Costa Rica Travel and Vacation » hotels costa rica

Getting around Poas Volcano

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:34:16 +0000

Transport in and around Poas volcano, Costa Rica, can seem tricky if you do not rent a car. However there are options available to make getting around really quick and easy.
Most people that decide to not rent a car in Costa Rica do so because they are concerned about road conditions. This is very true for some parts of Costa Rica, where road conditions can be very treacherous and difficult for a nervous or inexperienced driver.
Roads in Costa Rica are also very prone to fast detrioration during the rainy season. Pot holes can appear almost instantly and get bigger quickly. A pothole filled with water can be just about invisible, especially at night or when it is raining. Hitting a pothole at speed can cause terrible damage or accidents.
Another concern is getting lost due to the lack of road signs and reliable, up to date maps. In Costa Rica there are no addresses, but rather directions. These directions often rely on land marks that may not exist anymore. A famous example of this is the Old Fig Tree in San Jose that was cut down years ago, but is still referred to when giving directions.
A further concern is the reliability of rental cars and rental agencies, the high prices charged and the fact that rental cars are easy to spot and therefore make easy targets for petty crime against tourists. Do not be alarmed, crime in Costa Rica is very low in real terms and the cases of crime against tourists are negligable.
Many transport options exist for those looking to get around using private and public transport. Many lodges and hotels also offer their own transport or are contracted to independent transport companies.
Always do a bit of research to find out what the best option may be for your needs. Also take times into account when traveling. Getting around in Costa Rica can take longer than anticipated.
Poas Lodge at Poas Volcano, Costa Rica offers well priced, private transport in comfortable, air conditioned vehicles. Poas Volcano is the best place to start and end your vacation in Costa Rica because of its proximity to San Jose airport (SJO).
Spending a night in San Jose or Alajuela effectively robs you of a day of your vacation. It is advisible to have Poas Lodge pick you up at the airport so that you can spend your first night at the summit of one of the most accesible volcanos in the world.
Poas Lodge affords one of the best views in Costa Rica, with vistas that extend all the way to the Pacific Ocean 100 miles away. Transport in and around the Paos Volcano area and further afield is easy to arrange with Poas Lodge.

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2010 New Year’s Eve Week Couples Dream Vacation

