Why you need to start off every vacation with a relaxing massage

Have you ever had that feeling when you go on vacation, that you’re not really relaxed almost until it’s coming to an end?

There is no better quick entry into that unstressed relaxation mode on vacation than getting a massage or spa treatment. It really is amazing how 60 or 90 minutes of making your muscles and body relax can instantly produce those feelings of bliss and well-being. I recommend getting a massage the day after arrival on vacation to soothe travel-weary muscles.

Massage therapy benefits you by relaxing tight muscles, easing stress, increasing circulation, releasing toxins, and benefiting your whole body in positive ways. Massage can boost your health and keep you feeling full of vitality.

It's easy to fall into being tired, stressed, anxious or exhausted with so many things competing for our attention in our accelerated lives; yet it often seems there isn’t enough time to counteract all of that with something positive like the healing benefits of massage.

While on vacation in Costa Rica, take time for a massage. Your body will thank you, and you’ll feel much more refreshed to fully enjoy your downtime.



When visiting the Costa Rica Caribbean Coast, take advantage of the spa services at Hotel Le Caméléon, on Playa Cocles just past Puerto Viejo. The upscale Costa Rica boutique hotel features modern rooms, beautiful tropical architecture, a gourmet restaurant, and the marvelous beach club La Sula Sea Lounge on Playa Cocles – one of the prettiest Costa Rica Caribbean beaches. Le Caméléon has been awarded the prestigious TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2015.



Professional therapists offer spa services using 100% natural products, such as local organically-grown cacao for a chocolate body therapy and massage, and cured smooth bamboo from the region used in a relaxing bamboo massage. See the full Le Cameleon Spa Menu; English is on the second page.

Hotel Le Caméléon also offers yoga and customized Pilates classes.


How to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Daily 30-minute flights to Limon from San Jose on Nature Air or Sansa Airlines make it easy to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. From Limon, it is a short drive less than an hour to Puerto Viejo and Playa Cocles. The drive from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is approximately 4.5 hours.
Article by Shannon Farley

Why you want to use a real estate agent in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s real estate market is on the rise again and foreign investors are heading to the popular Central American country for retirement or a simpler place to live, or to invest in a Costa Rica vacation home or other property investment. The good news is that foreigners can legally own property in Costa Rica.

Even the savviest home buyer should pause before entering into a real estate deal in a foreign country. There is no way to know everything you need to without years of on-the-ground experience. Whether you are interested in purchasing land, a home, condo or commercial property in Costa Rica, you want to be informed to make the best decisions. This is where you need a professional Costa Rica realtor.

Buying or selling a property anywhere can be a challenge if you are on your own. Buying property in Costa Rica has the added challenges of a different system and language from North America, for instance. Although Costa Rica is considered one of the best Latin American countries regarding foreign investment and ownership rights, there are still things to look out for. Do your property homework, and with a good professional realtor by your side, you’ll be enjoying your new home or life adventure in no time.

Why you should use a real estate agent in Costa Rica

1) You get access to scores of listings, and someone helping you select the right properties to see based on your requirements and interests. In Costa Rica there is no MLS (multiple listing service), which is a centralized, national database of all real estate for sale. If you use a professional Costa Rica real estate agency, you will have access to a diversified portfolio of properties for sale – including properties not yet listed for sale or actively advertised (“pocket listings”). This is especially true in Costa Rica where for sale signs are not commonly used.


2) Real estate agents know the history of a home or property, the location, neighborhood, town and region.

3) You can obtain recommendations for reputable professionals for home and property inspections. Your real estate agent can help you to coordinate these.

4) Real estate agents can help you negotiate a fair purchase price, along with financing, terms, date of possession, and the inclusion or exclusion of repairs, furnishings or equipment. Statistics show that realtors can typically negotiate and save you more money than negotiating on your own.

5) Professional real estate agents will work with a reputable lawyer who specializes in real estate transactions and title searches, and is completely bilingual with experience working with foreign clients.

