This Sora Mountain estate overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Panama. As the cost of living in Costa Rica continues its steady and relentless climb, the real estate market is responding in sync. In 2012, the Inter-American Development Bank labeled San Jose as the city with the most expensive real estate in Latin America, and luxury housing construction in Guanacaste shows no signs of slowing down. ...

The Orosi Earthquake Cluster Residents and tourists in the Cobano coastal community of Puntarenas were recently enjoying a pleasant, sunny afternoon when they were suddenly shaken by a strong earthquake that was felt across Costa Rica. It was hardly the first seismic event of 2014, but it was a strong enough reminder about what might be in store for this year. The epicenter of the January 1...

Campesino Bistro is a new restaurant and art gallery in Playa Guiones. For the project, they remodeled the old Casa Tucan location, re-using the most material possible. Marcelina Morcinek and Joseph Craig started cooking in Guiones two years ago with a catering service. Their food is made with organic vegetables from a private farm in Garza. The meat and chicken they use is raised in Nosara. ...

On Friday, January 24, the Samara Organic Market will offer more than healthy food during the third annual art fair, “Que Lindo” (How Lovely). Local artists and artisans will be exhibiting and selling their creations, including paintings and watercolors, mixed media, masks, clothing, jewelry, and fused glass, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Natural Center Gym and Spa in downtown Samara, next to the sch...

Source: Ballena Beer Fest Facebook As the microbrewery and craft beer scene in Costa Rica expands to the country’s coastal areas, new festivals and special events are being planned. The next major craft beer event will take place in the Osa Peninsula in February, and organizers are excited to showcase a range of fine brews and malt beverages. The First Annual Costa Ballena Beer Festival wil...

Sagamat Home. Source: BANHVI It was a modest, yet emotional, ceremony in Santa Cruz, province of Guanacaste. At the Sagamat II residential complex, President Laura Chinchilla welcomed 21 families to their brand-new homes. Until this past Friday, many of these families were squatters or homeless. Today, they are homeowners in Costa Rica thanks to a government initiative that managed to benefit ...

President Laura Chinchilla recently gave her signature of approval to a project that will expand the reach and coverage of the Southern Crop Irrigation Canal in the province of Guanacaste. The expansion will add 33.4 kilometers to the canal for a total coverage of 35,000 hectares of farmland. This is certainly good news for farmers in the driest region of Costa Rica, where climate change is reduci...

Photograph taken by Shannon Enete Most people aren’t huge fans of spiders, but the golden orb, is the exception to the rule. After researching this spider, I can see how they would make a spiderman super hero. The golden orbs produce the largest and strongest webs. During your visit to Costa Rica, be sure to look out for the gorgeous eight-legged creatures.  Not only are they impressive looking...

“Competition isn’t for everyone,” emphasized Amber Ryan and Meagen Walsh, who teach dance in Nosara. But for those who do want to challenge themselves as dancers, in addition to the thrill of performing on stage, the two have decided to form a dance company that will compete against other dance companies in San Jose May 30 to June 1 during the JUMP international Dance Tour. Auditions for the...

Avon Ladies in Costa Rica may have been unwittingly recruited to conduct a smear campaign against a presidential candidate. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Spanish initials: TSE), one of the most venerable democratic institutions in Costa Rica, recently issued an order against Avon for allegedly distributing propaganda pamphlets urging makeup shoppers to “Say No To Communism.” According to jour...

Hector Zuñiga running from Nicoya to GarzaIf you enjoy fitness and are looking to take your routine to the next level, the Voice of Guanacaste (VOG) presents five routes to motivate you to boost your performance. Running from Nicoya to Garza With a pair of good shoes and adequate training you can run for a long time. Hector Zuñiga is an athlete from Garza who participates in at least one ra...

Industry analysts are forecasting more than $8 billion in revenues from the combined telecommunications sectors in Costa Rica from 2014 to 2019, and mobile communications are expected to be the main driver of this economic growth. With a rising middle class and a booming mobile market in Costa Rica, business owners should be paying attention to these trends. The forecast above was mentioned by ...

On Thursday afternoon, January 16th – 1st full moon of 2014 – nearly every person in Playa Hermosa came to the beach for Salve Monos Playa Hermosa, GTE., Costa Rica’s 3rd Annual Drumming Circle. The event is held each year to raise awareness of the howler monkey plight and to raise funds that benefit Playa Hermosa’s monkeys. Karol Allard, Treasurer of the Association de Vecinos y Empresarios de Pl...

