10 Things not to expect on Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Coast

The two coastlines of Costa Rica – Caribbean and Pacific – are about as opposite as you can get in landscape and lifestyle – kind of like New York and California. Most tourists to Costa Rica head west to the Pacific Coast beaches. It is the adventurer looking for the unique Costa Rica who chooses to explore the Costa Rica Caribbean Coast. Here are 10 things not to expect when you visit the Costa Rica southern Caribbean Coast:

1. The same weather. Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast experiences nearly complete opposite weather patterns. When the Pacific Coast is baking under a blazing sun, the Caribbean Coast is getting greener from tropical rain showers; and when the rest of the country is drenched in “Rainy Season,” it is Costa Rica Caribbean Summer thanks to a unique microclimate.

2. Dust and desert-like landscapes. It’s not called the Costa Rica dry season for nothing. The Pacific Coast gets drier and browner as time marches from January to May with little to no rain. That terrible dust problem you find elsewhere in the country – you won’t find it in the Caribbean. Regular showers all year keep the Caribbean green and lush … and cooler!

3. Huge mega resorts and hotel chains. When you're on the beach at Puerto Viejo or Playa Cocles on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica all you see are sea, sky, sand and jungle. Hotels in Puerto Viejo are set back from the beach, are at the most two-stories high, and retain harmony with nature.




4. Resort prices. You can go to a hotel chain on the Pacific Coast if you want to pay $26 for a basic fresh fish sandwich.

5. Fast food chains. You won’t find McDonald’s here, or KFC or Pizza Hut. Only lots of real, authentic Caribbean cuisine and food from all over the world, thanks to Puerto Viejo’s cosmopolitan population.



6. Destruction of nature. On the Costa Rica southern Caribbean Coast, the jungle stretches right to the sea – thick, lush and full of wildlife. It hasn’t been bulldozed for those mega resorts or clear-cut for cattle.



7. Super highways. There is one main two-lane road from Limon to Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, and the locals like it that way. The main mode of transportation around Puerto Viejo is beach cruiser bicycle. Time to relax and slow down.



8. Rush hour traffic. Other than maybe a group of people on bicycles heading to the beach or a party, you won’t see traffic over here.

9. Stressed out, pushy, rude people. Unless you bring them – or are one yourself. You’ll find most people on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast are easygoing, friendly and happy.



10. Concrete jungle. It’s only the real deal jungle here, with not much concrete in sight.

Where to stay in the Southern Caribbean of Costa Rica When you visit Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, you want to stay at Hotel Le Caméléon. Just past Puerto Viejo, on Playa Cocles – one of the prettiest beaches on the Costa Rica southern Caribbean Coast – the upscale Costa Rica boutique hotel features ultra-chic rooms, beautiful tropical architecture and the fantastic beach club La Sula Sea Lounge.



Coming up on Saturday, April 4, La Sula Sea Lounge at Hotel Le Caméléon will host a fun Caribbean Calypso party. The festivities begin at 8:00 p.m. with drink specials, delicious Caribbean cuisine, live music by The Calypsonians and dancing till you drop.


New daily 30-minute flights on Nature Air or Sansa Airlines between San Jose and Limon make it easy to get to the Southern Caribbean of Costa Rica. From Limon, it is a short drive less than an hour to Puerto Viejo and Playa Cocles.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

Travel to Costa Rica easily with dozens of daily flights

With more than 2 million visitors last year to Costa Rica, more and more airlines are adding flights to the Central American tropical paradise.

Delta Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airlines all increased flights to Costa Rica during peak tourist season this year, and Southwest Airlines opened new routes to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a hot product and so far this year, the praise keeps pouring in: Costa Rica was named “most amazing destination this year” by CNN; a destination you must visit in 2015, according to British newspaper The Guardian; and a top 10 best destination for adventure in 2015 by National Geographic. U.S. News & World Report says Costa Rica is the “ultimate destination to enjoy a family holiday.”

Part of the reason Costa Rica receives so many travelers is the ease of air travel. There is an abundance of daily flights to Costa Rica from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Central and South America into two international airports – Liberia and San Jose.

In the center of the country, the capital city of San Jose is home to the Juan Santamaria International Airport (airport code SJO). Technically, the airport is located in the city of Alajuela, but it is considered the greater metropolitan area of San Jose, and is the hub for most of Costa Rica.

