Although at first sight Brazil and Costa Rica seem to be sharply different nations, these two Latin American countries shared some unfortunate similarities during June 2013. In a recent opinion piece in El Pais, an online publication that often gives a voice to the current government's opposition, journalist and academic Juan Manuel Fernandez C. made four important observations about the ongoing p...

Through our Fiesta Grecia we celebrate USA Independence Day on the beautiful grounds of Quinta Real in San Isidro de Grecia. Having begun in 2011 to enhance efforts of local charities thru our cash donation, we invite ALL to participate with us at this 3rd annual, and ever growing, celebration. Time: Sunday, July 7, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Food – Fun - face painting - Deejay & ...

WELWYN GARDEN CITY, ENGLAND July 4th 2013 – Clamcleats Limited, a British manufacturer of its own brand of products, also employed for its molding and tooling services announces the opening of a new production facility in Cartago, Costa Rica in June. Further to signing a contract to supply plastic injection molded components to a long-term customer in Costa Rica, the British company opened...

An Exotic Anthropod A ridiculously colored thirty-sixipede scurried across my porch. It was between rains one leisurely afternoon in Herradura when this striking little creature decided to make an appearance, jump-starting my mind. After my brain finished processing this visual oddity, I bolted inside to get my camera before he could make his escape (delaying him first by putting him on top of...

From Wikipedia Commons Edward Snowden is the 30-year old former CIA and NSA contractor who went public with damning evidence of sophisticated spying and monitoring by United States government agencies. He has been charged with a series of criminal offenses related to theft of government secrets and leaking of classified information, but his Orwellian revelations have placed him in a Kafkaesque s...

A still from Odyssey 2050 One of the most popular contemporary music bands in the world has agreed to contribute one of their videos to the film Odyssey 2050, an ambitious project being produced right here in Costa Rica. Odyssey 2050 aims to raise awareness among young generations about the effects of climate change. The video in question is Viva La Vida, which is also the title track of Coldpl...

On Friday morning, young Sofia McLean and her mother Ivonne Morales were outside the Teletica Channel 7 studios near La Sabana, looking for a new family member. After looking around and carefully discussing the delicate matter, they settled on Kenay -the offspring puppy of a stray mother that was rescued just a couple of months ago. Kenay was lucky. Dozens of other dogs and seven cats awaited ado...

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG This article was inspired by the readers of The Costa Rica Star, who are always asking us "when will a Canadian Airline offer direct flights from Vancouver and Calgary Canada to San Jose and Liberia Costa Rica?" Well, the only way to truly get this kind of change happening, is to gather enough support and signatures from thousands of people i...

Renting golf carts to enjoy your vacation or for an alternative transportation method instead of a car, is becoming a very popular option for people who come to Playas del Coco Beach. When you get into town from the Liberia International Airport or the San Jose International Airport, as you come down the main road to the beach, you will see a few companies that provide rentals. We will list th...

Renewing your Costa Rican drivers license has been streamlined, depending on the time and day, you can be in and out in less than two hours. A kind reminder that foreigners must be legal residents in order to get a Costa Rican drivers license. 1. The first step in the process is the medical exam. The exam is quick and reported electronically, meaning the doctor enters the “dictamen medico” ...

If you are thinking about going to the north pacific of Costa Rica, we want to tell you about 3 popular destinations in this area. Playa Hermosa There are so many beautiful beaches in Costa Rica, it's no wonder that there is more than one Playa Hermosa! Don't get confused with this one and the one near Jaco - I'm talking about the one in Guanacaste. This beach is where most of the luxury homes a...

Liberia, Costa Rica – June 21st 2013: Wilkes University students arrived in Costa Rica on Monday, June 17th for a summer Ecotourism Development class, led by Dr. Andy Miller. They met up their in-country and host and coordinator, R.A.W. Tours, on Tuesday to begin their work at the Museo de Guanacaste (Guanacaste Museum). Their efforts at the museum will focus on: assisting in the creation of co...

Photo above is the ribbon cutting inauguration for the ground breaking event, now the construction begins. The ground breaking event for the finest luxury Casino-Resort in Costa Rica, Croc's Casino, was held this Thursday. Despite the rain it was a huge success, and The Costa Rica Star had the pleasure to attend the event and spend time with the invited guests and other media personnel. ...

