Source: OWC Twenty teams of competitive anglers from the United States, Canada and Central America (including Costa Rica) will participate in qualifying rounds ahead of the Offshore World Championship, which will take place in Puntarenas later this year. Nearly 200 anglers from around the world are vying for a spot in this major sports fishing tournament, which in 2014 was dominated by the tea...

Source: Ricardo Retana - Twitter With picket signs, banners, slogans, songs, and a general feeling of indignation, a march in memory of slain environmentalist Jairo Mora took place in San Jose on Thursday, January 29th. Demonstrators were united by a common sentiment and desire to see justice prevail in Jairo's memory. Jairo Mora was 26 years old when he was killed by a group of poachers in...

Source; Wikiemdia Commons A troubling increase in heroin use and addiction is currently sweeping parts of the United States, and public health officials in that country are once again clashing with law enforcement and legislators as to how they should manage this “substance abuse epidemic” this time around. The cold turkey remedy is hardly an optimal approach to kicking heroin and opiate habit...

Source: Wikimedia The star goalkeeper from the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol has found a new job. Nonetheless, fans from the legendary Merengue club need not worry: Keylor Navas is not transferring to a rival faction in La Liga; he is simply working on the side as the new Tourism Ambassador of Costa Rica. Such is the news from a recent press release issued by the Tourism Board of Costa Rica (Span...

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...

Source: CELAC The Third Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a burgeoning and powerful bloc of nations from the Americas that excludes Canada, the United States, and the European territories in the Caribbean, has been -for the most part- flowing smoothly in Costa Rica. The CELAC 2015 Summit is being held at the Pedregal Convention Center, located in the mu...

Source: El Silencio Bajos del Toro, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 28, 2015 - El Silencio Lodge & Spa has been recognized as a world-class model of hospitality by Relais & Châteaux, a collection of the world’s finest independent hotels and restaurants. Relais & Châteaux’s by-invitation membership entails a rigorous incognito evaluation process that celebrates the “5-C’s”: Character, Co...

Source: Pure LAS VEGAS, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Hospitality Solutions, Inc., (OTC: PNOW) announced today, that the Company has moved to engage the services of the Sabre Travel Network, potentially adding 125,000 base hotels to the Oveedia platform. Aside from Pure's Central American-Caribbean niche, Sabre brings an affiliate network of over 400 airlines, 16 cruise lines and more tha...

“Diversity in reflection; unity in action. These, dear friends, must be our greatest strength and the joint effort that must guide our community.” Such was the statement by Luis Guillermo Solis, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, during the opening ceremony of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), one of the most powerful blocs in the Americas.   Although t...

It is no surprise that many expatriate families arrive in Costa Rica with high expectations of experiencing a greater quality of life, at least better than in the communities they left behind. We often get to learn about the expat experience from the adults and heads of families, but what about their children? What are their expectations and reactions about being away from home and moving to Costa...

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: Gurpo Faro The latest trend in luxury real estate solutions in Costa Rica is no longer confined to the Central Pacific Coast or the western portion of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish initials: GAM). The city of Alajuela and its surrounding communities are the new destinations for well-to-do Ticos and expats who are in the market for upscale homes. According to a new ...

Hot springs in Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 27, 2015 - The New Year has just begun, and GetAways Resort Management knows that this means a number of travelers have already started planning their next memorable getaway experience. Each and every traveler looks for different things to make their vacations memorable. For those who love adventure, the great outdoors and explorat...

Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons Some of the mobile phone conversations and text messages between the seven men suspected of being responsible for the killing of environmentalist Jairo Mora in Costa Rica prove that they should not have been cleared of their murder charges. Such is the report published by tabloid and muckraking daily Diario Extra, which has obt...

RCMP crest On Wednesday, January 21st, the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) began looking into the disappearance of Canadian businessman Ryan Craig Piercy, who is believed to have been taken hostage by captors demanding 272 million colones as ransom payment, which is more than $500K in today's currency exchange rate. Yesterday, daily tabloid Diario Extra reported th...

In the coastal town Source: Wikimedia Commons of Playa Sámara, province of Guanacaste, a homeless man was relieved of his pet boa constrictor by officers from Fuerza Publica, Costa Rica's national police force. The act of confiscation was conducted in response to calls from several neighbors in Playa Sámara who were concerned that the large snake could slither away into the community when t...

UCR campus Students who wish to learn Spanish as a foreign language often forget to evaluate what is perhaps the best educational source in this regard: The University of Costa Rica (UCR). Each year, UCR welcomes more than 400 students who wish to learn Spanish in an institution of higher learning that is ranked among the 30 best universities in Latin America and among the best 500 in the worl...

Gilbert Brown Professional surfer and all-around waterman Gilbert Brown was a clear favorite at the first day of competition in Costa Rica's Kolbi National Surfing Circuit; after all, the heats took place in break that is very familiar to the native from Limón: Playa Cocles. Brown is the current champion, but it was Anthony Fillingim who took the lead in this highly competitive tournament. ...

An anti-GMO activist in San Francisco. Source: Wikimedia Commons In Costa Rica, the fight against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) deemed to be dangerous for the soil and thereby the ecosystem has been resolute and systematic. Over the last three years, The Costa Rica Star has been reporting on the fight against the use of potentially harmful transgenics in agriculture, particularly th...

Boeing 737 engine Ever since the esteemed airline LACSA ceased operations, air travelers and the aviation community have been anxiously waiting for the day Costa Rica will once again have its very own international airline. That day may come later this year as the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (Spanish initials: DGAC) is preparing to officially certify Air Costa Rica in the next few mo...