Airlines that fly to San Jose, Costa Rica:

• Aeromexico (Mexico)
• Air Canada (Canada)
• Air Panama (Panama)
• American Airlines (USA)
• Avianca (Colombia)
• Condor (Germany)
• Copa Airlines (Panama)
• Delta Airlines (USA)
• Iberia (Spain)
• Interjet (Mexico)
• JetBlue (USA)
• LACSA (Central America)
• Southwest Airlines (USA)
• Spirit Air (USA)
• United Airlines (USA)
• U.S. Airways (USA)
• Veca Airlines (El Salvador)

Liberia International Airport (airport code LIR) – Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport – is located in Liberia, the principal city in Costa Rica’s northwest province of Guanacaste. Liberia is the gateway to all north Pacific Guanacaste Gold Coast beaches and the area around Rincon de la Vieja Volcano.

Airlines that fly to Liberia, Costa Rica:

• Air Canada (Canada)
• Air France (France)
• American Airlines (USA)
• Avianca (Colombia)
• CanJet (Canada)
• Copa Airlines (Panama)
• Delta Airlines (USA)
• Frontier Airlines (USA)
• Jazz Air (Canada)
• JetBlue (USA)
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Netherlands)
• LACSA (Central America)
• Sun Country Airlines (USA)
• Sunwing Airlines (Canada)
• Thomson (UK)
• United Airlines (USA)
• U.S. Airways (USA)
• WestJet (Canada)

What to see in Costa Rica? You can visit the No. 2 top hotel in the world – Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens by the famous Arenal Volcano – selected in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards. Or bring your family to Manuel Antonio Beach, named one of the top 25 beaches in the world and stay at the No. 2 top hotel for families in the world – Tulemar Bungalows & Villas in Manuel Antonio.

Horizontes Nature Tours will custom design your Costa Rica trip to bring you the best of this tropical hotspot. One suggestion is a great deal on a week-long Costa Rica adventure vacation to visit two active volcanoes, national parks and hot springs and, with adventure tours. The Costa Rica travel experts offer Costa Rica beach vacations, Travel to Costa Rica , Costa Rica family trips and Costa Rica nature holidays.

Article by Shannon Farley

Yoga Festival in Costa Rica to be held April 16-19.

Yoga lovers will definitely not want to miss the National Yoga Festival in Costa Rica in April.
The capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica will host the 7^th annual National Festival of Yoga from April 16 to 19, 2015 at the National Culture Center (CENAC).

The festival is promoted by the Costa Rican Association of Yoga Teachers (ASOYOGA) to spread the practice of yoga throughout Costa Rica.

Activities at the festival will include yoga classes and workshops, talks, meditation, documentaries, games, healthy foods, handicrafts, cooking classes, massages and artistic activities. On Thursday, April 16, there will be free yoga classes in various yoga centers around San Jose. The official festival opening is Friday, April 17, with activities open to the public in San Jose parks and a gala presentation at 7:00 p.m. at the Theatre of Dance in San Jose. During Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, activities at the National Culture Center (CENAC) will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

After the festival, you should escape to the beach to one of Costa Rica’s hotspots for yoga and surfing – Santa Teresa Beach. Famous for yoga, some of the best surfing in Costa Rica and spectacular Pacific Ocean sunsets, the friendly beach town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is the place to go for Costa Rica yoga retreats.



You’ll want to plan at least a few days if not a whole week in Santa Teresa. On the southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and was once again named a top beach in the TripAdvisor 2015 Traveler’s Choice Awards.



The place to stay in Santa Teresa is Hotel Tropico Latino. The beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is located on the light sand beach of Playa Carmen, which was recently awarded the Ecological Blue Flag by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being one of the cleanest beaches in the country.



Read our blog article on the best ways to get to Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica from San Jose.

Article by Shannon Farley

What’s cooking at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica?

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 with creepy-crawlies and vermin.

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 menus. There are Asian influences – soy, ginger, citrus and tamarind sauces and dressings. There are Latino influences – quinoa, rice, beans, sauces and cooking methods. And then there are “Edixon influences” like homemade rich dark chocolate cake served with a sweet citrus sauce made from cas fruit (a kind of guava).

