Source: FEDESURF CR Costa Rica is scheduled to defend her World Surfing Games championship later this year in Jaco Beach, but organizers are closely following news headlines related to the Zika virus situation in Rio de Janeiro and how it may affect the Olympics. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, Jaco Beach has been subject to an outbreak of the Zika virus: Costa Rica’s Minist...

Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika are spread by the Aedes aegyptie mosquito (Wikimedia Commons) The number of patients confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus in the popular coastal resort city of Jacó, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, has soared to 28 this week in the most serious outbreak of the Zika virus in Costa Rica to date. A total of 17 additional cases have been confirmed si...

Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika are spread by the Aedes aegyptie mosquito (Wikimedia Commons) In the most serious outbreak in the country to date, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday that 11 individuals tested positive for the Zika virus in the central Pacific resort city of Jacó, Puntarenas, which had until now been unaffected by the virus. The patients include four children:...

Wikimedia Commons Jonathan Zaun, editor of Newswire.net, recently published an article about how the international poker circuit has been transformed in recent years, and he mentioned Jaco Beach as one of the best tropical destinations for "poker refugees." As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, poker refugees are those players from the United States who were affected by the Black F...

Costa Rica Celebrates World Championship. Source: ISA ISA Press Release - The International Surfing Association (ISA) has announced that the 2016 ISA World Surfing Games will take place in the picturesque beach town of Jacó Beach, Costa Rica from August 6-14, bringing the competition back to the country for the first time since the very successful 2009 edition in nearby Playa Hermosa. Team ...

(Facebook / FP Garabito) A 38-year-old German tourist was killed in a violent head-on collision in the Quebrada Amarilla sector of Jaco, Puntarenas on Saturday, according to authorities.   The deceased was identified as Erick Eiseld, who had been in Costa Rica for several days on vacation, according to reports.   According to the initial investigation, Eiseld, for unknown...

Source: Gisele Bunchen Instagram Star NFL quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is currently enjoying a sunny vacation in Costa Rica along with his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen. On Palm Sunday, Mr. Brady and Ms. Bundchen spent time with their children in the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, where they own a beach mansion in Playa Herradura, not far from Jaco Beach. This i...

By Petter Lindgren - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 Wikimedia Commons Alarmed tourists evacuated the beach at Playa Herradura this weekend after a shark suddenly broke through the surf and landed right on the waterline at high tide.   According to a news report published by online news daily CRHoy.com on Sunday, the shark was identified as a thresher shark, a member of the pelagic Alopiidae...

Source: Dourone A talented muralist from Spain whose work can be enjoyed from Madrid to Paris and from Miami to Amsterdam has chosen Jaco Beach in Costa Rica as his latest canvas. Residents and tourists in Jaco Beach can appreciate the mural painted by Dourone and his partner  Elodieloll on Pastor Diaz Street, across from the KFC restaurant. Dourone is a visual artist who started with gr...

As the race to the White House heats up, The Costa Rica Star is welcoming a seasoned political reporter to its staff to keep US expats in the know about this important election year, with a focus on how US elections affect Americans living abroad. Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New Yo...

Wikimedia Commons An experienced, 32-year old SCUBA diver from Spain passed away in Jaco Beach after Red Cross paramedics were unable to resuscitate him. According to a news report filed by Alexander Mendez of daily tabloid Diario Extra, Yordi Estarrol Pujol was an avid diver who had already spent a few days exploring choice diving sites off the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. He had b...

The final week of November welcomes the formal arrival of the dry season to Jaco Beach, one of the premier leisure and relaxation destinations of Costa Rica. According to a recent press conference held by the National Institute of Meteorology (Spanish initials: IMN), the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica is no longer transitioning out of the green (rainy) season, and residents of Jaco Beach shou...

Tiny pieces of synthetic materials contaminate 12 beaches of Costa Rica, including some of the most popular destinations for tourists and expats. Jaco Beach is one of a dozen beaches where micro plastic debris can be found in abundance, floating along with plankton and mixing with grains of sand. According to a report filed by Michelle Soto of daily newspaper La Nacion, micro plastic debris par...

