AmaTierra Yoga Retreat Takes Nutrition Seriously: Organically Growing Their Own

Tucked away in the mountains surprising close to San Jose is an oasis for those seeking peace and serenity and a place where people can nurture themselves with yoga, wellness services and fresh organic foods, many of which are grown on the property, a unique feature at AmaTierra Yoga Retreat and Wellness Center.

“It’s not easy to find organic produce in Costa Rica,” owner and registered nutritionist/herbalist Jill Ruttenberg says, “so we grow especially our greens and some fruits here on the property to be sure they are fresh and organic. Vegetables can lose up to 45 percent of their nutritional value between the time they are picked and when you buy them in the grocery store, and it is a proven fact that organic produce has more vitamins and minerals than commercially grown, non-organic produce.”

Equal But Different – The Hotel Business in Costa Rica Versus Nicaragua

Life was always a series of adventures to Edgar Neidhardt, and few have been more instructive and demanding than owning a hotel business in Costa Rica, and then the Kekoldi Hotel in neighboring Granada, Nicaragua.

The Kekoldi Hotel in Downtown San Jose

After a few visits to Costa Rica in the early 1990’s, Edgar decided to leave behind the often cold and gloomy weather of his German homeland for a new and perhaps more carefree adventure in tropical Costa Rica. Attracted by the eternal spring like temperatures of the Central Valley, he decided to renovate an existing building in the historic Amon district of San Jose in 1994. Using his imagination, and the decorating talent of the well known English artist Helen Eltis, his dream project became what it is still known as today – the Kekoldi Garden Hotel in San Jose, an art deco hotel just out of the immediate bustle of San Jose, but close to trendy restaurants, museums and theaters. “Business was brisk and I was happy with the results of what I had set out to do, but there was one problem,” relates Edgar, “Even though I owned the business, I didn’t own the building and the land. I was a tenant, subject to the whims of the owner who could raise the lease cost periodically. I wanted more security and opportunity by owning the land, and that is when I became interested in Granada.”

The Alta Hotel – A Boutique, Eclectic Experience in San Jose

Residents of Escazu to Santa Ana may have noticed a difference in the skyline along the “Calle Vieja” road between the two cities, and they are correct. There has been a transformation in the exterior of the landmark Alta Hotel in Costa Rica overlooking the Central Valley. Recognized as one of the original, luxury boutique hotels in the area, it has recently been acquired by the Nature Group, of which Nature Air Regional Airlines, the first carbon neutral airline in the world, and Nature Vacations are a part.

Tourism in Nicaragua – A Bonus for Costa Rica

Mauricio Alfaro, co-owner of the 5 leaves for sustainable tourism website, Costa Rican Trails, announces the launch of his new brand website, Nicaraguan Trails, which will feature packages for both Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  Mauricio, a visionary tourism entrepreneur states, “we have found an intense interest in people planning to visit Costa Rica for an extended period of time, most notably the Europeans whose vacations are for one month, they want to experience other countries.”

“When they travel all the way to get to this side of the world, Europeans want to see as much as possible. Offering Nicaragua as an extension, gives added value to the Costa Rica experience, and overall, Nicaragua is not a competitor of Costa Rica as they offer different experiences and sites that we don’t have, like Granada and Leon.   We have found that by assuring the European traveler that they won’t run out of things to do and places to see actually brings Costa Rica more business, as they choose to stay here most of the time anyway.  We’re glad we decided to move into this sector.”

According to statistics, Nicaragua attracted more than 1 million tourists in 2011, about 2.8% more compared to 2010.  With extensive campaigns by the governmental tourism board, known as INTUR, included running ads on TripAdvisor and The New York Times, this has lead Nicaragua to experience an increasing arrival of US travelers and international travelers.

Costa Rica Hotel for Sale, But Not The Memories or Lifestyle

In February of 2011, we published this article about a boutique hotel in Cahuita: http://theticotimes.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/from-luxury-yachts-to-luxury-bb-bungalows-in-caribbean-cahuita/, Owners, Joe and Chris, wrote to update us on their status, and we found their heartfelt expressions so poignant as to why many foreign residents appreciate Costa Rica, that we decided to publish their account in its entirety.
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We previously had written about the joy of moving to Costa Rica and pursuing our dream of having a small hotel near the beach and living Pura Vida after having originally started with meeting each other while working as crew members on private mega yachts, which together was our first great adventure.

