23-year-old Kenier David Murillo Aleman was sentenced to 16 years of prison after confessing in an abbreviated trial to having killed a 50-year-old French woman at the Pachamama Jungle River Lodge in Punta Uva, Cahuita, Limon. The events occurred in October 27, 2016 when apparently three men participated in the robbery of the hotel, which was property Estelle Marie-Claire Jeanne; when the woman...

As part of its agenda for 2018, the National Auditorium Theater in the Children´s Museum will present this September the musical “Viva Broadway” which will take the audience through scenes of 25 renown musicals. With a cast of 10 singers, dances, actors and acrobats, the musical will involve over 200 wardrobe pieces, screens, light show, aerial shows and other elements that will bring the show ...

For the third time this week Costa Rican authorities gave an important blow to drug trafficking operations in the country by seizing over half a ton of cocaine in waters of the South Pacific. The Drug Control Police (PCD) and the National Coast Guard Service were alerted of the presence of a motorboat in the area of Punta Burica, the same location where on July 27th a semi-submersible vessel wa...

Costa Rica’s Fire Department celebrated 153 years since its creation with an activity in their Operations Center in Santo Domingo, Heredia and the presence of President Carlos Alvarado, who, following the tradition was named First Commander of the Firefighters’ Department. During this activity they also announced the acquisition of five new fire extinction units valued in approximately $1.5 mil...

Even though the official day to celebrate is August 2, many Costa Ricans have already started their walk to La Basilica de los Angeles church in Cartago to honor the country’s patron saint La Virgen de los Angeles. “La Romeria” pilgrimage as it is known, requires the attention and organization of police and health authorities in the country, since its and event that gathers hundreds of thousands ...

JetBlue Airways will be operating its Mint ‘premium travel’ service with a seasonal route from New York (John F. Kennedy Airport) to Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (Daniel Oduber International Airport) starting December 15, 2018. JetBlue Mint offers “fully lie-flat seats (16 in business class), artisanal dining options, the most free inflight entertainment, revitalizing amenities and more”, in...

Agents of the Regional Police Station of Corredores in Puntarenas along with the National Coast Guard Service and Frontier Police, managed to arrest two men this Friday from Ecuador as suspects of International Drug Trafficking. According to preliminary information, the agents were informed on Thursday of the presence of a vessel supposedly carrying drugs, in the area of Punta Burica and two me...

This is the perfect time to book your flight from Toronto to Costa Rica for the months of September, October or November 2018, Avianca Airlines has rates starting as cheap as $379.00 CAD ($290 USD) round trip. The flights only have one short stop in El Salvador, each way. If you search in Google Flights it will give you the compared prices for a round trip from Toronto to San Jose by just se...

At 9:33 a.m. this Friday, July 27 a mild earthquake of 3.9 magnitude was registered with epicenter 2 kilometers East of San Gabriel, Aserrí, San José, the movement was felt in all the Central Valley. A second earthquake was felt at 11:50 a.m., this time stronger, with a registered magnitude of 4.7 and the epicenter in the same location. The movement was felt in the Central Valley and Puntarena...

Works at the Poas Volcano National Park advance at good pace and  is expected to reopen for tourist visitation shortly with a new security model that involves 5 shelters: 3 new modules and the remodeling of 2 existing infrastructures as well as new protocols in the management of visitors. The five shelters are being built at the same time, the new ones include one shelter with a capacity for 18...

President Carlos Alvarado met this Thursday with over 250 representatives of multinational companies of the life sciences sector, corporate services, advanced manufacture and food industry, in a meeting organized by the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE). The President confirmed the support and trust to the companies that bring direct foreign investment and recognized their social ...

Over 2,500 job positions will be available in the upcoming edition of the now traditional Expoempleo, a job fair that brings together companies that are seeking for talent to fill in different positions and candidates looking for new or better job opportunities. This event is geared specially towards bilingual or multilingual candidates and it will take place August 24 and 25 in the National Sta...

The strike of air traffic controllers at the Juan Santamaria Airport in Costa Rica caused the delay of at least seven flights since 6 a.m. Thursday morning. According to AERIS, company in charge of the operation of the airport the flights affected are from airlines Delta, AA, United and Condor. The air traffic controllers strike obeys to a dispute between the labor union and the General Dire...

