Miss Starbucks? Now you don’t have to. Starbucks has announced their plans to expand further into Central America by opening a Starbucks coffee shop in Costa Rica. There are already six other shops in Central America and over 500 in Latin America.
Apparently this new store will be opened in downtown San Jose. It’s hard to imagine that this novelty will be anything but warmly welcomed by Costa Ricans and those of us who miss our Venti White Chocolate Latte or Peppermint Mocha Latte. Starbucks already buys coffee from Costa Rica so it’s only natural that they would open a store here eventually.
When is the much awaited date? May 2012. Starbucks has close to 11, 000 stores in Read more
Great ice cream is hard to find in Costa Rica and great cheese is even harder to find. Monteverde is the answer to our cheese and ice cream deficiency problem.
Established by Quakers in the early 50’s, the Monteverde factory is where all the creamy lactose goodness comes from. In 1954, Monteverde factory was the first to produce pasteurized cheese in Costa Rica thus setting the tone for the quality and originality that continue to characterize Monteverde products.
If you plan a visit to Monteverde, a tour of the cheese factory is a must. We watched from the other side of a large glass window as the cream and milk were churned and slowly turned into wonderful cheese. After Read more
Our hearts were filled with fear and excitement all at the same time. We were headed to the Occidental Allegro Papagayo All-inclusive Resort. Our stay there was a gift from our family. As we read the reviews online, our hearts sank. There were horrible horror stories and also stories of lovely vacations. We were so confused we didn’t know what to think.
The truth. The rooms are nice and comfortable. They are large, clean, air conditioned and they have hot water. The view from our third floor room was amazing. We had a great view of the pool, the beach and the forest surrounding the resort. Everything needs a little updating. A nice coat of paint, a couple Read more
Costa Rica food is everything that is homey, delicious and comforting in this world. It may seem unfamiliar at first but I promise you’ll love it. The basis of any good Costa Rican meal is rice and beans. This may actually be the hardest to get used to. Costa Ricans eat a variation of rice and beans at every single meal, every day.
The staple breakfast is Gallo Pinto. Check out this original recipe here. Gallo Pinto is usually served with eggs, salchichon (sausage), cheese, sour cream, bread or tortillas. Some people, especially older ones, will even have left over steak with their morning gallo pinto. This breakfast is super heavy but totally worth it. People used to Read more
Fogo Brasil is amongst the best culinary experiences in Costa Rica. Located in the heart of San Jose, Fogo Brasil has been attracting visitors from all over the country for six years now. The service is great, the staff is friendly and experienced, the decor is festive and yet elegant. But the one thing that keeps people coming back is the amazing food.
Fogo Brasil is a rodizio style restaurant. Rodizio works like this: First, you pay a flat rate, like a buffet. Then experienced servers will serve a variety of 17 different cuts of meat. Every cut of meat has been roasted to perfection and is brought to your table on a skewer and cut to your preference. The Read more
Enter a Costa Rican restaurant and you will find that in addition to serving the the usual coffee, sodas and beer comes a long list of fruit drinks called Frescos. Most of which you may have never heard of or seen before. This list changes according to season and summertime brings the most variety in these.
Common and easily recognizable frescos may include papaya, mango, banana, pia (pineapple), manzana (apple), limon (lime), fresa (strawberry), melon (cantaloupe),zanahoria(carrot) and even kiwi. Others are not so common or easily recognizable. Here are some.
Located in Manuel Antonio, Gaia Hotel and Reserve has been awarded the World Travel Award for Mexico and Central America’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2 years in a row(2009 and 2010) and is currently nominated for the 2011 awards in that same category. In 2007 and 2008 this Hotel was also named Costa Rica’s Leading Boutique Hotel.
Evidently Gaia Hotel and Reserve has achieved an unmatched level of excellence on the Manuel Antonio coastline. The beach at Manuel Antonio is a blue flag beach. Blue Flag is a Costa Rican program by which the water and sewer institute monitors the water yearly to make sure the water is clean and safe. This 5-star hotel specializes in creating delicate balance between Read more
As you savor the rich sweetness and layers of flavor, it’s obvious this is a Spoon torta chilena. There is none other like it. Whether it’s pastries, coffee or their specialty dishes everything at Spoon is of the best quality.
Spoon was born in the heart of San Jose. It started as a small family business which later evolved into the great chain that it is now. There are now 22 different locations spread throughout the Central Valley. Though now a large chain, Spoon has not lost their connections to their humble roots. They have taken Costa Rican classics and added their own flair. Using only the freshest and best ingredients, the chefs at Spoon are creative and the Read more
Some people come to Costa Rica to experience the culture, the people, the different landscapes, the rainforest, and so on. Others come to Costa Rica to relax. Plain and simple, no running around, no driving from one end of the country to the other. Just plain laying-on-the-beach relaxation. If that’s what you’re seeking, you’ve found it. Hotel Barcelo Playa Tambor Costa Rica is a five-star all-inclusive resort specialized in relaxation.
Book a vacation with Tambor and they’ll take care of everything from airport pick-up to drop-off. A driver will take you to Puntarenas where you’ll take a luxurious yacht across the Gulf of Nicoya to the resort located on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Once at Read more
It’s easy to find great local food here in Costa Rica. Finding good, affordable international food is not quite as easy. If you take some time and search however, you will find quite a few hidden jewels.
La Lluna de Valencia is a Mediterranean restaurant famous for their paellas and tapas. The owners Kati and Vicente first opened this legendary restaurant in Heredia around 14 years ago. In their restaurant you can immerse yourself in the ambiance and feel like you’ve been transported to a small villa in Spain. The air fills with the tempting smells of the different meals being prepared in their open kitchen, where you can observe the art of making paella. Every night Kati and Read more
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