The fun-loving beach town of Jacó lights up as “beach party central” on Costa Rica’s Central…

Costa Rica. You’ve probably heard of it. The tiny Central American country is big in tourism news. You may even know someone who’s been there. When you hear the name, you probably think of beautiful tropical beaches, rainforest, surfing, volcanoes, hot and steamy jungle.

But what’s important to know so you can plan a visit?

Check out our top 10 list of What to Know for Travel to Costa Rica:

1. Where is…

When traveling around Costa Rica, there’s nothing better after a big day of hiking, rafting, zip lining or other adventuring, than slipping gently into steamy thermal springs so…

I still remember vividly the first time a local gave me directions in Costa Rica:

Go north 700 meters. At the “pulperia” turn left, and go west…

There’s nothing better than a day at the beach. The sun, the surf … what could be more fun? Especially in Costa Rica, where the sun, sand and sea are warm all the time!…

By Shannon Farley

Just outside San Jose, Costa Rica is one of my favorite cloud forests. Drive an hour-and-a-half out of the Capital-metropolitan area and you’re in another world – a world of rolling green hills, black and white and brown dairy…

You’ve got your flight to Costa Rica booked, your hotel reservations or tour itinerary set. Now what about getting around?

There are many choices, from…

By Shannon Farley

Headlines this week reported most of North America, Europe and even China locked in winter’s icy grip.

• A mix of sleet and snow, accompanied by lightning, made travel a mess in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area.
• A swath of snowfall from portions of Mississippi and northern Alabama/Georgia spreads through the Central Appalachians.
• Trees snap in Maryland due to ice accumulation.
• 3-6 inches of…

Legend tells that when God made the world, after he finished painting the sky a brilliant pastel blue, he washed his brushes in a beautiful Costa Rican river, coloring the river the same intense sky blue.…

By Shannon Farley

Once, Santa Teresa was a small fishing village, home to a handful of families who lived off…

More than 700 miles of beach on Pacific and Caribbean coasts, warm water, tropical climate, lush rainforest and cloud forest, jungle wildlife, stable country, and friendly people – Costa Rica entices millions to visit every year.

If you live anywhere in the Americas, and most likely even in Europe, then you have heard the buzz about this Central…

By Shannon Farley

Costa Rica’s fabulous year-round sunshine, balmy weather and remarkable championship golf courses are fast earning the country the reputation as an “ace” place for world-class golf.

The best part? Located just a few hours’ flight away from North America, Costa Rica’s weather is best when all points north are frozen in…

By Shannon Farley

They live in the sea, are on the World Wildlife Fund’s “Endangered Species List”, and frequent the waters around…

By Shannon Farley

The world as we know it has certainly shrunk a great deal due to the interconnectivity of the internet, and especially social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. When the number one music video rocketing around the world is from South Korea (“Gangnam Style”), and kids in places like…

By Shannon Farley

The new wildly popular “Author’s Cuisine” culinary movement that originated in Spain over a decade ago is not simply cuisine by the “author” or chef who cooked it. “Author’s Cuisine” is a vanguard of culinary arts favored by Spanish and other European chefs who are praised for their…

By Shannon Farley

Any Olympic athlete or professional athlete, or high school or university athlete, or even a child on a sports team for that matter, has a coach. Actors have coaches. Singers and dancers have coaches or trainers. Over the past decades, executives and businesspersons have joined the ranks of seeking coaching for success.

In today’s modern world, there is…

By Shannon Farley

Personally, I prefer staying in small boutique hotels. Large chain hotels have their function, though I rather like when the receptionist remembers my name and is personable enough to care how I am and how my stay is going. I like waiters who remember I favor water without ice and that my mid-afternoon coffee is an absolute must … with a…

By Shannon Farley

Tortuguero is like the imaginary jungle coast in Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” It is a wild place.

You can just imagine what was going through Christopher Columbus’ mind when he anchored off the palm-fringed beach in 1502 … “I have come to the end of the earth,” he must have mused.

The Tortuguero…

By Shannon Farley

Most tourists to Costa Rica never see San Jose. They are whisked off from the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside the city to the…

By Shannon Farley

When the coffee mill is roasting in my little town in Costa Rica, you can smell the aroma throughout our hills and valleys. The sweet, pungent fragrance entices you to a steaming cup or two in the morning, and following tradition, another at 3:00 p.m. When I first moved to this small Central American land, I was puzzled by how it seemed the entire country stops at 3:00 pm for its “cafecito”. After nearly 11 years of…