Now, after making a very difficult decision to fully retire and sell this well established and successful hotel business (www.hotelforsalecostarica.net)so that we can move on to our next great adventure, we realize at times we have some very strong regrets! We are moving on to enjoy retirement, to travel and visit some of the many great people we have met here at our hotel from around the world, who we promised we would come see some day, while keeping Costa Rica as our base.

Now, “some day” has come.

From an Artists Workshop Retreat to a Sustainable Tourism Eco-Hotel

After two years of planning, in 2005 San Francisco art dealer and gallery owner Carlos Rojas, and Randy Langendorfer, marketing executive and then owner of a boutique contracting business specializing in restoration and renovation of vintage homes in San Francisco and Los Angeles, sold their businesses and all their possessions in the US to move to Costa Rica. The plan was to invite artists to Monte Azul, a 100 acre property near Chirripó National Park and along the banks of the Chirripó Pacifico River, to produce work that would be sold on site and at their gallery space in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan.

In the meantime they also developed the Monte Azul Boutique Hotel and Mountain Resort, along with an airy studio and gallery, outdoor restaurant and about 4 kilometers of hiking trails.

Hotel or Private Villa — Which is the better choice for your next vacation to Costa Rica?

Luxury villa (home) rentals are increasingly popular alternatives to luxury hotel vacations. And it has become much easier for travelers to find vacation homes to rent — directly online, using rental “by-owner” websites, through travel agents, and from personal recommendations. But do you know whether a villa or a hotel is better fit for you?

When planning your next vacation, the results of this short, easy quiz may help you decide which is your best option.

 Keep a running tally of your points; at the end you’ll find recommendations based on your total quiz score below.

Eco Tourism Meeting Medical Tourism Development Opportunities in Costa Rica

Would you develop property in Costa Rica today?

With all the doom and gloom coming to us by way of the media, including those of some visitors and tourists from North America and Europe, the answer would probably be, “no”, says Robert Shannon of Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties Real Estate Company.

Costa Rica’s tourism is still flourishing but for how long, some think?  It’s hard to predict as one would have to believe the impact of world events would catch up with us sooner or later.

But, consider these facts:
1.  This year alone over 250,000 Americans will travel to Costa Rica and places like Thailand for affordable medical care. They will be seeking everything from root canals to heart transplants. The proximity to the USA and the high standard of health care Costa Rica offers suggest that a higher percentage will come here.

2. We keep seeing statistics that eco tourism / sustainable tourism is becoming one of the most sought after travel packages. This comes in many different forms, but one of the most popular is the vacationer seeking to get a feel for making their contribution to our planet by using these sustainable tourism facilities.

We have seen some good attempts at eco-sustainable projects and they are interesting, and often in provocative, if not primitive, places.  But, Costa Rica has yet to see a major developer get involved in what many consider a necessary part of the future that will impact all of us for the good – combining the medical tourism aspects with eco-tourism!

Renting a 2 Wheel Drive Car vs. a 4 Wheel Drive SUV in Costa Rica

What is the best car / utility vehicle for each situation?

With my non-profit hotel association, Adventure Hotels of Costa Rica, about every two years, sometimes in the rainy (green) season, sometimes in the sunny (high) season, I clock approximately 2800 kilometers driving around Costa Rica, visiting all potential and new member hotels. Therefore I have gained quite a bit of knowledge about driving around Costa Rica at all times of the year.

Though Costa Rica looks small on a world map, it takes about fourteen hours to drive diagonally from one corner to the next. Traversing the rugged landscape, few highways are straight. And when you see a sign giving directions or kilometers to a certain town, take advantage of it! Costa Rica’s Million Dollar Gift of Happiness campaign by the ICT would have been far more productive spending the money signing the roads better for lost tourists, than giving the money away to some lucky tourists who can already afford a vacation, but that’s another story!

For the last seventeen years I have been making reservations for guests at my two consecutive Costa Rica hotels, Hemingway Inn and Adventure Inn and arranging good value car rentals for my guests (and others). I often get asked the question, “What do I need, a 2 wheel drive sedan or a 4 wheel drive SUV style car?”

A New Orchid Species Discovered at Bosque De Paz Biological Reserve in Costa Rica

Adam P Karremans and Melania Muñoz García are proud to announce the discovery and classification of Pleurothallis silvae-pacis, a new orchid species entirely new to science, that has been found at the Bosque de Paz Private Biological Reserve in Costa Rica.

Adam Karremans is a researcher at Lankester Botanical Gardens, University of Costa Rica, and Melania Muñoz García is the biologist in charge of Bosque de Paz Orchid Project since 2004.

