Whether you are in the Central Valley for vacation or business or are visiting from the beach areas on errands, your days are full of activity and bustle. As dusk comes on, you want a quiet, comfy place to rest, breathe fresh air among tropical plants and get a good night’s sleep, followed by a choice breakfast to get you going for the next day’s action.

Rainforest Dreams Bed & Breakfast, in a quiet residential neighborhood in the western San José suburb of Escazú, will keep you comfortable from the moment you walk in the door. Owner Carol Marujo, who hails from the U.S. state of Illinois, has added a lot of touches to ensure a restful stay.

Just inside the front door is a lounge with easy chairs and sofas for kicking off shoes, or for group chats or waiting for taxis. The attractive corner dining area with windows opening onto the patio adds to a pleasant breakfast experience with choices to your liking.

“Breakfast is when you get up,” Marujo says. “We’re small. We can accommodate different hours. If someone has an early plane, we’ll have breakfast ready for them. We try to accommodate tastes and preferences and diet requirements.”

The morning meal may include eggs from free-range chickens, cereal, toast and fruit, topped off with organic, sustainably grown coffee.

“We are environmentally conscious here,” Marujo says. “Food and cleaning products are environment-friendly.”

After breakfast, the dining area is yours for reading, writing or snacking. Stocked bookshelves, a computer corner and Wi-Fi add to a convenient stay. For evening meals, the kitchen is free for cooking or heating up food. There are supermarkets and restaurants nearby, and Marujo keeps a list of places that deliver.

As for accommodations, the upstairs bedrooms have breezy natural vetilation, plus fans, ample storage space and cable TV. For those traveling with a pet or who have walking difficulties, two special rooms are situated on the ground floor beyond the patio, and include mosquito netting over the beds and hammocks for rocking to sleep. The patio features an abundance of plants to bring the rain forest to you, and a table, benches and outdoor kitchen make it a pleasant spot for eating or meeting. Fully equipped bathrooms just off the patio are convenient for last-minute dashes to get ready before leaving for the day. The small gift shop can supply those necessities you forgot to bring, or souvenirs by local artists.

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Source: World Head Quarters

This small Central American country boasts of an amazing 850 species that can be found within its national boundaries.   Read more

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Costa Rica es un paraíso para los amantes de animales y todos esperamos encuentros amistosos. Muchos de nosotros esperamos los encuentros con animales desayunando, durante el almuerzo y lo consideramos un bono de comer en las escenas tropicales lujuriantes, especialmente cerca de las muchas reservas naturales alrededor del país.

Algunas personas tienen un estricto de no alimentar a los animales mientras otros son más relajados. Muchos piensan que nosotros debemos dejar nuestros malos hábitos antes de que nosotros se lo prohibimos a los animales. Para mi es divertido mirar si los alimento o no.

Los animales en el país que más a menudo frecuentan los restaurantes y casas de las gentes son los monos cara blancas, monos ardilla, pizotesi, martillas, cusuco, garrobos y una variedad de pájaros, el más prominente siendo la urraca. Ciertamente los animales se han adaptado a la nueva cultura turística frecuentando cualquier fuente de comida y quedándose para las fotografías y comiditas extras.

Aunque algunos sienten que sus dietas son deficientes por este tipo de forrajear, yo he observado que ellos sólo se quedan en cualquier parte durante apenas una hora antes de que regresen a las copas de los árboles dónde se calientan en el sol entre los bejucos con una vista del océano exquisita.

Si a usted se le aproximan animales pidiendo comida es mejor permanecer tranquilo y evitar cualquiera exageración de gestos corporales como la exhibición de su sonrisa dentuda o acostándose en la tierra para atraerlos lo que puede provocar una conducta agresiva o en lo mínimo asustarlos.

Muchos de los animales tienen una cierta distancia con la que son cómodos, si usted se queda quieto ellos se acercan a la distancia que a ellos les gusta.

Nunca llega al nivel de caos con los animales como con los osos de Yellowstone o los monos de la ciudades en la India, pero usted puede contar con numerosas especies visitando los alimentadores y bien conocidos esquinas de comida. Aliste su cámara para estar lista a tomar una fotografía de uno de esos singulares momentos cuando nosotros estamos en paz con todas las criaturas pequeñas de la tierra. En Costa Rica puede ser cotidiano.

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Source: The Star

Paris Hilton learned the hard way: Kinkajous just don’t make good pets. Paris’s kink “Baby Luv” lost BFF status when it bit her on the arm.

You’d think that lesson would be obvious, and yet … those big, buggy eyes and that fuzzy little face (on the kinkajou, that is) are pretty hard to resist. But there’s a sting in its tail, or at least, in its paws.

“See those hands,” says Earl Crews, founder of the Osa Wildlife Reserve, as he points to a kinkajou peeping from its hideout inside a hollow log. “They can rip open a coconut. If you can do that, what can you do to a couch … or a face?”

