Win a trip to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica with cookbook photo contest

Whenever I travel anywhere that serves delicious meals, I always think, “How can I recreate this at home and enjoy it again?”

In the case of Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica, now I can. The Costa Rica rainforest lodge by the Osa Peninsula has released a free PDF downloadable Edible Landscape Garden Cookbook with a collection of 38 of their most popular recipes.

Read any of the TripAdvisor reviews about Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge and guests always mention the delicious fresh meals, tropical fruit and creative cocktails. Now you can create a little bit of tropical paradise right in your own kitchen.

“Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge was conceived in 2003 as a place where visitors would enjoy an intimate experience with the natural wonders of the Costa Rica rainforest and the Pacific Ocean, while enjoying an adventurous and sustainable vacation.

Guests enjoyed our fresh and locally-sourced food so much that our family-style meals soon became a central part of the Nicuesa Lodge experience. More and more guests would ask us for our recipes to take home with them, and so was born the idea for our Edible Landscape Garden Cookbook,” write Nicuesa Lodge owners in the book introduction. “Our recipes became a clear reflection of Nicuesa’s overall philosophy: authentic, fresh, natural, fun and sustainable.”

You can even enter a photo contest based on the new cookbook to win a four-night vacation for two persons at the Costa Rica eco-lodge.

The photo contest is easy. Simply download the new Edible Landscape Garden Cookbook from Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, and prepare any recipe you wish from the collection. Snap a fun photo of you, your family and/or friends enjoying the delicious dish and submit your photo on Nicuesa Lodge’s Facebook photo campaign page.

Then tell all of your friends to vote for your photo. The photo with the most votes by Dec. 15 wins!

The winner will receive a four-night stay for two persons in a double Room in the Mango Guesthouse at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge with all meals, unlimited use of kayaks, snorkeling gear and fishing equipment, self-guided hikes throughout the 165-acre preserve, and boat transfers between the lodge and either Golfito or Puerto Jimenez.

The stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is valid between May 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015, or November 16, 2015 through December 15, 2015 (all dates subject to availability). See the official rules on the Facebook page for more details.

You definitely don’t want to miss this opportunity to win a trip for two to the fabulous eco-lodge located on a 165-acre private preserve by the Piedras Blancas National Park on Golfo Dulce in southern Costa Rica. So get cooking and snapping!

Article by Shannon Farley

Sustainable travel in Costa Rica leads world in green economic performance.

Right behind Sweden and Norway as the top Green Countries in the World, is the little Central American nation of Costa Rica.

According to the recently released 2014 Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI), Costa Rica is the third best Green Country in the World.

The Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI) measures the green economic performance of 60 countries and 70 cities in the world. The GGEI also assesses the public’s perception of a nation’s green performance. The fourth edition of the GGEI, published by private U.S.-based consultancy Dual Citizen LLC was released at the end of October 2014.

For Green Performance, the top 10 countries are: Sweden, Norway, Costa Rica, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Iceland and Spain. For Perception, Germany leads, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, United States, Japan, UK, Finland and Switzerland; Costa Rica comes in at 14^th place in this ranking. The Perception index is interesting given that Costa Rica ranks third in performance but 14^th in perception; while China ranks 13^th in perception and 55^th in performance.

This is the first time that Costa Rica has been included in the GGEI.

“Covered for the first time, Costa Rica records an impressive result, ranking third behind Sweden and Norway on performance and in the top 15 for perceptions overall, a notable accomplishment for such a small country,” states the GGEI. “Costa Rica’s overall top result on the performance measure is driven by impressive results on both the Efficiency Sectors and Environment and Natural Capital dimensions, making it one of only a few countries to achieve such strong results in both areas.”

Costa Rica is the top ranked country in green tourism in terms of performance in the five areas assessed by the GGEI, the report notes.

Ecotourism or green tourism, also called sustainable travel, is extremely important in Costa Rica. Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is a leading hotel in sustainable travel in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica rainforest lodge by the Osa Peninsula is one of only three dozen hotels in Costa Rica that have received the highest rating in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST).

Located on a 165-acre private preserve in southern Costa Rica, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is bordered by the Piedras Blancas National Park and the pristine Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf) across from the Osa Peninsula. The region is a critical habitat for migrating Pacific Humpback Whales, hammerhead sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, Scarlet Macaws and jaguars.

The lodge is offering Green season specials through Dec. 15, 2014.

Article by Shannon Farley

Does real eco-tourism exist in Costa Rica?

There is a lot of talk in travel about eco-tourism and being sustainable. But what does that really mean? Is that simply turning off a few lights, not wasting water and recycling the trash?

According to the United Nations, sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Costa Rica pioneered sustainable tourism over the past decade through its Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST), validated as a global model by the United Nations.

Created by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), the CST program rates and certifies tourism businesses based on their compliance with natural, cultural and social resource management. CST consists of five levels, called “Leaves”; Level five, or Five Leaves, signifies that the company is considered “outstanding in terms of sustainability.” The rating process can take more than a year to complete, with frequent inspections and evaluations, and the highest levels are very difficult to obtain.

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is one of only three dozen hotels in Costa Rica that have received the highest rating for sustainability of Five Leaves. 

The extraordinary Costa Rica eco-lodge was constructed in harmony with the environment from naturally fallen trees and recycled materials. A true Costa Rica rainforest lodge, it is located on a 165-acre private preserve in the dense tropical rainforest bordering the Piedras Blancas National Park and the pristine Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf) by the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica. 

Since the only way to get there is by boat across the pristine waters of the Golfo Dulce from either the towns of Golfito or Puerto Jimenez, you can imagine how difficult it was to build.

“We traveled all over Costa Rica and other parts of Central America to find and create a special place where one can intimately experience the natural world of both the tropical rainforest and the Pacific Ocean,” explained Playa Nicuesa owners, Michael and Donna Butler. “Our plan was to create a place that offers the comfort of a lodge and the activities and diversity of an adventure tour.”

Playa Nicuesa sustainability highlights:

• Lodge buildings are located on less than 2% of property – 98% is a private protected area.
• Used recycled construction materials, such as: roof tiles on the lodge and cabins made from recycled plastics, including banana bags.
• Wood came from naturally fallen trees, permitted by the government to be pulled out of the forest by oxen, or from farmed trees.
• Electricity is provided by solar energy. Panels are located on main lodge structure. Back-up generator runs on recycled vegetable oil.
• Solar drying room used to dry all of the lodge wash.
• Hot water is provided by on-demand propane which means that the propane is used only when the hot water faucet is turned on.
• Received the Ecological Blue Flag Award for clean beaches.

Check out Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge “Green Season Specials” for adventure, nature, yoga, relaxation and comfort at great prices through Sept. 30, 2014.

Article by Shannon Farley