Oscar Morales convincing a customer to buy a product by using "mas o menos"This article is satire and designed to create conversation and humor amongst readers of the Costa Rica Star. Originally published on the ElPeji.com Blog. PLAZA VIQUEZ – Oscar Morales, a 20-year veteran of the Plaza Viquez feria in San Jose, finally cracked last week when he bravely became the first vendor in Costa Rican...

Construction workers on the build site of Croc's Casino Resort in Jaco Beach Jaco, Costa Rica – Croc's Casino Resort, the first Las Vegas-style luxury hotel, condominium and casino undergoing development in Costa Rica, recently took account of its immediate and potential future benefits to the local community of Jaco in the canton of Garabito and beyond. To this effect, developer Rory Hascall...

One of the biggest dreams for retirees is moving to a warm, sunny place where you can relax and enjoy the “golden years” of life with no stress. Lower costs to stretch your savings and having good quality health care available are also top considerations. In the Americas, Costa Rica continues to be one of the most popular retirement destinations. HelpAge International, an index that measure...

A flash of brilliant red, blue and yellow, and a loud raucous squawk, and you know you are in the jungle. There is nothing quite like the sight of wild Scarlet Macaws flying overhead or contentedly gathered in bunches in a treetop to give you the full feeling of being in the tropics. Their distinctive noisy cry carries for miles, so you usually hear them before you see them. When you do sight a...

Sputnik, the original tiny satellite The offices of President Laura Chinchilla announced this week that the nation would launch its first satellite in 2016. Asked what the mini-satellite was good for, Carlos Alvarado, chief of the Central American Aeronautics and Space Association said candidly that "it will show we can do it." Actually, weighing in at less than 10 kilos (about 25 lbs) there's...

Azamara Quest docked at the Puerto Caldera, in PuntarenasA new type of tourism was launched in Costa Rica this past Wednesday, the very first time a cruise liner has started its journey from a Costa Rican port. Azamara Quest, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean, launched the Ruta Mesoamericana, a journey from the Puerto Caldera, in Puntarenas to different ports in Central America, Mexico and Los A...

Feriajobs.com is a new tool for job seekers, created solely for publishing job opportunities in Costa Rica, and to date they have posted over 2,000 of them. The website, for now, focuses on providing jobs available in Costa Rica, however, their goal is to cover Central America and later Latin America. Created by the folks at autos.cr, the car classifieds in Costa Rica, Feriajobs.com has two ...

The Technical Road Management Unit (UTGV -Unidad Técnica de Gestión Vial) of Nicoya’s municipality invested 24% of their 2013 budget in road maintenance and construction projects in the canton, while 76% of the budget was used for administrative and operating expenses. Those numbers were detailed in the regular municipal budget for the 2013 period in the communication routes section, where the ...

Just 30 minutes from the Daniel Oduber International Airport and 217 kilometers northeast of San José, the Gulf of Papagayo Tourism Pole (PTGP) offers white sandy beaches and lush tropical settings, with a wide variety of activities for nature-loving tourists. “The bay is rich in marine species due to the abundance of plankton in its waters, which develops in the mangroves in the area,” said Ja...

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court or Sala IV, as it is commonly referred to, recognized its error in rejecting an appeal against the State for failure to approve In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The Court says it annulled the judgement issued on Tuesday in which it flatly rejected an “amparo” (appeal) against the State for failing to pass the law that regulates IVF in the country. Through a sta...

Horseback Riding in Guanacaste Costa Rica as part of an Agrotourism experienceOwners and operators of hospitality and recreational businesses in Costa Rica are keeping a close eye on the growth of rural tourism across Costa Rica, also known as Agrotourism. In recent years, the Central Valley and adjacent rural areas have dominated this specialty tourism segment while Guanacaste has mostly catered...

Sebastian and Valeria The disappearance of Sebastian and Valeria, two Cartago youths, ended fatally with the discovery of the bodies. But, they are not the only adolescents gone missing. According to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), in 2013 they received 853 reports of missing persons, of which 245 were aged between 13 and 17. November 2013 was the month with the greatest n...

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle The Ostional Wildlife Refuge, located in Guanacaste, is the only place in Costa Rica (and perhaps in the world) where sea turtle eggs can be legally harvested by the community. This is authorized by Public Law 7064 of 1987, specifically article 55, which establishes a collection quota and allows the sale of eggs laid by Lepidochelys olivacea. Although this law creates a...

Piper auritum (root beer plant) in Guanacaste As medical tourism continues to grow in certain regions of Costa Rica such as Guanacaste and the Central Valley, many visitors are beginning to take an interest in herbal medicine and holistic treatments. Medical tourism in Costa Rica is mostly focused on conventional medicine and surgical procedures, but more patients are seeking yoga and herbal r...

