Costa Rica

RSVIP: Dinner with an Astronaut and Fireworks in Costa Rica

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

After a frenetic Oscar week, RSVIP simply wanted to languish in a tropical plunge pool, right. Call it kismet, but a birthday-fete invite arrived from a college pal, former Democratic National Committee Chair Joe Andrew, husband of America's first female ambassador to Costa Rica, Anne Slaughter Andrew.

The Obama-appointed ambassador, a font of Indiana-spun charm, is a formidable advocate of biodiversity, a former environmental lawyer, and an entrepreneur. At her current post, when she isn't glued to her BlackBerry or being whisked off by her security detail, she spends 16 hours a day at chess like diplomacy.

Friday afternoon, a breath of jungle steam greeted RSVIP as the cabin door of my Taca Airline flight opened at San Jose International Airport. After a bumpy, 20-minute taxi shuttle through gumdrop volcanic hills, we puttered up to the Real Intercontinental Hotel in Escazu, a chichi suburb of San Jose, Costa Rica. A cacophony of parrots in palm fronds screeched overhead. A five-story lobby and a kickboxing session at the spa overlooked two attractive pools with a throbbing water feature. Views were complemented by an, ahem, $41 Mexican buffet and a Factory Steak and Lobster restaurant with tables facing the pool. A nearby mall boasts a Givenchy boutique, but good luck crossing the street at rush hour.

Tags: costa rica, rsvip

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A High End, Newly Opened Mountain Retreat: Hacienda Santa Ines, Costa Rica

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

A High End, Newly Opened Mountain Retreat: Hacienda Santa Ines, Costa Rica

Hacienda Santa Ines is an unusual combination of high end resort/sanctuary and working ranch. Set on 300 acres of farmland, it is hidden in the Tres Rios Mountains that loom 6,000 feet high over Cartago, Costa Rica's old capital city. The Hacienda is new, as it just opened for business in February.

Available for one family or small group to rent exclusively at a time, there are 11 guest rooms, with a staff of 25. iPad and iPod docks as well as wi-fi, allow the guests to remain connected to the outside world, if they want to. The theater room has a Blu-Ray library, and the game room offers pool, table tennis, and more. The spa's two masseuses specialize in four-handed treatments. The fully-equipped gym has mountain and valley views with state-of-the-art equipment. Cigars can be smoked in the paneled cigar room. The view from the indoor pool and Jacuzzi is of gardens and mountains.

The chef makes good use of the farm's fresh eggs and vast organic kitchen garden and greenhouse. Rustic lunches are served in the woods, by the lagoon, or at a variety of barbecue spots dotted throughout the ranch. Modern stables house Fresian horses, ideally suited for gentle walks or energetic adventures. A fleet of ATVs are at guests' disposal, perfect for traveling through the estate's private lands and its three micro-climates. There is an elaborate 100,000-square-foot paint-ball field. There are 300 cows. milked twice daily. Children can feed lambs, calves, rabbits, chicks and piglets at the Petting Zoo.

Located an hour from San Jose's international airport, Hacienda Santa Inés is a unique locale for a family gathering, reunion, corporate retreat, or small wedding. Costa Rica's Pacific beaches are 20 minutes away from the Hacienda's helipad. And the Hacienda is ideally located for car or helicopter excursions to San Jose, the capital, as well as rain forests, waterfalls and volcanoes, in Costa Rica's interior. Pricing ranges from $12,000 to $18,500 per day. There is an added price for children and other guests, depending on the ages, ranging from $200 to $500 per day.

More images are on the next page.

Tags: costa rica, Costa Rica Haciendas, Costa Rica high end travel, Costa Rica sanctuary, Hacienda Santa Ines, Tres Rios Mountains

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Giveaway: Surf and Yoga Retreat for Women in Costa Rica

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Ready for a vacation? Our sister site, MyDaily, is offering a giveaway for one reader (and a guest) for a seven-day, six night stay at a women's surf camp and yoga retreat in Malpais on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica through Pura Vida Adventures.

Barefoot luxury accommodations at the beachfront resort are included, as is daily surf lessons, use of a surfboard and other necessary equipment, daily yoga sessions, three meals daily and one private massage. The adventure takes place May 7 to the 13 and is non-transferable. The total value of the package is $3,000, but does not include airfare.

