U.S. prodigy cellist to perform benefit concert at Pranamar Villas in Costa Rica

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat, on award-winning Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica, will host a classical orchestral concert on Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, to benefit the Costa Rica School of Music in the nearby town of Cobano.

The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Pranamar’s beautiful, spacious beachfront Yoga Shala, where the popular hotel holds its Costa Rica yoga retreats. The free event is open to the public to attend; donations are being requested, which will go to support the music school.
Justin Koga, a young prodigy cellist from Southern California, will perform with the Cobano youth orchestra to help raise funds for the Cobano School of Music.
“We look forward to having as many people as possible attending the concert,” said Agustina Zocchi at Pranamar Villas.

“This concert is a great experience to be able to perform with such a young and great artist as Justin Koga. This concert for our students is very inspirational and motivates them greatly as to what they can accomplish,” commented Jorge Siliézar Ruiz, director of the Cobano Music School.



Pranamar Villas has sponsored concerts in past years to benefit the Cobano School of Music. The events are always a favorite with hotel guests and visitors, said Pranamar Villas owner, Susan Money.

“These kids probably would not be able to have access to music lessons without this school. All of their instruments are sponsored and all of their lessons are free,” said Money. “We give them a space to show off what they’re learning and the experience to perform. It’s such a neat thing, and there are some really talented musicians. Some of the kids have even gone on to San Jose to study music more formally and have careers in music.
“We don’t charge for the concert, but we ask for a donation of whatever people want to give. All of the money goes to the music school,” Money added.

CONTINENTAL CONNECTIONS: Justin Koga and the Costa Rica School of Music in Cobano

For Justin Koga, the youth orchestra at the School of Music in Cobano is not only a continent away from his home in Orange County, Southern California, but a world away. Yet this is the second year the 16-year-old Irvine High School senior has volunteered with the school in the small rural town, both in musical instruction and in fundraising.

For a young musician, Koga’s list of accomplishments is long: Koga plays cello in the Philharmonic Orchestra at Irvine High School; is a five-year member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensemble; a featured Young Artist in the Chamber Music of Orange County program; and a cellist in the Donald Bren Honors Concerts. He has won many prizes and scholarships for cello performance, including being the sole winner of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition when he was a freshman in high school. That was where he met Costa Rican conductor, Maestro Alejandro Gutierrez, who was the symphony’s orchestra director.

Koga is committed to musical outreach, and was inspired to join a friend in the summer of 2013 to volunteer teach at a music school in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica National Musical Education System (acronym SiNEM) operates 44 music schools around the country. When Koga and his friend, Calvin Lee, reported for work in small town Cobano, “Koga was struck by both the passion of the students and the lack of resources to accommodate them,” reported an article in the Orange County Register newspaper.

“Even though there were so many students in the school, there were so few instruments,” Koga is quoted in the article. “I saw a box of broken-down instruments and some that were missing strings and bridges, and that was the moment of realization for me.”


Koga asked the school’s musical director, Jorge Siliézar Ruiz, for a wish list of instruments and upon returning to the USA, began working to fulfill it by staging benefit concerts to raise money. Koga raised close to $20,000, and used it to purchase eight violins, three violas, three cellos and much-needed supplies. Koga and Lee delivered the new instruments to the music school in Cobano last summer 2014.

The five-year-old Cobano School of Music has a total of 90 students, ranging in age from 12 to 20, said Ruiz. The 28-member orchestra has been invited to perform in an international music festival in Mexico City in December 2016.



Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas is a beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. Pranamar specializes in Costa Rica yoga retreats and Costa Rica surfing vacations, with daily yoga classes for hotel guests and the public.

Pranamar Villas was named a Top 5 Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica by Travel & Leisure Magazine, and was awarded TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence.

Article by Shannon Farley

Santa Teresa Costa Rica restaurant masters fresh, novel cuisine

It’s a simple recipe: Fresh, good food.

The Buddha Eyes Restaurant at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica has that recipe down to perfection.

