Wikimedia Commons SEATTLE, June 1, 2015 /CNW/ -- Six Holland America Line ships will sail 11 full transits of the Panama Canal and one ship will offer 14 itineraries that feature both the southern Caribbean and partial transits during fall 2015 through spring 2016. With cruises ranging from 10 to 22 days, Holland America Line provides guests more in-depth ways to experience the Panama Canal...

Dreams Las Mareas Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 13, 2015 -- For a great beach vacation without the crowds, book a trip for late August or fall. Members of Unlimited Vacation Club (UVC) by AMResorts can take advantage of the Kids Stay Free promotion, good at family-friendly resorts in top beach destinations, where the weather is glorious all year-round. The Kids Stay Free promotion invites members...

Source: Bue River Resort Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica, April 28, 2015 (PRD Press Release) – By popular demand, Blue River Resort & Hot Springs has re-launched their “One-Day In Paradise” experience. This means that people staying at other area hotels and resorts can now take advantage of Blue River’s facilities for one-day, or longer, and enjoy all that they have to offer. The setting is...

Source; Newport Aquarium NEWPORT, Ky. (PRWEB) April 29, 2015 – Newport Aquarium’s all-new Shark Bridge – the only rope suspension bridge in North America where guests can walk just inches above nearly two dozen sharks – is scheduled to open to the public 10 a.m. Thursday, April 30. The Shark Bridge is a 75-foot-long, V-shaped rope bridge suspended over the open waters of the Surrounded by S...

Source: Manatus Hotel PRLog - March 10, 2015 - TORTUGUERO, Costa Rica -- The Manatus Hotel, surrounded by the majestic flora and fauna of Tortuguero in the Costa Rican Caribbean, has prepared two special hotel offers for those visiting it during the months of May and June, 2015: 1. Special hotel offer for domestic tourists: The Costa Rican tourists who make their booking at Manatus Hotel...

The magnificent Turrialba in April 2012. Source: RSN A nighttime period of gaseous exhalation followed two minor ash eruptions from the Turrialba volcano, which is currently the most active colossus of Costa Rica. The first of the two eruptions, which took place over the weekend, was registered at 2:45 pm on a Saturday afternoon. That volcanic event mostly consisted of fine ash being expelled,...

The Irazu crater First there was the Poas, then  the Turrialba and now the Irazu. These three volcanoes are located in the Central Mountain Range of Costa Rica, and they are among the most visited in our country. Unfortunately, these three volcanoes have been presenting increased volcanic activity recently, which often leads to closures and restricted access to tourists. Readers of The Cost...

Source: RSN Two nighttime ash exhalations that occurred while neighbors were sleeping on Wednesday make the Turrialba volcano of the province of Cartago one of the most active in Costa Rica. According to a report filed by Alejandro Fonseca of daily tabloid Diario Extra, the first slight eruption occurred at 1:00 am and the second happened nearly 15 minutes later. According to the Observator...

Special offer ends March 21st 2015 In Costa Rica, there is only one place where visitors can enjoy a Las Vegas-style vacation with all the amenities and comfort that this type of entertainment implicates. That place is Croc's Casino Resort, which is located in the Central Pacific coast, specifically in the world-famous resort town of Jaco Beach. Croc's Casino Resort is unique in many ways. ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Drones are invading Costa Rica, and so far that seems to be a good thing. The Costa Rica Star has been recently reporting on the resurgence of aerial photography and filming in our country, which happens to be irresistible for aerial photographers and drone operators who like to attach cameras to their unmanned aircraft.   The masterful video below was rece...

Quepos, Costa Rica (PRWEB) February 09, 2015 - With its fertile soil and abundance in fishing opportunities, Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica has a been a place of settlement long before it became a place for visitors seeking tropical adventure, wildlife, and beach relaxation. The Quepoa indigenous tribe, whose settlement dates back to 950-900 years ago, are perhaps the most prominent of the area's...

Rainforest in Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 30, 2015 - During the winter months, Getaways Resort Management knows that many travelers want to be able to find amazing destinations that will offer them sunshine and sandy beaches while snow flurries set in back home. Fortunately, there are many of these all around the world, each more beautiful than the last. Costa Rica is one o...

Source: Johnny Rockets A new Johnny Rockets restaurant opened in Costa Rica during January, and the California fast-food chain is not planning to slow down its expansion in our country. The new franchise location is situated in the heart of Downtown San Jose, precisely in the Plaza Universal food court on the Avenida Central pedestrian boulevard. According to a news report filed by Nancy Al...