While 15,000 Costa Rican fishermen and their families are suffering from a severe economic crisis, in the last 10 years international tuna fishing boats have taken more than 90 percent of the tuna extracted per year from the Costa Rican Pacific, using high-impact fishing methods. A recent study by Costa Rican Fishery Federation (FECOP) and the Costa Rican National Fishing Sector, based on ...

Here are some of the photos from the 2013 Exphore Hotels and Restaurants Conference hosted at the Pedregal Events Center in Belen Heredia, Costa Rica. For more photos please visit our Facebook photo gallery. If you would like to read a press release about this conference, please visit our previously published article. ...

After living in San José for almost all my life (30 years) I decided that it was time for a change. I was tired of being in traffic jams for hours, breathing all the smoke from the cars, listening to people honking about everything, fighting for parking space at the shopping mall and all the stress that cities bring with them. I started to look for a job in the area of Guanacaste and I found a ...

The Costa Rican group Purdy Motor Company will be responsible for marketing the brand of Lexus vehicles in the country; with an investment of more than $1 million dollars in inventory and remodeling of galleries. This investment seeks to attract to the Costa Rican public, and represents the second stage of the brand in the country, so it clarifies Allan Sime, Lexus representative for Costa ...

Playas del Coco is one of the more well known beach towns in the country for both locals and tourists. Although it is one of the smaller beaches in the Guanacaste region, it is still full of nightlife and activities to do such as scuba diving, sport fishing, and snorkeling along with many bars and restaurants. During the main holidays such as New Year and Easter, Playas del Coco becomes packed wi...

June 10, 2013, San José – Canadians and Friends of Canada will celebrate the country’s 146th birthday at picnic festivities to be held Sunday, June 30, from 10 am to 4 pm at Quinta Roma Vista, Barrio Mercedes, Atenas in the province of Alajuela. Members of the club, non-members, new and old friends are invited to come for a day of fun! Canadian Ambassador Wendy Drukier will attend to officiall...

The picture above is an artistic rendering of the Casino-resort pool area. A ground breaking is scheduled June 20 in Jacó for a 17-story casino resort. The business, to be known as Croc's Casino Resort, is expected to be in operation by December 2014. The building will be on the north side of the central Pacific community of Jaco. Owners are Dag and Jennifer Hascall. He is the owner o...

LIBERIA, GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA – In a significant scientific and environmental achievement, a combined team of engineers and technicians from Ad Astra Rocket Company and Cummins Power Generation, a business unit of global power leader Cummins Inc., (NYSE: CMI) have successfully powered a Cummins-built electrical generator using mixtures of hydrogen and biogas. The team’s success goes hand-in-h...

Announcing the construction starting June 20, 2013 of Croc’s Casino Resort, the Central Pacific’s Newest Address. Change is in the air as Jaco is soon to be home to one of the country’s best resorts. The ground will officially be broken Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 4pm with a celebratory pool party rich with dignitaries, celebrities, local influencers, media and sports figures from Costa Rica...

Meet & Greet Networking Event May 23rd in Barrio Escalante. This evening of networking, cocktails, and food is open to anyone. It will be a great opportunity to meet women from a variety of industries, and make new friends – bring your business cards! Registration Required (see link below) - Space Limited Beginner English speakers welcome. When: Thursday May 23rd 2013 6:00 to 8:3...

Here is a video developed by Tourism Costa Rica that will be played in hundreds of theaters across the United States over the course of 2013. Costa Rica Traveler Magazine took the film crew on a 25 day tour, staying in 18 hotels throughout the country in order to get the video content for this promotional video. ...

This is a real time video of US President Barack Obama landing in Costa Rica at the SJO International Airport. ...

Inspired by the drama of light and shadow, artist Juan Carlos Camacho specializes in watercolors which show contrast, detail and sometimes depicts ambiguity. Born in Heredia, Costa Rica, Camacho studied drawing and painting from his high school years at Conservartorio Castella through his tenure at the University of Costa Rica, where he obtained a degrees in drawing, painting, and architecture. ...

Over the past few weeks we have enjoyed sharing pictures from people on Flickr on our Facebook page as well as natural remedies for day to day things that effect your life around the home here in Costa Rica. Recently we shared an easy to do make at home Mosquito repellent and one of our readers commented on the picture to let us know of another amazing remedy widely available in Costa Rica....