Here's how you can enter:

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Mel Gibson Lists Costa Rican Hideaway For $35 Million

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Is a 500-acre spread in Costa Rica not private enough? That's the reason Mel Gibson is giving for listing his tropical getaway, Hacienda Dorada, for sale. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Gibson's property is up for sale through Engel & Volkers for $35 million because the oceanfront property is no longer private enough and he is plagued by paparazzi when he is there. The estate on the Nicoya Peninsula has a seven-bedroom main house, a pair of two-bedroom homes, each with a private pool. The property is staffed full time. He brought the property in 2007 for $25.8 million.

Gibson may be in for a bit of a wait if he wants to sell this one. Earlier this year he finally sold Old Mill Farm, his 75-acre Greenwich, Connecticut estate. It went for nearly $24 million after spending three years on the market and having a series of price cuts. He bought the property in 1994 for $9.3 million.

His Malibu property, Lavender Hill Farm, where his ex-wife Robyn lived, hit the market earlier this year for $14.5 million is still listed but with a lower price of $12.75 million.

Tags: celebrity real estate, costa rica, hacienda dorada, mel gibson

Hone Your Photography Skills on a Private Jet Tour of Central & South America

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Jay Dickman (above) is leading an incredible 16-day private jet tour of Central and South America, part of the National Geographic Expeditions program, set to take place from Mar 26 - Apr 10, 2011. Dickman, a National Geographic Expert who has covered events as diverse as the war in El Salvador to the Olympics for numerous publications including National Geographic magazine, is part of the Olympus Visionary Program, a group of prestigious professional photographers who all use Olympus cameras like the brilliant new PEN E-PL1 for professional and personal assignments. The luxe trip via a custom Boeing 757 takes you through lush rain forests, magnificent mountain ranges, lively cities, and the legacies of mighty civilizations.

Destinations include Guatemala, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and Costa Rica, from "the soaring pyramid temples of the ancient Mayans to the alluring grace of Argentina's tango, and from the awe-inspiring rush of Iguazú Falls to the serene rain forests of the Amazon", with luxury hotel stays in between. As the excursion is priced at $46,950 per person, you'll obviously want to make sure you get great photos – which Dickman helps ensure, leading photographic expeditions and discussing technical as well as aesthetic issues that make for great photography and photographs. Book your seats now as space is limited.

Tags: Brazil, camera, Costa Rica, digital camera, Jay Dickman, luxury travel, National Geographic, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, Peru, photographer, photography, private jet, South America

World's Largest Penthouse Listed at $50 Million

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Real Estate Developments

Need a lot of room? The Wall Street Journal's Developments blog reports on a new penthouse that would satisfy even the most square-footage-hungry buyer. The penthouse unit of the 14-story Genesis Puntarenas in Costa Rica is a 68,459-square-foot oceanfront spread. The developers are calling it the world's largest penthouse and want to sell the not-yet-built unit for $50 million.

Renderings available at the Hurwitz James Company show a building with a fitness center, pool with a swim-up bar, restaurant and business center. It is believed that the building will take two years to complete. The three-story penthouse will have ten bedrooms and has its own rooftop pool, tennis court, private helipad and floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls. Bob Hurwitz tells the WSJ that there has already been interest from a Russian bachelor and a family from China. Prices for the building's 47 other units range from $473,000 to $3.3 million. Units have floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls and private all-glass terraces. The building is located in the Pacific Coast city of Puntarenas, about a half-hour drive from the capital city of San Jose.

Gallery: Genesis Puntarenas

Tags: costa rica, genesis puntarenas, penthouse, worlds largest penthouse

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, a nominee for best beachside hotel, is located on Costa Rica's northwest Pacific coast within the province of Guanacaste, about 160 kilometres from the border with Nicaragua.

The landscape is a spectacular and unusual mix of grassy savannahs, immense cattle ranches and tropical dry forest, backed by volcanic mountain ranges. Though it's the country's second-largest province by area, Guanacaste is the least populated, offering a calm, peaceful ambience.

The hotel is located in a secluded natural sanctuary and has two unspoiled beaches that provide abundant opportunities for guests to experience eco-adventure on land and in the water.

Gallery: Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Its indigenous spa offers a calm environment with ocean views from relaxation lounges. It has a comprehensive selection of facials, body treatments and massages highlights therapies using indigenous ingredients, such as mineral-rich rainforest muds from the nearby Osa Peninsula.