Many of the roller coaster attractions at the Parque Nacional de Diversiones (National Amusement Park) in Costa Rica have already thrilled and entertained thousands of riders in other countries. Such is the case of Boomerang, a thrilling roller coaster designed and built by the dependable Dutch firm Vekoma. Boomerang was rescued from Playcenter, a Brazilian amusement park located in the outskir...

Source: OVSICORI Located in the province of Alajuela, La Fortuna is one of the most visited regions of Costa Rica. There are many reasons for this, and a few of them are eloquently explained in this video, which was recently shared on YouTube by a traveler who had quite a blast visiting La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano.   The fun in La Fortuna begins with getting there. In this vid...

Playa Conchal The Westin Golf Resort and Spa in Playa Conchal, province of Guanacaste, has earned the coveted World Travel Awards in two important categories. This grand hotel and upscale golf resort in Costa Rica has been recognized as Mexico & Central America's Leading All Inclusive Resort 2014 as well as Leading Family Resort.   As described by parent company Starwood, &nb...

At Finca 6 in Palmar Sur of the Osa canton yesterday, President Luis Guillermo Solis and representatives from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unveiled the official plaque commemorating the declaration of the National Park of the Stone Spheres as a World Heritage Site. The Mayor of the Osa canton and officials from the National Museum of Costa Rica we...

Source: RSN UCR There is a new and attractive lake atop the crater of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago; alas, volcano tourists should not yet rejoice. The park remains closed and under yellow alert due to an early morning eruption on Thursday, which sent heavy plumes of ash followed by a gas exhalation phase. Needless to say, the lake is strictly off-limits to swimmers. &nbs...

Source: OVSICORI It's been five days since scientists from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) and the National Seismology Network (Spanish initials: RSN) climbed to the top of the Turrialba volcano along with emergency management officials after a powerful eruption.. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, geologists, petrologists, vo...

The coastal community of Playa Ostional, located in the Guanacaste province, is home to one of the most magical beaches in the Gold Coast of Costa Rica. There is something about the sand on this beach that is attracting more and more sea turtles to massively arrive during nesting season. Although climate change is affecting sea turtle arrivals in other parts of Costa Rica, this is clearly not the ...

Source: Kalambu Hot Springs The Kalambu Hot Springs Water Park opened its doors and recreational facilities to the public during a rainy afternoon this Saturday. The inauguration of this aquatic-themed park comes at a time when both domestic and international tourism in Costa Rica are at all-time high levels and increasing significantly. This new water park is located in La Fortuna of the San ...

Remember the film Chocolat, and how chocolate transformed a cold, inhibited French town into a loving, friendly community? Chocolate has that power. Prized by the Mayas, Aztecs and Inkas, and formerly kept only for royalty in Europe, chocolate was once considered so valuable that cacao beans were used for currency. In Costa Rica, indigenous tribes used cacao beans for currency for thousan...

The hospitality and tourism industry of Costa Rica welcomes a diversity of tourists. From surfers to eco-tourists and from science researchers to language learners, Costa Rica loves them all –even sexual tourists, as long as they do not engage in garish behavior in public. There is, however, one special interest tourist group that Costa Rica should strive to attract for various reasons: Birdwatche...

In the shadows behind the bullring in Samara on January 1st 2014, the guys gather around, dressed in blue jeans and the blue and white plaid shirts that distinguish them as members of the professional bull riders known as Los Nicoyanos. Some stand, others kneel on the ground for a group prayer. A couple of them hold a child in their arms. After the prayer, one by one, they draw a name out of a hat...

During the new year, the fiestas season continues in Nosara from January 22 to 27, then in Nicoya from February 4 to 10, transmitting live on Channel 7 on February 8. Garza also plans to host fiestas in February, although the exact dates have yet to be defined. The Nosara Integral Development Association has scheduled a lineup of all the traditional activities, starting on Wednesday, January 22...

The Ministry of Cultural and Youth Affairs of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: MCJ) is reporting that the new Museum of the Stone Spheres in the southern Pacific region of Osa has been an astounding success. To encourage visitors to explore the 10 hectares where ancient indigenous tribes somehow manipulated these mysterious objects to line up in perfect sync with the sun each solstice, the MCJ will o...

Some of the best whitewater rafting in Costa Rica is found in the country’s Caribbean mountains. Rainforest-fed rivers thunder down canyons and valleys, eventually ending in flat plains and marshes before reaching the sea. For its sheer beauty and monumental whitewater rapids, the Pacuare River of Costa Rica is one of the world’s top whitewater river rafting adventures. The Pacuare flows down a...