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:33:53 +0000

2010 New Year’s Eve Week Couples Dream VacationMake your reservations today for the Copacabana Desire Hotel’s New Year’s Eve couples only week in Jaco, Costa Rica.
The grand festivities begin on December 25th and don’t stop till January 2nd, 2011.
Come join in on all the fun during the one week in Costa Rica you will never forget.
The all inclusive packages include breakfast, lunch and dinner a la carte, snacks, safe deposit box, mini bar with water, sodas and beer, plus domestic liquor and soft drinks at the bar.
Book seven nights and your round trip ground transportation to and from the San Jose airport (SJO) is included.
Come and enjoy the open minded adult ambiance, fun and excitement under the stars and on the beach in Jaco Beach (Playa Jaco), Costa Rica.
Everyone knows the Copacabana Desire Hotel is Jaco Beach’s beachfront premier party central.
Saturday the 25th the unforgettable week begins with a Christmas dinner and live music featuring Mouse in the Toaster.
Sunday the 26th is Asian night with fabulous Asian cuisine and live music featuring the Wetbacks.
Monday the 27th is Polynesian luau night. Enjoy a mouth-watering Hawaiian feast along with the Latin musical sounds of Tropical Express Live.
Tuesday the 28th is Open Mic Night with live music featuring Benjamin and the Howlers.
Wednesday the 29th is Wild on Wednesdays Adventure Night featuring Mexican food night, raffles and live Latin music with Tropical Express. Get wild and crazy, feel a bit of Mexico enjoying our delicious chicken, shrimp and beef Quesadillas, Chalupas, Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas and much more.
Thursday the 30th is Karaoke Night with plenty of International and local music to choose from and where everyone can sing to popular music and dance in between, plus Jaco Beach’s one and only B. B. Q. Night.
Friday the 31st is New Year’s Eve and watch the huge fireworks display right from the Copacabana Desire Hotel and on the beach. We welcome live music featuring the Blind Pigs and delight over our seafood extravaganza with an exquisite variety of International dishes prepared with the best quality of fresh fish and seafood. We offer lobster, ceviches, seafood and shrimp cocktails, mussels, shrimp avocado, fish dishes, seared tuna, shrimp dishes, scallops, seafood paella and much more.
Saturday January 1st, 2011 the party continues with more live music featuring Mouse in the Toaster.
Sunday January 2nd, 2011 is the grand finally of a fabulous vacation.
Walk the beach at sunset and watch the spectacular sun set as you are overlooking the Pacific Ocean and while having a cocktail under the stars.
The Copacabana Desire Hotel offers Jet Ski and ATV rentals, Volcano and waterfall tours; see the monkeys, scarlet macaws and much more.
Relax and enjoy our professional Coconut Palms Spa offering Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Four Hands and Couple Massage, plus Body Ex-foliation, Manicure, Pedicure and Waxing services.
Lust after our famous BBQ, daily Pool Parties and nightly entertainment starting at 8:00PM.
Delight yourself with the Copacabana’s Ocean Waves bar & restaurant serving International and Latin American cuisine every day.
Watch sporting events on the big screen daily and take advantage of our two swimming pools, one designed for nudists, outdoor Jacuzzis, poolside beds at both swimming pools and swim up full liquor bar at the pool.
Bring your fantasies to life and stay in one of the fully equipped Jacuzzi suites at the Copacabana Desire Hotel on the Pacific Ocean beach of Playa Jaco (Jaco Beach), Costa Rica.
Only one hour from San Jose and the pleasures of Jaco Beach in the Province of Puntarenas await your adult fantasies.
Don’t delay and make your reservations early as space is limited.
Join our open-minded ambiance and fulfill your adult desires at copacabanadesirehotel. com.
Don’t delay and make your reservations early as space is limited.
Join our open-minded ambiance and fulfill your adult desires at copacabanadesirehotel. com.

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Investing in the Best Location: Planet Earth

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:34:44 +0000

Development has traditionally been viewed as the antithesis of environmental protection. Riverside Developers believes that by developing land efficiently and conscientiously, we can make this world a better place, both for our residents and the wildlife we so cherish. The site of the Sonesta Jaco Resort demonstrates these ideals. The Sonesta Jaco Resort is being built in Costa Rica, a country with vast reserves of wild lands yet to be matched by many other countries. Within this paradigm of conservation, we work to preserve the landscape by building in harmony with nature. We strive to incorporate the venerable trees growing on our construction sites into the project. For example, a palm tree about 100 years old will sit in the center of our lagoon-style pool, exactly where it has grown for generations. Also incorporated into the design is the beautiful creek running through the property. It will continue to provide water and habitat for the wildlife that use it today. Every project we build sets aside a portion of the land on the property as greenspace, allowing habitat for countless plants and small animals. We provide nesting space for birds, and feeding spots for butterflies, as well as catchment for Costa Rica’s plentiful rainwater, preventing pollution and erosion. Our ecologists direct us as we strive to maintain and nurture the vegetation and trees that provide food and shelter for the parrots, squirrels, and iguanas that call our land home, and make your vacation distinctly tropical. Our commitment is not limited to the use of the land our developments rest on. The very design of the buildings prevents waste before, during, and after construction. We ensure that there is minimal waste of materials by utilizing careful planning, and the materials themselves are chosen to be the best fit for their environment, making longer-lasting, more durable buildings that will look new for decades to come. We embrace the work of the best architects, so our buildings have a more modern look, making it unlikely that they will be replaced in the near future because of obsolescence. Our modern designs are not just attractive, they are efficient in their use of water and electricity, producing savings for the resident as well as the planet. We use high-tech solutions like our wastewater treatment facility, which ensures the health of our guests, the soil, and the water flowing down our rivers and lapping against our shoreline. Some developers may view protecting the environment as a costly regulatory consideration that should be side-stepped whenever possible. At Riverside Developers, we know that by building with intelligence, integrity, and innovation we can improve the world everyone lives in, an investment not to be taken lightly. Media Contact: Joshua ten Brink 1-866-864-9859, US & Canada (506) 2208-6000, Costa Rica Josh@SonestaJaco. com

