Nothing livens up your breakfast like having a monkey come flying in through an open window and stealing a banana from a nearby table – all before shimmying up a telephone pole, crossing the wire and sharing the bounty with his troupe.

This isn’t the sort of thing that happens at luxury hotels. That’s one of the reason I prefer low budget.

But I saw a place in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (where this monkey business took place), that made me open to the idea of some luxury accommodations now and then.

La Mansion Inn is surrounded by jungle and ocean. At night, it’s dark and peaceful. It has a bar called The Bat Cave for people who want a high-quality beer (not easy to find in Costa Rica) and a taste of La Mansion’s luxury.

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Source: Hotels Costarica

Almond Beach Village Heywoods, Barbados

This 32-acre family-friendly resort set on a former 18th-century sugar plantation, has a soft-sand, mile-long beach.

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GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA — Recreo Resort, located on Bolanos Bay on the northwest Pacific coast, province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, welcomes Gabrielle Bernstein, author of “Add More ~ing to Your Life – A Hip Guide to Happiness.” The five days, four nights program will take place on April 14-18, 2010. At this women’s retreat, designed to clear negative thought patterns, Bernstein will guide participants on a journey inward to connect with the inner guide (aka ~ing); the program will include a complete mind/body cleanse, guidance from nutrition expert Latham Thomas, daily activities such as yoga, horseback riding, kayaking, mountain biking, ziplining, hiking, swimming and more.

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In yet another addition to its rapidly increasing high-end luxury resort roster, Jet Luxury Resorts has announced its partnership with the ultimate level of luxurious ecological lifestyle, Kalia Modern Eco-Living Estates in Costa Rica.

The addition of this exclusive property becomes the fifth luxury resort to come on board with Jet Luxury Resorts within the last six months and the fifteenth to be included on the burgeoning company’s premiere inventory.

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Source: Go Visit Costarica

Looming 1,150 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Villa Caletas shines like a jewel among resorts, prized not only for location, design and décor, but also for outstanding facilities. The spectacular 360-degree panorama from this tropical-jungle perch sweeps over the gulf islands of the

Nicoya Peninsula to the crescent beaches of Jacó, Herradura and Punta Leona, taking in the majestic mountains. Below, rainforests spread to the sandy shores, where Villa Caletas has its own inviting beach.
Villa Caletas has 5 Standard Rooms, 5 Standard Deluxe, 13 Villas; 6 Junior Suites with Jacuzzi, 2 Suites, 2 Suite Superior and 2 Master Suites. All our rooms have the following: cable TV, minibar, coffee maker, private bathroom, shower with hot water, hair dryer, ceiling fans, air conditioning, telephone with outside line and safety box. All rooms are non – smoking.

Villa Caletas also has a full service spa and we offer a variety of services. Including the following: Massage Therapy, Couple’s Massage Therapy, Volcanic Mud Treatment, European Body Peel, Seaweed Wrap, and European Facial; just to mention a few.

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Source: Tico Times

By Chrissie Long

Rain splashed across our faces, almost blinding us as we crossed over waterfalls and cleared trees at 50 feet in the air. The feeling was akin to sticking one’s head out of a car window in the middle of a rainstorm.
Except, here, our whole bodies were immersed. Our clothes clung to our bodies, every last thread soaked. But the rain didn’t matter so much; all of us were still smiling.
We had just passed over 10 waterfalls, gliding on a wire from one platform to the next. Some of the falls we could reach down and touch with our fingers, and others we paused over, suspended in the air, as the water crashed and swirled below our feet.
The rain waited until we were at the 23rd of 25 platforms. But, when it came, it added a whole new element.
“This has been incredible, rain and all,” said a man harnessed to a tree next to me, who was touring the country with a singles group.
“By far, the coolest thing we have done,” said a woman on the same tour.
The canopy experience is just one facet of the adventure hotel Barbara and Dietmar Maier began stitching together – almost by accident – 15 years ago.
The couple came from Germany with plans to retire in the hills above Miramar, near the Central Pacific port city of Puntarenas. As they were putting up the frame of their new home on an undeveloped lot about 15 minutes from town, people stopped by and asked for a room. The Maiers looked at each other and thought, why not? So they added a handful of guest rooms to their new home.
As horse lovers, they began accumulating a stable of Andalusians and Arabians and offering tours to their guests. They added canopy lines over their property, as well as a climbing wall. And, step by step, Adventure Park & Hotel Vista Golfo took shape.
“This was not what I had in mind when I came here,” said Barbara, who had envisioned a relaxing retirement, surrounded by the patchwork of farms and the pockets of trees that cover the enveloping valley. “But I couldn’t be happier.”