President Carlos Alvarado communicated yesterday the approval of a loan by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) for a total of $425 million for the Project: System of Water Supply for the Mid Basin of the Tempisque River and Coastal Communities (PAACUME) for the benefit of the counties of Nicoya, Santa Cruz and Carrillo. Alvarado also detailed that this is the most importa...

They say that all you need in life is a great friend and a thirst for adventure. Traveling with friends, says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness, is a great way to focus on the "joy of camaraderie and increases a sense of fulfillment, confidence and resiliency." For travelers looking to strengthen their bonds or spend quality time with their pa...

The Ministry of Public Security confirmed that a total of 580 kilograms of cocaine were found aboard a go-fast boat in Puntarenas, across from Cabo Blanco. “Intelligence work carried out by the police bodies of the Ministry of Public Security in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the USA, a large shipment of cocaine was intercepted” The drugs were found aboard a sh...

W Hotel Reserva Conchal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica announced it will begin operations in November 2018. The hotel, property of the company Florida Ice & Farm (FIFCO), “will have 151 guestrooms, the W Living Room lifestyle lounge, specialty restaurants a destination bar and lounge, infinity edge pool, a spa and meeting space”, details the press release. This will be the brand’s first hotel in C...

As The Costa Rica Star reported last night, a tragic accident occurred on Route 27 in the area of Alto de Las Palomas (Santa Ana), involving three cars and a motorcycle;  two people were declared dead at the scene while a third person passed away in  hospital. The accident happened around 11:20 on Tuesday, July 24th,  when the driver of an Audi that was traveling from San Jose to Santa Ana lost...

*News in development* At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24th a tragic accident occurred on Route 27 (San Jose-Santa Ana) in Alto de las Palomas close to the Villareal residential community. Preliminary reports indicate that two people lost their lives and two others were transferred to the hospital in critical condition. Three cars were apparently involved in the accident, one of ...

The Costa Rican Meteorological Institute (IMN) reported today the presence of Saharan Dust over the country, particularly visible over the mountain sector of the Central Valley. Saharan Dust is transported through the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea by trade winds and is being registered across Central America. “In large cumulus this dust ‘dehydrates’ the atmosphere, creating conditions lik...

The hotel brand ‘AC’ was founded by renowned hotelier Antonio Catalan (‘AC’) in 1998, and following his vision he developed one of the most well respected hotel brands in Spain. In 2011 Marriott International and AC Hotels formed a joint venture and launched AC Hotels by Marriott globally. The first AC Hotel by Marriot in Costa Rica will open doors in Escazú come September this year, the hotel ...

Local and foreign tourists continue to take unnecessary risks in their seek for adventure, rescue teams in Costa Rica receive numerous alerts every year about tourists that decided to hike all the way to the crater of a volcano, most commonly the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, San Carlos, but this also happens in Poas and Turrialba Volcanoes. This weekend two American tourists had to be rescued ...

In a joint operation carried out by agents of the Costa Rican Investigative Police (OIJ) in Limon and officers of the National Coast Guard Service, a criminal organization formed by eleven Costa Ricans, three Colombians and a Panamanian was dismantled. The men were arrested on Monday afternoon and face charges for money laundering and illegal possession and carrying of unregistered firearms. ...

The Comptroller General of Costa Rica published its resolution in which it determines that the company Meco S.A. complies with all legal requirements to be awarded the construction of an underpass that will replace the roundabout known as “Rotonda de las Garantias Sociales”. The appeal had been presented by the company FCC Construction America S.A. back in February. This resolution allows th...

Aerobell Airlines announced its domestic flights to seven destinations in Costa Rica as of this Tuesday, July 24; the company that has 30 years operating in the country under the modality of charter had announced its interest in entering the market of domestic flights after suspension of the operations of Nature Air. “We have identified a lack of options in the offering of domestic itinerary f...

This Wednesday, July 25 is a holiday in Costa Rica due to the celebration of the 194 anniversary of the “Annexation of Nicoya” (Anexión de Nicoya) also referred to as the “Annexation of Guanacaste”. When we go back in time, we learn that initially what was known as the “Partido de Nicoya” (‘partido’ meaning administrative district) was an independent territory that included the lands located to...

