Mmmm…Delicious. Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Food.

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Mmmm…Delicious. Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Food.

September 6th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

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

Teach English in Costa Rica!

August 15th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Want a job with plenty of vacation time to spend at the beach? Teach English! And what better place to do it than Costa Rica. There is a huge need in Costa Rica for qualified English teachers. Most jobs in Costa Rica require at least a basic understanding of English, so the need for teachers is constantly climbing. What credentials do you need to teach English? Where can you teach English?

Credentials- Most institutions, whether public or private will require a bachelor’s degree in anything. A TESOL/TEFL certificate is not necessary but a sure fire way to get the job. TESOL certifications are available in most universities, online and even here in Costa Rica. Some private schools will also Read more

Costa Rican Bills Get a Face Lift

August 11th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

What is this? This doesn’t look like a ¢ 1 000 colones bill! That’s because it’s the new and improved ¢ 1 000 colones bill. That’s not the only one that’s changed, Costa Rica is introducing a whole set of new bills. The values of the new bills are ¢ 1 000, ¢ 2 000, ¢ 5 000, ¢ 10 000, ¢ 20 000 and ¢ 50, 000.

Why new bills? The new bills, fabricated in Rennes, France, are nearly impossible to counterfeit. Each bill is now a different size and has slightly raised numbers to help the blind identify each bill easily. Bills of 2 000 and above have additional security features like the iridescent thread running from Read more

LearnSpanishandSurf.com Costa Rica Experience

August 1st, 2011 | Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

This is a Guest post from LearnSpanishandSurf.com

Who wouldn’t fall in love when visiting Costa Rica? The students that have taken part in LearnSpanishandSurf.com’s Spanish immersion programs among the country each have! With not only two, but three Spanish immersion programs available in the beautiful Costa Rica, experience the thrills of one program or entice yourself among them all! LearnSpanishandSurf.com offers their Spanish immersion programs at three locations in Costa Rica – Playa Tamarindo , Playa Jaco and San Jose. Become immerged in the laid back, relaxed lifestyle among each Costa Rica immersion program.

Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica’s surfing capital is located near the El Estero river which allows surfers of all skill sets to set out and enjoy Read more

Choose the Cellular Service that’s Right for You!

July 20th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Choice? What Choice? It’s just ICE, right? Wrong. As of June 2, 2011 Ice is not the only player in the cell service game. Tuyo is the first private cell service provider in the country, offering new phones and a variety of services. This new company has been widely accepted and well received by consumers and has finally created much needed competition in the market. After Tuyo’s great start, ICE felt the pressure and launched a Father’s Day sale. Purchase ¢ 10, 000 in Kolbi Prepago minutes and get a free phone. In the past there was no need for sales. ICE had no competition. The introduction of Tuyo in May and Movistar and Claro in December has pushed ICE Read more

Helpful Tips to Keep Your Food Expenses Low

June 16th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Will I be able to find the things I like? Where is it safe to buy meat and vegetables? These and other questions are common concerns when relocating to Costa Rica. It takes time to get acquainted with what’s available in your town and where you get the most bang for your buck. A particular challenge is purchasing meat and vegetables.

Most supermarkets have both a meat and produce sections but they are often less than stellar. Also the selection may be very limited and unfamiliar. Meat is almost as expensive as it is in developed countries but the quality is usually better. Most cows in Costa Rica are range fed, which makes for safer, better quality meat. While Read more

Facts About Limón, Costa Rica

June 2nd, 2011 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

The Limón province includes many small rural towns like Guacimo, home to EARTH University dedicated to teaching agricultural sciences and proper use of natural resources in a tropical humid climate. Guacimo is a rural banana plantation area where tourists are a rare sighting. Guapiles is also filled with banana plantations. Since the main highway from San Jose to Limón goes through Guapiles there is some lodging available for those passing through to Limón or the surrounding natural reserves.

Other areas like the Talamanca region are famous due to the concentration of small native tribes that inhabit the area. The Bribri live in a secluded community where they work the fields, raise large families and speak the bribri language. Read more

Expotur Costa Rica 2011

May 19th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Expotur is the biggest event of the year for the tourism industry in Costa Rica. Vendors and buyers have traveled from all over the country and all over Central America to Expotur for the past 26 years and 2011 is no exception. Hosted at the Herradura Ramada Hotel in San Jose, 248 stands were used for this massive exhibition held May 11-15.

The purpose of Expotur is to bring vendors and buyers together and create alliances in business. Participants come from all aspects of tourism including water sports, adventure tourism, sun and surf , business trips and conventions, cultural tourism, educational tourism and even medical tourism. Airlines, food vendors and hotels amongst others also participate in the trade show. Read more

Why travel after the Holidays?

May 5th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Holy Week is one of Costa Rica’s most important holidays. On Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter or Resurrection Sunday there are processions and special masses all over the country. During this week, however, there is an almost biblical exodus from the cities to the beaches. Primarily the Guanacaste area. The streets are packed full of travelers, the beaches are crowded and hotel rates are at their highest. To top it off, Most businesses are closed from Thursday afternoon through the weekend and even those that are open cannot sell alcohol because of the Holy Week dry law.

Check out this quick tip for getting discount on a Costa Rica hotel.

Traveling during Holy Week requires a Read more

How to Order A Traditional Costa Rican Drink

April 19th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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.

Arandano (blueberry)

Mora (blackberry)

Marañon (cashew fruit)

Linaza (flax seed)

Maracuya (passionfruit)

Guayaba (guava)

Sandia (watermelon)

Flor de Jamaica ( hibiscus flower)

And some are simply not found in Read more