Now it’s even better. Known in the popular beach town for its fresh, healthy, innovative cuisine, Buddha Eyes Restaurant recently changed its dinner menu to bring back old favorites and give diners new dishes to look forward to trying.

“Over the years, many different chefs had brought their influences to the hotel menu. We wanted to find 12 star dishes that really identified Pranamar that we could return to with our dinner menu,” commented Pranamar chef Randall Gamboa.

Dishes like Garlic Prawns Pasta in a delicious zucchini and mint cream – a specialty of Pranamar chef Claudio “Ciccio” Mazzone. Or local white fish in an exquisite lemon cream accompanied with potato puree and local vegetables, and chicken cacciatore cooked with red wine and kalamata olives accompanied with herbal risotto and local vegetables.



The new menu is collaboration between both chefs – Randall Gamboa from the Nosara area of Costa Rica, who specializes in Costa Rican flavors, and Claudio “Ciccio” Mazzone from Rome, Italy, an expert in Mediterranean cuisine. There are two selections each of vegetarian, white fish, tuna, shrimp, chicken and beef dishes. Every day there are specials, like Napoli Salad with buffalo mozzarella, Italian salami, kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes with mixed greens; or eggplant parmesan, from Mazzone’s own grandmother’s prized recipe.

Pranamar’s restaurant sources the freshest ingredients, using organic and locally produced products whenever possible – such as fresh produce grown naturally and hydroponically at local organic farm Hacienda Okhra. Pranamar buys fish fresh each day from local fishermen in Santa Teresa and Malpais. Regional southern Nicoya Peninsula farmers provide the hotel with grass-fed beef and free-range chicken and eggs. The beachfront Santa Teresa Costa Rica hotel also grows some of its vegetables, herbs and fruit.

Chef Gamboa said they are more than happy to accommodate special dietary needs – vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. The menu notes dishes which can be gluten or dairy free.



Overlooking the lagoon-style pool at the Costa Rica beach resort, the open-air Buddha Eyes Restaurant sports relaxed elegance under beautiful high bamboo ceilings. It’s a place where you can feel at home. Kick your shoes off on the tropical wood floor and relax.

“We are a personalized restaurant where we welcome people like family,” said Gamboa. “We’ve brought together a team of people who are local, well-trained, and who value dedication to work. We work together, surf together and have fun together. We’re like family and we want guests to feel like family with us when they come here.”



The Buddha Eyes Restaurant is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. For reservations, call 2640-0852.

Or better yet, be a guest at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and have insider access to the fabulous restaurant.

The gorgeous, Bali-style boutique hotel is right on the beach at Playa Hermosa of Santa Teresa with elaborate beachfront villas and luxury two-story villas built around a free-form pool and tropical gardens. Playa Hermosa recently was honored once again with the Costa Rica Ecological Blue Flag Award for being one of the cleanest beaches in the country.



Pranamar Villas Costa Rica specializes in yoga classes and yoga retreats, and Costa Rica surf holidays. The hotel recently was awarded TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence, and was named a Top 5 Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Article by Shannon Farley

6 Reasons Why Beach Yoga in Costa Rica is Best

Practicing yoga outdoors has many benefits, especially at the beach. In addition to beautiful scenery and fresh air, it takes balance, concentration and strength to hold yoga poses in the sand, so you get more of a workout.

Here are six reasons why yoga is fun on the beach, from Nancy Goodfellow, resident yoga instructor and co-owner of Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

1. You tune into nature. Sunshine, sand, salt air and fresh breezes are invigorating.

2. It’s relaxing at the beach. The sound of waves and seabirds, soft wind, and warm sand all have a calming effect. Doing yoga at sunrise or sunset on the beach adds an extra gentleness.

3. Rhythm of waves and breath. One of the most important elements of yoga is breathing – stimulating calmness and giving your muscles oxygen. The sound of ocean waves mirrors the sound of deep breathing. Fresh ocean air cleans out your lungs and gives you an energy boost, along with the positive vibes from negative ions.

4. Challenge your balance. Practice doing yoga poses on unsteady sand, and you’ll soon find a whole new level of balance and stability you didn’t know you had.

