Source: Forbes Are there any lavish resorts in Costa Rica that can attain the coveted 5-star rating? Since the late 1950s, the world of luxury travel accommodations has been scrutinized by the star rating system made famous by the Mobil Travel Guide, which is now known as the Forbes Travel Guide. Five stars means luxury, which happens to be an emerging travel sector in Costa Rica. A 5-star rat...

Purchasing and activating a prepaid mobile phone in Costa Rica is easy. You can even get a SIM chip activated by a street vendor without showing an identification document, and this will cost less than $4. Adding time to a prepaid mobile device in Costa Rica is also easy thanks to the numerous retail shops that either top up the balance (known as “saldo”) or sell scratch-off cards in different den...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In the wake of the geopolitically significant announcement by the governments of the United States and Cuba with regard of their intent to renew diplomatic ties, speculation has emerged about the possibility of Cuba becoming a prime tourism destination for budget travelers. Since Costa Rica is widely considered to be the reigning queen of tourism in the Americas, how ...

Source: Bing In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge, Lebron James, Beyonce, the Kardashian clan, and Costa Rica had something very interesting in common: They topped Internet queries from United States users on search engine giant Bing, owned and operated by Microsoft. Within the category of Vacation Destinations, Costa Rica was not only the most searched term on Bing; it was also the only Central ...

As the United States continues to climb out of the Great American Recession, tourists are busy planning their 2015 vacation. Latin America is emerging as a favorite region for U.S. tourists to visit, and Costa Rica is returning to the annual list compiled by online travel site Priceline.com.   According to Priceline, Costa Rica is the fifth nation on the Top Ten list of international tr...

The future border crossing checkpoint at the Tablillas community of Los Chiles, in the northern region of the Alajuela province, will not be operational until April 2015. Nonetheless, this formality does not seem to stop illegal immigrants from taking advantage of the new bridge on the Nicaraguan side of the border to illegally cross into Costa Rica. According to a recent news article reported ...

One of the most pristine beaches in Costa Rica is home to luxury resorts, spectacular real estate, lush vegetation, sugary sands, and yellow-bellied snakes that slither right out of the ocean and give some people a good scare. Playa Flamingo is located on the Gold Coast of Guanacaste, one of the hottest tourist spots in Costa Rica, and it is here where sightings of Pelamis platura, yellow-bellied ...

Over the last few years, the luxury travel segment has managed to flourish despite most of the world still being challenged by the global financial crisis that started in earnest back in 2008. As demand for luxury tourism increases, Costa Rica is being added as a special destination with greater frequency, Here's a recent press release by Four Seasons, a luxury brand that offers private jet advent...

UN-Cruise Ship La Pinta Un-Cruise Adventures is a specialty line of cruise ships that emphasize in luxury and adventure on smaller vessels. This unique cruise line is the recipient of the 2016 Reader's Choice Award by Porthole Cruise Magazine, and CEO Dan Blanchard took the opportunity to announce the inclusion of Costa Rica as a destination for the 2016 cruise season. Here's the official pres...

German airline Condor is the latest European carrier increasing its number of flights to Costa Rica. Such is the report by Tatiana Gutierrez Wa-Chong of business weekly El Financiero, published by Grupo Nacion. The new flight on Tuesday increases the number of flights between Frankfurt and the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) to three per week.   The new Condor flight connect...

On Day Three of her Costa Rica real estate adventure, Boston accountant Kristine Gorman gets even closer to fulfilling her dream of retiring in our country. On Days One and Two of her trip to Guanacaste, Kris and her family stayed in Playa Flamingo and were very close to making a formal offer on a home on a condo in Tamarindo Beach. To learn more about Kris and her expat mission, read our previous...

Source: Flickr Kristine Gorman is a tax accountant from the New England region who is planning on becoming an expatriate in Costa Rica. She is 41 years young and is looking to one day retire here with her significant other and their 2-year old child. She was recently in Playa Flamingo, looking at properties in one of the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste. She has been kind enough to share her e...

A vacation in Costa Rica is probably the easiest and most pleasant task for anyone to undertake, but it is easy to understand how some people may feel uncertain if they are traveling abroad for the first time. This video by Elizabeth Donatelli will dispel all fears, jitters and apprehensions anyone may have about coming to Costa Rica. Elizabeth has been writing, presenting, and producing video ...

