This is a guest article by Jeff Jones on the Huffington Post. I wouldn't exactly call it a rivalry, but retirees and vacationers alike tend to fall into one of two categories; those who go west in Costa Rica, especially to Jaco (the closest beach town to the international airport) and those who head east to the Carib. And this, of course, makes perfect sense... In the same way visitors to Fl...

A range of dazzling outfits designed by a highly creative mix of designers from countries like Mexico, USA, Colombia and Honduras were showcased at the recently concluded 11th edition of Costa Rica Fashion Week 2013. Held in San Jose, the capital city of the Latin American nation of Costa Rica, the event featured more than forty catwalk shows that highlighted ready-to-wear, haute couture and c...

A giant wooden armadillo trophy was presented to Jose Joaquin Fernandez Castrillo at the Annexation celebration on Wednesday, July 24, as the winner of “La Gran Nicoya” award in recognition of his contributions to both local and international journalism. “I have endeavored to always disseminate the great events of Nicoya,” Fernandez said as he accepted the award. Fernandez, who was ...

The vice minister of foreign trade announced today that Peruvian exports to Costa Rica are expected to increase by 20% in the short term once the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries goes into effect. Carlos Posada, the vice minister, explained that the trade agreement is a “development tool that gives exporters the opportunity to explore not only commercial aspects, but also inve...

Deportivo Saprissa began the Costa Rica Primera Division in style with a 4-2 home triumph against Perez Zeledon. It was not all smooth sailing for Saprissa as Jorge Gatgens put Perez ahead after only six minutes before Marlon Escoe equalised in the 26th minute. Brunete Hay briefly restored Perez's lead just after half-time before Escoe decided to stamp his presence on the contest. Escoe, ...

Due to the serious harm that trawling causes to the marine environment and sea bed, Costa Rica has banned all shrimp trawling in the country. The ruling, written by Justice Paul Rueda, declared admissible a lawsuit filed by six environmental organizations against various articles of the country’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Law, reports TicoTimes. "Based on extensive scientific studies, it...

High speed internet access up to 100 Mbps is now a reality in Costa Rica, thanks to a new product by Cabletica, that is available for both businesses and homes. But it’s not cheap. Cabletica is pricing the 100 Mbps at US$749 monthly. The rate is for residential, the cable company does not publish the business rate on its website. Connection speeds of up to 50 Mbps is priced at US$399; 35 Mbp...

The suspected head of an international child pornography ring was arrested in Costa Rica as part of a probe coordinated with Spain and several Latin American countries, authorities said. Agents, both local and from the global police agency Interpol, arrested the man and seized computers during raids across the country, said Marisel Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the Judicial Investigation Organizat...

With its league campaign opening on Sunday at home against Carmelita, Costa Rica’s Alajuelense is eager to excel this season. The Manudos enjoyed a solid preseason that included a Copa Iberico title as they topped rival Saprissa on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw at the Estadio Nacional. They also held English Premier League side Fulham to a 1-1 tie before falling 3-1 on two late goals, one of ...

The cost of living in Costa Rica, as with everywhere else, is a frequent topic of discussion. Before relocating here I read as much as I could on the matter, trying to get a feel for what to expect. The feedback varied. Some would say it was cheap, others would say it wasn't. And then there were always those making the "back in my day" statements. In piecing it all together, I estimated ...

On Sunday, August 11, the “Carrera por mi Parroquia” (Race for My Parish) will be held as part of an effort to raise funds to build a new Catholic church in Nosara since the church building had to be demolished due to damage sustained during the earthquake on September 5, 2012. Lorena Avila Alvarado, president of the Parish Events Committee, said they have been holding a series of athletic even...

The Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), the Defensoría de los Habitantes (Ombudsman) and the public employee union, the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP), have banded together asking Laura Chinchilla to declare a state of emergency in the country’s penitentiary system. According to legislator and leader of the PAC legislative bloc, Carmen Muñoz, the call is for the governm...

It is noon and beneath the blazing sun in Nicoya, a canal flows with water as green as moss, which first appears as a soapy foam and later descends through a cement canal to the Rio Grande. This drainage system has existed for several decades as the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA) has discharged residual fluids into the river bed in the Matabuey neighborhood in N...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to cover your business press release, please contact us. CSS Corp, a global technology support and consulting company, today announced the opening of its Global Delivery Center in Costa Rica. The center, located at the Ultra Park Free Zone in La Aurora de Heredia, was inaugurated by Mrs. Laura Chinchilla, the President of Republic of Costa Rica today. T...