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Final Design Selected for Sonesta Jaco?s Beach Club

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:32:42 +0000

Jaco, Costa Rica –02/25/08– The final design for the Sonesta Jaco Resort’s Beach Club has been completed and earthmoving is to begin soon. The Beach Club’s design evokes another time, becoming a restful oasis away from today’s busy world. The traditional design brings to mind the relaxing and enjoyable bohio, the beach house of choice in Central America. The simplicity of the club’s traditional design belies the availability of modern conveniences and amenities at the facility. In addition to modern pool facilities complete with showers, lockers, and restrooms, there will be a restaurant serving your favorite foods with a tropical flair, bars serving icy fruit juices and cocktails, and a tropical band playing lively tunes. For those who wish to be served on the beach, food and beverages will be delivered. In addition to the above services, professional massages will be available, surf boards may be rented. There will be lounging areas both indoors and out. Shuttle service will run between the beach club and the resort proper every twenty minutes. This complimentary service ensures that your vacation will proceed without having to find parking spaces, or getting sand in your personal vehicle. The Beach Club is scheduled for completion at the end of 2008. The Sonesta Jaco Resort is another fine development by Riverside Developers and has won the 2007 CNBC International Property Award for Best Development Costa Rica. Riverside Developers has been a leading Costa Rican developer for several years, and has won international property awards for Best Development Costa Rica three years running. They have begun site preparation and earthmoving on Ocean Whisper Resort, to be managed by WORLDHOTELS, in Playa Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. Their award-winning projects Bayside Tambor Villas and Riverside Condominiums in Escazu, just outside of San Jose, have been completed and sold-out. Media Contact: Joshua ten Brink 1-866-864-9859, US & Canada (506) 2208-6000, Costa RicaJosh@SonestaJaco. com

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Sonesta Jaco Resort a Great Starting Point for Fitness-based Vacation

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:33:15 +0000

Jaco, Costa Rica – 8/13/08 – More and more people are taking fitness into consideration when choosing their vacation destinations and the industry is responding to their wishes. The Sonesta Jaco Resort in beautiful Costa Rica provides a good example of a resort being built with fitness in mind. The Sonesta Jaco Resort incorporates fitness equipment, pools, and healthy eating options into the resort design. The commitment to fitness is also evident from the resort’s location: Jaco Beach. Jaco Beach has been a popular surfing spot for decades. The surf is regular, predictable, and manageable for the neophyte, yet challenging enough for the expert. Swimmers will enjoy Jaco as well, as the sheltering effect of Jaco Bay prevents wild currents or excessive riptides. The gentle slope of the beach makes it safe for young children to participate in watersports. Rentals are available for any watersport equipment you may need. For those who prefer to pursue fitness on dry land, nature trails provide low-impact exercise with great views of Costa Rica’s natural beauty. Hiking trails provide a better workout with access to the same fantastic scenery, and mountain biking trails are available with ratings from novice to expert. Inexpensive bicycle rentals are available to those wishing to take on the trails, or just cruise around town. Even those who aren’t dedicated athletes will find themselves interested in walking ‘just a bit further’ down the beach, enjoying the fresh air of a crisp ocean breeze. Another way to get in some painless exercise is to have a stroll through Jaco’s many shops, particularly those selling arts and crafts. Outside of Jaco proper are a great golf-course, other world-class beaches, and virtually any sporting activity one can think of. The fresh sea-breeze, abundant sunshine, and many available activities make the Sonesta Jaco Resort the perfect place to plan an active, fitness-minded vacation around any time of year. Wouldn’t it be nice to return from vacation relaxed and energized? The Sonesta Jaco Resort will have it’s grand opening in January 2009, when it will open it’s doors to fitness lovers from around the world. Learn more about the Sonesta Jaco Resort at www. SonestaJaco. com. Riverside Developers has been a leading Costa Rican developer for several years, and have won international property awards for Best Development Costa Rica four years running. They have begun site preparation and earthmoving on Ocean Whisper Resort, to be managed by WORLDHOTELS, in Playa Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. Their award-winning projects Bayside Tambor Villas and Riverside Condominiums in Escazu, just outside of San Jose, have been completed and sold-out.

