Amatierra is the proud winner of the 2012 TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award for Excellence. You can view HD pictures of Amatierra on The Costa Rica Star Facebook page. There is a place in Costa Rica where a unique award winning Yoga retreat awaits to provide travelers with breathtaking scenery, serenity and a holistic method to alleviate body and soul. Vacations are supposed to liberat...

Source: NASA SAN JOSE – Starting at 11:00 PM on Sunday, August 5th (0500 UTC/GMT on Monday, August 6th), TV viewers in Costa Rica will be able to watch live coverage of the latest United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to Mars on Teletica channel 7. The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is currently just a few hours away from the Red Planet. This space vehicl...

Life in Costa Rica is supposed to be an easy endeavor for everyone; after all, how hard can it be to live in a country where "Pura Vida" is not just a motto, but rather a philosophy of being and living? Thousands of expats find themselves mystified by Pura Vida and decide to give it a try without realizing that underneath the Zen-like visage of life in Costa Rica there are a number of intricac...

Playing a Tica: Zuleyka Rivera on the set of Runner, Runner A big-budget Hollywood production based on a script about the ostentatiously shadowy world of offshore gambling in Costa Rica -starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Brad Furman- is expected to hit the box office about a year from now. "Runner, Runner" is currently in production, and it...

People in Costa Rica are being marketed a new treadmill, and not just because more Ticos are joining the ranks of the overweight and obese around the world. This treadmill is behavioral, and if its marketing forces are successful, Ticos will lose their status as citizens of the happiest country in the world. The hedonic treadmill being peddled to Ticos is a direct result of globalization and the n...

Costa Rica is filled with attractive lodging options, but when it comes to San Jose the options become narrower. The capital city has lots of potential, but it seems as if hoteliers sometimes forget about it. For this reason, backpackers are often resigned to spending scary nights at the rundown hotels near the Coca Cola bus terminal, businessmen flock to the soulless and expensive chain hotels, a...

Expats living in Costa Rica will, at some point in their lives, hear about an urban horror story about the neighborhoods that make up the populous Hatillo district of San Jose. The story will often be accompanied by a piece of unsolicited advice about how it's not a safe place for a foreigner to venture into, despite the fact the 2000 census determined that 6.5 percent of the population in Hat...

One of the horses did not survive. Source: Fuerza Publica Tracking down crooks and protecting the people of Costa Rica is procedural work for the brave men and women of Fuerza Publica, but versatility has become a priority for one of our country's most visible public service organizations. Here's a recap of recent actions by Fuerza Publica officers actively involved not only in chasing down outl...

Source: Flickr News media reports in Costa Rica and Germany indicate that a high court in the state of Hesse has issued an arrest warrant for Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and star of the reality television hit show Whale Wars. Mr. Watson has failed to appear this week before court-appointed German officials assigned to his bail supervision while he awaited ex...

LIMON – Officials from the National Coast Guard Service in Costa Rica patrolling the Pacuare Inlet sector in the Caribbean Zone caught three suspects who were preparing a crude field butchery of three leatherback sea turtles. The incident occurred during the early hours of Sunday while the Coast Guard was conducting a patrol mission specifically intended to look out for sea turtle poachers and but...

Hollywood star Darryl Hannah and Paul Watson in 2008. Source: Flickr SAN JOSE – Paul Watson, the contentious environmentalist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, may have left Germany -according to a news report written by Hulda Miranda of prominent newspaper La Nacion. Mr. Watson had been in Germany since May 13th, after he was arrested in Frankfurt by law enforcement officers...

Source: Flickr The fifth season of the Emmy-nominated reality television series Whale Wars came to an end on Friday night with "Target Acquired", its final episode. The Emmy-nominated Whale Wars features Paul Watson, the controversial founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an organization committed to protect aquatic life with direct action that is often contentious. As Paul Watson is...

Vehicles crossing Paso Canoas in 2009 President Laura Chinchilla met with her Panamanian counterpart Ricardo Martinelli at the Sixaola southern border days ago to inaugurate a new bridge that will connect both Central American nations. The initial border crossing will be a provisional Bailey bridge, and it is expected to remain in place until both nations obtain $30 million in funding for the pe...

Rare earth elements not included - for now. Author's Note: This article seeks to retract statements made in previous articles published earlier this year by The Costa Rica Star with regard to the use of rare earth metals in our country. The specific articles are: The Role of Rare Earth in Costa Rica's Future, published on Valentine's Day, and ICE Could Soon Produce 100 Megawatts of Wind Power in...