5. No mats needed! Sand is much softer and more shock-absorbent than a wooden or ceramic floor. It is gentler on your joints and a good cushion for practicing challenging postures like handstands or crow.

6. You can go for a swim afterward!

Costa Rica beach resorts for yoga

At the beachfront Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, hotel Pranamar Villas, you have the best of both worlds for practicing yoga. Yoga in Costa Rica and yoga retreats at Pranamar Villas are held in their stunning open-air Yoga Shala, looking out to the blue Pacific Ocean, palm trees and white sand. Step outside and you are right on the beach.

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat holds daily yoga classes open to hotel guests and the public. International yoga retreats are open to anyone to join. Private and semi-private classes may be scheduled at any time.

Article by Shannon Farley

Organic cuisine scene in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, organic healthy living is alive and well – especially at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat.

Budda Eyes Restaurant at the beachfront Santa Teresa Costa Rica hotel is dedicated to serving healthy, nourishing and innovative cuisine.

“At Pranamar we try to satisfy not only your stomach, but also your soul with cuisine that is varied, distinctive, delicious and healthy,” explains Pranamar Villas Head Chef Rodrigo Soriano of Argentina.

Overlooking the lagoon-style pool at the Costa Rica beach resort, the open-air restaurant features organic fruits and vegetables, creative vegetarian cooking, local farm-fresh meats, and fresh just-out-of-the-ocean fish and shellfish. The Nicoya Peninsula hotel even grows some of its own fruit and vegetables.

“We buy our fish fresh each day from local fishermen in Santa Teresa and Malpais. It can’t get fresher than what we have!” commented Soriano, who has been working with Pranamar Villas for nine years, and leads the restaurant team with chefs Claudio “Cicco” Mazzone from Italy and Jesus Zabala from Venezuela.

Organic farm Hacienda Okhra

Pranamar Villas buys much of its produce from local organic farm Hacienda Okhra. The 43-acre Hacienda Okhra is a sustainable community of luxury homes, preserved tropical forest green spaces and the organic farm, located above the town of Malpais on the southern tip of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Located between the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve and Santa Teresa, Hacienda Okhra is the visionary concept of owner Georges Lefebvre from France. It is named after the Okra plant that produces edible green seed pods famous in Southern USA cooking, and which grows on the farm.

All of the farm’s fruits and vegetables are grown using hydroponics and chemical-free organic practices, according to Hacienda Okhra information. The farmers utilize indoor vertical growing systems, outdoor raised beds, and also plant directly in the ground. Soil is enriched naturally with coconut fibers, natural compost from the farm, dirt from the ground, and garden compost and vermiposting (think: worms).

Water for the farm is all gravity fed once it gets pumped up to a water tower that draws directly from a well on the property. The system is designed as a natural reclamation system where the run-off flows directly into the outdoor gardens with any leftover ending up in the pond that feeds the well.

Buddha Eyes Restaurant at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat

The Buddha Eyes Restaurant is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Pranamar Villas Costa Rica specializes in yoga and yoga retreats, and Costa Rica surf holidays on the spectacular Santa Teresa Beach. Pranamar holds daily yoga classes open to hotel guests and the public.

Article by Shannon Farley

An oasis of serenity at Pranamar Villas yoga studio in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

I am never the same person walking into a yoga studio as when I leave. Usually I am always rushing to get to class, arriving just in the nick of time to get my mat laid out, and frantically trying to breathe my way into calm, poised relaxation. After an hour or so of stretching, strengthening, measured breathing and soothing music, I walk out a calmer, happier, more focused person, with a lot less stress.

A yoga studio can be a magical place when designed well and filled with calm energy. The Yoga Shala (Sanskrit for “studio”) at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica has that tranquil magic. The beachfront Santa Teresa Costa Rica hotel specializes in yoga and yoga retreats, and the yoga space was carefully crafted to be a centerpiece.