Construction of Highway to Jaco Begins

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:31:41 +0000

Jaco, Costa Rica – - 02/25/08 – - Construction of the new highway from San Jose to Jaco has begun recently. When completed, the new highway will reduce travel time from an hour and 45 minutes to about 1 hour. The new highway is expected to increase tourism, and as a result property values, in the region. The project is funded by the national government of Costa Rica in an effort to ease traffic, reduce travel times, and improve safety along the current route. An added benefit of the construction project is the expected increase in tourism and property values in Jaco and the region in general. While the government has just announced that it has begun construction of the road, in reality much of the work is already completed. The roadbed has already been prepared and all of the bridges along its path have been completed. Most foreign investors are unaware of this fact. The new route will ease access to the region considerably, increasing tourism. The lack of sufficient luxury accommodations in the area will drive up the value of the condominiums being built in Jaco. Wise investors can take advantage of this fact, as most foreign investors have yet to discover the impact of this highway construction effort. The effects on access to the area will be profound, as an early morning flight from many U. S. cities will place you on the beach in Jaco before noon. The completion date of the highway roughly coincides with that of the Sonesta Jaco Resort, which is well under construction at the time of this release. One can take advantage of the fact that the value of property in Jaco will make a sharp increase in 2009 by purchasing a unit at Sonesta Jaco Resort while its prices are still at pre-construction levels. The sudden increase in property values upon the completion of the highway will make a significant impact on the equity in a unit, making this a perfect time to invest. The Sonesta Jaco Resort is being built by Riverside Developers, the most award-winning developer in Costa Rica. Riverside has a long history of successful developments including Riverside Condominiums in Escazu and Bayside Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula. Media Contact: Joshua ten Brink 1-866-864-9859, US & Canada (506) 2208-6000, Costa Rica Josh@SonestaJaco. com

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Sonesta Jaco Resort Sponsors 2009 Isa World Surfing Games

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:30:58 +0000

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica – 8/14/08 – The Sonesta Jaco Resort announced today that they will be sponsoring the 2009 ISA World Games in Jaco Beach. The World Games are the most prestigious surfing competition to be held in Jaco thusfar, and are considered to be the ‘Olympic Games’ of surfing. The Games will be held from July 31st through August 8th of 2009. This major surfing event will draw participants and spectators from the 49 member nations of the ISA, bringing increased interest in Jaco to the international community through extensive television, internet, and print coverage of the Games. In addition, hotel occupancy rates before, during, and after the event are expected to reach a new peak. Billabong USA will also be sponsoring the event for the first time, bringing further exposure to Jaco through their marketing campaign. Through Billabong’s support and sponsorship, the Games will now be held annually instead of semi-annually. Jaco is proud to have the honor of being the first host city for the now annual ISA World Games. That Jaco Beach was chosen to host this historic event is evidence of it’s rising popularity as a surf and vacation destination. The ISA is the IOC recognized World governing body for surfing and all wave riding disciplines including bodyboard, kneeboard, shortboard, longboard, skimboard, tandem, stand-up paddle and tow-in surfing. The ISA works for surfing’s development in member nations, and the establishment of the sport in new regions around the world. “We are proud to be involved with the ISA and to help support the development of surfing both in Jaco, and Costa Rica in general,” says Joshua ten Brink, General Manager of Riverside Developers, “As sponsors of the event, the Sonesta Jaco Resort will receive broad recognition from surfing enthusiasts world-wide. ” It was in 1964, during the first World Championships near Sydney Australia, that the International Surfing Federation was formed. This association brought all of the surfing nations together under one governing body, and began organizing World Championships every other year. The ISF became the ISA in 1976 during the competitions in Hawaii. By 1997, the International Olympic Committee had granted the ISA complete recognition as the worldwide authority for surfing, welcoming the sport to the Olympic movement. Media Contact: Joshua ten Brink 1-866-864-9859, US & Canada (506) 2208-6000, Costa Rica Josh@SonestaJaco. com