SAN JOSE – Despite being home to some of the most destitute communities in Costa Rica, a successful environmental education program runs smoothly in the Brunca region. The community leaders, however, are firm believers in development that is harmonious with environmental conservation. The Environmental Community Education Program of the La Amistad International Park and Buffer Zone (Educa-PIL...

A visitor to Madame Tussaud's Museum in Las Vegas poses next to an effigy of Daniel Craig as Agent 007. Source: Flickr San Jose – The work of legendary MI6 agent James Bond of Her Majesty's Secret Service could be made easier by the scientific talent of Costa Rica. Tico scientists, engineers and inventors interested in developing a gadget suitable for the dangerous missions of the fictitious sec...

TILARAN, Costa Rica – The Volcano Brewing Company, Costa Rica's First and only Microbrewery Hotel, is offering a special promotion for guests who wish to take advantage of a unique green season experience. Starting at $89 per person, based on double occupancy, guests can enjoy a full day of an all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink vacation at their farm-fresh restaurant and microbrewery lakeview h...

Source: National Museum of Costa Rica The recent arrest of a group of suspects caught looting an archeological site and the finding of a new stone sphere illustrate the fact that Costa Rica is a nation that still possesses a rich heritage of material remains left by ancient cultures, and her treasures must be protected. Suspected Huaqueros Caught Extracting Artifacts The nefarious work of huaq...

SWAT team members in Costa Rica practice rappelling. Source: Fuerza Publica Costa Rica has various characteristics that make her unique: biodiversity, ecotourism, strong democratic roots, a commitment to environmental protection, and the lack of a military force. Costa Rica's constitutional abolishment of the military took place in 1949 after a bloody civil war, and since that time the country h...

The magnificent Turrialba in April 2012. Source: RSN Geologists from the National Seismology Network (RSN in Spanish) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) are keeping a close eye on the seismometers located around the Turrialba volcano in the Cartago province, coordinates 10°2′0″N 83°46′0″W. Costa Rica is located in a region known for high seismic and volcanic activity, and to this extent geolo...

Source: MOPT The sizable sinkhole that formed on the General Canas highway has dominated news headlines and caused much consternation for many people in Costa Rica. The affected highway is the most heavily transited in Costa Rica as it connects the populous cities of San Jose and Alajuela, not to mention the busy Juan Santamaria International Airport, travelers heading to the beaches in the Cent...

Source: Wikimedia Commons If conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is a man of his word, he may be visiting Costa Rica as a medical tourist in the future. In 2010, Mr. Limbaugh stated that if the Affordable Care Act legislation passed in the United States, he would come to Costa Rica. A major ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave the green light to the legislation some people refer t...

In a recent off-air telephone call with Piers Morgan, the host of a popular news show on cable TV network CNN, Casey Anthony denied that she was relocating to Costa Rica. Ms. Anthony was acquitted of criminal charges related to the death of her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony in 2011, but she has been serving a probation sentence for check fraud in Florida. The rumors surrounding her move to Costa R...

Are you a member of the Atari generation in Costa Rica? Do you remember feeding pesetas or "coras" (anglicism for quarters) into video game machines at Mundo Tico in Cuesta de Moras, Galactica, or the other arcades at the Omni shopping center in downtown San Jose and Centro Colon? Did you catch the premiere of Star Wars at Cine Rex? If your hair is turning gray, or you need reading glasses to sca...

A fishing vessel carrying 120 shark fins was boarded earlier today by the National Coast Guard Service of Costa Rica in the Pacific. The incident occurred in the province of Puntarenas, between Golfito and Punta Burica and not far from Punta Banco. This is the second such arrest made by the Coast Guard this month in the same area. The boarding took place during an observation voyage by patrol boa...

Source: Xbox LIVE Costa Rica Facebook Technology and software giant Microsoft has a lot riding on its Xbox video game ecosystem. The company's Xbox LIVE online multiplayer service runs across several platforms, from the Xbox 360 console to just about every version of Windows from XP onward. The Xbox LIVE global network has about 40 million subscribers, and many of them live in Costa Rica. Tico ...