Pro Surfer Emily Gussoni from Costa Rica The National Surfing Team of Costa Rica made history earlier this year by bringing back the most gold medals from the World Surfing Games (WSG) in Nicaragua. Now the Surfing Federation of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: FEDESURF) has an opportunity to host the next WSG in 2016, but there is no money to do so. According to a recent news report filed by J...

The 22nd anniversary of the World Travel Awards will be celebrated this year; as expected, Costa Rica received many nominations within the Mexico and Central American Region category. Of special note is the return of Jaco Beach as a Leading Beach Destination for international travelers.   Other nominations related to Costa Rica include: the Costa Rica Convention Bureau for its work in t...

(1888PressRelease) August 12, 2015 / Jaco, Puntarenas -- Jaco Fishing Charters is excited to announce the launch of our new sport fishing charter website. The new website primarily focuses on booking fishing charters off the coast of Jaco, Costa Rica but also provides useful information for the avid sport fisherman or first time angler wanting to learn more about sport fishing adventures off of th...

Father and son at the beach in Jaco. "There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Nearly two months ago, deep heartbreak struck Britt Nelson at his home in Jaco Beach: The hardest part about Coady’s death, for me, was finding him dead in his bed the morning of June 8. He was just lying on his side with his head on his pillow. The TV was still on. He ...

Source: Comex Visual cleanliness must be your ally when choosing lighting and paint colors for your Jaco Beach condominium unit. By Carolina Ruiz When you are dealing with small living spaces, there is nothing better than applying the proper measure of light and color to create comfort and space where it does not exist. Furniture and decorative elements can be key allies as well, as long...

Source: Reef Costa Rica Earlier this week, the 12 candidates to the coveted Chica Reef Costa Rica 2015 beauty pageant were introduced to the public at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Wyndham Herradura Hotel near San Jose. The presentation of the Miss Reef candidates drew a very large audience from around Costa Rica, which is a trend that has been on the increase in the last few years. The final c...

Shakira McDonald Shakira McDonald, a veteran of international beauty pageants, is the new Mrs. Costa Rica. The 40-year old Afro-Costa Rican mother looked dazzling in a white night gown as she accepted the crown and ceremonial bouquet offered by the Mrs. Costa Rica 2015 organization, which chose the Croc's Hotel and Casino in Jaco Beach for the awards ceremony. Although Mrs. McDonald resides...

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Croc's Casino Resort in Jacó, Costa Rica, has selected a comprehensive solution suite ─ including systems for property management, point-of-sale, and inventory and procurement ─ to optimize efficiency and enhance guest servi...

LAS VEGAS, June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/-- Pure Hospitality Solutions, Inc., (OTC: PNOW), announced today, that the Company continues to grow its database, teaming up with the Jaco Tour Company ; officially adding excursions to Oveedia's Travel Network. PURE's growing relationship with properties likeTango Mar and now expedition companies like Jaco Tour Company, greatly increases the viability of Ove...

Source: Bristol PD Over the past weekend, a family from the tiny state of Rhode Island suffered a great loss as Patrol Officer Richard Jean-Georges of the Bristol Police Department was caught in the treacherous rip currents, which in recent months have claimed the lives of various visitors who come to enjoy the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. These dangerous rip currents have been particularly pr...

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA, May 26, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Updating their websites, customer service, booking platform and innovative products are some of the strategies by hotel operators feeling the effect of travelers using online travel agencies (OTAs) when booking a room. For the major part, consumers feel they are getting better deal with OTAs such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Booking, ...

Source: Facebook A male tourist from the United States lost his life in the treacherous rip currents of Jaco Beach earlier this week. Ibrahim Sam Karadsheh disappeared in the ocean stream on Tuesday; he had arrived in Costa Rica on Sunday along with two cousins who traveled from Southern California. According to a news report filed by Patricia Duran of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the three ...

Source: MSP On the Sunday of the long First of May weekend, residents and visitors in Jaco Beach were concerned about the Red Alert issued by the National Commission on Emergencies (Spanish initials: CNE) after a barge carrying 180 tons of ammonium nitrate capsized and sunk off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The CNE ordered an evacuation of the beaches from the Port of Caldera north to Pu...