The impressive Pranamar Yoga Shala rests on the white sand of Santa Teresa Beach, facing the bright blue Pacific Ocean past a fringe of palm trees. Hand-crafted from natural tropical woods from Costa Rica and certified sustainable Costa Rica bamboo, the yoga studio is open on three sides to verdant gardens, the beach and sea, and the beautiful swimming pool designed to flow like a river. Hardwood teak floors lend a smooth stability for yoga practitioners, and energy soars skyward with vaulted ceilings. No columns interrupt the flow of energy or get in the way of practicing yoga; comfortably fitting up to 40 persons at one time in a class.

“People experience a sense of peace here. There is positive good energy and a feeling of serenity,” remarked Nancy Goodfellow, resident yoga instructor and Pranamar co-owner.

Keeping with the Bali-Indonesian theme of Pranamar Villas, the Yoga Shala features 4,000-year-old antique wood Javanese doors that they imported from Indonesia. Pranamar’s oceanfront villas are decorated with imported, hand-crafted Indonesian furniture and other elegant touches.

It is easy to feel serene in Pranamar’s Yoga Shala. You gaze out at beautiful nature and the ocean while doing yoga, listening to the sound of waves and the swimming pool waterfall. Goodfellow said the studio is fully-equipped with all of the different yoga props – mats, blocks, straps, bolsters, blankets, eye pillows, and meditation cushions.

Pranamar is very busy with international yoga retreats and groups, mainly from January to May, which are all open to the public to join. They do offer daily morning yoga classes to hotel guests and the public, usually at 9:00 a.m.; depending on the season, there are also afternoon classes.

Goodfellow teaches Tantric Hatha Yoga, a dynamic form of Vinyasa yoga that uses Tantric techniques of chanting, breathing exercises and meditation. Other types of yoga, such as Vinyasa Yoga or Yin Yoga, also are sometimes offered. Private and semi-private classes may be scheduled at any time.

Article by Shannon Farley

The Nicoya Peninsula nature reserve that changed Costa Rica history

The tiny nature reserve at the extreme southern end of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica seems too pretty and unassuming to have changed history, though it did.

The Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve – Costa Rica’s first privately protected reserve – put the ecotourism capital of the world on the path to protecting the country’s natural resources.

It all started in 1960, when Swede Nicolas Wessberg (known as Olaf or Olle) and his Danish wife Karen Mogensen bought a farm near the town of Montezuma on the southern Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. Like much of Costa Rica at the time, the forest on the peninsula was completely cut for farming and cattle except for a small piece of primary forest.

The nature loving conservationists, impressed by the abundant wildlife and the enormous size and diversity of trees still left, bought 3,100 acres with the help of an international conservation organization.

 In October 1963, the Costa Rican government gave it the status of the country’s first privately protected reserve, which eventually led to the development of Costa Rica's extensive national park system.

Today, the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve safeguards 3,140 terrestrial acres and 4,420 marine acres. With pure white sand beaches covered with colorful shells, clear aquamarine sea, waterfalls and rivers, huge trees and abundant wildlife, Cabo Blanco is one of the most scenically beautiful areas of Costa Rica. 

Since before the time of the Spanish conquistadors, this area has been known as the “White Cape,” or “Cabo Blanco,” for the bird guano-encrusted rock island that is located 1.6 km offshore. Cabo Blanco Island is an important seabird sanctuary, inhabited by large numbers of Brown Pelicans, Magnificent Frigates, Laughing Gulls, Ospreys and the largest colony of Brown Boobies in Central America.

About 150 species of trees have been identified in the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve. The forest is home to animals such as white-tailed deer, agoutis, armadillos, anteaters, coyotes, porcupines, raccoons, coatis, and howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys. Wild cats include margays, ocelots and jaguarundis. Due to the combination of sea coast, freshwater rivers, mountains and forest, you can see hundreds of different types of birds, including roseate spoonbills, kingfishers, toucans and bellbirds, in addition to the sea birds.

The Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There are two main trails to hike. The shortest trail, called “Sendero Danes” (Danish Trail), is 1.3 km long and can be easily walked in a morning or afternoon. The longest trail, called “Sendero Sueco” (Swedish Trail), is more than 4 km and leads you to the pristine white sand beach in front of Cabo Blanco Island. This trip will take more than half a day, so plan to bring snacks, plenty of drinking water and allow time to enjoy the beach and have a swim. There are fresh water showers and drinking water available at the beach.

