Palo Verde National Park Costa Rica

Posted on April 6, 2013 by tineke

A tour on the Tempisque along the Palo Verde National Park is always a success. In the time I was doing tours I have been there many times and each time I enjoyed it again.

It starts with the ride to the pier of the boats. Once you have passed Filadelfia first come the extensive melon fields and the Del Monte factories where the melons are processed. Then the sugar cane fields, at different stages, depending on the time of year.

Eventually you will come to Bolson, a real Costa Rican village with many old wooden houses, the Plaza annex soccer field with the church, school and pub.

After Bolson you drive first by lightly wooded meadows with typically cows of Guanacaste. If you are lucky you can see and hear the red macaw in the big mango trees lining the fields. Eventually the fields end up into tropical forests with a wide variety of trees and plants. Often there is a group of howler monkeys and many iguanas along the way.

The boat tour is very relaxing; the rippling water, the trees, the quietness of the many species of birds. The captains of the boats know exactly where they can find the different animals. Moreover, they have sharp eyes that constantly look at the trees and wall sides to search for “wild”, large green (and in the med in season oranges) iguanas, the funny Jesus Christ iguana, so named because they can run on the water, howler monkeys, squirrels , crocodiles of different sizes and once I saw an anteater.

But the most fun for me is always the Capuchin monkeys. There are several groups that are more or less along the water. One group is clearly bolder and more used to humans than the other. The monkeys of the shy group hardly dare to approach the boat. If you have a piece of banana on the front of the boat, they come very cautiously pick it up and run with it in a tree. The brutal group jumps on the boat, walking on the roof of the boat and the most impudent come in the boat and on your shoulder or head. It is a pleasure to feel that soft gentle hand in your hand when a monkey takes a piece of banana out of your hand.

I recommend doing this tour including lunch. Lunch is served or in Bolson or in the adjacent Ortega. It is a typical Costa Rican rich lunch, well prepared and very tasty.

CEPIA

Posted on February 22, 2013 by tineke

CEPIA stands for Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents and is a Costarican non-profit organisation that seeks to promote culture, health, sports and education for children and teenagers and their families from poor backgrounds in the communities of Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The organization CEPIA offers these children, teenagers and families a wide range of programs:

after-school program for 300 children and teenagers offered weekly by volunteers
psychological assistance for children victims of violence and abuse, on a daily basis
Integrated Education for teenagers dropped out of school and living in a vulnerable situation, all year round
Professional training for teenagers and adults (weekly cooking course, computer instruction, English course, Eco-jewelry, Crafts, Beauty Care among others)
Scholarships for children and teenagers living in poverty or reintegrating the educational system (school supplies, uniforms,transportation…)
Material support for single mothers living in extreme poverty (in exchange for volunteer work)
Public library open every Saturday afternoon
Events for the family (monthly movie nights, conferences for parents twice a year)
Reinforcement of public schools through material support and training for teachers once a year

The programs of CEPIA are aimed at children and teenagers from 3 to 20 years old attending public schools and teenagers not attending school for reasons related to poverty, unhealthy environments and learning disabilities. All our programs involve the families of the children.

For more information about CEPIA visit there website: http://www.cepiacostarica.org/EN/

Fiestas of Guanacaste

Posted on February 16, 2013 by tineke

The province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, is famous for the folkloric fiestas. Each village or town organizes at least once a year, but mostly twice a year, a fiesta. Most fiestas start at Friday and end at Monday.

A fiesta is held on the center place that each village or town has. For villages this place is also the soccer field. A week in advance the men of the town build the arena where the most important part of a fiesta is held: the bull-riding.

Bull-riding in Guanacaste means that a rider tries to stay as long as possible on the back of the bull while the bull is jumping up and down in circles. When the rider is fallen off, the bull runs around in the arena and tries to hit the brave men that are running around in the arena as well. As soon as the bull nears someone, he jumps on the surrounded woodwork to bring himself in a save position.

Around the arena are all kind of stands selling drinks, food, cloth, whatever you can think of and there is also a fair.

The bull-riding is held every day between 5 pm and 8 pm. After that there is “Baile” in the community hall.

The first evening of the fiesta starts with a show where the queen of the year is presented to the public.

Although the fiestas typically are held for the Costarican people, a lot of tourists like to be part of it as well. So if you are on vacation in Guanacaste, try to find out which town in the surroundings has their fiesta during your stay.

Golf Tournement for Amigos de la Educacion in Hacienda Pinilla

Posted on February 5, 2013 by tineke

Amigos de Educacion is founded in 2000 by Suzye and Barry Lawson, Amigos de la Educación, is a non-profit educational and scholarship foundation. They provide quality educational services to students and teachers from kindergarten through university living in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The vision of Amigos de la Educacion is to create a school environment where young people are empowered, self determined and confident enough to achieve their fullest potential, regardless of their background or current circumstances; thus, actively engaging in the future of Costa Rica.

