The Pacifico mail center no longer sells stamps or accepts outbound mail, so we went to the nearby Playas del Coco post office.  Instead of searching for a birthday card to send back home, we bought a large postcard with several scenes of Costa Rica and wrote birthday wishes on that. The cost to mail it was 500 colones or $1.

Golf at the Costa Rica Four Seasons

The rainy season is over, the holidays have gone, and it’s now summer in Costa Rica. For Guanacaste, that means morning temperatures are in the low 70s and afternoon highs are in the mid to low 80s with a nice breeze and very low humidity. Perfect weather for having your meals on the patio.

The photo is from the Four Seasons Hotel golf course on the Papagayo Peninsula in Guanacaste. It’s about 30 minutes from the Liberia International Airport (LIR). If you’re not a guest at the Four Seasons, you can also play at the Papagayo Golf and Country Club in Libertad.

Most people think about the water activities in Costa Rica – the fishing, diving, sailing, surfing. But there’s so much more, from golfing to horseback riding to enjoying nature and adventure.

To find out more about living in Costa Rica or buying a vacation home there, contact Sharon Simms at ALVA International, Inc. real estate.

It’s nice to have breakfast and a morning smoothie in el Coco. This is at the Hotel Coco Palms in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Notice that it’s not only decorated with fruit, but also with a fresh flower. Small details matter.

Downtown Playas del Coco

This 5 minute video on Playas del Coco in Guanacaste Costa Rica on the northwest Pacific coast gives you an overview of the town of Playas del Coco including the beach, the new beachwalk, the main street and shops and brief interviews with some Coquenos. Andy Browne of Boomers Offshore produced the video.

Al fresco dining at Citron

Citron Restaurant in the Pacifico Retail Village in Playas del Coco (affectionately called “El Coco”) Guanacaste Costa Rica is our favorite haunt when we’re nearby. My photos pale in comparison to those done by Slyvia Guardia, a professional photographer in Guanacaste. Just look at Sylvia’s photos of Citron ! She offers photos not only of the restaurant, but some of their delicious meals. The only thing missing is photos of the great staff and owners.

Flowers in Costa Rica dot the landscape

It’s Mother’s Day in Costa Rica. August 15th is a national holiday and it’s also the second highest retail sales period in the year. A few years ago Tami and I were in Costa Rica for Mother’s Day and the Ticos made it memorable even for me, a temporary guest. Not only that, some of the people I met continue to send me greetings each year on Mother’s Day. Families are important in Costa Rica and mothers hold a special place in their hearts.

The Caldera highway will be one way (San Jose bound) from noon to 6 pm today.  It’s interesting that on big holiday weekends,  lanes on the new Caldera Highway from San Jose to the Pacific coast will change direction.  The government will order the westbound lanes closed for hours at a time to add lanes going back to San Jose, relieving heavy traffic returning from the holiday weekend.

Mothers Day in Costa Rica IS a big enough holiday that employers cannot require their employees to work that day (except police, fire and Red Cross). If they do work, they are entitled to double wages and cannot substitute another day of the week off.

Happy Mother’s Day to my Costa Rican friends!

Costa Rica makes text spamming illegal – text messages are only allowed when wanted by the user. Read more about text spamming prohibition.

Ginger Restaurant in Playa Hermosa Guanacaste Costa Rica

Ginger restaurant in Playa Hermosa Guanacaste Costa Rica is one of our favorites and we have at least one meal there every time we’re in Guanacaste. Last month when we were with friends in Playa del Coco, Ginger was one of our dinner venues. I was pleasantly surprised to see it reviewed in Condo Nast Traveler magazine.

We love the selection of delicious tapas – order 2 or 3 per person, and then share them. Anne Hegney has created a great spot here. Enjoy the evening breeze, some cocktails and great food!

http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/costarica/restaurants/18420

Brief video:   /http://www.concierge.com/video/cental-and-south-america/costa-rica/costa-ricarestaurants/1904733261/ginger-costa-rica/1830779183

Menu and more information:     http://www.GingerCostaRica.com

Blog  http://gingercostarica.blogspot.com/

As Florida shivers with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s today, it was interesting to read that Guanacaste Costa Rica is having “bonechilling cold”. For them, that means a drop  to a nighttime low of 68 degrees. This afternoon it was up to 86 degrees.  Normal temperature there for this time of year is a low of 82 and a high of 95.  The water temperature at Witches Rock today is 77 degrees.  Let’s fly south!

Rainy afternoon in Tamarindo Guanacaste Costa Rica

It’s now the Rainy Season in Costa Rica, which the locals charmingly call The Green Season (sometimes referred to as dry season and green season). The summer season in Costa Rica is November to April and the green season is from May to October, with the heaviest rains coming in October.

Our first trip to  Costa Rica a few years ago was in August and I have to admit that going to the tropics during rainy season had me a bit worried.  Much to my pleasure, I found that it was no worse than summer in Florida, where a heavy afternoon rain is typical, but surrounded by sunshine on both sides of the rain. The green season also has the appeal of lower rates and less crowded restaurants and attractions.  When it’s raining – think Pura Vida! and enjoy relaxing under cover while you listen to the captivating sound of the rain.

Ken Schaafsma does a great job of dispelling some myths in his blog posts. I liked his post yesterday about the Costa Rica rainy season. He also gave a few weather facts I wasn’t aware of:  1) the length of daylight hours in Costa Rica varies by only about 15 minutes from June to December; and 2) Costa Rica averages 13 hours of sunlight every day.

You may know that Costa Rica doesn’t play with Daylight Savings Time.  What is, is.  So, in December Costa Rica is one hour behind Florida time and in the summer Costa Rica is two hours behind Florida time.