Where to stay on the Nicoya Peninsula:

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat is a top beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. The Costa Rica beach resort can arrange guided hiking tours in Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve. The holistic resort specializes in yoga and surfing holidays, daily yoga classes, and yoga retreats. Pranamar is offering Costa Rica yoga vacation package special deals from July 5 to Aug. 8, 2014.

Article by Shannon Farley

Keeping water clean in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

“Without water, there can be no life. Without clean water, there can be no healthy life.”

This is the driving force behind the worldwide environmental organization Waterkeeper Alliance. Based in the United States, the Waterkeeper Alliance aspires to protect every major watershed around the world, to advocate for every person’s right to clean water and the equitable use of water resources globally.

Water is at the center of the world’s most pressing issues today: security, scarcity, energy, climate change, and infectious diseases. Fresh water resources are declining in virtually every part of the world in quality and quantity. It is reported that more than 1 billion people on the planet live without access to safe drinking water.

More than 200 Waterkeeper grassroots organizations on six continents strive to defend clean water in their communities. In Central America, Costa Rica is the only nation with a Waterkeeper organization.

The environmentally-friendly town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, is the lucky home of Costa Rica’s Waterkeeper Alliance. Founded in October 2012, the Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper group is focused on improving the quality of water in the Santa Teresa area, and helping the community properly deal with its waste waters.

“One of our primary priorities is the lack of water and quality of water in Santa Teresa,” said Carolina Chavarria, in charge of the Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper group. “Another priority is how residual waters are treated in Santa Teresa – from private residences to hotels and restaurants.”

Like many coastal communities in Costa Rica, especially ones that have developed rapidly from tourism, Santa Teresa faces water shortages during the Costa Rican “summer” months of January to May. Residents and businesses in the area are forced to buy tanker-trucks of water almost weekly to meet their needs until the rains begin again.

Waterkeeper is part of the local community’s Committee for Water and Health of Santa Teresa that is working with the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) to solve the area’s water issues.

The Santa Teresa Waterkeeper group is targeting two community campaigns: “One River at a Time” to clean each of the area’s 18 rivers, and helping people properly treat their waste waters with practical and affordable solutions such as bio-gardens. Waste water is treated to be used safely in landscape irrigation. “Besides being pretty, they are really practical and useful,” Chavarria said.

On Santa Teresa Beach, Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat is creating a bio-garden for their restaurant kitchen’s gray water. “All of the water from the kitchen is going to be treated to get rid of the grease to be able to use for irrigation,” said Pranamar hotel manager, Mario Matarrita.

The Costa Rica beach resort already uses a completely independent septic system that recycles treated water to irrigate the hotel’s gardens. “We save water all year long this way,” noted Matarrita.

The Balinese-style oceanfront villas closely follow sustainable tourism practices. Two fresh water wells on the property reinforce the boutique hotel’s water supply. Water is filtered and purified in the restaurant and made available for guests. “The idea is for our guests to not buy so many plastic bottles of water, but rather to re-fill their bottles in our restaurant with our purified water,” Matarrita explained.

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat is a top beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa Costa Rica. The holistic resort specializes in yoga and surfing holidays, daily yoga classes, and yoga retreats.

Article by Shannon Farley

Santa Teresa waves star in Costa Rica surf competition

Santa Teresa’s awesome waves will be in the limelight once again as top Costa Rica surfers roll into the Pacific Coast town at the end of April for the fifth 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit competition.

The COPA Unit tournament will be held April 26 and 27 at the spectacular beach of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on the southwestern Nicoya Peninsula.

Famous for year-round surf and a friendly, relaxed vibe, Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais attract visitors from all over the world who come to surf, relax, do yoga and enjoy one of Costa Rica’s most stunning tropical beaches. Walking down the nearly white sand beaches, you see no high rises, only jungle, sand, surf and sensational sunsets. Up-to-date surf conditions for Santa Teresa are reported daily by Magic Seaweed.