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Real Men Prefer Luxury Condos

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:30:27 +0000

So, you’re planning a getaway with the guys? You want to go someplace special, with beautiful beaches, deep sea fishing, golf, horseback riding, sightseeing, swimming, surfing, fine restaurants, night time entertainment and all the other amenities of a five star resort, BUT, do you really think it’s going to work staying in a luxury hotel? Let’s face it, luxury hotels are just not really a guy thing. They’re more a of a girl thing, great when you want to take the wife or the girlfriend some place and you know she wants to feel pampered and special and get treated like she doesn’t get treated at home. Suggest staying in a luxury condo instead and you know she’s going to squawk. ”I don’t want to be in a condo. That’s too much like home. I don’t go on vacation to cook and pick up after you. I want good restaurants and room service. “ When you go with the wife or the girlfriend you give her what she wants and you stay in a luxury hotel. You’ll have luxury restaurants, 24 hour a day room service and a room that’s fine for just the two of you, especially since you won’t be spending any more time in the room than necessary, anyway. This can work even if you’re traveling with another guy, as long as it’s one other guy and not a bunch of guys. Two of you can fit in one hotel room. Sure there’s not much room and absolutely no privacy, but if you’re really good friends you can make it work, at least for a couple of days, anyway. But when you’re really planning a getaway for the “guys”, four, five or six guys, not just two of you, then hotels, even five star luxury hotels, just won’t cut it. No matter how expensive or luxurious they are, hotel rooms are not made for partying, well, at least not the kind of partying that involves five or six friends who are traveling together because they want to spend some time together. Things get awfully crowded in a hotel room once there are more than two or three guys. So, what are you going to do? After all, you’re not college students anymore. You’re grown men, so you’re not just going to sleep on the beach. Well guys, here’s a secret. Now you can have your cake and eat it too. You can stay at the world-class Los Suenos Resort and Marina at beautiful Jaco Beach, Costa Rica and get all the resort amenities without being cramped into tiny hotel rooms. The hotel is right there at the resort, a five star Marriott, with all the fine restaurants and entertainment you could want including a fabulous casino and a beautiful golf course, but even the rooms at the Marriott can’t begin to compare to the spacious luxury and comfort of your own luxury condo. That’s right. We said condo. Now wait a second, don’t laugh. You’re guys on the vacation of a lifetime, so you’re not going to let something silly like a stove, scare you off, are you? You know better than that. Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean you ever have to use it. We don’t have any Kitchen Police forcing you to cook and unless one of you is an amateur chef, why would you want to, with all those great restaurants just a short walk away? If one of you is an amateur chef, you’ll find everything you need and more to indulge your fantasies, with all the gourmet kitchen appliances you could dream of. But, if you’re just a bunch of regular guys, then a gourmet kitchen just means a bigger refrigerator. You get more room to store the beer and the pitchers of cold Margaritas and to make more ice cubes. That’s okay too. We don’t mind. We know that to regular guys, cooking means barbecuing; not fooling around with a stove. And barbecuing means Man food, like fresh game fish. You fight it, you catch it and haul it in and then before you have it stuffed so you can mount the trophy on your wall, you bring it home to your luxury condo, your home away from home and fire up the barbie. Break out the cold beer and margaritas and it’s party time, a real reward for all the effort you put in catching that beauty in the first place and a lot tastier than a trophy mounted on the wall. Worried that you’ll all get sick of each other, being in the same condo together all the time? Don’t worry. First of all, you’ll still have private bedrooms when you want to be alone and you’ll be spending plenty of time apart. With all the variety of activities from golf to swimming and surfing to deep sea fishing and river rafting and horseback riding, to hiking through the rain forest, visiting a volcano or one of the fabulous national parks, there’s almost no way that you’ll all agree on what to do all the time. However, when you want to be together and enjoy each other’s company, you’ll have the room to do it in comfort, guy-style, with room to spread out and relax and feel at home, not all crammed into one small hotel room, pretending that the lack of space doesn’t really bother you. We’ll even let you in on another secret. With all those great activities to choose from, we know that guys don’t like to plan and make a bunch of phone calls and arrangements. Guys want to get out and go, without hassles or annoyances. That’s why we have our luxury concierge service to do all your planning and make all your arrangements for you. Golf, fishing, dinner, entertainment, horseback riding, guided tours, or customized individual getaways, just tell the concierge and they will do the rest. That’s right. You get all the convenience and amenities of a five star luxury hotel without the drawbacks. So, the choice is yours. You can either settle for an ordinary, traditional, pre-packaged luxury vacation, with someone else deciding where you should go and what you should do when and a two person hotel room for your “home away from home”, OR, you can opt for something totally different, YOUR luxury guys’ getaway on YOUR terms, with a home away from home so luxurious and comfortable and right in the middle of everything you want to do, that you’ll never want to leave. And guess what? You might not have to. One trip to our luxury rental condos at the renowned Los Suenos Resort and Marina at beautiful Jaco Beach, may convince you to stay and buy a condo of your own, so that you can enjoy the benefits of resort living year round. Stranger things have happened and once you experience the unparalleled beauty and luxury of Los Suenos Resort and Marina, you too will understand. It’s a guy thing. We’ll just keep the maid service and the concierge and the general level of luxury care and service a secret. We’ll never tell anyone that real guys like to be taken care of and waited on hand and foot and pampered like a bunch of spoiled princesses at a beauty spa – when they aren’t too busy out doing manly things. We’ll just keep that part our little secret and when you get home you can tell everyone how luxury hotels are fine for women, but real guys don’t need all that fancy stuff. They know how to rough it on their own, and so they stay in condos. Nobody else has to know that “roughing it” really means being taken care of 24 hours a day and even having first class medical facilities on site to deal with those sports injuries or other emergencies. After all, it’s a guy thing, so we’ll keep it just between us.

