This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Martha Pierce , a 34-year-old former marketing agency owner, who started her own business coaching practice this year and left Denver, Colorado for Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
29.08.2023 - 08:55 / traveldailynews.com
Whether it’s divine providence or this travel writer giving it the thumbs up, take the hint! Book a flight to Costa Rica!
How many times have you heard a friend say, “We just got back from Costa Rica and boy, was it great!” Subsequently, when searching the internet for bucket list places to go, Costa Rica keeps coming up. Whether it’s divine providence or this travel writer giving it the thumbs up, take the hint! Book a flight to Costa Rica!
In New Mexico, you have “The Land of Manana.” In Costa Rica, the locals say, “Pura Vida,” which has many meanings. The true definition is “pure life” or “simple life.” But it can also mean, “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” “that’s great” or “life is good.” However, when I was there, the term seemed to be used for anything from, my GPS not working to not finding a parking space to my ice cream melting and finally, “Boy, are we lost!” “Pura Vida!” In other words, it’s a free spirited country and the “anything goes” moniker seems to put everyone at ease, no matter the situation.
That being said, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of this beautiful country. First thing to realize is that you can’t do the whole country in one week. It’s virtually impossible. The country is too large for that short time frame. My advice is to pick a section of the country to spend a week in, then plan on returning to explore another section at a later date.
We chose Guanacaste for its close proximity to Liberia International airport. It’s exact location is the far, northwest corner of the country and is both exotic and diverse featuring pristine Pacific coast beaches, exciting nightlife, great culinary establishments, serene mountainous lookouts, fascinating wildlife and all types of recreational pursuits for young and old.
Villa Oasis rental home – Photo Credits: Richard Atkins
If you are looking for total privacy and avoiding pricey hotels with lots of screaming kids, I highly recommend “Villa Oasis” in Playa Potrero. It’s a magnificent, four bedroom home with a glorious saltwater pool on top of a mountain with spectacular views of the Pacific. This elegant estate can sleep up to 8 people and is a fraction of the cost of a hotel. In addition, there is a caretaker who lives on the premises, so if you are in need of anything, Christopher is at your beckon call.
Catamaran sunset cruise by Blue Dolphin Sailing for GetYourGuide- Photo Credits: Richard Atkins
There are so many recreational activities to partake in, you really want a reputable company that is reliable, responsible and affordable. In that respect, go no further than GetYourGuide. They are a full service company that offers every type of activity imaginable from anywhere on the planet! For adrenaline junkies there’s whitewater
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Martha Pierce , a 34-year-old former marketing agency owner, who started her own business coaching practice this year and left Denver, Colorado for Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
I’m the world’s only “eclipse journalist.” For the very latest on the “ring of fire” solar eclipse—including special travel and lodging options—please press the big blue “follow” button above or check my main feed for daily articles.
Costa Rica is best known for its volcanoes, greenery and famous wildlife — but the beaches are also worth daydreaming about. Because of its rich biodiversity, there’s a little something for the surfer to the yogi or the casual sunbather.
Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests, to still-smoking volcanoes and sublime beaches strung along Pacific and Caribbean coastlines.
New York is a beach town if you want it to be—but I didn’t know that when I first moved here four years ago. That first New York summer, I left my Williamsburg apartment, boarded the ferry, and was miraculously lounging on the beach an hour later. As I squinted into the sun, I spotted surfers in the water. Surfing in New York? I couldn’t believe it. The following summer, I signed up for lessons with Locals Surf school, and have since spent almost every single weekend flinging myself into the waves at Rockaway Beach.
For generations, designers have adopted towns, villages, and other enclaves as second homes and visited them again and again, imprinting a touch of their own sensibility on their chosen place—and importing something of its essence into their own work. It’s the kind of symbiosis that Coco Chanel and Le Corbusier, who summered in neighboring homes, enjoyed with the Cote d’Azur’s Rouquebrune Cap-Martine, or Yves Saint Laurent with Marrakech and Tangier. More recently, Christian Louboutin popularized the Portuguese village of Melides, eventually opening Vermelho Hotel there earlier this year. Here, five designers on the places they go, and why they continue to be pulled back.
It’s been hidden from public eyes for more than a hundred years. But in a few weeks time, the former Old War Office in London, Whitehall will finally open its doors after a multi-million-dollar transformation.
It turns out that luxury London hotels are like buses. You wait ages for one to open, and then two, or in this case several, come at once.
At the Sustainable Social Tourism Summit (León, 30 August – 2 September), UNWTO welcomed new high-level signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The Secretariats of State for Tourism of Ciudad de Mexico, Queretaro, Guerrero, Quintana Roo, Nuevo Leon, all signed up to the landmark declaration, designed to guide tourism to Net-Zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. They join the Secretariat of State of Tourism of Guanajuato which signed up at the COP27 United Nations climate change conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The Secretary of State of Tourism of Guanajuato, Mr. Juan José Álvarez Brunel, heads the Sustainability Coordination of the National Association of Secretaries of tourism of Mexico A.C. (ASETUR) and led the discussion of climate action in tourism at sub-national level since becoming a signatory.
In the 1991 surf-heist movie Point Break, Keanu Reeves learns how to ride waves in a day. My own experience is a little different. On my first attempt, I banana-skid backwards off my board, catapult into the foam, and swallow about a pint of brine. Next, I dive face-first into the waves; a process known as “pearling.” The phrase sounds almost glamorous when my teacher, Mary Osborne, says it. But I can assure you it is not.
It’s easy to experience sticker shock when checking into eco-lodges and renting vehicles and booking tours in Costa Rica. Indeed, it is the most expensive country in Central America, thanks to a booming economy and well-developed tourist sector.
It must be down there, buried deep. The still-beating heart of National Geographic. The spirit that once inspired every traveler’s soul.