Source: Nayara According to the renowned online travel community TripAdvisor, Costa Rica is home to the second-best hotel in the world. The Nayara Hotel, Spa and Gardens, located near the Arenal Volcano National Park, is a luxury hotel that has more than 2,100 reviews on TripAdvisor, and most of them are positive. Here is a snippet from one review: “The staff makes you feel comfortable and ta...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In a video statement broadcast by Noticias 24 in Venezuela, one of many state-owned media outlets in the troubled South American nation, President Nicolás Maduro affirmed that a group of terrorists have traveled to Costa Rica with the intention of threatening him. Such was the report published by online news daily CRHoy.com earlier today. President Maduro is one of...

Jairo Mora's supporters The following press release on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Jairo Mora Sandoval murder trial was kindly provided to The Costa Rica Star by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. VERDICT ISSUED IN JAIRO MORA CASE: COURT COULD NOT CONDEMN THE MURDERERS, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHO THEY ARE January 27th, 2015 — COSTA RICA — Sea Shepherd Conservation Society deeply...

Source: Twitter The virtual assistant and knowledge navigator mobile app Siri has been a staple of the Apple iPhone family since the 4S model; in fact, the S stands for “Siri.” In Costa Rica, the announcement of Siri was met with great joy among fans of Apple products, although in the beginning “she” (the default, female digital voice) did not communicate in Spanish. Once Siri got past the “no...

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...

Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons A deplorable investigation and mishandling of evidence have been cited as the key factors in the decision by a Criminal Tribunal in Limón, in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, to relieve seven male suspects of homicide charges filed against them by inept prosecutors in the Jairo Mora Sandoval murder case. To understand this...

Jairo Mora Sandoval The seven men charged with the gruesome murder of environmental activist Jairo Mora Sandoval, who was killed while exercising his passion of protecting the sea turtles that massively arrive in Costa Rica during their nesting season, have been cleared of homicide. The murder occurred in late May 2013, and an organized gang of sea turtle poachers was believed to be behind the...

Source: Banco Central NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has revised the Rating Outlook on Costa Rica's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) to Negative from Stable and affirmed the IDRs at 'BB+'. The issue ratings on Costa Rica's senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds have been affirmed at 'BB+'. The Short-term foreign currency IDR has been affir...

Penas Blancas file photo When it comes to topics of discussion related to Costa Rica travel, onward tickets are seldom mentioned. Foreign visitors who arrive in Costa Rica with a tourist visa and a round-trip ticket do not generally have to worry about this issue; however, travelers who wish to extend their trips, explore Central America and the Caribbean, become perpetual tourists, or re-ente...

Source: Facebook At the Miss Universe awards ceremony held in South Florida on Sunday night, a few contestants stood out as crowd favorites even before the judges took their seats and the pageantry began. On the popular network Twitter, the name of Miss Costa Rica Karina Ramos was mentioned hundreds of thousands of times. There were very high expectations about Miss Costa Rica taking the Miss ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The Arsenal Football Club of the Barclays Premier League and the Villareal Club de Futbol of La Liga Española have agreed on a loan transfer that will see striker Joel Campbell play out the rest of the season in Spain. Campbell played an important role for Costa Rica during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and Arsenal fans were delighted to see him finally arrive...

Tourism Police Assisting Backpackers. Source: Fuerza Publica Over the last two months, Fuerza Publica officers assigned to the special branch of Tourism Police have been reviewing their operations and strengthening their presence in Guanacaste and other regions of Costa Rica that welcome a high number of visitors during the high season. According to a press release recently published by the...

Tamarindo Beach On the final installment of Kristine Gorman's real estate adventure in Costa Rica, she runs into some issues with regard to her plans of acquiring an investment property in the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste. Still, the Boston accountant persevered and is now the proud owner of a condominium unit in Tamarindo Beach. Before reading this insightful account of purchasing resi...

Source: MSP Earlier this month, the Ministry of Public Security (Spanish initials: MSP) held a special ceremony in Isla Calero that served two purposes: The commemoration of fallen Fuerza Publica officers who died in the line of duty, plus the announcement of a significant donation made by the United States government to augment border security. Through a security cooperation agreement, the...

Source: News.co.,cr archives Tour operators, travel agencies and hospitality businesses are used to seeing trends develop on an annual basis. Whereas in the late 20th century there was high demand for backpacking through Europe and budget travel in general, two of the major trends developing in 2015 include luxury travel and active vacations. Costa Rica is well-prepared to cater to luxury and ...

Source: Tabacon CHICAGO, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announces the launch of United Eco-Skies® Vacations, a new travel program that provides United customers with vacation options that incorporate sustainability and environmental responsibility into their getaways. The airline is working with The Mark Travel Corporation, exclusive tour operator for United Vacations, and...

Source: LIU BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LIU Global is the nation's only accredited four-year college program where students travel in more than eight countries over eight semesters. A mix of adventurous, experiential learning, and rigorous classroom instruction is the foundation for this unique program that brings students from the rainforests of Costa Rica to hist...

Source: Flickr Commons SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyrexpo2015, which is poised to become among the Western Hemisphere's most important trade shows, is just 15 weeks away! The three-day event runs fromApril 29 through May 1, 2015 at the Pedregal Convention Center in San Jose, Costa Rica. Anticipation is mounting: The premiere exhibition of Tyrexpo2015 promises to be an ...

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...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) January 13, 2015 - MobileRecharge.com offers 100% free top ups for Latin Americans living abroad who haven't tried the service yet. More precisely, those willing to credit their family's or friends' Movistar or Claro cellphones can benefit from this appealing 100% discount promotion. The offer is valid only if the prepaid numbers to be rech...