“I try to serve healthy cuisine that is low in fat, using natural products that are not artificial,” noted Lezcano, who has delighted guests with his fantastic meals for the past eight years at Nicuesa Lodge.

One of the great aspects about Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is that you don’t have to worry about where you are going to eat or what you will eat. All meals are included with your stay at the premier Costa Rica rainforest lodge, due to its remote wilderness location. Playa Nicuesa sits on the Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”) in southern Costa Rica, next to the Piedras Blancas National Park and across from the Osa Peninsula. It is an area of pristine tropical wilderness – a unique adventure travel destination.

Meals are served with flair in Nicuesa Lodge’s magnificent two-story tree house-style main lodge building. The open-air dining area lets you look out at the tree canopy (great for wildlife spotting), the forest, beach and ocean; an open side deck is perfect for gazing at the night sky packed with stars. Seating is family-style with everyone at the lodge, which leads to wonderful engaging conversations about that day’s adventures, other travels and the beauty of life.



On Nicuesa’s 165-acre private reserve they grow tropical fruit trees like mangoes, star fruit, cas guava, oranges, lemons, papayas, water apples, bananas, plantains and coconuts. The edible garden supplies pineapples, sugar cane, basil, spinach, and other vegetables and herbs. They even grow cacao trees and offer a chocolate tour to show you the delicious process of making organic chocolate.

All breads, tortillas, desserts, juices and sauces are made fresh on-site.
Fishing is a popular pastime at the Costa Rica eco-lodge, which is a bonus for the kitchen. “If someone goes fishing and catches fish, we serve it the same day along with dinner to treat everyone,” said Lezcano.



There are always vegetarian and kids’ options at all meals. Happy hour is one of the best times of the day, when guests gather for exotic tropical drink specials and tempting appetizers every night before dinner in the candlelit bar.

Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to book your Costa Rica family vacation, honeymoon, nature and adventure vacation, or yoga retreat.



Article by Shannon Farley

New Costa Rica vacation home in Portasol Living eco-community

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 the luxury villa rental market? You’d be in, right? Exactly.

You can bring your family, your friends or your entourage when you stay at the privately-owned Costa Rica luxury rental villa Casa de Paz – majestically positioned on a hill overlooking the rainforest and the ocean on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast. The Costa Rica vacation home is located in the very unique socially responsible eco-community Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living. Available to rent all year, it sleeps up to 10 persons.


Costa Rica is one of the hottest destinations for 2015 and there are dozens of daily flights to Costa Rica from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Central and South America. Portasol is exactly where you want to be in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region – right between the beautiful but very busy Manuel Antonio beaches and national park, and the popular surf town of Dominical. You are close enough to easily visit in less than an hour’s drive, but out of the hubbub. Less than 15 minutes away are the beautiful uncrowded beaches of Playa Linda and Playa Matapalo.

Portasol is for nature lovers who also are fond of luxury. In their magnificent rainforest, there are trails, lookouts, waterfalls, a beautiful river and lots of great swimming holes.

The Casa de Paz luxury Costa Rica vacation home for rent totals 4,000 square feet with three private air-conditioned suites and 3.5 baths. There are flat screen TVs with cable and DVD, iPod docking stations, free high-speed wireless internet throughout the house and outdoor pool area, safes in all bedrooms, an office and a Costa Rican cell phone for guests’ use. You can enjoy panoramic jungle views and distant ocean views, an infinity edge pool, and multiple outside decks. Details that make a difference include: bathrobes, bath amenities, hairdryers, yoga mats and a telescope for wildlife spotting and stargazing.



Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community The one-of-a-kind Costa Rica sustainable community offers Costa Rica property for sale and Costa Rica vacation home rentals.

Article by Shannon Farley

5 travel tips you need for your stay in Nosara Costa Rica

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 stay in 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 Guiones, Playa Pelada and Playa Nosara, remotely located on the Nicoya Peninsula in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. Guests frequently comment about the long drive from the capital city of San Jose – about 4.5 to 5 hours. The best way to get to Nosara is a 50-minute flight on the domestic airline Nature Air from the San Jose International Airport.