Tags: awards-main, Best Beachside Hotel, Costa Rica, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, luxist-awards

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Paradisus Playa Conchal Offers Late Summer Deal

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Looking for a last minute vacation? Paradisus Playa Conchal in Costa Rica has a special package available this month. The Spa Getaway Package is a four-night/five-day stay that includes an in-room welcome gift, 30-minute facial treatment per person, use of Jacuzzi at Ahuia Spa, one 80-minute Shell massage per person, one 30-minute private yoga class for two and a 15 percent discount on any additional therapies bought at Ahuia Spa. The price per person/per night based on double occupancy for four nights is $318 for a deluxe garden junior suite and $398 for a Royal Service regal junior suite. The offer is only valid until August 31, 2010.

The resort has a total of 406 oversized suites ranging from 538 sq. ft. to 1,162 sq. ft. and each has a separate living area with a sofa bed and a private terrace or balcony. There are eight restaurants and cafes and five bars and lounges on the property and both a large lagoon-style pool and a separate Royal Service pool. For recreation, guests can enjoy an18-hole par 71 Robert Trent Jones Golf Course, fitness center, four lighted tennis courts, catamarans, kayaks, bicycles and classes including cooking, sushi making, wine tasting, flower arranging, bird watching, massage, painting, tango dancing and more.

Tags: costa rica, hotel deals, paradisus playa conchal

Five Cigar Recommendations for Father's Day

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

I'm about to celebrate my first Father's Day, so when I heard that the Beverly Hills Cigar Club had a few cigar suggestions for the occasion, I opened the e-mail immediately. In past years, I would have written the blog post for everyone else ... this year, I have something at stake!

Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, has put together an interesting menu of cigars for Father's Day this year. From this list, I'd go with the Oliva Serie V, though my personal favorite these days is the 601 Trabuco (hint, hint).

Let's take a look at the five cigars Lee offers up as Father's Day suggestions:

1. CAO America Monument Pinstripe Torpedo
The wrapper on this cigar consists of two leaves arranged to deliver a pinstriping effect. One is a golden brown Connecticut Shade, and the other is a chocolate brown Connecticut Broadleaf. The filler comes from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Notes Lee, "Warm summer nights this Father's Day, heat up the Kalamazoo 900 Grill and let Dad light up America while he slow grills his special burgers. No, he still won't tell you what's in the sauce though."

Tags: beverly hills, cigar, cigar club, cigar lounge, cigars, colombia, costa rica, dominican republic, fathers day, fathers-day, FathersDay, honduras, Mexico, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

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Tabacon Grand Spa & Thermal Resort Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best International Spa

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Tabacon Grand Spa Wins Best International Spa Award

Deep within the lush rain forest of Costa Rica, Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is the Winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best International Spa.

Tabacón Resort is an oasis embedded in a primary rain forest, featuring twelve natural thermal spring pools and lagoons, waterfalls, exotic gardens and trails. Geologically, Tabacón Resort's hot springs are 97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. The resort is a three hour drive (150 km) north of the San José International Airport. The resort sits near the base of Arenal Volcano, and is surrounded by the wildly diverse flora and fauna of the tropical rain forest. Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is committed to sustainable tourism with a core mission that includes the protection and improvement of the environment.

Tags: awards-main, best international spa, best spa, costa rica, international spa, luxist-awards, main-awards, rain forest, spa, Tabacón Resort, Tabacon, Tabacon Grand Spa, Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, tabacon resort, winners-spas

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Tabacón Resort: A Spendorous Natural Paradise

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

Deep within the lush rain forest of Costa Rica, Tabacón Resort is a nominee for a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best International Spa. Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is committed to sustainable tourism with a core mission that includes the protection and improvement of the environment.

Tabacón Resort is an oasis embedded in a primary rain forest, featuring twelve natural thermal spring pools and lagoons, waterfalls, exotic gardens and trails. Geologically, Tabacón Resort's hot springs are 97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. The resort is a three hour drive (150 km) north of the San José International Airport. The resort sits near the base of Arenal Volcano, and is surrounded by the wildly diverse flora and fauna of the tropical rain forest.

Tags: awards-main, best international spa, best spa, BestInternationalSpa, BestSpa, costa rica, luxist-awards, spa, spa-main, Tabacon, Tabacon Grand Spa, Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, TabaconGrandSpa, TabaconGrandSpaThermalResort

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Soto Retreats Combines Learning, Long Boards, Zip Lines, and Costa Rica

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Everyone is doing Costa Rica nowadays, and why shouldn't they? It's one of the few places with a jungle that's actually inviting, where you can color-coordinate your attire with black, brown and white sand beaches, and that isn't overrun with tourists even though, well, everyone is doing Costa Rica. Still, few are doing anything new when they do Costa Rica, and Soto Retreats has a few packages that will allow you to address that.

