Once in awhile there comes along a drink recipe that is so abstract and unique, you ask yourself why in the world am I drinking this? This is definitely one of those times. Everyone has heard of Cacique Guaro, Costa Rica's most well known hard liquor. But fewer have heard or tried the following drink recipe. We must warn you that these shots go down very smooth and you can drink them quickly d...

Thank you to our dear reader Katie Jackson for submitting the following article, if you would like The Costa Rica Star to cover your business or press release, please contact us. Quepos, Costa Rica Aug. 15, 2013— Using a private Facebook group open only to the residents of Manuel Antonio—one of Costa Rica’s most popular tourist destinations—author Evelyn Gallardo determined what to include in h...

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...

The 14th edition of Costa Rica's International Book Fair in 2013 will feature a couple of surprises. The most significant is that it will finally offer free admission to the public thanks to a resolution by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Athletics to provide more than 50 million colones (about $100,000) for the fair. In the past, the International Book Fair in Costa Rica had been a largely com...

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 ...

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...

This is a funny list of rules that Ticos follow to truly embrace the concept of Pura Vida in Costa Rica, thank you to Mike Poynton for the guest article. 1. "Yesterday never happened and tomorrow does not exist". Every day is the first day. 2. "I don't know" is NEVER an acceptable answer to a question. If you don't know the answer, pretend like you do. 3. Having more than one family is OK. Re...

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 ...

Source: Flickr CC A video posted by Samantha Giancola, a young woman who starred in the wildly popular Jersey Shore reality TV series on MTV, shows her taking a zip line tour of a forest in Costa Rica. Mrs. Giancola, who is better known as “Sammi Sweetheart,” shared the short video with her 1.7 million Twitter followers, and it has been viewed thousands of times on the video sharing social net...

R.A.W. and One Love Generation partner with the Museo de Guanacaste to work on renovation and beautification projects for this historic Costa Rican landmark. On July 13th, six teen artists from One Love Generation (OLG) traveled to the City of Liberia, located on the northwestern edge of Costa Rica. Here, in partnership with RAW Tours, they created a heart opening experience and lasting impact ...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published about Prostitution in San Jose Costa Rica, and the price of those sexual services, using information from various Universities in Costa Rica. When people think of Costa Rica they picture its toucans, monkeys, volcanoes, and pristine beaches with amazing surfing locations up and down the coasts. They see in their minds the flora, the fauna, ad infini...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your Costa Rican business press release, please contact us. Villa de Agua is the newest and most exquisite luxury vacation rental home on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast. With four master bedrooms, sunset ocean views, water features everywhere and toucans singing in the trees, this amazing home is both exclusive and magical. Set in the verd...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Starting on August 8th, 2013, the most important fashion industry event for Costa Rica will unfold over four days in San Jose. Costa Rica Fashion Week 2013 is more than just models sashaying down a runway; it is an important trade event for a billion dollar fashion industry that is beginning to take flight in our country. Costa Rica is currently the style hub of Ce...

A new blog post by Arnoldo Rivera of La Nacion calls attention to something that tourists and Ticos alike often ask about John Lennon's sculpture in Costa Rica: What happened to his glasses? Mr. Rivera, who is a Beatles scholar, recalls the day when Lennon's effigy was seated at that park bench along the old Paseo de los Estudiantes (Students' Boulevard). That was on November 25th, 2011, and th...

A Friday afternoon at 11 am hardly sounds like the perfect time for an Afro-Cuban Jazz show and hosting it at the Public Library in Limon makes it sound even less perfect. Electrical storms and heavy rains had closed schools and caused flooding that morning. But against all odds the Joel La Rue Smith Trio, played a captivating set to the 30 or so people who came to be a part of Costa Rica’s 2013 I...

Gogol Bordello live in Athens. Source: Wikimedia Commons What do a gypsy punk band from New York and an eclectic Texas ensemble that mixes ska with Indian tones and a splash of psychedelia have in common? Both may have been inspired by their experiences in Costa Rica. First up we have Gogol Bordello, a band that played in the eclectic and epic Festival Imperial 2012. Their latest album, Pur...