6) A real estate agent can lead you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly, so that you come to the closing table with no surprises.

7) Working with a professional realtor helps to alleviate much of the stress involved in purchasing a new home or property. A realtor can help you connect utilities, arrange moving services, purchase furniture, and introduce you to the local community, among other things.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS IN ATENAS, COSTA RICA

In beautiful Atenas, Costa Rica, the real estate agency Pure Life Development of Atenas specializes in Atenas homes for sale, Costa Rica properties for sale and Costa Rica vacation homes. Atenas, Costa Rica realtors Dennis Easters and Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras are experts in buying and selling real estate in Costa Rica, land development and home construction in Costa Rica.

Both Easters, a licensed realtor from Florida and real estate professional for 22 years, and his Costa Rican partner Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras are certified with the Costa Rica Chamber of Real Estate. They have been successfully helping customers find new homes in Atenas, Costa Rica for 10 years.

Article by Shannon Farley

Fascinating history of Nosara Costa Rica reveals unusual beginning

The history of a place can tell you a lot about its people, culture and environment, and what makes everything tick.

In the case of Nosara, Costa Rica, its unusual and unlikely history strongly influenced how the area developed and how its communities live and thrive today.

Nosara, and its beaches of Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, Playa Nosara and Playa Garza, are definitely off the beaten track in Costa Rica. The small towns lie on the Nicoya Peninsula, north of Samara, in the Guanacaste Province. The one road to get there is dirt and gravel, after you turn off the main thoroughfare. The community vibe is relaxed and decidedly “hippie” thanks to the abundance of surfers and yoga enthusiasts who live here, which is where the area’s modern-day history begins.



Pre-modern day history includes a large settlement of indigenous Chorotegas, who lived in the region beginning approximately 1,500 years ago and flourished until around 1520, when the first Spaniards arrived on the Nicoya Peninsula. Over the next decades, the Spanish rulers decimated the tribe by sending thousands to work in the gold mines of Panama and Peru, and took possession of their lands.



The Spanish settlers quickly converted the Nicoya Peninsula into huge cattle ranches. The cattle trade prospered here, along with cultivation of wheat and sugarcane. From this, the cowboy culture of Nicoya is still prevalent today among local residents. Life went on this way for generations.

The land was greatly deforested for cattle pasture, and it was to this stark coastal landscape that the first surfer from the United States happened upon the place in the early 1970s. He discovered the still fabulous surfing waves at Playa Guiones, and the word began to spread, with other surfers trickling down over the next years.



By this time, the Nosara area was made up of five or six large ranches. Modern-day pioneers from the United States, seeking a simpler and more peaceful lifestyle, purchased three of these ranches in the early 1970s. The nearly 3,000 acres became known as “the American Project” – a responsibly planned development originally consisting of about 700 lots and an 18-hole golf course.



A lot next to the beach started at $3,000, and electricity was only available four hours a day from a generator. Townspeople used to have to make a two-and-a-half-day horseback trip to the large town of Nicoya for supplies, and the first building supplies were brought in by boat and then oxcart. That ended in 1979 with Nosara’s first dirt road.

Municipal electricity began in the early 1980s. Landline phone service first started in 1999 and cell phone service in 2002. Before then, CB radios were standard fixtures in homes for communication. Nowadays, you have all of the modern amenities: high-speed Internet, cable and satellite TV, fully-stocked grocery stores and plenty of restaurants.

The Nosara Civic Association formed at the beginning to protect the environment and community’s interests. Reforestation was a priority, and today, thick dry tropical forest grows over the hillsides and along the coast. The original developers’ promise of a golf course was never realized, but that land is officially protected.

According to the community’s clear conservation policy, a buffer zone of 250 linear meters protects the beach at Guiones from any permanent construction as a wildlife refuge for nesting sea turtles. Homes, hotels and businesses are all set back from the beach. As a result Nosara’s beaches annually receive Costa Rica’s Ecological Blue Flag Award.