2. What’s the best way to get around Nosara and its beaches?

Guests recommend renting a car. There are lots of fun beaches and plenty of funky restaurants, juice bars, boutique shops, art galleries, yoga places, and surf and adventure tours that you’ll want to visit. All hotels and facilities are set back from the beaches according to the community’s conservation regulations. Having a rental car means you can go where you want, when you want. You can easily arrange a rental car in Playa Guiones with Toyota Rent-a-Car, Alamo Rent-a-Car, National Car Rental or Economy Car Rental. Be sure to get a 4x4.



3. You have to try surfing.

Playa Guiones is renowned for some of the best surfing in Costa Rica and was recommended as a best place to go in 2014. Guests recommend it. “Surfing here is the BEST ever! Perfect for everyone … the waves work for every level of surfer. It is never too crowded because the beach is so long,” wrote guests who stayed at L’acqua Viva Resort earlier this month for Spring Break.



4. Stay at L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa for its “super professional and attentive” staff.

Guests rave about the staff at the Costa Rica luxury hotel. “The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and seem to really want to make your stay enjoyable … There were always staff around, cleaning the pools, sweeping the walkway, trimming the landscaping,” wrote one guest. “The personnel of the hotel were fantastic: would go out of their way to assist you at any time, extremely helpful and would always make you feel most welcome,” wrote another visitor.

5. What are the best rooms at L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa?

Guests recommend the exotic Bali-style Master Suites and Villas by the pool area for the most relaxing stay in peace and quiet.

  Article by Shannon Farley  

Dreaming about Costa Rica? Get packing!

I’m sitting at my desk, meant to be working. What I’m really doing is daydreaming about snorkeling 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 bright blue where it mirrors the immense sky. And I’m remembering the thrill at seeing wild dolphins splash and play nearby

.

It takes a journey to get to the Costa Rica rainforest lodge of Playa Nicuesa, but most unique locations do. And it is worth it. The Costa Rica eco-lodge sits on the Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”) in southern Costa Rica, next to the Piedras Blancas National Park and across from the Osa Peninsula. It is an area of pristine tropical wilderness – something you don’t see every day.



When you get there, you have free use of kayaks, snorkeling and fishing equipment, and unlimited self-guided hikes in the rainforest included with your stay. Playa Nicuesa also has yoga classes, and guided half-day and full-day tours.

For snorkeling, water clarity is best during summer season (January to May), but is wonderful any time of year. During whale-watching season in August and September in the Gulf, you might see a migrating Humpback Whale mother and her calf, or a male whale looking for a mate. Almost always you will see dolphins. One year, a guest snorkeled right along with a massive (and gentle) whale shark.

Snorkeling activities at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge include:

• Snorkeling right off the Playa Nicuesa boat dock or beach to see multitudes of reef fish.
• A kayaking/snorkeling tour (2-3 hours) from Playa Nicuesa along the Golfo Dulce shoreline to a secluded beach with rocky reef housing fish, eels, urchins and starfish.
• A boat tour of Golfo Dulce (2-4 hours) to look for dolphins and other marine life, and snorkel in protected sites with coral reef. Marine life you may see include reef fish, schools of fish, spotted rays, starfish, dolphins and sea turtles.

Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to book your Costa Rica adventure. Article by Shannon Farley

Related articles

• A dolphin tale: See wild dolphins in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Liking it hot at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin in Costa Rica

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 caresof 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. At adventure eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica, you can visit natural volcanic hot springs for free if you’re a hotel guest.

The hot springs are one of the things most talked about by visitors to Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. “We enjoyed the hot springs, hiked to the waterfalls and were impressed by the surrounding nature,” wrote one guest on Hacienda Guachipelin’s TripAdvisor page. “We also visited the hot springs one morning – the hot springs were wonderful – we sat in pools on both sides of the river,” commented another guest.

Sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire – infamous for its profuse volcanic activity – Costa Rica has more than 200 volcanic formations. The massive 600,000-year-old Rincón de la Vieja Volcano is the largest volcano in northwest Guanacaste, Costa Rica. In and around the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, there are fumaroles, steam vents, bubbling volcanic mud pits, thermal springs and waterfalls.

Located very near the Las Pailas entrance to the national park, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin has developed the hot springs at Rio Negro (“Black River”) with pools, trails, changing rooms, restrooms and lockers. The eco-hotel offers tours to the hot springs either by a fun horseback ride or by vehicle. Entrance is complimentary for hotel guests, or costs $15 for day visitors.