Walmart in Costa Rica was fined ¢4,395,000 colones (US$8,900 dollars) for “lack of information and misleading advertising” in a promotion of flat screen televisions. The National Consumer Commission said it fined the giant retailer following an investigation into complaints by 58 consumers, for price differences in the retailer’s promotion “Día más barato del año” (lowest price day of the year)...

Yesterday the government of Costa Rica welcomed the approval of the UN Arms Trade Agreement during a first debate in the Congress. “Costa Rica has starred in one of the fundamental struggles for disarmament. We have used our moral power as a peaceful country to advocate for a world without weapons,” said Chinchilla. The president added that “the approval of this treaty represents a breakthro...

Yesterday the firm MasterCard launched in Costa Rica, in partnership with Banco Nacional (BNCR), its first “Black” debit card for Latin America, aimed at customers with higher incomes. The MasterCard director for Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala, Gabriel Pascual, explained at a press conference that Costa Rica was chosen to introduce this product because it has a greater number of affluent cu...

The story of the legendary crocodile Pocho and his “owner,” Costa Rican fisherman named Gilberto “Chito” Shedon, will be shown in Latin America on the nature TV channel NatGeo next Saturday a 7 p.m.. A filming team originally picked up on the story in 2009 that had captivated Costa Ricans. The team filmed the unlikely pair but decided that the 15 minute segment they had programed for the film w...

Along with headliner Slightly Stoopid, Jungle Jam 2014 will host Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Oteil Burbridge, Max Creek, The Expendables, Kung Fu, Zach Deputy, Ryan Montbleau Band and dopapod. Plus more. Always more. Scheduled for Jan. 16-19 in Jaco, Costa Rico, Jungle Jam will take place at the DoceLunas Resort Hotel, the festival’s home since 2011. Jungle Jam...

Costa Rica’s former astronaut, Franklin Chang, announced today that he surpassed his goal of raising $46,000 for the creation of a documentary that explains the features of a plasma rocket engine developed by Ad Astra in its laboratories located in Costa Rica and the United States. Regarding his successful fundraising project, the Costa Rican astronaut stated: “We reached our goal of $46,00...

Residents of the community of Los Angeles of Palmira in Carrillo, Guanacaste, reported that concession holders have destroyed the Tempisque River and endangered the community in times of high rains and flooding. The neighbors are upset with the Ministry of Environment for having authorized a concession to extract sand from the Tempisque River, work which was done using a backhoe to descend into...

At the beginning of June, after receiving several reports of a scam from multiple towns, including Samara, Hojancha and Nosara, the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) was able to apprehend four suspects with the help of the Nosara Public Police Force, including three women and one man. The scam artists went to houses promising to give people appliances or TVs in exchange for their gold j...

When he can, Fernando Cordero Arguedas works at odd jobs, but lately caring for his 95-year-old mother has been a full time job since she had a stroke a few months ago. In addition, his 93-year-old uncle has heart problems, and his wife’s four nieces and nephews came to live with them a year ago when their mother lost custody of them. In all, there are 10 mouths to feed in their household in the S...

Thank you to Guy Edwards of Brown University for allowing The Costa Rica Star to publish the below article. A recent visit to Costa Rica by Chinese President Xi Jinping has led to a mounting backlash against a proposed oil refinery, which undermines Costa Rica’s target of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. The visit of the Chinese President to Costa Rica earlier this month led to a raft of agree...

People with criminal records cannot obtain a firearm permit to carry weapons in Costa Rica, according to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica. The justices rejected an appeal by a citizen who saw the move as discriminatory. The Constitutional Court ruling indicates that carrying a weapon is an award given by the State to its citizens and not a right. Under that pr...

Costa Rica will host the Global Youth Summit sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations announced today. The meeting will be in session from September 9 to 11 and will discuss the use of new information and communication technologies to improve the quality of life and influence the post-2015 development agenda. In remarks broadcast by the UN radio stat...