The Nosara community’s unique kinship of Costa Ricans and “gringos”, or foreigners, remains to this day. Though there are growing pains, like anywhere, residents take pride in working together on continued community planning and management of resources.

The Nosara, Costa Rica area was recommended as one of the best places to go by CNN and National Geographic. Playa Guiones at Nosara is still renowned for the best surfing in Costa Rica.


Visit Nosara for a Costa Rica beach vacation and stay at L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa, a leading eco-friendly hotel in Playa Guiones at Nosara. The Bali-style Costa Rica luxury hotel is located between the beautiful white sand beach of Playa Guiones and forested foothills, full of wildlife like frequently visiting howler monkeys.

L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa is an Enchanting Costa Rica Hotel.



Article by Shannon Farley  

Costa Rica celebrates Guanacaste Day 2015

Guanacaste – the northwest province of Costa Rica – is known for its rolling grassy plains, “Gold Coast” beaches, towering mountains and volcanoes, sunny dry climate and unique dry tropical forest. For generations “Guanacastecos,” as the residents here are called, have been dedicated to farming, cattle and horse ranching. The “sabanero” (cowboy) traditions, folklore, music and dance are deeply rooted in the country’s culture.

But Guanacaste wasn’t always a part of Costa Rica. Once belonging to Nicaragua, the province joined Costa Rica in 1824, celebrated as the Annexation of Guanacaste Day on July 25. The region’s residents are proud to be Costa Rican. Their motto is “de la patria por nuestra voluntad”, which means “part of this country by our own choice”.

A brief history of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Most of Central America, once called the Kingdom of Guatemala, belonged to Spain. In 1821, when Central America declared its independence from Spain, the area was divided into five provinces which later became republics: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The region of Nicoya, now called Guanacaste, was considered part of Nicaragua.

However, Nicaragua was involved in many civil wars at the time and was somewhat hostile to the Nicoyans. Costa Rica was stable politically and had a trading relationship with Nicoya. So when the Costa Rica government invited Nicoya to join their country, the Nicoyans agreed. The Central American Federation approved the annexation and on July 25, 1824, Nicoya officially united with Costa Rica.

The region officially became a Costa Rican province in 1848 and was renamed after Costa Rica’s national tree the Guanacaste. The province of Guanacaste covers 3,915 square miles with 11 counties; the capital of the province is Liberia. The Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia (LIR) is the principal airport for Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province.



Celebrating Guanacaste Day

This year’s Guanacaste Day 2015 commemorates the 191^st anniversary of the annexation. July 25 is a nationwide public holiday (banks, schools and government offices are closed).

The revelry is especially big in Guanacaste and usually lasts for several days. There are parades, concerts, folk dances, cattle and horse shows, fireworks and traditional foods. Costa Rica’s national instrument, the marimba, features prominently in typical music. Bull riding and bullfights are also traditional, although the Tico style of bullfighting does not hurt the bull.


Hotels in Guanacaste Costa Rica

Next to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, 13 miles from Liberia, Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin is one of the best places to stay in Guanacaste. Since 1985, the adventure eco-tourism hotel has been hosting visitors from all over the world on their horse and cattle ranch. Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin offers the best Costa Rica adventure tours, and has been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Article by Shannon Farley

 

Reforestation & carbon neutrality at Costa Rica eco lodge Playa Nicuesa

Costa Rica is a small country with a big success story in reforestation.
The Central American nation was nearly devastated by deforestation by the early 1980s. Now more than 30 years later, over 52 percent of Costa Rica’s land is covered with forest between national parks, private reserves and wildlife refuges.

Costa Rica’s progressive reforestation and environmental protection earned the country the accolade of being named the third best Green Country in the World in the 2014 Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI).

In southern Costa Rica on the Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”), eco-friendly Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is doing its part to help reforest Costa Rica. The Costa Rica eco-lodge protects 95% of their 165-acre rainforest property in an undeveloped and natural state. They began a reforestation program in 2010 to slowly remove the cacao trees – from the former cacao plantation where the lodge is built – that were infected by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, or “frosty pod rot”. Instead, they are planting trees native to Costa Rica and the local area.

