Hotel Punta Islita wins four top travel awards in 2013

Hotel Punta Islita on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of Costa Rica's most awarded hotels, recently gained yet another feather in its cap by being inducted into the travel world's prestigious "Autograph Collection" by Marriott International. The Costa Rica boutique hotel is the 50^th luxury hotel in the world, and the first in Central America, to be added to the exclusive portfolio that prizes travel properties for their uniqueness, elegance, top-of-the-line service, and corporate social responsibility.

Hidden away on a remote stretch of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, overlooking a white sand beach and an azure cove on the Pacific Ocean, Hotel Punta Islita is like no other Costa Rica hotel. Its off-the-beaten-path destination caters to sophisticated travelers and allows you to slow down, deeply relax, and really enjoy your Costa Rica vacation or honeymoon.

The list of Hotel Punta Islita's awards is long and impressive. In just 2013, Hotel Punta Islita was named one of the Best 100 Hotels in the World by Travel & Leisure Magazine, chosen for the Gold List by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, and given a Traveler's Choice Award by TripAdvisor.

Holding the maximum level in the Costa Rican Tourism Board's (ICT) Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program, the five-star eco-hotel showcases the unique design of prominent Costa Rican architect, Ronald Zurcher. The hotel cascades down a hilltop in tiers to the Islita Beach, where their private beach club is located. On Hotel Punta Islita's 300 acres, there is an executive nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, spa, conference room and two restaurants. The hilltop infinity-pool is one of the most spectacular features. 

To stay at Hotel Punta Islita, you have the choice between luxury rooms and suites or private villas.

Just because Hotel Punta Islita is secluded, that doesn't mean that it's isolated from the surrounding Costa Rican community. Nearby, you can enjoy Costa Rica eco-adventures like river kayaking, canopy ziplines, wildlife-spotting safaris, night-time sea turtle watching excursions, or bird-watching hikes led by local naturalist guides. The hotel has a private landing strip for small commuter aircraft, with commercial flights operating from San Jose on a regular schedule throughout the year.

Costa Rica Guides can help you with your Costa Rica vacation plans and to make reservations at Hotel Punta Islita. Operated by Expediciones Tropicales, a Costa Rica travel agency with more than 18 years of experience, Costa Rica Guides, assists with hotel reservations, Costa Rica tours, Costa Rica vacation packages, private transportation, rental cars, shuttle services, local flights, and information on what to do, where to go and what to see while you're in Costa Rica.

Article by Shannon Farley

Night kayaking tour thrills senses in Costa Rica

You definitely have to be up for an adventure to go kayaking in the ocean at night. At first, the experience can be a little unnerving. The slightest splash makes you jump. What was that? Shark? Fish? Whale? It was probably your own kayak paddle hitting the water, but the fact that you can't see well puts you on edge.

We humans are better adapted visually for daylight than nighttime. But when you let your eyes adjust to the dusk – and relax – an entirely new spellbinding world opens up. As if by magic, suddenly you are aware of night birds softly calling, fish gentle stirring the water's surface, and the peacefulness of floating on a magnificent live body of water.

On Costa Rica's Nicoya Gulf, near the southern end of the Nicoya Peninsula, this is especially true. Just below Vista Las Islas Hotel, near the ferry port of Paquera, Organos Beach is a tranquil wide bay with a long sandy beach, surrounded by jungle. There are really no waves, so casting off from shore in a kayak is easy. Waters in this area are calm, and the kayak guides say they've never seen sharks.

Kayaking in the dark is a completely different experience than paddling during the day. All of your senses are alert – hearing, smell, sight, and touch. If the moon is out, the coastline and the Nicoya Gulf's little islands cast shadows on a shimmering silver sea. Listen for the sound of a pelican taking flight or fish jumping out of the water.

When there is no moon at all, it's even better. Then you can see the ocean light up with bioluminescence. The water around your sea kayak will glow as you create waves, and every paddle stroke is like a firework. It is as if you are paddling across a liquid sky of blue stars.

According to Wikipedia, bioluminescence is the emission of visible light by a living organism as a result of a natural chemical reaction. Bioluminescence occurs in a remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes – bacteria, plankton, fish, jellyfish, squid, etc. It also exists in some fungi, microorganisms and terrestrial invertebrates – think of fireflies and glow worms.

Sailing on a darkened sea or walking along the beach at night, especially closer to the equator, you will often see sparkling lights in the water. Sometimes thousands of square miles of ocean shine with the light of bioluminescent bacteria or plankton. Bioluminescent light tends to be in the blue and green spectrum – the wavelengths that can transmit most easily through seawater, reports Science Daily.

Think of the scene in the 2012 movie "Life of Pi" when the night sea glittered blue around Pi's raft and a glowing whale jumps out of the water. Or recall the illuminated neon-colored forest in "Avatar." Both are great examples of bioluminescence.

Hotel Vista Las Islas, with tour operator Bahia Rica, offers an unforgettable night kayaking tour on the placid waters of Costa Rica's Nicoya Gulf at Playa Organos. Nearby are Tambor Beach and the famous Tortuga Island, off of the southern Nicoya Peninsula. The area is full of natural beauty and rich in biodiversity.

The luxury boutique hotel sits up on a promontory above the beach. Well-appointed rooms have private balcony terraces and ocean views of the Nicoya Gulf and Tortuga Island. Vista Las Islas Hotel is conveniently located just a 10-minute drive away from the Paquera ferry terminal. Ferries travel several times daily from the Central Pacific port town of Puntarenas to Paquera. Additionally, the small airstrip at Playa Tambor receives several national flights daily on both Sansa Airlines and Nature Air (only 20 minutes from San Jose).

By Shannon Farley