Adam first became aware of the find on a trip to Bosque de Paz in 2008. “I had never seen such a species before, and tried to give it a name. For some time I had misidentified it as Pleurothallis angusta. But then, with the ongoing research on the whole Pleurothallidinae subtribe (to which this species belongs), the case was reviewed in 2010. After careful comparison, which is done comparing flowers and plants of the type material,  illustrations, descriptions and wild collected plants of P. angusta and other close relatives, we came to the conclusion that this was a different species which had no name. The species was quite hard to place within the Pleurothallis genus because of its intermediate features. In any case Melania and I wrote an article publishing this relatively beautiful and strange new species in 2011. I am at the moment also extracting DNA from it just to be sure of its placement.”

From SCUBA Diver & PADI Instructor to Eco Hotel Owner in Drake Bay

Rick Lane: Co-owner of the Pirate Cove Hotel and PADI Resort

How did you happen to come to Costa Rica and become a eco-hotel owner?

“Well, twenty years ago, I visited Drake Bay and enjoyed some great scuba diving at Isla del Cano. It was love at first sight. This isolated and beautiful home to deserted beaches and pristine rain forests is a natural paradise! It was hard to reach and far from normal tourist routes, but that just increased its allure. I vowed to return.”

 There was nothing here at the time, so how did you come to build a hotel?

“On a return visit, I became friends with a Swiss couple living in the area and we decided to build a small beach hotel for scuba divers and those who wanted to experience the awesome beauty of Corcovado National Park but who didn’t necessarily want to travel rough and sleep in the mud, like I had to on my first trip! We decided to call our hotel ‘Pirate Cove’, as a sort of back-handed compliment to Sir Francis Drake, who discovered Drake Bay.”  

At that time, things were really primitive, with unpaved roads and no electricity?

“Absolutely!  But now, the road from Manuel Antonio to Dominical makes the trek much easier, and we have electricity, phone lines, GSM and 3G service now.  Pirate Cove is an intimate place in the rain forest right at the edge of a very long deserted beach. The bungalows are the most popular with our guests, and all have private bathrooms with hot water showers and private terraces overlooking the beach. We also now have three rooms on the second floor of the main building, which have air conditioning.”

Are you an all inclusive hotel, as aren’t there few restaurants?

“There are no restaurants close to the hotels down here, so prices include all meals.  ‘All inclusive’ generally means alcoholic beverages are included, which we don’t, but we do have an honor bar.  Our guests rate our food as excellent, we use local produce, much of it organic, fresh caught fish and often homemade bread.”

Since you are in a more remote, but pristine area, what type of guests do you attract?

“SCUBA divers and true nature lovers!  Most guests stay between 3 and 7 days to experience and relax. The beach is safe with no dangerous tides and we provide kayaks  at no extra charge. The two most popular tours are Corcovado National Park and Isla del Cano, and during the 45 minute boat rides, whales and dolphin are often seen. Isla del Cano is the home to world class scuba diving and snorkeling. Large pelagic and colorful reef creatures abound below the surface.  For horseback riders, Susanne keeps the most beautiful and well trained horses and you can ride along the beach and into the rain forests.”

“ This is the true, old Costa Rican, Pura Vida!  If you’re looking for discos, night life and casinos, city views from behind glass windows, don’t come here.  But if you’re looking for SCUBA diving and nature, then you’ll be in paradise – guaranteed!”

Pirate Cove in Drake Bay is  working towards “Bandera Azul”, the Blue Flag Award for beaches in Costa Rica, and  in the  final stage of becoming verified as an ecological hotel by The Rain Forest Alliance.  For more information, visit their websites:Pirate Cove Hotel and Cano Divers PADI Resort.

Related: New eco-resort near Manuel Antonio empahsizing sustainable tourism.

Central America Travel Deals Feature Ecotourism in Costa Rica and Mexico

Although Costa Rica is a relatively small country if you compare it to Mexico, it stands out from other Central American countries by emphasizing the ecotourism trend that it helped create and promote. Especially in this time of economic crisis, the whole idea behind ecotourism is to preserve natural resources while at the same time profiting from them, and giving back to the community. Costa Rica, receives over 1 million visitors per year and practically half of them (49%) come from The U. S, and with the depressed economy there, great deals on travel and eco-tours can be found in Costa Rica as well as Mexico.