Costa Rica surfing is in the news with the Costa Rica National Juniors Surf Team, trained by three-time Costa Rica national surf champion, Gilbert Brown, currently competing in the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Ecuador from April 5-13. See the surfers compete live on the official ISA website.

Hotels in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Coming to the Santa Teresa surfing competition? Stay in luxury at one of the finest Costa Rica beach resorts at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat. The holistic boutique hotel presents surfing and yoga holidays on the beach at Santa Teresa. They give surf lessons, and have daily yoga classes and yoga retreats. See their weekly yoga class schedule on Facebook.

Upcoming events at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas include a celebration for Costa Rica’s national holiday of Juan Santamaria Day on April 11, with traditional Costa Rican dishes and live typical music in the Buddha Eyes Restaurant. You can hear live jazz by local musicians every Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Pranamar’s Jazz Nights.

Article by Shannon Farley

Jazz nights at Pranamar every Wednesday in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.” — Art Blakey

The clear tones of Miles Davis to the eclectic mix of Herbie Hancock can be heard weekly emanating from the Balinese-style Buddha Eyes Restaurant at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat on Santa Teresa Beach.

If you think a remote tropical beach in Costa Rica is a funny place to hear jazz, famous jazz saxophonist Ahmad Alaadeen has words for you: “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world.”

Pranamar Villas, on the beach at Santa Teresa on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, is presenting Jazz Nights every Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Local musicians David Walker, a saxophonist from California, and trumpet player Luciano from Argentina accompany the sounds of the Pacific surf with their own mix of jazz and pop music. Their repertoire ranges from original compositions to covers of jazz legends like Miles Davis.

“Pranamar is a great space for a jazz listening evening,” commented Walker.

The open-air, thatched roof restaurant pavilion overlooks the meandering free-form swimming pool, styled after a Balinese river, with luxurious two-story bungalows at the water’s edge. At night, soft lighting, tropical vegetation and warm sea breezes create an elegant ambiance. Pacific Ocean waves rhythmically roll onto shore a few steps away.

The weekly events are indeed popular and reservations are recommended, noted Pranamar restaurant events manager, Diana Vitola. “It’s a nice treat to have music both for our guests on yoga retreats and local residents,” she said.

While enjoying the live music, you can take advantage of happy hour two-for-one specials on Costa Rican beers (from 7-8 p.m.), or a cocktail or non-alcoholic smoothie from Pranamar’s extensive drinks menu. Every night at the Buddha Eyes Restaurant the menu varies for dinner with different rotating main dishes and appetizers. Mondays, for instance feature freshly-made sushi rolls. Pranamar chefs blend Pacific Rim and Asian cuisine with native Costa Rican fare and Italian touches.

Vitola said the Buddha Eyes Restaurant 

additionally is staging one or two events per month, such as Flamenco nights, live Latin percussion or acoustic guitar. The hotel even offers taxi service for guests to come from other points in Santa Teresa. “We’re very interested in having people come try our restaurant,” she said.

The next upcoming event will celebrate Costa Rica’s national holiday on April 11 of Juan Santamaria Day, for the national hero who helped conquer invading forces in 1856. The hotel will serve traditional Costa Rican dishes and have live typical music in the restaurant. “We want to show our guests about our culture and why we celebrate that day,” said Vitola.

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat

Enjoy lovely, private Costa Rica villas with Bali-style flair right on the beach at this Santa Teresa, Costa Rica hotel. The luxury boutique resort features a magnificent yoga “shala” offering daily yoga classes, regular yoga retreats and yoga vacations. See their weekly yoga class schedule on Facebook.

Article by Shannon Farley

Meditation and yoga on the beach in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

In today’s busy world, being centered, balanced and at peace are much sought-after elements. People in seriously busy places are turning to the timeless Eastern practices of meditation and yoga to help them get there.

People have different reasons for wanting to meditate, but those who do so regularly say it greatly enriches their lives. Mantra meditation is one of the most popular meditation techniques.