Renault 4CV. Source: Wikimedia Commons Wherever you go in Costa Rica, from Guanacaste to San Jose and from Jaco Beach to Puerto Viejo in the Southern Caribbean region of Limon, you are bound to see the iconic red taxicabs. They are likely to be four-door Hyundai Accents or Toyota Corollas, with occasional 4x4 SUVs in rural areas and vans in tourist hotspots. The exceptions to the red rule are th...

Source: Bing Creative Commons From December 19th to January 2014, United Airlines will increase the number of non-stop flights to the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) from the following departure locations: George Bush International Airport in Houston and Newark Liberty International in New Jersey. United Airlines plans to assign Boeing 737-800 aircraft to these additional flights; ...

Source: Bing commercial reuse Although it is estimated that less than two percent of all visitors who arrive in Costa Rica do so for the purpose of engaging in sexual tourism, this particular travel segment happens to be the most controversial. Thousands of men (and hundreds of women) come to our country each year to get to know some of the locals really well, but what about those couples who ...

The Panamanian / Costa Rican border is in constant flux. The most recent change occurred quietly over the last few weeks. Panamanian border officials are now entering your ticket details into the computer to validate if your flight is a valid outbound flight. Due to perpetual tourism in Costa Rica (a practice where a person without residency lives in Costa Rica by renewing their tourist visa every...

As the summer season in Costa Rica winds down and the green season draws near, it is time for great Costa Rica travel deals. One such bargain is a hot Costa Rica vacation package of a romantic getaway for two to Cala Luna boutique hotel at Tamarindo Beach. The Cala Luna Romantic Beach Package includes: three nights’ accommodation in a deluxe room with a romantic welcome of sparkling wine and...

If you are a single woman traveling to Costa Rica read this previous article about exciting things to do on the Caribbean side of the country. In my travels, I have come across single women around the world who say, “I’d like to travel, but I don’t have anyone to go with.” Having traveled alone, I asked what was stopping them. What I found was a mixture of fears and concerns: Blending In ...

As Costa Rica’s multinational business community grows, so too does the number of business travelers visiting the country. Costa Rica also has become a highly popular destination for international meetings, incentive trips, conferences and events (MICE tourism). Most business and conferences still take place in the capital city of San Jose. As a business traveler to Costa Rica, you will want to...

Traveling with kids. For the seasoned traveler, it’s no big deal, they say. A bit more luggage and stuff to carry. For first-timers they tend to fall in two camps – optimistic or terrified. Did you know that children can be the ideal travel companions? Their excitement at nearly everything, interest in the smallest of details, energy, adaptability and rapid ability to pick up other languages ma...

Receipt for $7 to cross into Nicaragua from Costa RicaThe Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. I read every article I could get my hands on regarding the new tax required to leave Costa Rica at the Nicaragua pedestrian border. According to news sources, I could pay the fee at any...

Data provided by Bing search for Mashable.comAccording to Mashable, a leading British-American website covering Internet technology and social media, Costa Rica is among the top 10 most-searched travel destinations in the world. The data was provided by Bing, Microsoft's flagship search engine property, and it shines a light on how tourism and hospitality operators are taking advantage of these t...

People love things that make them feel young (or remember their youth), feel free and be happy. Traveling is usually in the top 10. Why? 1. Traveling opens up your world. In today's world where emails and smart phones often replace face-to-face interaction, traveling makes you get out and interact with humanity. Traveling changes your scenery. When you travel, you are away from the daily routi...

NAMU Travel Group San Jose, Costa Rica. November 25, 2013 – The top two online tourism and travel operators in Costa Rica are welcoming the high tourist season and expanding their operations accordingly. These two enterprises, The NAMU Travel Group and AnywhereCostaRica.com, have grown tremendously over the last few years and are ready to embrace the burgeoning recovery of the global tourism i...

It is nearly the end of 2013. Are you looking for a quick week-long vacation to get away from it all? Before the holiday season really gets going, escape for a week to sunny Costa Rica on a 7-day Tropical Paradise Vacation. This 7-day Costa Rica vacation package from Costa Rica Special Deals really is a good travel deal. For only $365 USD per person (based on double occupancy), you get thre...