Alba Rodriguez - Source: Facebook The Miss Costa Rica 2013 beauty pageant has been filled with controversy and animosity, which in turn have been fueled by the eternal flames of online social networks. The latest scandal is centered on allegations by contestants who are not the winner, Fabiana Granados, and who have gone on record to claim that the fix was in. We are either looking at a sordid...

Arabs and Jews, blacks and whites, teens and seniors, Anglos and Mexicans, Ticos and Nicaraguans, Cowboys and Indians. In Costa Rica we can all celebrate cultural harmony in a world focused on differences, not similarities. Where else does this blending of cultures come so easily? Certainly not the French with the British or Germans and Turks. Perhaps we fail to sufficiently appreciate the pea...

At 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 22, Nicoya's streets were filled with movement and color during the typical parade of cultural emblems organized by the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Education, which included a float devoted to foods. This activity was a favorite of Nicoyans, and hundreds of people enjoyed the event along the main streets of the city center, some even walking along with ...

U.S. actor Matt Damon, famous for films like "Invictus" and "The Bourne Identity", is vacationing in the Pacific beaches of Costa Rica, local media reported Monday. The actor arrived in Costa Rica on July 15 and has been seen in the northern Pacific beaches of Costa Rica, which are often visited by celebrities worldwide due to its natural beauty and privacy. Damon, who likes surfing, signed ...

The world's most famous and legendary male erotic dancers will perform for the first time in Costa Rica in a little more than a month, and for many Ticas the next few weeks are going to feel like an excruciatingly long wait. Chippendales is a renowned dance troupe based in Las Vegas that has been touring since the 1980s. The troupe is famous for their male strippers, who not only have buff and chi...

Costa Rica Hot Rods specializes in custom fabrication of all aspects of choppers and hot rod cars and trucks. We have more than 25 years of experience in custom show bike builds and as of the last 10 years we have been applying the same attention to detail in building hot rods. We offer everything from custom fabricated metal pieces, hand engraving, custom paint, and complete builds for both c...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Sharknado, a 2013 made-for-television movie that recently saw its debut on the SyFy channel, has managed to become an instant cult film; a feat that was only matched by 2006's Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson. The two films share something in common: Blunt titles that sum up their ridiculous plots. Sharknado goes a step further with is movie poster, which s...

Popular throughout Central American countries, though not readily available in the USA, “Guaro” is a distilled liquor originating in Costa Rica. Manufactured from sugar cane juice, Guaro has a high alcohol content, clear coloring and a strong but slightly sweet flavor. Most commonly mixed with fruit juice or soda (Fresca being a favorite), few people choose to consume this liquor in straight sh...

Now, while you can watch the colors of the sunset in Playa Guiones, you can enjoy the rhythms of marimba, boleros, tropical cumbias and folk music, thanks to the arrival of a trio of Nicaraguan musicians to Nosara, Pelada and Guiones. The group Los Hermanos Solis, originally from Leon, Nicargua, emerged in the 90s and have traveled together to Honduras, El Salvador and now Costa Rica “looking f...

23-year old Fabianna Granados of Guanacaste beat 9 other ladies to be proclaimed Miss Costa Rica 2013 in a glittering finals held in Marco Picado auditorium in San Jose. She won the right to represent her country to the Miss Universe 2013 pageant in Moscow, Russia on November 9th. Her runners-up are Meribeth Duran (1st) and Alba Zuniga (2nd). Fabianna Granados who stands 1.73 meters is a stu...

Earlier tonight when listening to 99.5FM radio dos we heard Joe Walsh of Witch's Rock Surf Camp mention they have a new webcam that shows the conditions for surfing in both Tamarindo and Playa Grande. Which is a nice treat for both locals and people who are on vacation to check the conditions before heading down to the beach to set out on a day of adventure catching waves and hanging out in the su...

Written by Sunny A. M. Fitzgerald.  Dedicated to anyone who has lived, worked, or played in rural Costa Rica. Please feel free to add your “Sure Signs” in the comments section below. Pura vida! 1. You were never considered a “morning person,” but now you don’t even require an alarm clock; the sun beaming into your bedroom window and the birds chirping wake you up quite consistently. And t...