The Costa Rica Star and all of our contributors, photographers, and many of our readers are supporters of The McKee Project here in Costa Rica and around Latin America. In this article below we will outline why The McKee Project is so important to the well being of companion animals across Latin America. If you have a dog or cat, or know someone who has a dog or cat, you will want to read this and...

SANTA ANA, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – Holaofertas, a shopping website that offers a daily deal on the best local goods, services and cultural events in Costa Rica launched on April 8, 2013. “Ranked as one of the best country's for small business with a vibrant local culture, Costa Rica is an ideal Holaofertas market,” said Carl Tremblay, president and chief operating officer of Holaofertas. “H...

Over 160 companies will exhibit products and services for the gastronomy, hospitality and related industries. San José, April 11th, 2013 - The Hotels and Restaurants Expo, Exphore Costa Rica is the business center where national and international providers exhibit there products and services for the sector. The fair counts with the participation of almost 4,000 professionals that come from ...

San Jose, April 10th, 2013 - Expo Vino Costa Rica 2013 is the event where wine lovers can travel around more than 80 wine distributors and producers from all around the world, they are going to be able to try the different wine varieties and qualities and get to know their main cellars. Expo Vino Costa Rica will be going on from Wednesday, October 23rd to Friday, October 25th, 2013 from 3:00 ...

Join the Professional Women’s Group (of the Women’s Club of Costa Rica) next Saturday for a workshop with journalist and writer Marilyn Batista Márquez. Ms. Batista is President of Batista Comunicaciones and Chair of the Woman Entrepreneur Program of the Costa Rica Chamber of Commerce. She is an advocate for the development and equality of women; with this workshop she aims to give participants to...

A unique experience. 23 hectares of lush tropical forest landscaping designed to make your dreams come true. A destination like no other located in the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica, unique in its exclusive design. Lomas del Sol is immerse in the middle of the forest, sea, sun and sand combined with an incredible variety of wildlife that lives in harmony with nature. We invite you to e...

El Castillo, COSTA RICA – April 2013 – Rancho Margot, innovator and educator in sustainable community development, permaculture and self-sufficiency, announced enhanced Eco-Literacy Student Programs after years of experience educating students, guests, volunteers and employees at a 400-acre eco lodge near the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. Rancho Margot’s Eco-Literacy Student Program aims to...

APRIL 2013, New Golfo Dulce/Corcovado adventure packages announced by Saladero Eco Lodge and Danta Corcovado Lodge. For the first time a Golfo Dulce and Corcovado lodge are working together to provide unique natural experiences with all the details taken care of. Although only 15 miles distant from each other, the differing bio-diversity at each lodge is amazing. Experience the best part of...

The Cacao Lounge opened December 16th 2012 as a new concept of delectable art chocolates, and desserts with fresh flowers in a lounge setting. The Cacao Lounge is a completely new concept developed over a period of five years by partner owner and designer Marianna Love. The concept is everything dipped in chocolate in a relaxed beautiful atmosphere. These special treats and chocolates are t...

Finca LaPatria is a small alternative farm with the main objective of being as self-sustaining as possible. It is located along the Azahar river in Tacacori. It is a small town in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. The farm has a small greenhouse, organic orchards, gardens, paths which lead to the river and a swimming pool with natural spring water. It also hosts recreational activities ...

  Anchors End Tattoo-Playa Jaco is an internationally acclaimed art studio offering the finest in body decoration and body piercing. Owner artist Keely Tackett has brought 33 years of experience to Costa Rica. We offer freehand style, state of the art to each client who is seeking professional one of a kind body decoration. National tattoo association member for 29 years. Red cross cert...

McDonald's is not only one of the most powerful and widely-recognized brands around the world; it is also one of the most vilified. The Golden Arches have come to symbolize everything that is good and bad about globalization and the American (U.S.) way of life, and this has also led to a series of misconceptions and urban legends about this massive money-making enterprise. In Costa Rica, th...

Where: Río Segundo de Alajuela Tel: 2440 0282 Facebook: Facebook.com/thePinkTacoCR Big, yummy and affordable Tacos & Burritos Baja Style, finally available in Costa Rica. Choose from authentic Mexican burritos and Tacos at The Pink Taco, we promise you'll be looking forward to more. Known for their distinctive flavors and sophisticated preparation, The Pink Taco brings the flavors...