Surrounded by unique tropical dry forest, Rio Negro flows through seven man-made pools filled with steaming mineral-rich volcanic waters. Heated volcanic mud is available to smooth over your body like a spa “masque,” and after it dries, wash it off with cold river water before jumping back in the hot pools.

Only 13 miles from Liberia, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin is one of the best places to stay in Guanacaste. The adventure park at Hacienda Guachipelin offers the best Costa Rica adventure tours; go for the One Day Adventure Pass to get the most value.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

Shhh, don’t tell … hidden paradise on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast

I’ve been to a lot of beaches in Costa Rica. Most of them I like, some of them I don’t. Then there are others that are so off the charts in fabulousness that I nearly don’t want to tell anyone about them.

All right, I’ll tell you. I’ve discovered a hidden gem. A place I had no idea it existed before last weekend. But let’s keep it between ourselves … or at least among fellow like-minded people who will keep this tropical paradise beach in the same pristine condition it is today. To start, for me a beach has to have a few key ingredients to be fabulous:

1. There must be shade – be it palm trees, coastal almond trees, jungle, etc. Since we are close to the equator, the Costa Rican sun is intense. After 30 minutes in the hot sun on a no-shade beach, you’re fried … literally.
2. The beach should be walkable. This means a good, mostly flat, stretch of sand.
3. The beach should be good for swimming. This means sandy-bottomed and I can go in the water at least up to my knees without risk of tumbling into a steep drop-off, being pounded by waves, or eaten by sharks or crocodiles. In Costa Rica, most open Pacific beaches have currents and riptides, but if I can at least go in up to my knees, that’s fine for me.
4. The beach should be clean, quiet, uncrowded and beautiful.

All of this I found last weekend on a little-known beach on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast called Playa Linda. This lovely hidden beach is a little over 20 miles (32 km) south of Quepos and the highly-visited Manuel Antonio National Park, yet it is a complete escape from the typical tourist destination. Playa Linda follows another off-the-beaten-track beach called Playa Matapalo; there are signs for the turnoff to this beach on the Coastal Highway.

Both beaches, which actually run one into the other, are immense, long, flat, black volcanic sand beaches framed by groves of mango and coconut palm trees. You have plenty of wide open space for walking, jogging, horseback riding, relaxing and watching magnificent sunsets. There were handfuls of surfers when I was there enjoying long rides on beautiful waves, and families playing in the water close to shore. Playa Matapalo and Playa Linda are kept so clean that they earned the Blue Ecological Flag for environmental purity.

Playa Matapalo is a small beach community with residences, a few restaurants and food stores, and a couple of small hotels – all tucked back from the beach under the trees. Playa Linda is blissfully empty. On the day I was there, families came in cars on the narrow dirt road and parked under the palms to enjoy the day. Some brought picnic lunches, while others grilled on portable barbecues. What I did notice is that everyone carried away their trash.

Playa Matapalo has the distinction of being a nesting beach for three species of sea turtles in Costa Rica that visit the area from July to December. An annual sea turtle festival is held by the Matapalo Sea Turtle Conservation Project to celebrate hatching baby sea turtles in November.


Where to stay:
Since there isn’t anywhere to stay on Playa Linda and only a couple of small places on Playa Matapalo, the best place to stay is Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community. Tucked back in the rainforest along the Portalón River Valley a few minutes from Matapalo Beach, Portasol has comfortable and luxurious Costa Rica vacation rentals and Costa Rica property for sale. The unique Costa Rica sustainable community adheres to green development principles with a 200-acre private reserve and 65% of its 1,300 acres in conservation areas.

How to get there:

Playa Matapalo is 20 miles (32 km) south of Quepos on the Southern Coastal Highway, a little past the Savegre River. There are two turnoffs, both with signs saying Playa Matapalo. Follow the signs to the beach.

Playa Linda is just south of Playa Matapalo. Continue driving the Coastal Highway south past both entrances to Playa Matapalo. When you pass a large cell phone tower next to the highway on your right, in just another couple of miles you will see two more cell phone towers on the right set farther back from the road. There is a small dirt road where you need to turn right, which leads past the towers. If you reach Plantanillo on the highway, you have gone too far. Drive the dirt road straight to Playa Linda; from there the road branches off to the left and parallels the beach. Park anywhere you find space under the trees.

Article by Shannon Farley