Although it is one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular destinations – for its gold and white sand beaches, world-class surfing, warm blue Pacific Ocean, and lush rainforest – the southern Nicoya Peninsula stays off the beaten tourist path. The reason is the region’s remote location. Going by ferry is the traditional way to get to the towns and beaches of the southern Nicoya Peninsula – Tambor, Mon...

Dibujando Nuestro Mapa A few months ago, a couple from the Balearic Island of Majorca in Spain converted their 1999 Ford Transit van into their living quarters for what will become an epic 8-month road trip on the other side of the Atlantic. They recently drove into Costa Rica and visited various beaches around Guanacaste. They are only about halfway through their journey, which started in Eur...

The Daniel Oduber international airport in Liberia has become the favorite for half of Canadians traveling to Costa Rica. In the first part of the year, 44,000 travelers from Canada landed in the terminal (49% of Canadians who flew to the country during that time). Six years ago, in the same period, 35% of Canadian tourists came to Liberia. The city of Liberia has also become important for v...

The new specialty magazine of Costa Rica targets travelers looking for more authentic and meaningful travel experiences. It’s current, accurate and authoritative content guides readers to find the Authentic Costa Rica. Escondido, California – Vida Travel Media today launched Costa Rica Guest, a new travel magazine that showcases real and meaningful travel experiences in Costa Rica. It brings...

Source: Wikimedia Commons With the high tourist season looming just before the holidays, Costa Rica is getting ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of North American and European visitors. According to Canadian tour operator Signature Vacations, member of the Sunwing Travel Group, the high demand from tourists who want to vacation in Costa Rica calls for added capacity. A recent press rel...

Travelers who are looking for a tropical destination on their next vacation might want to consider a cruise. There are so many benefits to cruising. You get to visit multiple countries, islands or points of interest all on the same trip without hassling with transportation, border crossings or logistics. On a cruise, you unpack once and your floating hotel takes you from place to place. Dining,...

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), together with tourism businesses in Costa Rica, have been participating at the International Tourism Fair of Latin America (FIT) to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then, later this week, ICT officials will attend the International Travel Fair Mark Latin America 2013 to be held in Quito, Ecuador. “The economic boom they are experiencing in cert...

Source: Flickr CC When traveling to a foreign country, how much attention do you pay to travel advisories issued by your government? For example, if you follow the news releases published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, you would know that travel to Syria at this time is absolutely not recommended. Costa Rica does not publish travel warnings per se, although officials from...

My identity is somewhere in that stack.The Costa Rica Star has recently published information about receiving your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid border runs, wasting time, and money. Over the weekend, I took a trip up to Nicaragua to get a new stamp in my passport. Costa Rica issues ninety-day tourist visas so if you are an expat trying to carve out a life here and you don't have...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to cover your business, please contact us. The Osa Peninsula not only holds 5% of the world’s biodiversity, but it also has an extensive array of habitats, in which you can find and enjoy refreshing rivers and stunning waterfalls, primary and secondary forest, all joining together in a beautiful mix with the ocean. In these habitats we also find some amazin...

Source: WIkimedia Commons Although Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber has not included Costa Rica on the itinerary of his Believe World Tour, that is not stopping young Ticas from doing whatever they can to ensure they do not miss their idol. According to Melvin Molina of La Nacion, if the Bieber does not come to Costa Rica, Ticas will go to the Bieber. The Believe World Tour is only the sec...

If you are a vegetarian or vegan, traveling in Costa Rica is easy. Even those needing a gluten-free or dairy-free diet will have options. Rice and beans (both black and red) are part of every meal, even breakfast. Plenty of tropical fruits, salads, steamed vegetables, fried plantains and corn tortillas are common and available. If you eat fish, the country is full of fresh fish (both saltwater and...

Driving from the United States to Costa Rica is an adventure best undertaken with patience, a sense of humor, and about two weeks of free time. From the U.S. border at Brownsville, Texas to the Nicaraguan-Costa Rican border at Penas Blancas, the distance totals almost 2,300 miles. The drive can be made in nine or ten days, but in order to enjoy this trans-cultural journey, it’s best to budget ...

Wikimedia Commons Recent news from the Phoenix Business Journal revealed that a Costa Rica-based investment firm purchased more than $12 million in cash to acquire an office complex in Arizona's capital. In October, The Costa Rica Star reported on the acquisition of North American Breweries Holdings by Florida Ice and Farm Company, S.A., a transaction valued at $388 million, also in cash. The t...