The culture in Costa Rica is one that frustrates the work of the Bomberos (firefighters), as people insist on covering fire hydrants with garbage bags and drivers who block access with their parked vehicles. Another problem faced by Costa Rica’s firefighters is the continuing lack of hydrants. To that end, a large part of the country’s municipalities are not complying with the installation of h...

Peace be with you. The next time you go to Mass at the Mercedes Sur Catholic Church in Heredia, you may notice that instead of the Holy Bible and other books used to prepare for the Eucharist, there is a single tablet computer propped up at reading angle facing the priest. That would be Father Jose Manuel Diaz, a tech-savvy man of the cloth in Costa Rica. According to an article by Ricardo Sile...

The Triple Crown surf competition returned for the third consecutive year, to choose the coast’s best surfer. The first day was January 11th in the waves of Playa Barrigona. Funds raised will be donated to a housing project to help build a home for a low-income family in the Nosara area. This year, the Nosara Surf Association took charge of the event’s organization along with help from Nosara T...

The 23rd National Sports Games (Juegos Deportivos Nacionales), which were to be held January 5-15, had their dates changed to March 1-16 for the cantons of Guanacaste and the southern Zona Sur. In Nicoya, the games will take place March 2-6, which will allow for changes to the internal structure of the sports complex (Polideportivo), the facility for the water sports competitions. In addition t...

Source: Pinterest Playa Tamarindo is one of the most visited beach communities in Costa Rica, and it is easy to see why. This is a beach that seemingly has it all: Great year-round weather, excellent surfing conditions, lots of nature, plenty of amenities for foreigners, a vibrant nightlife scene, etc. What Tamarindo is missing, however, are public restrooms. According to a recent article w...

Laura Chinchilla posing with recipient of mortgage debt forgiveness in GuanacasteIn a surprise visit by President Laura Chinchilla to communities in the Carrillo and Liberia cantons of Guanacaste, more than $288,000 of mortgage debt was forgiven for 60 low-income families. President Chinchilla had previously announced that Guanacaste was going to be her first stop in Costa Rica after the holiday ...

Tanker trucks may provide water during shortage and rationing periods, throughout San Jose provinceUp to 40,000 people or more could be affected by a water shortage this dry season, as supply tanks of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) reach minimum levels. The water and sewer utility general manager, Sergui Nuñez, confirmed that the Gran Area Metropolitana (GAM) ...

Source: Flickr CC After decades of languishing in relative obscurity, the province of Guanacaste has become one of the most important regions of Costa Rica. Until the late 20th century, it was known as the “forgotten province.” These days, however, Guanacaste is known for being home to Costa Rica's Gold Coast and for being a land of promise. Why is it called Guanacaste? This province is nam...

Located in the northern Caribbean region of Costa Rica, the Tortuguero National Park is home to one of the most docile, timid and elusive aquatic mammals. Trichechus manatus, also known as Antillean sea cows or manatees, once sought refuge exclusively in the canals of Tortuguero, but decades of protection have encouraged them to swim north to Barra del Colorado and even all the way south to Puerto...

Barco del Amor Macrobiotic SodaAfter sitting empty in the maritime zone of Garza Beach for about five years, Barco del Amor reopened in December, this time as a macrobiotic store and soda. Rachel Fregosi, a French woman who has been a resident of Costa Rica for 18 years now, was selling macrobiotic products in the streets and wanted to find a permanent location for her business. She noticed th...

World Cup fever is going strong all over the world. Costa Rica will host its own World Cup in March 2014 – the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. Sixteen international teams will gather in Costa Rica to compete for title of world champions in the prestigious tournament from March 15 to April 4; matches will be held in four stadiums in San Jose, Alajuela, Tibas and Liberia. Football is one of C...

Even though the latest engineer report presented by the Playas de Nosara ASADA’s (Administrative Associations of Rural Water and Sanitation Systems) affirmed the water infrastructure level can last 20 years with maintenance, the ASADA finds itself with a new question: how can they continue providing water service if growth exceeds the yearly 5% used in the study? According to ASADA Vocal Olivie...

Screen grab from Our Name is Costa Rica Disillusionment by young voters in Costa Rica may shift the political tide in the coming presidential and legislative elections. The voter demographic from 18 to 29 years old has the power to sway who will be elected to lead Costa Rica at the Executive Branch level. Young voters can also decide the majority rule at the national Legislative Assembly; as e...