For more involvement with the locals, the Spanish and Surf program will initiate you to Latin American conjugations while you learn how to stand up on a longboard to catch three-meter waves. You'll stay in Jacó, which the locals call The City of Surf, and stay from one to four weeks doing ten to 20 Spanish lessons per week and getting in the water daily. Should that not be enough, you can swap out the Spanish lessons for plain old adventure, doling out your non-surfing hours between zip lining, white water rafting, ATV-ing and haunting jungle trails already haunted by scarlet macaws and white-faced monkeys.

Soto additionally offers an All Women Surf, Yoga and Spanish getaway for those times when men just aren't allowed. You'll still need to share the water with manly types, but the yoga classes take place on an open-air deck by the ocean, or in the shade of one of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. Soto takes care of everything once you step off the plane, and packages begin at $1,700 for a seven-day trip.

Source

Tags: costa rica, jaco, soto retreats, surfing, yoga

Diamond Teak's Eco-Elegant Designs

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events, Celebrity Shopping, Green

The VIP tent at the annual Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge in the Hamptons is always quite a scene, but this year attendees noticed the space was particularly plush. That's because Diamond Teak, one of the key sponsors at this year's event, furnished the VIP area with heirloom-quality pieces from its Spirit Song Collection (above). The company was founded by two Harvard grads, Kevin and Christine Yardley, who volunteered with the World Teach Organization in Costa Rica. They conceived of Diamond Teak as a way of bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to protecting the environment and boosting the local economy there. They now have over 12 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) / Smartwood certified plantations, protecting over 1.000 acres of jungle terrain. Diamond Teak is an end result of this process - the finest teak wood furniture from the best wood hand-selected by master crafts people. The company has accrued a broad range of high-profile clients, including Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The Spirit Song Collection's elegant curves mimic organic forms in nature, combining golden tropical hardwood with shimmering marine-grade stainless steel.

Tags: Costa Rica, CostaRica, Diamond Teak, DiamondTeak, Hamptons, Harvard, Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge, Mercedes-benzPoloChallenge, polo, teak, wood furniture, WoodFurniture

Costa Rica's Rainforest Recession Special

by Paul Rogers (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

It's hard to remember a time when exotic travel to so many places was as reasonably priced as it is today. If it's the rainforest you've always wanted to see, here's a recession special worth checking out. The Lost Iguana Resort in Costa Rica is offering a seven-night package for $999 that includes all meals (though not alcohol) and a $500 credit at its new Golden Gecko Spa as well as transportation to and from the San Jose International Airport.

The property sits in Costa Rica's lush Central Valley, and all of its 42 guest rooms face the lava-spewing side of the Arenal volcano, one of the ten most active in the world. The region's natural setting, in a primal rainforest, lends itself to some memorable activities, including a zip-line canopy tour that stretches for 1.7 miles and, for the more earthbound, guided hikes through the jungle and plunges into steaming hot springs. The rainforest's abundant wildlife is also large part of the experience at Lost Iguana. Guests are likely to see, among other species, tiny Scintillant hummingbirds; white-nosed coati, a raccoon-like animal native to Central and South America; and, yes, iguanas.

Gallery: Costa Rica's Lost Iguana Resort

The resort is perched in a primal rainforest

Tags: Costa Rica, CostaRica, Lost Iguana Resort, LostIguanaResort, zip line, ZipLine

Costa Verde Resort Offers Fuselage Suite

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

The Costa Verde hotel in Costa Rica has turned old Boeing 727 fuselage into one amazing suite. The hotel salvaged the airframe from the San Jose airport and put it on a 50-foot pedestal for optimum views. it has a hard wood deck built atop the plane's former right wing that offers ocean views and a long spiral staircase provides a private entrance. The two-bedroom suite has been paneled in Costa Rican teak and is furnished with teak furniture from Java, Indonesia. There are two air conditioned bedrooms, one with two queen sized beds and the other with one queen sized bed and each has a private bath. The suite also includes a a flat screen TV, a kitchenette and a dining area foyer. The suite starts at $300 a night.

[via DVice]

Gallery: Costa Verde 727 Suite