Wild animals never lose those feral instincts, even though they seem tame, Earl says.

“Humans began domesticating dogs 5,000 years ago,” he says, “and we still have trouble with dogs.”

And when issues arise between animals and humans, the animals always lose.

That’s why Earl, who moved to Costa Rica after leaving a life as a Chicago commodities broker, started the reserve in 1996.

Now, there are about 70 or so animals in residence – monkeys, wild cats, birds, sloths. Earl and his wife, Carol, take in injured and displaced animals; many others have been rescued from the exotic pet trade, or liberated from lives spent as entertainers in hotels or clubs.

In one of the enclosures, a scarlet macaw pecks at its incandescently gorgeous plumage. Beauty, as they say, can be a curse; these birds are among the most threatened.

“Our guess is that there are 1,500 macaws (in Costa Rica),” Earl says. “There are twice that many in cages in New York City.”

Most taken for the pet trade are young, Earl says, which means the resident population is aging fast.

“They can live for 65 to 80 years,” he says, “but they can only reproduce until they’re 40, not unlike humans, so you get a geriatric flock.”

Other problems are loss of habitat through development and hunting: The size and colour of the birds, plus the fact that they don’t migrate, makes them easy marks.

“Here’s a bird that weighs about two pounds. If you’re poor and you’re hungry, you go into the jungle and you shoot one,” he says.

While Earl is speaking to our group of visitors, there’s a tug on my shirt and, before I can look around, a spider monkey scales my arm and lounges on my left shoulder, bringing laughs from everybody.

“These are not tame monkeys,” Earl explains. “They’re socialized monkeys … and we’re their tribe.”

While hoping that the beast has been, uh, fastidious in his personal hygiene, it’s still a pretty special feeling to be accepted into the tribe.

It’s a tragic irony that these animals have to live in a compound in the midst of their natural rainforest home. The reserve’s goal is to rehabilitate them and hopefully return them to the wild.

There have been a few successes, but years in captivity have deprived some animals of the necessary skills to make it on their own. For others; nature works against them.

“These monkeys live in troupes,” Earl explains. “And they’re territorial. If we released some of them, they would have to compete with already established local troupes, which would kill them.”

So, with the support of universities in Canada and the U.S. (which send researchers to work here), and private donors, Earl and Pat and their employees and volunteers do the best they can. But their work faces threats, too.

“Two years ago, everyone was talking eco-tourism, it was all green, green, green,” says Earl. “Now, they’re talking jobs.”

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Source: Pr Web

Gisele and Tom, Britney Spears and Mel Gibson add to a growing list of celebs seeking luxury vacations in Costa Rican hot spots. Villas Tranquilas, a new six-acre tropical rainforest paradise, offers luxury and affordability to main street travelers for trips to Costa Rica.

Quepos, Costa Rica (PRWEB) August 26, 2009 — Costa Rica is becoming a premiere hot spot for celebrities this year. Natasha Bedingfield, Britney Spears, Mel Gibson all kicked off their shoes and enjoyed vacations in Costa Rica recently. Now Villas Tranquilas, a new six-acre tropical rainforest paradise, offers luxury and affordability to all walks of life.

Villas Tranquilas Town Homes, a Costa Rican vacation rental, launches a new all-inclusive website this month. Vacationers shopping for Costa Rica tours in Manuel Antonio and Quepos will find rainforest excursions, fishing charters, restaurants, and exotic beaches all in one location. Since 2007, Villas Tranquilas ranks #1 for insider knowledge and exemplary service on Trip Advisor’s Specialty Lodging in Quepos. Now Villas Tranquilas expands their service by giving travelers an online menu of local sights and attractions.

Villas Tranquilas maintains relationships with many tour providers offering new experiences for adrenaline junkies, those preferring relaxed informative tours, and everything in between. Rainforest adventure tours include canyoning, waterfall rappelling, and zip lining over the forest canopy. Easier days can include relaxing plantation tours, a river float through the mangrove forest, and beach horseback riding. All trips are described in detail in one tidy online location.

Villas’ past guests offer reviews and tips (via the website) to incoming travelers for hot spots, guides, and tours: “The Villas are an extraordinary blend of 5-star hotel, home-away-from-home, and splendid resort” — Terry Jertberg, High Roller Lures. These first-hand opinions make it easy for new guests to tailor their vacation packages based on budget, adventure tolerance, and available time. Saving travelers research time and money increases the value Villas Tranquilas already delivers via their new modern, luxury two bedroom town homes in Quepos.

As thousands of visitors descend upon the internationally famous Manuel Antonio National Park this holiday season, the stars and everyday folks alike can escape to their home away from home in the Costa Rican rainforest.

Villas Tranquilas: a modern six-acre rainforest retreat in Quepos, Costa Rica. Villas strives for sustainable hospitality, supports local farmers, and partners with conservation groups like Mono Titi Alliance. For more information visit Villas Tranquilas online.