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Three Days Out and You’re In-part 1

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:32:24 +0000

Moving my family to Costa Rica and setting up a new business has provided me with some unusual experiences. Our shipping container laden with our personal possessions was held hostage at the port until we paid the extra “fee” for bringing in dangerous foodstuffs like Rice-a-Roni and instant potatoes. Instead of the same container we meticulously loaded in the states being brought to our door as promised, we watched in shock as an old, dilapidated, open air version of the “container” showed up three weeks late at our door. Another experience was buying our car from a continuing rotation of different brothers who showed up at each meeting, with each one claiming to be the owner of the vehicle. Somehow, my lawyer sorted it out; and we took possession of our car containing the most elaborate, custom 3 pronged alarm system one could imagine. But, our family’s forced evacuation from the country and the immigration nuances experienced is our most recent singular activity.

The law is clear: until legal residency is achieved , a foreigner living in Costa Rica must leave the country every 90 days for 72 hours. We knew the law, and were prepared to do so. Twice a year we would return to the U. S. to see family and drum up business for our travel company. But, when our business required that we stay close to home; we would just jump into Panama to the south for 72 hours. On this our first such trip, we decided to fly a local small airlines to Bocas del Toro. I had decided to offer this area on my travel website due to its fascinating ecological importance. Bocas del Toro is on one of a series of 9 islands in an archipelagic formation rife with corral reefs and colorful fish. It was perfect to add to my eco package for my website. We had flight reservations for my wife, 4 month old son and me on Nature Air, and hotel reservations at Hotel Bocas del Toro.