Planting native trees helps re-establish the biological corridor for animals between the Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfito Wildlife Refuge that border either side of Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.
Nicuesa Lodge guests can take part in the reforestation program by planting a tree when visiting. Guests who plant a tree during their stay at the lodge receive a thank you certificate that includes a photo of the person planting the tree, their name, and the description of the tree planted with the scientific and common names.

So far, approximately 150 trees have been planted by hotel guests and staff: species like Cortez Amarillo (Tabebuia ochracea, Gold Trumpet tree), Roble de Sabana (Tabebuia rosea, Pink Trumpet tree), Cenizaro (Samanea saman, Rain Tree), Espavel (Anacardium excelsum, Wild Cashew tree), and Gallinazo (Schizolobium parahyba, Brazilian Fire tree), among others. Trees are obtained by donations and seeds harvested naturally from the forest.

“Last year, we accepted a donation of 50 Cenizaro starter trees from the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). We also collect seeds from the forest on our property, germinate them and grow seedlings, which we then plant in an area we set aside for reforestation,” explained Natalia Solis, Sustainability Coordinator at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. “This project invites and involves our guests to be part of a change that helps our environment and also helps offset the carbon emissions generated during their journey and visit to the lodge.”

Besides planting trees when you stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, you can reduce the ecological impact on the planet generated by your trip by purchasing carbon credits that will be used to reforest land elsewhere in Costa Rica. The program supported by Nicuesa Lodge is with the Costa Rica National Forest Financing Fund (FONAFIFO).


Stay at a real Costa Rica Eco Lodge

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge opened in April 2003 as one of the first true eco-lodges in Costa Rica. Operating now 12 years, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge holds the highest rating in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). Playa Nicuesa recently received the important Ecological Blue Flag Award for the fifth time for having one of Costa Rica’s cleanest beaches. Additionally, Nicuesa Lodge is working to be certified a Carbon Neutral Business, and the lodge supports the Osa Campaign and the Nature Conservancy that protects the Golfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula region.

Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to visit the unique nature and adventure travel destination.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica celebrates International Surfing Day as world champions

Costa Rica is celebrating International Surfing Day on June 20 big this year. Costa Rica’s surfing “dream team” made national history on June 7 when they were crowned 2015 World Surfing Champions.

Costa Rica’s team won the overall gold medal in the International Surfing Association (ISA) 2015 World Surfing Games held at Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, competing against 26 teams from around the world. The medal, along with the Fernando Aguirre World Team Trophy and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy designated Costa Rica the world champions of surfing.

They are called the “Costa Rican Dream Team”: international surfing star Carlos Muñoz from Esterillos, Latin American champion Anthony Fillingim from Santa Teresa, 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit leader Jason Torres from Jacó, 11-time national women’s champion Lisbeth Vindas from Jacó, and Noe Mar McGonagle from Pavones who is ranked 16th in the world by the ISA, and his sister Leilani McGonagle, now a six-time world medalist.

The team won another gold medal in the ISA Aloha Cup tag team event at the championships. The brother and sister team of Noe Mar and Leilani McGonagle also brought home winning medals: the gold medal for the Men’s Open Division for Noe Mar, and the silver medal in the Women’s Open Division for Leilani – the 6^th world medal for the 15-year-old surfer. Leilani just won the gold medal at the Rip Curl GromSearch International last month in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Although a small country in Central America, Costa Rica is becoming known in the world not only for having great surf on two ocean coastlines but also for producing great surfers. This year Noe Mar McGonagle is so far ranked #12 on the Qualifying Series (QS) of the World Surf League, and Carlos Muñoz is close behind at #16. Leilani McGonagle and surfer Emily Gussoni of Jaco also are competing at the World Surf League level.

One of Costa Rica’s favorite areas for surfing is Santa Teresa Beach on the southern Nicoya Peninsula – home to dream team surfer Anthony Fillingim. Santa Teresa is one of the competition beaches in the Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit. Santa Teresa also was named one of Central America’s top 10 beaches for 2015.