What is a mantra? It’s a word or phrase repeated over and over during meditation – generally sacred in nature, that uplifts you and helps keep you focused during meditation. Mantras give your brain something to do to quiet all of the usual chatter, whether repeated, chanted or sung out loud or silently. Mantras have a soothing, calming effect on the mind to softly but firmly focus only on one tiny simple thing.

“With so much emphasis on multitasking, it’s not as common in our society to concentrate and focus. Mantras help build the skill to focus,” commented Nancy Goodfellow, yoga instructor at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa Costa Rica. Goodfellow integrates the practice of mantras and meditation into her daily yoga classes at the Costa Rica beach resort that specializes in yoga retreats and vacations.

The key to building a healthy meditation practice is to start slowly with 10 minutes a day and work your way up to 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, an hour, etc.

Top 10 benefits of meditation:

• Quiet the mind and find calm
• Reduce stress
• Improve creativity
• Visualize achieving goals
• Dispel negative thinking
• Follow a faith or spiritual teaching
• Get to know yourself better
• Breathe better and improve focus and concentration
• Improve your health
• Control anxiety

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat

Enjoy private Costa Rica villas with Bali-style flair on the beach at this Santa Teresa, Costa Rica hotel. The luxury boutique resort features tropical gardens, a healthy gourmet restaurant, free-form saltwater pool, beachfront spa, and a magnificent yoga shala offering yoga classes, yoga retreats and yoga vacations. See their weekly yoga class schedule on Facebook.

Article by Shannon Farley

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Visit Santa Teresa on a 7-day Costa Rica beach vacation.

I think Jimmy Buffet said it best: "With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same."

There is a definite change in attitude traveling to Costa Rica on vacation. A slow in the pace, relax of the heartbeat, and a desire to kick back and soak in the sun on a beautiful tropical beach.

Like Margaritaville, cocktails and dreams take the stage in a seven-day spectacular Costa Rica beach vacation package by 2Costa Rica Travel agency. The "Cocktails & Dreams" package vacation gives you one night in luxury in the capital city of San Jose, and five nights of bliss at Central America's "number one beach" Santa Teresa.

The day you arrive to Costa Rica, you'll stay close by the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) at the stylish luxury boutique hotel Grano de Oro, housed in a restored Victorian mansion. Set just off the main boulevard of Paseo Colon in San Jose, it is an ideal location for exploring the cultural diversity of the vibrant capital.

In the morning, you'll jet right to the Nicoya Peninsula, saving precious time on a 35-minute domestic flight to Tambor, due west on the Pacific Coast from San Jose. A scenic one hour drive later, and you'll be in paradise at Santa Teresa Beach. Your oasis on gleaming white sands by the bright blue Pacific Ocean is the luxury boutique hotel Flor Blanca. In this remote area of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, the exotically beautiful beachfront hotel rests on seven acres of thick jungle by the sea. With only 11 villas, each with an ocean view and private deck, Flor Blanca Hotel is one of the most romantic and private hotels in Costa Rica.

 During your five days and nights, enjoy world-class surfing, yoga, massage, gourmet cuisine, nature walks and other fun adventure tours ... and plenty of cocktails and dreaming.

On your last day of your week-long Costa Rica beach vacation, you will hop a quick flight back to the San Jose international airport to meet your flight home.

2Costa Rica Travel agency uses their 20+ years of experience to create amazing vacation packages to Costa Rica. Find out all the best travel information on hotels, tours and transportation in Costa Rica from 2Costa Rica Travel.

Article by Shannon Farley

Keep the doctor away by eating these medicinal foods.

What if keeping a doctor's visit at bay is solved simply by what we eat? Even more, what if herbs grown right in our backyard and foods we can pick up at any corner store can heal what ails us, including the pesky common cold?

Humans have relied on foods and herbs for medicine for thousands of years. In Costa Rica, it turns out that plenty of easy-to-find familiar foods are actually just what the doctor ordered.

Here are 10 top medicinal foods and a list of herbs commonly found in Costa Rica. (Most information is taken from the book Medicinal Plants of Costa Rica by Ed Bernhardt.)