A young surfer who was enjoying long, glassy rights at Playa Guacalillo, located in Tarcoles and not far from one of the busiest tourist hotspots of Costa Rica, was surprised to find the lifeless body of a corpulent man adrift in the surf. According to a news report by journalist Greivin Rodriguez of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the surfer was waiting for a set when he sighted something strange flo...

Jaco Beach, COSTA RICA (PRWEB) April 23, 2015 – Lost Beach Vacations, Costa Rica’s leading condominium vacation rental firm has announced the completion of a recent community service project that brought together a local school, the community of Jaco Beach, and student volunteers from the United States. Earlier this month, as part of community outreach efforts by Lost Beach Vacations, the Escue...

Beach house in Costa Rica By Carolina Ruiz Vega Everyone has a favorite color… but do you know what influence does it paint on your mood? Colors evoke feelings and emotions directly related to human perception. For this reason, you should think about the mood that certain tones may impose on your psyche before changing the color of your room. Studies such conducted by Creighton University ha...

The Gold Coast of Costa Rica begins in the province of Guanacaste and continues down to the Central Pacific Coast in the province of Puntarenas. Jaco Beach is one of the best-known tourism hotspots of Costa Rica for many reasons, and the most important is that this coastal town has undergone considerable development for quite a few decades.   First-time visitors to Costa Rica do not usu...

Jungle Jam 2015, Jaco Beach, Costa Rica Jaco Beach, Costa Rica (March 8, 2015) - Jungle Jam V returns to Jaco, Costa Rica for its fifth consecutive year with a stellar line-up on the grounds of the beautiful Hotel DoceLunas for 4 days of music in paradise March 19-22, 2015. This year’s performers include: Slightly Stoopid, Thievery Corporation, Steel Pulse, Morgan Heritage, Mykal Rose (of Blac...

Jaco Beach A man from the United States was killed in a road traffic accident near the expat enclave of Jaco Beach, located on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Preliminary reports suggest that the U.S. citizen may have been performed a reckless overtake and pass maneuver in the vicinity of a bridge without realizing that a propane gas delivery truck was coming in the opposite direction...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The life and times of one of the most iconic and controversial musicians in the history of rock 'n' roll have been adapted for the stage by a Costa Rica-based author. Some readers of The Costa Rica Star and Jaco Beach residents are familiar with Britt Nelson, a man with a long and illustrious journalism career in the United States. Growing up in the DC area in the ...

Source: Flickr Commons Some of the prettiest tourist attractions in Costa Rica are located along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Cartographers have mapped out and designated more than 100 beaches in Costa Rica, and some of them are so secluded that they do not appear in commercially available maps. Depending on personal preference, some beaches may appear to be prettier than others, and this...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is probably one of the most recognized professional athletes within the National Football League (NFL) of the United States for several reasons, and one of them is his connection to Costa Rica. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the entire world, and the honor of winning NFL Super Bowl XLIX, whi...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In the world of commerce, the term VIP (Very Important Person) is often attached to products and services that conform to a premium level and thus command a much higher price. The VIP label can be attached to just about any situation, and it does not really mean that the person acquiring premium goods or services is more or less important than anyone else; however, it...

Three elderly tourists from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have lost their lives at sea while enjoying a catamaran cruise off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Acting President Ana Helena Chacon, who is currently in office as President Luis Guillermo Solis is on an official trip to China, held a press conference during which she indicated that 106 passengers were rescued after the...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Farmers and grocers in Costa Rica sometimes lament certain facts of free trade and globalization; to with: A significant portion of garlic, rice and even black beans, all staples of traditional cuisine in this country, are actually imported from China. Due to the agricultural economic background of Costa Rica, some may consider this to be a trade imbalance; however, s...

The former Second Division of the professional football system in Costa Rica is now known as the “Liga de Ascenso,” a league that loosely serves two purposes: It is a minor, developmental league for “farm teams” such as the powerhouse Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) and Deportivo Saprissa; moreover, this league is also a platform for hopeful football clubs to advance to the potentially lucrative ...

Pulling the outrigger into the ocean for Kayak Jaco's night tour When Neil, the owner of Kayak Jaco, shared with me what the sunset/ night kayak tour was all about, I told him he had me at cheese and wine. For those of you who live in Costa Rica, you know it is extremely hard to find good cheese, and if you do it’s incredibly expensive! Looking back on the tour, the cheese and crackers were just...