The Annual “Have a Heart” Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday February 14th at the Hacienda Pinilla golf course. The annual Valentine’s Day event is the major fund-raiser for Amigos de la Educación Foundation.

The $ 150 registration for the tournament includes: Cocktail Party on February 12th, Cart, Green Fee, breakfast, gift bag, lunch and a 9 complementary holes of practice on February 13^th.

Register for the golf tournament at the Amigos’ office in Tamarindo (2653-1945), Plaza Tamarindo, Suite A-10, weekdays from 9-5pm.

The Papagayo winds.

Posted on January 25, 2013 by tineke

January, February and March are the month of the Papagayo winds in the North West part of Costa Rica. The winds can have a force of up till a 100 km/h.

Up till now we are lucky with the winds; we did not have days that it was no fun to go to the beach because you have the feeling that someone is throwing nails against your legs. I did not have days that my hair was looking like a Rasta woman or that the umbrellas had to stay closed instead of putting them out on the Tamarindo beach.

Sailing boats can go out sailing on the Pacific Ocean every day, the ocean is clean and clear so it is fun to go out for snorkeling and when you are going out fishing, you do not have to tie up on the boat to avoid that the wind blows you in the ocean.

Up till now we are lucky with the Papagayo winds, they blow softly and give some refreshment to our long sunny days on the Tamarindo beach. Let’s hope that it stays like that all the 3 month of these winds.

Some Flipkey reviews from our clients

Posted on September 21, 2012 by tineke

Court Yard 4, Casa Quetzalcoatl

We had a great time in Langosta, the house was clean and comfortable. We loved the terrace on top. Great staff at the Villa Complex. Great Location.
Thanks for everything!

Our family enjoyed the stay at this Villa. My wife enjoyed the beautiful decor and set up of these villas. We all enjoyed having a pool to jump into to cool off after a day in the sun. The hot tub was nice too. The staff was very attentive to anything which needed to be done

Buena Vida 5

The condo was beautiful on the outside and inside. It was very clean and well stocked with kitchen gadgets, beach toys, beach towels, washer and dryer, etc. That made it so easy to pack a small bag. The pool at the condo was also very nice and relaxing. All of the staff at the condo as well as Cameron from Coastal Property Management were very kind, respectful, and professional.
The only thing for our family that didn’t work well was the walk to the beach. It was a little far for our children a couple of times a day. Other than that, it was awesome!!!

Casa Muy Grande

Our family of 12 spent a glorious week at Casa Muy Grande. It lived up to all of our expectations. The location was perfect–a beautiful beach that we had virtually to ourselves. The waves were a little wild. We used the surf boards and boogie boards and had lots of fun “rides”, even though we were inexperienced.
The house had wonderful outdoor areas. We enjoyed eating at the big table by the grill, we had plenty of family ping pong games, and we slapped the ball around on the fun ball court. We even had an audience of 3 howler monkeys who watched our fun ball tournament! It was great fun to watch the monkeys hang from their tails, chase each other around in the tree tops, etc.
We were initially disappointed that the pool was rather small, but it turned out to be perfect for lounging around and reading. If we wanted to swim, we just went to the ocean.
Perfect vacation spot for our family. We made a lot of good memories here.

Couldn’t have found a better place to call home in Costa Rica. Perfect location. Amazing house. Great separate bedrooms, 6 separate baths, 20 yards to the beach on private path. Minutes from Tamarindo, but in protected area that made it feel miles away.
Great staff, helpful and professional property management.
Will return to Casa Muy grande soon!
Worth every penny.
Pure Vida!

Thanks dear clients for your nice words.

Waves Costa Rica

Posted on August 25, 2012 by tineke

Andrea Díaz, the surfer who is the no. 5 spot for women over 35 – in the world, is the owner of Waves in the Best Western Tamarindo Vista Villas. She runs the shop together with national champions Gilbert Brown and Germaine “Nino” Myrie.

At Waves, she offers specialty packages designed for women, men or mixed surf camps, as well as daily surf lessons for drop-ins. Packages can also be designed with daily yoga classes, or with excursions such as canopy, estuary or ATV tours. Experienced surfers can get guided tours to any of the many surf breaks located in the area.

Díaz’s status as a national champion and a world-renowned surfer sets Waves apart from other surf schools in the area, but according to Díaz, it’s the vibes and passion of the team that really draws clients. Since Díaz started Waves nine years ago, she has always found it rewarding.

“I believe it’s my instinct to be a teacher or mentor,” Díaz says. “I have always been around sports. I realized that to teach surf is not just a physical thing, there’s a psychological part. I’m a great motivator.”