Source: Flickr Commons In Costa Rica, Christmas and the end of the year holidays bring a lot of cheer to residents and visitors. One of the most expected events of the holiday season is called Toros a la Tica, which some people wrongly characterize as bullfights, but in reality they fall somewhere in between the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona and the North American rodeos. Ostensibly, these ...

A cavern at Barra Honda National Park in GuanacasteWe stood at the top of a dark opening, looking at the curve of a metal ladder that disappeared down into the hole. Two guides tightened our harnesses and secured us to a rope for the descent, 17 meters (55 feet) down into the entrance of Terciopelo, one of the 42 underground caverns that have been discovered so far in Barra Honda National Park. ...

Spending your Christmas holidays in Costa Rica and wondering what to do? The capital city of San José has a lot going on. So get your Santa hat and festive cheer ready, and let the rhythm of Christmas in Latin America dash you away! Christmas in San José, Costa Rica, is a lively, fun time. The city is ablaze with huge lighted Christmas trees adorning the front of the Children’s Hospital on Pase...

They are magnificent, geometrically acute and mystifying. They are the stone spheres of Costa Rica, majestic objects patiently created by the indigenous ancestors to the boruca people who call the Osa region their home, precisely the districts of Cortes, Palmar and Sierpe in the province of Puntarenas. Just a few days ago, the Ministry of Culture in Costa Rica announced that Costa Rica's beloved s...

The Tortuguero coast in Costa Rica is a 22-mile-long, desolate, volcanic black sand beach littered with driftwood and tree logs tossed up on shore from the untamed ocean. It is a wild place – like the imaginary jungle coast in Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” There is nothing but beach and low, swampy jungle for miles and miles. You can’t swim here because of rough surf, strong curren...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The main attraction of the upcoming $10 Million Water Kingdom Aquatic Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is named after a legendary surfing spot in the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The Waikiki artificial wave pool is bound to attract many visitors, both foreign and domestic, and thus it is ready to accommodate up to 1,000 swimmers and inland surfers. The pool's mechanism wil...

What are the best places to visit in Costa Rica? What are the best things to do in Costa Rica? I get these questions a lot. Having lived in Costa Rica for 12 years, working in the tourism industry, I field questions from extended family, friends, friends of friends, and even complete strangers if I happen to mention that’s where I live. They all ask the same thing, “If I were to visit Costa Ric...

Watching an enormous crocodile approaching from a river bank is enough to make most of us run a mile. But not for these intrepid tour guides who give a completely new meaning to the phrase “staring danger in the face”. The astonishing video below shows the men standing just inches from the giant reptiles as they hand feed them chunks of chicken. Jose Eduardo Chaves Salas, 32, runs Jose's ...

Source: ANDRÉS GARITA, La Nacion It has been 192 years since the final defeat of the Spanish in the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821) when the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. And so now, every year a flaming torch is carried from Guatemala starting on Sept. 11 all the way to the former colonial capital of Costa Rica in Cartago, symbolizing th...

If you would like The Costa Rica Star to publish your business press release, please contact us. The adventure with Costa Rica surf camp starts as soon as you get off the airplane. The drive to the coast is quite an experience itself, the road is surrounded with green valleys, cloud forests and dense jungle, which are signs you arrived to the tropics! Home to all kinds of amazing species of ani...

AmaTierra Yoga Retreat and Wellness Center is a lovable destination near San Jose, www.amatierra.comThe capital city of Costa Rica has been ranked among the top five loveable cities in the world by respected British publication Monocle. San Jose is right up there with Colombo in Sri Lanka, Palermo in Italy, Tel Aviv in Israel, and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Since San Jose gets a lot of flack from lo...

There are few better destinations in the world for wildlife spotting than Costa Rica. The government is renowned for its progressive environmental policies and has made great efforts to protect the country’s rainforests and marine habitats.As a result, there is a network of 26 national parks and a selection of privately-owned reserves where the landscape has been preserved in its natural state. On...

If you are presently on vacation in Costa Rica, or planning to make your getaway soon, Costa Rica's port town of Limón on the Caribbean side of the country, converts to an all out party every October to celebrate “Carnaval”! Vaguely disguised around celebrating Columbus Day (October 12th) or “Dia de Las Culturas” (as we know it in Costa Rica), locals as well as every strange character you c...