At the small Pavas airport 5 minutes from our house, we checked our luggage just barely making it under the 30 lb weight limit allowed for each paying customer. We had to pay $26 each(including infant) in exit tax for leaving Costa Rica. The 19 passenger plane was 75% full with French, German, and American tourists. Our flight plan took us to Limon on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica first. The flight over the mountainous rainforest was beautiful, but on our rapid descent to the beachside airport of Limon; our son’s ears became painfully plugged. Our efforts to make him yawn were more comical than productive. We learned from then on that nursing on a bottle produces similar results to a yawn. We all got off the plane to show our passports and get the all important exit stamp to prove we left the country in time. The flight down the coastline at low altitude was magnificent. We got incredible pictures and appreciated the pilot letting us know he would keep the plane low enough to keep the baby’s ear from hurting. As we landed on the small paved runway, we retrieved our paperwork for yet another customs scenario.

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Three Days Out and You’re In-part 2

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:33:45 +0000

As we walked in the small terminal, a uniformed customs agent informed us that only the Americans must purchase the entrance tax of $13 each(including baby). Cash only is accepted in the tiny office. We then take our entrance stamps to the official customs office where through a 32? door all the luggage in random order comes through at the same time as the travelers.

Our luggage was inspected as if the contraband was coming from Costa Rica to Panama instead of the other way around. The pleasant gentleman meticulously writing all the info from the passports on a carbon copy pad was impervious to the not so gentle nudging by a hurried set of travelers in our group. Even though as Americans we were the last from our plane to clear customs, our luggage was the first inspected. That little 32? door had more action than a flower shop on Valentine’s Day. When they asked for my son’s occupation for the carbon copy customs pad, the agent gave me a sneer when I said “baby. ” He instead listed it as ” estudiante. ” (Student) We enjoyed our stay and found many adventures on which to send our clients. We were also able to secure a business relationship with two fine hotels for our future clients. The food was excellent at most of the places, but unfortunately our hotel was not one of them. Since the dollar keeps declining in value, I kept most of my money in colones(Costa Rican monetary unit) But Panama uses dollars and won’t accept colones. I brought a limited supply of dollars and had planned on using my credit card for most meals, adventures and of course the hotel. As it turned

out, most of the eating establishments did not take credit cards. Therefore, on the last day, I needed to conserve the dollars for an emergency. I thought it prudent to check with the front desk and see if there was an exit tax at the airport. The local lady just chuckled and said, “No, they just charge you an entrance tax if you are American. ” Somewhat relieved, we used all but $20 in cash in eating the last day.

After taking the short taxi ride to the airport, we checked our bags at the Nature Air counter. The agent informed me that we needed to purchase our exit tax to leave the country. In another small office, I learned that I was $25 short of the $45 ($15 each) needed. They would not accept any credit cards, nor would they accept any of the $200 worth of colones that sat uselessly in my wallet. The agent just smiled and told me where the bank was about half a mile away. No one

in the airport was willing to trade $25 U. S. for $50 worth of colones. With 30 minutes before take off, all the cabs were gone and it was pouring rain. I said to myself, ” This is my job. I go through this so none of my clients will ever suffer from a lack of information. I am blazing a travel trail. ” I situated the family in a safe spot and ran to the bank in the rain. The bank was closed. There was an ATM, but my pin number( I never use it) was in my address book in my luggage loaded on the plane. My savior came in the form of a clerk at a surf shop across the street from the bank. He charged my Visa $26. 25 and handed me $25 U. S. I ran back to the airport and 20 minutes later we were in the air.

Landing in Limon on the way home, I was almost hoping for a nonexistent Costa Rican entrance tax. Those colones in my pocket made me feel wealthy. We deplaned and went through customs again. This time there was an intensive spot check of all of our luggage. Bringing

powdered baby formula from Panama is not the quickest way to get through customs. Luckily the supervisor was a mother and new the smell and taste of baby formula. We then were back in the air on our final leg. With the baby sucking furiously on the bottle, we cleared the mountains and glided home. As we toted our luggage through the small airport towards the car, an American tourist approached me . He needed to buy $52 worth of colones for the exit tax. I took great pleasure in pulling those colones out of my pocket.