Guanacaste is not just famous for its many beautiful beaches and National Parks, but is also generates 38.22% of the electricity of Costa Rica since 1991, all of it from renewable sources. Structures created by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), the private sector and a cooperative, makes Guanacaste home to 27 electricity plants that are part of the National Electric System (SEN). ...

If you are planning to travel to or from Paquera or the touristic areas of Tambor, Santa Teresa, Montezuma, this Tuesday, July 24, be advised that the ferry service will be suspended all day. According to the information posted by Naviera Tambor, the suspension will only be effective on the date mentioned due to maintenance work scheduled by the Ministry of Public Work and Transportation (MOPT)...

Two American tourists that had gone missing since Saturday evening were finally rescued by Costa Rican firefighters and rescue team. The alert came in on Saturday that two tourists from the United States were visiting the area and following one of the trails (Los Tucanes) in the Arenal Volcano National Park, apparently they lost their way at some point or wandered off the trail. On Saturday...

The United States continues to be the biggest tourism market for Costa Rica, and according to information by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), in 2017 a total 1,199,214 travelers from the US visited the country and it offers a potential market of 24 million people. Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo has emphasized on the importance of focusing efforts on continuing to attract more visito...

A foreign senior citizen drowned this Sunday in Cahuita National Park in Limon. The incident occurred around 3 p.m. this Sunday, July 22 in the sector of the National Park known as Puerto Vargas. The man was in critical condition when the Red Cross arrived and despite their efforts to save his life he was declared dead 20 minutes later. According to preliminary information the victim was 66 ...

The website vivedota.org was officially launched by the Dota Municipality during the commemoration of the 93 years of founding of the county, this community seeks to position as a touristic destination. “We want tourism to be an essential part of our economy, turning our destination into one of the obligatory sites for tourists”, commented Leonardo Chacón, mayor of Dota. The platform will ...

In Costa Rica currently the only wholesale market that exists is the National Center of Distribution and Supply of Foods (CENADA) located in Barreal, Heredia, but by the end of January 2019 the Chorotega Region wholesale market, will be a reality. The wholesale market is being built in the area of Sardinal, Carrillo, Guanacaste, a project with an approximate cost of $52 million and financed by ...

The expansion work at the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste began early last year and were supposed to be conclude before the end of the year, however, after several delays the additional 4,118 square meters (44,326 square feet) in boarding gates and 417 square meters (4,488.55 square feet)of the main lobby as well as new infrastructure for counters, stores and additional ...

After 50 years of having settled in Costa Rica, the Coca-Cola Company celebrated, with a ground-breaking ceremony, the beginning of the construction of a new and modern plant in Liberia, Guanacaste. The new operation represents an initial investment of US $50 million. The concentrate of Coca-Cola and 89 drinks that are exported to Central America, the Caribbean, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and Argent...

The salaries received by the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice in Costa Rica are among the highest in the world when compared to their counterparts in different countries of America and Europe. To be more concise, Costa Rican judges receive the fifth highest sum of approximately $16,000.00 USD monthly , only behind Mexico ($18,500.00), England ($20,000.00), USA ($21,000.00) and Switzerland...

The province of Limon has received already 71% more rain than the average amount for the month of July and according to the National Meteorological Institute more rain is to be expected during this weekend in the Caribbean with the tropical depression number 18. The heavy rainfall of the past weeks caused floods, landslides, fallen trees and overflown rivers; the National Emergency Commission r...

Establishment Labs Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ESTA) commenced trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market yesterday and celebrated a successful first day with an offering size of 3,715,277 stocks at an opening price of $18.00 for a total of $66.8 million. With this initial transaction Establishment Labs intends to invest in a clinical study in the United States, informed daily La Nacion, with the purpose of...

Align Technology, Inc., announced today the grand opening of its newest facilities in Costa Rica at an event attended by Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica, as well as local government officials. “Align Technology’s expansion of its operations demonstrates the quality of the Costa Rican talent and its ability to attract investment from leading companies.” said the President of Co...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board signed this week a cooperation agreement with the Association Wellness Costa Rica, valid for a four year period (extendable ) The agreement encompasses nine objectives, among them the organization of activities that seek the national and international recognition of Costa Rica as a wellness destination, trainings, continuing education and the professional training o...