If you are bored of the same flavor of chicken, prepare your tastebuds for a more legitimate and nutritional flavor than farm-fattened chicken. A group of families, mainly female entrepreneurs from La Virginia of Nicoya, have organized to develop a project to raise and market local criollo chickens to offer a more attractive and unusual product since the chicken that are commercialized in super...

Ocean Ranch Park is an 850 acre 4.4 kilometer private river valley located just 10 minutes south of Jaco that includes over 1000 feet of waterfalls. Unspoiled Costa Rica nature awaits you and your family and friends to explore this national park like setting on horseback, ATV, rappel and canopy with professional guides insuring your safety. Included in the staff is a Costa Rican Biologist,...

Thank you to Mike Poynton for providing the following guest article, he is the owner and manager of Paradise Social Media in Costa Rica. Copos (literally, "flakes" - as in "snow flakes") are sold on the street and many of the popular beaches of Costa Rica by Copos vendors, pushing two-wheeled carts with insulated compartments that house a large block of ice (maqueta de hielo). The carts are...

Ongoing and projected investments indicate that there is still room for small and medium supermarkets to grow in Costa Rica. Small and medium sized supermarket chains are expanding in the greater metropolitan area in volume. One example is Super Mora, a mini chain of supermarkets from Puriscal which in 2014 will be expanding into Santa Ana, where there are plans to invest $3.7 million in the...

Eight groups and soloists will participate this year in the Credomatic Music Festival. There are three in particular that no one should miss: the Juvenile Accordion Orchestra of Baden Württemberg, the organist Martin Arndt Henzelmann, and the violinist Gidon Kremer. These artists count with indisputable recognition and are the highlights of the music festival, which will take place between ...

In Perez Zeledon, hundreds of citizens have planted 110,000 native trees as part of a project to protect watersheds and promote reforestation of rainforests. The project is called Sowing Water (“Sembrando Agua” in Spanish) and has been operating for one year through the foundation of the same name. The whole idea comes from ​​a local entrepreneur: Fernando Leon, who joined other community le...

Photo of Hong Kong ChinaChina wants to have a business summit in Central America and what better place for them to have it than Costa Rica. The Chinese Business Summit for Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Costa Rica between November 26th and 27th, 2013. The invited attendees include entrepreneurs, investors, and government officials. This is going to be the seventh confer...

Half of Costa Rica’s population does not have a bank account at a financial institution. In addition, 80% don’t keep their money in banks and 90% have no bank loans, leading them to be excluded in one way or another from the country’s formal financial system. That is the result of the most recent survey by the Encuesta de Inclusión Financiera en Costa Rica, conducted in late 2011 and includ...

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Costa Rica was recently recognized by the National Blood Bank for being the most successful organization in obtaining blood donations. During a special ceremony held at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose, Dr. Patricia Contreras praised the work of the church, and said it is the most recognized entity with the most blood donor volunteers in Costa Rica ...

Now this is living. Whether you are already retired or near retirement, the residences at Croc’s Casino Resort are an easy decision. Life is grand as you relax poolside, while dinner at your favorite resort restaurant has been personally prepared with love and catching a sunset from your residence balcony just becomes the norm. You deserve the finer things in life with the ease of a Costa Ri...

VagabrothersIf you were to win an all expense paid six month trip around the world - where would you go? Alex and Marko Ayling, better known as the "Vagabrothers" had to make those choices when they won My Destination's Biggest Baddest Bucket List contest earlier this year. Competing with thousands of entries from around the world, the Vagabrothers short video entry topped all others to aw...

After 12 years of housing producers of local foods and products from the region, the agricultural market El Guayabo or La Guayabita market, located in the center of Nicoya, is going to receive a facelift. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) will transfer 70 million colones ($140,000) in funds to remodel it. The funds will be channeled through the municipality. The director of...

Despite the advice to leave pets at home, many romeros decided to take them for a walk, forcing the National Animal Health Service (Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal – Senasa) to attend 16 dogs during pilgrimage from Thursday morning to Friday afternoon. There was one unfortunate dog to have to be detained, abandoned and unable to walk, the rest of the animals attended to were able to complete ...

The Central Pacific area is home to one of the most exotic animals in Costa Rica: the gray crown spider-squirrel monkey. This species can only be found in Costa Rican territory. These monkeys are endangered because its habitat is fragmented in forest patches, so they find it difficult to travel and interact with other members of their population. This has led them to interact with other species...