Never one to remain idle for even a moment, surfing’s cheerleader also works diligently in the community, and recently started weekly surf lessons for underprivileged kids through CEPIA, (Culture, Education and Psychology for Infants and Adolescents). Pro surfers who participated in Díaz’s recent surf contest and activity day, Surf for Youth, donated equipment for those lessons.

When she’s not doing philanthropic work, running Waves Costa Rica or spending time with her family, Díaz can still be found out in the water, power surfing. While she won’t do the circuit anymore, feeling it takes too much away from her life in Tamarindo, there is still hope she will join the Costa Rica National Masters team next year.

“Who knows, I’m pretty settled with my life here in Tamarindo,” Díaz said. “My life, my business and my family revolve around surfing. It is what helps bring food to the table. We love our job to the point where it’s not a job anymore.”

Activities Around Tamarindo

Posted on July 31, 2012 by tineke

Tamarindo, Costa Rica is specially know as a surfing beach. But there are a lot of other activities to do around Tamarindo besides of surfing. Some of these activities are:

Canopy Tour. What better way to start your canopy tour than at the top of the Guanacaste tree, the national tree of Costa Rica. You will ascend this tree by a winding staircase until you arrive at the first platform that is 20 meters up. Then you will zip from one platform to another with the use of cables and pulleys, above on of the last unique and impressive dry forests in the area.At these heights you can see and listen to many animals, for example, monkeys, iguanas, raccoons, armadillos, and a great variety of native and migratory birds, as well as a great quantity of butterflies, a part of the biodiversity of plants, trees and lianas.

Sailing or Fishing Tour. In front of the beach of Tamarindo are a lot of sailing and fishing boats. They all bring you offshore. No matter if you are fishing or sailing, you will be able to see a lot of the sea life like the Green Turtles, Leatherback Turtles, Dolphines, Wales, Sail fish and all kind birds. Most sailing tours start in the beginning of the afternoon and end just after sunset. For a Fishing tour you hire the whole boat for a day or half a day.

Day Spa. If you just want to relax and let other people taking care of you there is the possibility to go to a day spa. Two resorts, both up in the mountains, away from the crowd of Tamarindo, open there doors to let you enjoy there beautiful place and there excellent services. Start your day with a yoga experience, relax at the side of the pool or take a massage or what ever you like to have to take care of your body.

22nd Credomatic Music Festival

Posted on July 7, 2012 by tineke

The 22nd Credomatic Music Festival is bursting with new venues and musical talent from around the world. The festival is set to take place Aug. 4-19 in dozens of locations around the country.

Performers include a classical pianist, a viola soloist and renowned vocalists and symphonic assemblies. Artists hail from Costa Rica, France, Mexico, the United States, Holland, Japan, Canada and other countries. These groups will perform in some of the most spectacular settings of Costa Rica, from San José’s Teatro Nacional to mountain lodges and historical churches to beach resorts.

35 journalists from various publications are hosted at Hacienda Pinilla for the festival’s press conference.

One group generating buzz is composed of four young musicians who perform a fusion of jazz, Latin, classical and pop. Called Quattro, this group from the U.S. has appeared on American Idol and recorded tracks for movies including “Ice Age” and “X-Men.” Members include Giovanna Clayton (cello and vocals), Lisa Dondlinger (violin and vocals), Kayta Matsuno (guitar and vocals) and Jorge Villanueva (percussion and vocals). The festival director said Quattro has a fantastic way of demanding and moving the listener’s attention from the vocalist to the percussion to the cello.

Entrance to some of the concerts in churches, historical centers and EARTH University will be free. Workshops will also be held for young musicians. Not all of the festival’s programming has been decided. We hope to inform you later about the program in our region. For sure Hacienda Pinilla will host a few concerts.

Recipe of the Week

Posted on July 5, 2012 by tineke

Recipe of the week.

This week I would like to introduce to you Meat Bred. This recipe is easy to make, quick and you can be made it in advance. So you can prepare it in the morning before you go surfing or just enjoying the beach of Tamarindo, Playa Grande or whatever other beach at the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and when you come home you only have to bake it and you will have a nice snack or a quick meal.

The idea of Meat Bred is mixing minced meat with vegetables, tomato sauce and species. You have to add a spoon of flower, to bind the water from the vegetables. You can bake the bred preferably in the oven, like 40 minutes on 220 gr. Celsius. If you don’t have an oven you can also use the microwave; first 3 minutes on the highest level and after that 20 minutes on half level.

For vegetables you can use: bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, onions, garlic, avoid using vegetables that contain a lot of water. You also can add fruits like pineapple, papaya or mango. Use basic species like salt and pepper. Make it to your own taste like with herbs or spicy with hot pepper, curry, chili.

Eat the meat bred with baked or frit potatoes and a green salad.

Aprovecho

Tamarindo Area News

Courtesy of Coastal Property Management

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