Pineapple: This nutritious, antibacterial tropical fruit contains bromelain, which is effective against certain throat and mouth infections. Pineapple is high in Vitamins A, B and C.

Papaya: The most common fruit in Costa Rica next to pineapple, papaya is effective at treating digestive problems – indigestion and constipation – as well as liver problems, as a diuretic for the kidneys, and to lower high blood pressure.

Coconut: Coconut palms are everywhere along Costa Rica's beaches. People here drink the young coconut water, called "Pipa", which helps revive you after too much sun, too much drink, being seasick, or when you are low on energy. Both the coconut meat and water are used for digestion problems, gastritis, ulcers and liver ailments.

Star Fruit: Called "carambola" in Costa Rica, Star Fruit hails from Malaysia and is a powerful antioxidant with lots of C and B-complex vitamins. The tart fruit is served as a natural juice in Costa Rica and as a garnish.

Cilantro: Cilantro, or coriander, came from Europe to the Neotropics and is used preventatively as an antioxidant and natural cleanser. As well it serves for an upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. Wild spiny coriander, called "culantro coyote" in Costa Rica, is native to the Neotropics and has the same properties as regular cilantro.

Ginger: Ginger has been used for centuries in India and Asia as a spice and medicine. Ginger is antibacterial and antiviral and can help prevent infections. Use it to treat colds and flu, sore throats, morning and motion sickness, and circulatory, digestive, kidney, and bladder problems. As a natural stimulant, ginger is a good substitute for coffee. Easiest way to use ginger is to boil it into a tea or cook with it as a spice. Sucking on a small piece of ginger will relieve a sore throat and help ease motion sickness.

Turmeric: Bright orange turmeric (in the ginger family) has been a staple in Ayurvedic medicine for roughly 6,000 years. It is an antioxidant and has been used to purify the blood, relieve stomach problems, indigestion, liver and gallbladder diseases, arthritis and rheumatism, and for colds and flu. Raw turmeric applied to the skin is effective in treating inflammations, infections, bruises and sprains.

Lemongrass: Originally from India, lemongrass grows prolifically in Costa Rica. Lemongrass tea (made by simply boiling fresh leaves) is used to treat colds and flu, gastrointestinal disorders, nervous conditions, pain and inflammation. Add ginger and honey to your tea to really knock out a cold.

Honey: One of the most well-known antibacterial foods in the world, honey has been used medicinally by many different cultures for centuries. Long before synthetic antibiotics were developed, honey was used as an antibacterial treatment for wounds and illness. Studies have documented honey's effectiveness in treating cuts, burns, insect bites, yeast infections, various skin conditions, and fungal infections. Honey also is nature's natural energy and immune system booster.

Chan: This strange seed drink is still served in many Costa Rican "sodas," or local diners, though most people don't know what it is. Native to Central America, the seeds of this roadside plant have been used to relieve indigestion, gastritis and constipation. The drink – made by mixing dry black Chan seeds in water with honey for sweetener – looks like a glass of milky frog's eggs. However, Chan is very healthy … and it doesn't taste like frog's eggs!

Herbs: There are numerous beneficial herbs, which are a great way to flavor meals and prevent disease at the same time. Here is a list of herbs you can find easily in Costa Rica with antibacterial properties:

• Basil
• Bay leaf
• Cardamom
• Chili peppers (Cayenne)
• Cilantro (Coriander)
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cumin
• Dill
• Mints – spearmint and peppermint
• Oregano
• Pepper
• Rosemary
• Thyme

All of these medicinal foods and more are served in the healthy gourmet cuisine of the Buddha Eyes Restaurant at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat at Santa Teresa Beach. The luxury Costa Rica beachfront hotel fronts the internationally-renowned Playa Santa Teresa on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. A TripAdvisor 2013 award winner, Pranamar Villas features daily yoga classes, yoga retreats and workshops, all-inclusive yoga vacations, surfing and yoga holidays, and has a beachfront spa.

Article by Shannon Farley