 4 hours, once again on winding, steep, narrow highways. We check back into Hotel Le Bergerac for a final evening in San Jose, for tomorrow we all have early flights home. Our hotel boasts some of the finest French cuisine in town so we enjoy the quiet ambience of their charming restaurant for

Day 11 – The $10.00 entrance fee paid, we enter Manuel Antonio Park when it opens at 7:30 am, selecting a trail that leads toward the ocean, winding through dense jungle where we admire white face and squirrel monkeys, lizards, a coati (a raccoon-like mammal), a mother and baby sloth. Tour groups with their guides gather at Playa Manuel Antonio for a break and

Day 10 – We discover that the national park is closed on Mondays so my husband and I decide to hike the private reserve located immediately north of our hotel, paying the $2.00 entrance fee to the desk clerk. The 45 minute climb through the rainforest rewards us with a view overlooking Manuel Antonio Park and the beaches below. At 9:00 am, the air is already

Day 9 – Located further north on the coast near the town of Quepos, Manuel Antonio National Park is our next destination. Boasting golden beaches and many short hiking trails, the park is renowned for its teeming wildlife. Unfortunately the heavily traveled road from Dominical to Quepos is not paved! The ruts, rocks, potholes, and dust stirred up by big trucks