Secluded, Los Chonchos Beach, Mexico - Jungle Trekking, Snorkeling, Whale Watching

Most people may not think of it this way, but Costa Rica’s “neighbor” to the north has always offered many eco-tourism attractions. From the Pacific to the Caribbean, Mexico offers unequaled natural beauty and great weather year round. Oliver Weickardt, of Vacaciónes Mexíco, reminds us, “Mexico is not just about sandy beaches, it has many other options to offer its visitors such as: beautiful architecture, mountains, biosphere reserves, and magical archaeology, including one of the 7 wonders of the world in Chichèn Itzà , located in the Yucatan peninsula. Sure, we have our big hotels on white sandy beaches, but if you’re looking for ecotourism, we have isolated beaches, and traveling now is a bargain.”

What Do Zip Lines, Yoga, The Economy in San Pablo and Tourism All Have in Common?

Bob and Jill - Owner / Operators of Amatierra Retreat & Wellness Center

“Bridges,” answers Jill Ruttenberg of the Amatierra Yoga and Wellness Center near the village of San Pablo de Turrubares, “and the people here can ill afford to be cut off from working in Orotina or Turu Ba Ri Park.  No buses can pass from the tiny towns on this side of the river to Orotina, and workers in Orotina going to the tour park can’t get there, either.  Have the people not suffered enough, losing 5 residents in the tragic accident in October 2009? “

In a double dose quirk of fate, the floods of last November took out the temporary Bailey bridge that was put across the river to replace the suspension bridge that collapsed a year earlier, until a permanent, two lane bridge can be built.  Meanwhile, a small boat takes people across the swiftly flowing river, although it cannot transport goods of any kind.  This has killed the once thriving day tour business of the Turu Ba Ri Park, eliminating 110 jobs from this small community and millions of dollars of revenue for the park alone.  Tourists from San Jose would frequent the thousand acre park, as well as hundreds of tourists from cruise ships each time one would dock in Puntarenas.

“Our friend, Oscar Saborio, owner of the Turu Ba Ri Adventure Park, desperately worked with us to try to convince the government to fix the bridge to save his very livelihood and life long investment, and to save the jobs of more than 110 people who worked at the park, all local ticos. We attended meetings, wrote letters, and were told there were other priorities in more touristy areas, and that they wanted to wait and make a 2-lane, solid bridge this time.  Well, fortunately, now MOPT scrambles to complete another one lane Bailey Bridge by this Sunday, as the new highway will be closed for repairs.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” continues Jill.

From Luxury Yachts to Luxury B&B Bungalows in Caribbean Cahuita

Joe and Chris Cannon

Joe Cannon and his wife, Chris, owners and operators of Coral Hill Bungalows, reflect on their adventures, dreams, visions and plans that took them from working on private luxury yachts to buying, building and launching their luxury Caribbean bungalows five years ago in the small village of Cahuita, Costa Rica.

Chris says “Joe and I met back in the 80′s when we both worked as crew members on private mega-yachts. Joe was the Chef and I was the lead Stewardess. The standard of service, quality, presentation and congeniality that we learned while serving on those yachts were of the highest level. The people who owned or charted these mega-yachts paid for and expected that exceptional kind of experience and that is what groomed us for our present roles as proprietors of a boutique hotel.”

“We felt we wanted to offer a similar kind of attention to detail, but in a small land based Bed & Breakfast type of establishment somewhere in a remote ocean side area. We were looking for a place that had top of the line mattresses, thick plush towels, impeccably clean rooms, large luxurious showers and a unique high quality breakfast, but couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for, so we decided to create one ourselves.”

Taking on the Giants

One Costa Rican hotel owner had enough of the costly intermediaries he thought necessary to fill his hotel and responded by successfully building a non-profit Costa Rican hotel association over the last six years – The Adventure Hotels of Costa Rica.

Eric Robinson, owner of the Adventure Inn Hotel, near the San Jose International Airport states, “I had had enough depending on the Global Distribution System hierarchy (GDS), that is, Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and Hotels.com to send me guests, and when they do, they want a 25 to 30% commission or more, eating up most of the profits. It’s hard to win.”

In 2005, Robinson was able to garner a group of 22 hotel owners and persuade them to refer guests to each other. “When guests check out and are going to other parts of Costa Rica, they are eager for hotel information. I thought what a lost opportunity, and Adventure Hotels of Costa Rica (AHCR) was formed. Things were a bit slow until member hotels started realizing it really does work, and we haven’t looked back.”

Not counting the 10% discount guests receive when they mention AHCR at booking, another special ingredient that the Adventure Hotels of Costa Rica offers to potential guests that the GDS is unable to do, is the ability to talk directly with the hotel, make special requests for an ocean front room, or flowers and a bottle of champagne waiting in their room, or even negotiate a lower price for multi-night stays or groups.