Watching the guests come in, drenched from the rain with smiles on their faces, she added, “It gives me a sense of satisfaction.”
Like the hotel, the 11-waterfall canopy tour came about at the suggestion of someone else.
Close to eight years ago, Dietmar took a few friends on a hike to a series of waterfalls that cascaded down the mountainside less than a mile from the Maiers’ home. His friend turned to him and said, “Dietmar, you should really take advantage of this. It’s beautiful.”
That was the beginning of the 25-platform canopy tour that now draws large groups from cruise ships and claims to be the only canopy experience in the country that passes over waterfalls.
The most recent addition to the hotel is a 33-element ropes course, in the highest branches of a nearby grove. A relatively new concept in Costa Rica, the course combines rope swings, knotted ladders and suspended beams, which are intended to encourage teamwork, risk-taking and trust. The Maiers hope to attract businesses looking for daylong team-building retreats.
Other activities include a night canopy tour, an ATV Fun Park, horseback riding and cloud forest tours.
The hotel itself overlooks the valley, with distant views of the Gulf of Nicoya. The rooms are simple but clean and comfortable. Barbara acknowledges it’s not the hotel amenities that draw people here.
“We are a mountain hotel. We aren’t a luxury hotel,” she said, adding that the rooms and the restaurant simply provide guests an accessible way to take advantage of the tours.
Offering a slew of package deals, the Maiers encourage guests to try as many of the activities as possible in a two- to three-day stay.
“We live on the edge of the world,” Barbara said. “Two weeks doesn’t make sense here, but three days? Yes.”
Depending on which activities a guest selects from the menu of options, those three days could be exhausting. Guests may not leave Adventure Park & Hotel Vista Golfo feeling refreshed or rested, but they can carry away the satisfaction of having done something thrilling, as well as some pretty special mental images.
Remember the hotel’s advice to incoming guests: “Make sure you bring bug repellent, comfortable clothes, closed-toe shoes and an eagerness to experience activities unique to the country.”

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The Ecological Blue Flag, which the Costa Rican government awards for environmental excellence, was recently awarded to Manzanillo beach on the country’s Pacific coast. To celebrate, two beachfront hotels there are offering promotions that include complimentary nights and discounted rates through December.
At the Spanish-style Allegro Papagayo, rooms start at $136 based on double occupancy and kids under 12 stay free.
At the more upscale Occidental Grand Papagayo, rates start at $244 based on double occupancy, and the fourth night is free for guests staying at its intimate Royal Club. The deal includes access to the sauna, whirlpool and steam room.
oth resorts are all-inclusive, and include unlimited meals and drinks.

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Source: Suenoazul Resort

This Natural Paradise is in the Costa Rican Low Lands, just an hour away from San José. It’s proximity with the National Park Braulio Carrillo and the imposing rivers that surround the property turn Sueño Azul into a sanctuary for the lovers of nature, peacefulness, equestrian activities and adventure sports.