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Source: Luna Lodge

Have you ever visited a place so enchanting, so fascinating, so alive that no matter where you go in your life, or what you do from that point on, the memory of that particular journey and its adventures remain indelibly fixed in your mind? Maybe you are sitting in your office, or mowing your lawn, or sun-bathing on a beach back home, when all of a sudden that same feeling or energy of that place gently descends upon you out of the blue, and you find yourself drifting back into those recollections and reliving them as if it had happened just yesterday. Well, beware! This is one of the lasting side-effects of a vacation to Luna Lodge of Costa Rica, a secluded eco-lodge set in the pristine and captivating Osa Peninsula near Corcovado National Park in southwestern Costa Rica.

Whether hiking with the possibility of encountering rare wildlife, birdwatching, practicing yoga, or enjoying a therapuetic massage, Luna Lodge is truly a unique experience not found elsewhere in Costa Rica or the world!

Luna Lodge was constructed by Costa Rican people with the issues of conservation and preservation of the rainforest a priority. The lodge has been developed with creative initiative and commitment to the ideals of educating visitors to be environmentally and culturally sensitive.

The Bungalows

Amid tropical rainforest sits eight comfortable, cool, spacious, thatched roof bungalows.

Each bungalow provides two double beds, a private deck, and a private bathroom with shower and bathtub. The bungalows overlook vast tropical rainforest, and a honeymoon suite is also available with a king size bed.

The large windows and high thatched-palm roof provide for ample air circulation, while the walls of white cane add a decorative rustic touch. Each Bungalow also has its own private deck out front, also covered by the same palm roof for enjoyment in any weather. Since we are located up above the Carate River Valley, it is generally cooler and we almost always have a light breeze thus we barely have any insects. The environment is very pleasant.

One of the really attractive and unique parts of the design is the lush private garden just off the shower, smoothing the transition to the wilderness outside, yet keeping it all protected with a handcrafted stone wall.

Each bungalow has its own private deck where our guests enjoy relaxing and admiring the beauty surrounding the lodge.

The hacienda-styled rooms are a new addition to the lodge where we have three additional private rooms available closer to the main lodge. The view is spectacular and the toucans love to visit the neighboring trees in the afternoon.

The spacious colonial-style hacienda rooms have private baths and are designed to comfortably accomodate three with one double-bed and one single-bed.

The completely enclosed stand-up tents have two single beds and a balcony overlooking the canopy of the rain forest.

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Source: Rural Costarica

The Santa Fe Women’s Group has learned to make reforestation profitable. After taking an INA course (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje – National Training Institute) in tree nursery reforestation, the Group saw the potential in continuing its tree production as a vital part of reforestation efforts in Costa Rica. While the Women’s Group has already planted over 1,000 trees to reforest public places around Santa Fe, including the Santa Fe Wetlands, it is expanding its tree production to keep up with demand for good tropical hardwoods like teak, as well as precious endangered tropical species.

Aside from managing their own reforestation project, the women are collaborating with the local Agriculture Ministry office in its efforts to reforest under-utilized farm space. For this project the Women’s Group has over 5,000 seeds germinating, all of them already destined to be planted on local farms in this important reforestation effort.
Tree nursery-students from the reforestation course posing around the germination bed Since the Group has experienced so much early success with its tree nursery, the women intend to expand production. Other important forestry authorities are taking notice of this efficient tree nursery, offering the women a great economic opportunity. Other clients have agreed to buy trees from the Santa Fe Women’s Group, compelling the women to expand their annual production capacity twenty-five-fold to 100,000 trees come the 2007 wet season. Since reforestation is an important ongoing effort all over Costa Rica, the tree nursery will likely enjoy a healthy market for decades to come, offering employment to both men and women in the community of Santa Fe.

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The accord guarantees that coffee sold by Nespresso is grown in a sustainable manner. Coffee fields are graded based on a set of over 100 criteria.

If a coffee grower meets 80 percent of the overall criteria, and scores no less than 50 percent in any specific area, a Rainforest Alliance Certified stamp will be placed on the packaged coffee.

Rainforest Alliance could not guarantee that growers would receive a higher price for the certified coffee, but Communications Coordinator Jessica Webb said that “consumers usually prefer a sustainable product over a non-sustainable product.” She noted that in many cases, a higher price is associated with sustainably-grown products.

A press release from Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization, said that certified fields will “cover all the aspects of sustainable agriculture, including the conservation of water, protection of wildlife…(as well as) good salaries, drinking water and access to schools and health services” for workers.

Nespresso expects that 80 percent of its coffee bags will have a Rainforest Alliance Certified stamp by the year 2013.

Other countries that will participate in the program include Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya and Mexico.

Coffee was once Costa Rica’s number one cash crop until falling to number three in 2006 behind bananas and pineapples..

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