Visit Santa Teresa on a Costa Rica surfing vacation. If you don’t know how to surf, you can easily take surf lessons. Where to stay in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: Beachfront at beautiful Playa Carmen in Santa Teresa, Hotel Tropico Latino offers Costa Rica surf vacations, surf lessons, and also Costa Rica yoga retreats.

Article by Shannon Farley

Plan your dream Costa Rica destination wedding in the Caribbean

Costa Rica's Southern Caribbean Coast has everything could want for a destination wedding and honeymoon.

Imagine your dream wedding exchanging vows with your beloved in a stunning beachside ceremony overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, or under the canopy of a tropical garden with the ocean close by. Picture a romantic honeymoon walking on pristine beaches at sunset, torch-lit tropical gardens and balmy evenings, days full of adventure, personalized service, and Caribbean culture and warmth.


Costa Rica continues to be one of the most popular locations for destination weddings and honeymoons for couples from North America, due to its affordability, warm tropical weather, natural scenic beauty, excellent services, and ease of travel. According to wedding industry statistics, out of the 2 million people in the United States who get married each year,about 25% of those opt for a destination wedding in another country.
“And it is continuing to grow, especially with the current Millennial Generation that has traveled extensively,” commented Larissa Banting of Weddings Costa Rica . “This is a generation looking for unique, authentic experiences. The Costa Rica Caribbean Coast is a perfect location because it is a place where people can go and ‘wow’ their friends and family since it is so unique.”

The southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica features vibrant seaside towns, some of the prettiest beaches in the country, lush jungle, crystal-clear Caribbean Sea and amazing surfing waves. The relaxed lifestyle of beach towns like Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica have a unique blend of native Latino, Afro-Caribbean and Bribri indigenous cultures mixed with a widely-varied international population. Puerto Viejo has a great selection of international restaurants and delicious traditional Caribbean cuisine. The area also is known for excellent yoga studios.

“For me, the Caribbean is my favorite location,” noted Banting. “It’s still off the beaten path. The area is teeming with life with the ocean right there, and the backdrop is the mountains always green with jungle. It offers really authentic experiences and is a very magical spot.”

Banting founded her wedding planning company Weddings Costa Rica in 2003 from her personal experience planning her own wedding in Costa Rica. Weddings Costa Rica has helped more than 600 couples enjoy destination weddings in Costa Rica.

Banting said the best time for weddings and honeymoons in the Caribbean Costa Rica is from September to November during the Caribbean summer season. One of her favorite places to hold destination weddings is at the upscale Hotel Le Caméléon on Playa Cocles, a little south of Puerto Viejo.

“You have this very excellent boutique hotel with all of these unique features in a really unique setting. The lovely thing about Le Caméléon is that it offers all the comforts,” said Banting.


Hotel Le Caméléon is an Enchanting Hotel of Costa Rica presenting luxury beach accommodations in the tropical forest of Puerto Viejo. The hotel’s 23 rooms border the pool surrounded by lush tropical gardens, across the street from Le Caméléon’s beach club, La Sula Sea Lounge. Le Numu Restaurant & Bar serves creative international dishes in a contemporary, chic ambience.


For honeymoons, there is a lot to do and see in the Caribbean, including the Cahuita National Park with its amazing coral reef snorkeling, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Sloth Sanctuary, chocolate tours, zip-lines, whitewater rafting,and great beaches for surfing and swimming. Whether you want a honeymoon of lying in the sun watching parrots and toucans fly overhead and soaking your feet in the warm Caribbean Sea; or hope to try new adventures, Hotel Le Caméléon can arrange the honeymoon of your dreams.

How to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Daily 30-minute flights on Nature Air or Sansa Airlines between San Jose and Limon; then drive less than an hour to Puerto Viejo and Playa Cocles. Driving from San Jose to Puerto Viejo takes approximately 4.5 hours.

Article by Shannon Farley