The world of international fashion and modeling already includes a few names from Costa Rica such as Juliana Herz, but Leonora Jimenez Monge is the closest we have to a supermodel. The achingly beautiful blonde, who is a native of Santa Ana, has graced catwalks in the major European haute couture (high fashion) capitals. Her classic looks and solemn demeanor give her a timeless beauty that designe...

Through our Fiesta Grecia we celebrate USA Independence Day on the beautiful grounds of Quinta Real in San Isidro de Grecia. Having begun in 2011 to enhance efforts of local charities thru our cash donation, we invite ALL to participate with us at this 3rd annual, and ever growing, celebration. Time: Sunday, July 7, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Food – Fun - face painting - Deejay & ...

A still from Odyssey 2050 One of the most popular contemporary music bands in the world has agreed to contribute one of their videos to the film Odyssey 2050, an ambitious project being produced right here in Costa Rica. Odyssey 2050 aims to raise awareness among young generations about the effects of climate change. The video in question is Viva La Vida, which is also the title track of Coldpl...

If you are thinking about going to the north pacific of Costa Rica, we want to tell you about 3 popular destinations in this area. Playa Hermosa There are so many beautiful beaches in Costa Rica, it's no wonder that there is more than one Playa Hermosa! Don't get confused with this one and the one near Jaco - I'm talking about the one in Guanacaste. This beach is where most of the luxury homes a...

Photo above is the ribbon cutting inauguration for the ground breaking event, now the construction begins. The ground breaking event for the finest luxury Casino-Resort in Costa Rica, Croc's Casino, was held this Thursday. Despite the rain it was a huge success, and The Costa Rica Star had the pleasure to attend the event and spend time with the invited guests and other media personnel. ...

June 10, 2013, San José – Canadians and Friends of Canada will celebrate the country’s 146th birthday at picnic festivities to be held Sunday, June 30, from 10 am to 4 pm at Quinta Roma Vista, Barrio Mercedes, Atenas in the province of Alajuela. Members of the club, non-members, new and old friends are invited to come for a day of fun! Canadian Ambassador Wendy Drukier will attend to officiall...

The picture above is an artistic rendering of the Casino-resort pool area. A ground breaking is scheduled June 20 in Jacó for a 17-story casino resort. The business, to be known as Croc's Casino Resort, is expected to be in operation by December 2014. The building will be on the north side of the central Pacific community of Jaco. Owners are Dag and Jennifer Hascall. He is the owner o...

Here is a video developed by Tourism Costa Rica that will be played in hundreds of theaters across the United States over the course of 2013. Costa Rica Traveler Magazine took the film crew on a 25 day tour, staying in 18 hotels throughout the country in order to get the video content for this promotional video. ...

Inspired by the drama of light and shadow, artist Juan Carlos Camacho specializes in watercolors which show contrast, detail and sometimes depicts ambiguity. Born in Heredia, Costa Rica, Camacho studied drawing and painting from his high school years at Conservartorio Castella through his tenure at the University of Costa Rica, where he obtained a degrees in drawing, painting, and architecture. ...

We are Brenda and Christopher Cottes and we are the Samara-Carrillo Info Center! Well we are more then that really. We are the Welcome Center, Tourist Information, Travel Planning, Booking Station, Lost and Found, Volunteer Center, Job Bank and more. Our services are always 100% Free! Between the two of us we have lived in Costa Rica for over 20 years and have been to almost every pa...

Los Vivancos, are a Flamenco Dance Company comprised of 7 brothers. Elías, Cristo, Israel, Judáh, Josua, Aarón and Josué come from a family where music, dance and art is a lifestyle. Each one of them traveled around the world collaborating with various dance academies, joining in 2007 to form their own dance company that bears his last name "Vivancos". Russia, Turkey, USA, France and Chil...

Have you ever had the dream of traveling around the world and seeing some of the things you have only been able to experience through travel magazines, movies or websites? My Destination has gone global to give you an opportunity to enter a contest that can make your dream turn into the Biggest Baddest Bucket List reality! Travel six continents visiting the 35 destinations from your bu...