Hotel Hacienda Sueño Azul has a perfect combination of a rustic-elegant setting, where good taste decor and nature stands out. It is the ideal place to rest with family or friends, and purify your body and mind. Our main goal is to offer our clients an unforgettable experience, by giving them spiritual and physical harmony by combining Nature with Comfort.
The hotel has 65 rooms beautifully decorated, each with a panoramic view of lakes or mountains that you will be able to enjoy from your private terrace. Every room has fans or air conditioning, a safe, hot water and a hair dryer. We also offer Junior rooms Suites that also include a Jacuzzi and room service.

One Day Tours at Hotel Sueño Azul ResortTrying to contribute to the corporal and spiritual well-being, our yoga room is completely equipped, with a capacity for more than 100 people; offering a marvelous view that will help you absorb all the positive energy that nature gives us.

Sueño Azul is the ideal place to carry out retreats, workshops, and yoga classes. Its privacy and true proximity to nature offer an atmosphere filled with positive energy making your stay more enjoyable, causing you a profound well-being feeling, and revitalizing your body and soul.

Our Youth Fountain is the Awapa Spa that offers a wide variety of corporal treatments such as massages, wraps, facials and alternative medicine treatments that will help you recuperate your natural vitality improving your quality of life. The products used in the spa are made with plants from our botanical garden combining all it’s medicinal properties to offer an effective rejuvenating treatment of body and soul.

Rest, contact with nature and amusement are the three main elements necessary to reach a mental and physical balance; and Sueño Azul combines all in one place allowing you to get the maximum out of this renovating experience.

We invite you to carry out all of our adventure activities in one day. The One Day Tour at Sueño Azul offers Canopy, horse back riding to the waterfalls, a visit to the butterfly garden, trails, enjoying a natural 800m2 pool and a delicious buffet lunch. All of our adventures are based on our Safe Adventure policy.
We shall mention horses are our passion, therefore we also offer a great variety of special group equestrian activities. Our 900 hectares allow us to have a vast number of trails, and we offer special plans for horse back riding groups.

Our favorite activity is the Rodeo a la Tica, where you will witness an impressive exhibition Paso Costarricense and Iberoamericano horses, as well as other equestrian activities carried out in the cattle areas of our country. You will also enjoy native dances and a delicious barbecue.

Typical Nights at Hotel Sueño Azul ResortHotel Hacienda Sueño Azul invites you to hold your meetings, seminars or conferences in our wide, comfortable and totally equipped Conference Room. Strategically located on a hilltop, with an amazing view of the lake and the surrounding mountains, it is the ideal place to hold conferences, commercial presentations, management meetings, and any type of business gatherings needy of high quality installations.

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Image source: Wikipedia

Today in the Real Estate Development World there are several variations of eco-developments/resort communities.  What actually is an eco-development?

A definition for Eco-Development is yet to reach the encyclopedia.  However, there are other terms such as Eco-efficiency and Eco-sustainability, which play a key-defining role in Eco-Development as it relates to developing a resort community and other types of developments.

The term eco-efficiency was coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in its 1992 publication “Changing Course”. It is based on the concept of creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The term Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also in the indefinite future. The term was used by the Brundtland Commission, which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and sociopolitical.

We, at La Joya Perfecta, aka “LJP” are embarking on a truly amazing development.  We believe this development will be a clear leader in the field of sustainable development beyond other conventional developments under consideration within the OSA peninsula region.

The design objective for the La Joya Perfecta, an eco-resort, wellness spa, and residences, is to utilize an ecologically innovative approach to the built environment. In understanding the site conditions, site capacity, and by integrating ecological design, it is our intention to set new standards in sustainability, demonstrating commitment in each element of the project. The goal is for this project to become a model for the region and for resorts around the world.

Conventional developments quantify the minimum habitat they are required to restore and relegate restoration activities to extremities of the site or mitigate offsite. The La Joya Perfecta development however, considers a restorative approach by restoring the site’s ecological values and processes, and incorporates restoration as part of the architecture and program. La Joya Perfecta is developing only 30% of property and leaving 70% in its natural or open state.

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