La Fortuna de San Carlos in Alajuela is a beautiful town and a very popular tourist destination. The reason? Volcán Arenal, the country’s most active volcano is a must see. Every night the sky is painted with red sparks and lava spewing out the top of the volcano. A visit to this area of the country deserves a couple of days, so where should you stay? Here are two great places to consider.
Hotel La Pradera is a family owned and operated bussines. They offer two kinds of small villas, Standard room and Mountain Cabin. All rooms have hot water, A/C, cable TV and a gorgeous view of the volcano. If you want to get to know the Read more
While you are here you may find that want to bring part of Costa Rica back with you. How can you do that without breaking the bank? Where should you go to find the highest quality of souvenirs from local artisans and painters? The are two places in Costa Rica that are perfect to find anything from trinkets for your friends or the perfect art piece to bring part of Costa Rica into your home.
The Mercado Central (Central Market) is literally at the heart of San Jose and it’s a perfect place to observe daily Costa Rican life. It’s located at between avenues central and 1 and Calles 6 and 8, occupying a whole block. Inside you’ll Read more
The amount of time I could spend talking about the things you should or shouldn’t do when thinking of relocating are endless. I have been trying to shorten my list to include a few essential do’s and don’t’s for those considering making the move to Costa Rica. Here is what I have come up with.
DO take your time in deciding where you want your home in Costa Rica to be. (Or if you want to stay here permanently at all… this is not something to rush into.)
DON’T buy the first piece of land or first house you see.
DO Rent a place in that area before you buy!
DON’T expect things to be the same as they are
Planning a vacation to Costa Rica? I strongly recommend going with a villa or vacation home rental as opposed to a hotel or an all inclusive and here’s why:
Vacation Villas offer a more private vacation experience.
Villas accomodate larger groups and families better than hotels.
When split among a group a villa rental is a more economic option than multiple hotel rooms.
If you get a villa rental with a pool, you don’t have to share it!
With a villa or vacation rental you can do your own cooking in the kitchen. (Some vacation villa rentals offer an all-inclusive package, for those who don’t like to cook.)
Vacation villa rentals are more secure since no one is entering into
Congrats to Season 1 of American Football in Costa Rica. That’s right folks, no longer is American Football only played by a large group of American expats on the beach, there is actually a Costa Rica Federation of American Football (ACFA). It’s amazing how the times are changing!
The season officially began for the American Foodtball league in Costa Rica back in March 2009, when the first game was held on a Sunday afternoon. However, the teams started training much earlier than that.
The league is made of up 6 teams and 80% of the members are Ticos. The teams started training for that Sunday in March back in October of 2008. Unlike American football, the Costa Rican version gets Read more
The small town of Katira is home to one of the most spectacular rivers in the entire world, known as Rio Celeste or The Blue River makes this little town an unknown treasure. The river’s intense turquoise water is the product of a whimsical combination of pure river water and volcanic minerals makes this one of two rivers in the entire world that can produce waters this color. Natural hot springs, boiling pool and an insanely blue lagoon are just a few of the attractions in the area. There is even a beautiful waterfall that is well worth the trip down the long winding dirt road.
You may want to bring food and snacks before you come
Close to San Jose is a very accessible and beautiful volcano named Irazú. When planning to travel to Irazú make sure to bring a coat; because of its altitude you may find once you arrive the climate may be colder than what you were expecting. This is what happened to me and unfortunately I had to borrow a coat from someone because the only store located at the top of the volcano did not sell any coats in my size.
Also make sure you eat before going to the top of the volcano. The gift store and restaurant at the summit are overpriced and you can find better products elsewhere. For example they were selling a walking cane for eighty dollars Read more
Zarcero is located just outside of Naranjo if you are traveling to Ciudad Quesada. Zarcero has captured the hearts of many people for several reasons; first of all being that the Climate is much cooler than other parts of Costa Rica. When visiting you will want to make sure you have a sweater or a light coat. Its climate is clearly a positive for those who love the country but can’t bear the heat. Due to this, those who have such health issues as Multiple Sclerosis that can worsen with heat may find that Zarcero is not only the place for them to visit but also the place for them to live. Though the climate is much cooler it Read more
San Pedro Mall is one of the largest malls in the San Jose area. Though many people feel that this is one of the greatest malls in the area, in my personal opinion I find this not to be true. My feeling is this mall has nothing more to offer than cell phones, video games and clothes. If you are looking for a variety of stores, than this is not the place for you to go. For a four level mall I was surprised that they didn’t have more to offer.
I did find three nice things about the mall first of which is on the fourth floor they have a complete workout center. It has spinning Read more
San Pedro Movie Theater, though being quite large is not any more spectacular than any other movie theater in San Jose. Despite it being one of the largest that is about all it offers. The theater area itself is quite small; it has limited seating which makes the view experience feel intimate, like watching a movie at home on a very large screen. The seating area is quite clean and obviously well maintained.
As far as snacks it is not possible to get good old fashioned popcorn all that is offered is candy caramel popcorn. They do have great deals on combos; you can get a Soda, candy and popcorn for under six dollars. You can also get Read more
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