Your next Costa Rica vacation destination : Portasol Living

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 getaway. Set on 1,300 acres of beautiful rainforest along the narrow Portalón River Valley, Portasol is a residential eco-community that also has Costa Rica vacation rentals.



I love enjoying a few days of jungle living at Portasol – hiking rainforest trails, swimming under waterfalls, being visited by a band of raccoons at night, and maybe a coati or two in the morning. Sleeping in one of the Rainforest Bungalows to the sounds of the rainforest is the best. And while I am thankful the rainforest is right there, I also am grateful that I can relax in a nice, clean, critter-free room with soft beds, a hot water shower, and a coffeemaker.


Why choose Portasol for your Costa Rica vacation destination?

Portasol is exactly where you want to be in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region – right between the busy Manuel Antonio beaches and national park, and the popular surf town of Dominical and the Ballena Marine National Park. You are close enough to easily visit, but out of the crowds. Less than 15 minutes away are the beautiful uncrowded beaches of Playa Linda and Playa Matapalo. Stay the weekend for a little R&R, or use Portasol as your vacation home-base to explore the area’s many attractions.

“The location is really good if you want to have an active vacation – go to the national parks, to the beach, go whale watching, go on tours – and it is really good if you want a relaxing vacation to stay in nature. Portasol really appeals to any kind of traveler,” remarked Katie Widdowson of Costa Rica. For her, it is a chance to get away from the city of San Jose to relax, breathe fresh air, and enjoy long weekends with friends.

“I picked Portasol because it is mountains and beach, and it is also close to Quepos and Manuel Antonio,” commented Jan Yatsko of Pennsylvania, who lives in Costa Rica. “You can visit the national park, but you’re not in the hubbub; you’re in peace and quiet. I really like the waterfall, and we enjoyed that.”

“This is the perfect hideaway, tranquil and beautiful,” wrote a traveler from New Zealand on TripAdvisor, who stayed at Portasol earlier this year. “Portasol was much more than I expected. The views are breathtaking,” wrote another guest who stayed in 2014.

“We stayed there three nights, this January, my family loved the quietness of the place, right in the middle of the forest and yet great access to the beach and nearby restaurants, very comfortable rooms, beautiful style and spacious. I couldn't have made a better choice,” wrote a traveler from Texas who stayed at Portasol in January 2015.



South African couple Gary Kritzinger and Shayne Mrazek rented Portasol vacation home Casa Monos Locos for a year, in preparation for building on their home site purchased at Portasol. “Portasol has a unique environment. There are not too many people around, but at the same time it is close to all of the necessities. It’s a wild and natural getaway.”

Costa Rica is one of the hottest destinations for 2015 and there are dozens of daily flights to Costa Rica. Contact Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living eco-community for an unforgettable vacation in one of their Costa Rica vacation rentals.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

Try your own #AirBrady jump at these Costa Rica waterfalls

You don’t have to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback like Tom Brady to enjoy Costa Rica’s waterfalls.

Sure, Brady was trying to impress the girl – his wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen – when he shocked the world with his #AirBrady leap off Montezuma Falls near his vacation home of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. And while Brady posted: “Never doing that again!” on his Facebook page under the video that went viral with close to 11 million views so far, there are plenty of other Costa Rica waterfalls that are spectacularly beautiful and fun to enjoy … with or without impressing anyone.



There are two fabulous waterfalls on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast at eco-community Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living. The largest is Cazuela Waterfall at Portasol’s Cazuela Park – spilling close to 20 feet (6m) into two pools. It is named after the bowl shape of the top pool; “Cazuela” means “cooking bowl” in Spanish.



Those who are adventurous jump 20 feet (6m) from the top of the falls into the 23-foot (7m) deep bowl-shaped pool. Non-adrenaline junkies walk down a path to get to the lower pool, which is about the size of a large swimming pool, crystal clear, and really refreshing. You can easily climb to swim in the upper pool.



“The place is so beautiful. And it’s an easy way to get down to the pools,” commented Portasol property owner Gary Kritzinger, who has jumped Cazuela Waterfall at least 20 times. “Standing at the top of the waterfall gives me a bird’s-eye view of the pools below ... a deep breath, and then 1, 2, 3, JUMP! A little scary, but really cool!” Kritzinger, who is originally from South Africa, operates snake tours with Bushmaster Adventures in the south central Pacific of Costa Rica.
Portasol’s second waterfall is on the Astua Creek behind the Waterfalls Spa. A trail leads from the massage area to the 6-foot-high (1.8m) waterfall with a small pool to swim.

Other nearby amazing waterfalls in Costa Rica:

• Pozo Azul Waterfall south of the town of Dominical by about 3 miles (5 km)
• Los Campesinos Reserve near Quepos
• Nauyaca Waterfalls by Dominical (200 feet high – 61m)

Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living Visit Portasol eco-community for an unforgettable vacation in one of their luxury Costa Rica vacation home rentals. Portasol is perfectly positioned in the rainforest between the famous Manuel Antonio National Park and the popular surf town of Dominical. The beautiful, uncrowded beaches of Playa Linda and Playa Matapalo are less than 15 minutes away.

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