Home » Great Escapes
Great Escapes
Experience Costa Rica
By Rita Cook
To put it more into perspective, Costa Rica is actually just a little smaller than the state of West Virginia. Bordering both Nicaragua and Panama, the fact that it is so small with only about four million residents has done nothing to sway tourism. Even being quite a small country, the fact is that Costa Rica is home to as much as six percent of the world's biodiversity.
Costa Rica enjoys a strong tourism stream with about one million visitors coming through every year. Whether you choose to enjoy a small piece of the 755 miles of coastline with your choice of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans or you're more of the adventurous type preferring bird watching, volcano trekking or hiking - the thing about Costa Rica is you can have it all and it only takes about four hours to get from one side of the country to the other.
Most people will fly into San Jose, located in the Central Region of the country. A big city just like any other, there is much to see and do in central region. While enjoying the city experience be sure and visit the museums in Costa Rica's capital including the Gold Museum, the Jade Museum, the National Museum, the Contemporary Art museum and the Children's museum. The National Theatre is another architectural wonder and it was built back in 1897 - very reminiscent of the European influence in the country.
A little further out of San Jose sits a Volcanic Mountain range that include the volcanoes known as Poás and the Irazú, a must see when visiting.
Stop in at a few of the coffee plantations and learn how coffee is made from the beginning to the end of the process, there are several plantations you can visit and get a taste of some authentic Costa Rican coffee.
Even if you're not into bird watching you might turn into a lover of all things with feathers after a trip down - the country is home to as many as 850 species, and that's a lot of birds to identify. Grab an experienced guide and you're on your way.
In Costa Rica you will find every sort of natural diversion from rain forests, mangrove swamps, beaches, cloud forest to rivers and lakes, again lots of wild life and teeming with birds think warblers, orioles - it's a migration paradise.
It was the Spanish explorers who first landed in Costa Rica way back in the 1500s and parts of the country belonged to Spain for centuries. These days, Costa Rica is an independent country and a safe bet for tourists the world over.
Where to Stay:
Real Intercontinental
Prospero Fernandez Highway.
Escazu
San Jose, 11856-1000
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/
IHG is home to not only home to the Intercontinental brand, but also Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express - truly fitting all your needs no matter your budget. When staying in Costa Rica at one of the destinations make sure and ask about the Priority Club, it will be worth it to make your stay nicer. Intercontinental also just opened a new tower so the rooms are not only new, but upgraded to perfection.
Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa
Playa Flamingo
Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
www.resortflamingobeach.com
After a day of full adventure there is nothing like a visit to the "Serenity Spa" at Flamingo Beach Resort and spa located on the golden, white sands of Blue Flag Beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Recognized as the premier vacation spot, the resort debuts with the Serenity Spa, a place to experience the wonders of nature, offering a full range of body and face treatments made out of a blend of Costa Rican organic, natural products. Also, the spa offers the best professional therapists allowing guests to feel like true nobility.
Guatemala
By Rita Cook
Known for its pure richness of tradition, folklore, culture and art, Guatemala is truly a rare find in Central America for the discerning traveler looking for an experience not to be forgotten. Fly into Guatemala City and begin your trip by spending a day getting acclimated to the country and start by taking a city tour. It's easy to hire a driver from any of the higher-end hotels and be sure you request a trip to the local market for crafts and souvenirs. Stop in the square and admire the Metropolitan Cathedral as well as the Palace of Culture across the street built in the 1930s.
For sure, Guatemala City brings together the best of both the Spanish colonial era and the ancient Mayan traditions. A tour through Zone 1 is the perfect way to see the contrast between the modern present and conservative colonial past. A few of the more popular museums in Guatemala City include the Art Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Anthropology Museum. These stops offer a head start for a better understanding of the unique, yet still vibrant Mayan culture, which still abounds in the countryside. Take note too, of the many colorful outfits of the Mayans in the capital city selling their wares. Each color, shape and design in the dress is a symbol of the part of the country, where a person comes from as well as their particular Mayan heritage.
Guatemala is well-known for both its coffee (be sure and have a cup in the morning and in the afternoon) and for macadamia nuts. The opportunity to visit both type of plantations are available, but if you have only time for one visit Valhalla Macadamia Farm not far from Antigua, Guatemala's old city. Valhalla is an eco-friendly farm where the owner was once a firefighter in Northern California. There is a free tour of the farm, samples of chocolate, nuts and even macadamia beauty products, one of the best natural products there is for anti-aging.
After a few hours visiting the macadamia farm head to Antigua only 30 minutes away and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Indeed, history does come alive on the city's cobblestone streets and in fact, it appears that time just stopped at the end of the colonial era. For many years Antigua was the political and religious capital for all of Central America. These days you can still visit the hundreds of Christian temples, convents in ruins, monasteries, cathedrals and colonial churches filled with legends and stories offering a true mystical air to the experience.
In fact, Antigua is Guatemala's most visited destination and the art and history have everything to do with that accolade. The historical richness is a must-see when in the area and it's only a 30-minute drive back to Guatemala City as well.
As you travel around Guatemala there will certainly be quite a few sights that you won't forget, but none as powerful as the active and smoking volcanoes that loom not so far in the distance. The one really worth mentioning is Pacaya since it's only a half-day climb up and back in order to see it. Still smoking, when you reach the top you will see the lava bubbling and you will have a chance to look out over the amazing Guatemalan countryside. It's not the easiest walk up, but many do it or otherwise opt for a horseback ride to the top and back down again.
Tikal or, "The Lost City" is one of Central America's most important ancient Mayan ruins and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. While archeologists are still unearthing many ancient ruins in the area, visitors will have a chance to visit a large amount of this once mystical city of the Mayans that still holds a special feeling even today. The park itself is about 147,000 acres and is covered by heavy forest and lots of wildlife including howler and spider monkeys and jaguars.
It was during the Mayan Classical period that this area was populated by as many as 10,000 people it what was considered the Mayan golden years. The pyramids at Tikal are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and even today Mayan priests (Mayans are still the largest population in Guatemala) gather at this site for sacred rituals several times a year.
Indeed, when you visit Guatemala you are looking at not only the present, but a unique past that is still a part of what is becoming a part of the country's vibrant future.
Where to stay:
Real Intercontinental Guatemala
14 Calle 2-51, Zona 10
Guatemala City
502-2413-4444
www.intercontinental.com
Posada Del Angel
4a Avenida Sur #24A
Antigua
305-677-2382
www.posadadelangel.com