Source: Sea Shepherd It has been nearly six weeks since Paul Watson was arrested by German authorities based on criminal charges filed by prosecutors in Costa Rica more than 10 years ago. Mr. Watson is the controversial founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the star of Whale Wars, the popular Animal Planet reality television show that follows him and his crew as they disrupt whali...

From July 1st to December 31st, 46 vessels from the United States Coast Guard will be allowed to patrol the waters of Costa Rica and dock at ports in Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limon. According to digital newspaper El Pais, the resolution was passed by a majority of legislators at the National Assembly on Thursday, and it originated from a request by the U.S. Embassy made to the Ministry of Public...

Enrique Castillo, Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Costa Rica, has issued a formal statement of disapproval with regard to the lightning-fast impeachment of former President Fernando Lugo in Paraguay. Chancellor Castillo was still at the somber Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development with President Laura Chinchilla when the impeachment took place in Paraguay. Cost...

SAN JOSE – The Ministry of Science and Technology in Costa Rica (MICIT in Spanish) is making its leading indicators available in an easy-to-use platform that allows users to manipulate and visualize data at their pleasure. This initiative follows the Open Data format and it provides greater transparency in the governance process. The data in question was previously available in raw format on the ...

June has been a busy month for board culture lovers across the world. On June 20th, surfers in many parts of the world celebrated their favorite activity with special events, and the next day skaters in Detroit gathered to celebrate Emerica's Wild in the Street -an event that stands to symbolize international skateboarding. In Costa Rica, those events will be celebrated this weekend. Internationa...

Earlier this week, legislators at the National Assembly in Costa Rica found consensus on the first debate of the Transit Law makeover. For the most part, they expressed satisfaction with their work. Some legislators and analysts, however, are concerned that a couple of clauses therein may send them back to the drawing board. When legislators introduced a proposal to revamp the Transit Law of Cost...

On June 14th, Costa Rica celebrated World Blood Donor Day with a shortage. The director of the National Blood Bank, Erna Melendez, made the rounds of various media outlets and called upon Ticos to step up their donations, which earlier this year were estimated to be around 150 per day. According to microbiologist Sebastian Molina of the National Blood Bank of Costa Rica, the adequate and sustainab...

Boris Marchegiani The Costa Rica Institute of Tourism (ICT in Spanish), an important government agency, has been inflating tourism figures over the last few months -according to the president of an industry association that represents more than 500 small businesses engaged in the hospitality and entertainment sector. Boris Marchegiani, president of the Association for the Protection of Tourism ...

As part of Costa Rica's initiative to become a carbon-neutral country by 2021, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) recently announced that 140 megawatts of clean electricity will be delivered to households and businesses by 2015. According to a recent article by Stephan Nielsen of Bloomberg financial media, ICE is committed to producing 100 megawatts of electricity from different wind ...

For the first time in this decade and the second in the 21st century, the sovereign debt of Costa Rica will be put up for auction in the form of global bonds issued in U.S. dollars. According to a report filed by Katia Porzecanski and Adam Williams of Bloomberg Businessweek, the debt issuance could see as much as $4 billion worth of bonds -a lot more than what was initially planned by the former ...

Taiwanese fishing vessels registered in Belize navigate the territorial waters of Costa Rica without the requisite tracking devices in violation of fishing laws. Such were the statements made before the National Assembly earlier this week by Claudio Monge, a legislator from the Civic Action political party -but who mostly acts independently. Mr. Monge added that the executive board of the Fishing...

Football fans in Costa Rica have a new home on the Internet. Goool.cr is an online social network that aims to bring together Tico fans of the world's most popular sport. According to Yariela Novo of digital newspaper Costa Rica Hoy, the idea of creating a dedicated social network for football (or soccer for some anglophone countries) began two years ago. The company behind the network is E-Way, ...

It was a tense night in the Caribbean Zone of Costa Rica as striking dockworkers, agitators and Fuerza Publica officers faced off in La Cieneguita. A special riot unit from Fuerza Publica deployed tear gas canisters against rioters who set two shipping containers on fire in La Cieneguita. A Red Cross ambulance posted at the scene was struck by a stray bullet (picture) and its side view mirror was ...

The 2012 Happy Planet Index (HPI) was issued earlier today, and Costa Rica tops the list as the happiest country on Earth. The HPI is compiled and release by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), an independent think tank based in the United Kingdom that focuses economic well-being. The NEF describes the HPI as a report that measures and focuses on what really matters: sustainable well-being and how...