Apr/100
Safari Chapin – Much More Than An Animal Park In Guatemala
If you are looking for a day filled with adventure Auto-Safari Chapin is the solution it.
What you can do here:
Be in the middle of an exotic collection of animals in this car safari
Eat around like a king
Flop around in a huge pool
Take a gorgeous ride in a boat
You can take a leisure, rather, pleasure walk in their zoo!
You don't need a car to go in this safari. You can rent one from them and it won't cost more than the same price of the entrance fee of a car. You can drive close to the animals. When I say close, it's because they will be right out your window!
The park has different entrance fees: $8 for only the safari ride and $12for the safari ride, the pool, the boat ride, the zoo and a great lunch with a drink and dessert. The kids get discounts. I took the $12 package because the food is great and much more expensive when you buy them separately and I don't regret it.
Between the safari exhibits, you get to relax in a rest stop where the kids can play around and you can stretch your legs.
After that, you can head to either the pool or to an ultra-relaxing boat ride. I recommend the boat ride because it is really beautiful and calm.
To be honest, when I first paid the entrance fee, I didn't expect too much of it. But after all, I must admit it was pretty good.
Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, lives in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She's traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. Having first hand experience of all the places with her family, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
Apr/100
Matapalo Beach On The Osa Peninsula – The Secret Hideaway Of Costa Rica
We had the great opportunity to visit my friends who live in Puerto Jimenez, a cute town on the Osa Peninsula. It's full of expats and I fell in love with it to the point that we were considering moving there for a while. Puerto Jimenez itself is a fairly big town with a population reaching well into the thousand, maybe even 2.
During the trip, our friends took us another one hour south to visit a teeny coastline village. Just the drive over there will give you an experience of a life time. The road was so bad, that were told that during the rainy season the residents (which is about 90% foreigners) have to either stock up for 3 months, or fly into Puerto Jimenez due to floods and total washouts.
Thankfully my friends drive a big bad 4x4 so we were able to tackle some of the rough terrain. That was because at some points cows blocked the roads we also saw sleepy iguanas chewed leaves from the surrounding trees.
When we finally arrived we saw that there is not actual town per say, it's just a bunch of hidden houses and eco lodges all along the rocky coastline with virgin rain forest as the back drop. There is also little foot paths allow you to experience the place way better than driving a car.
We headed to explore since my friend's son and my son in the water all day and my husband helping out by hanging out in the water with them. We snuck onto a few properties under construction with unbelievable views.
The funny part is that we got lost on one of the hiking trails that is supposed to hug the coast, but instead was so rocky that we almost fell to our deaths. However, the beach where we ended up hanging out was deserted, with plenty of shade and perfect for a homemade BBQ.
All the eco lodges offer plenty of tours to the surrounding jungle and take you on tours to Corcovado National Park, quoted by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on Earth!
Marina K. Villatoro, lives in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She has traveled all over these areas with her family and now she loves to organize vacations to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
Apr/100
The Top Five Costa Rican Hotels For Amazing Vacations
I present to you a list of what I think are the top 5 hotels for families, groups of friends and honeymoons. I guarantee that staying in them will make your trip unforgettable.
1. Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens
Casa Panorama South is a luxury 3 floor villa with amazing ocean views just minutes away from Manuel Antonio National Park and the beach. It is also part of the exclusive Tulemar Gardens Community in Manuel Antonio. The first floor is a private one bedroom suite with private entrance and the second and third floors are beautiful two bedroom suite.
2. Casa Panorama South
This is one of the best hotels in the Arenal area. Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens offers 24 luxurious, private casitas scattered along beautiful gardens. Each casita has beautiful views of the active Arenal Volcano which gives amazing lava shows almost every night.
3. Villa Mot Mot
Villa Mot Mot is a two floor luxury villa, since both floors have independent entrances you can rent just one of them or the whole villa. It is located in the exclusive Tulemar Gardens, Manuel Antonio too, minutes away from the beach and the Manuel Antonio National Park.
4. Casa Bella Rita
Casa Bella Rita is an intimate boutique hotel in San Jose. The place is run by Steve and Rita, the owners and breakfast is made to order, there is no menu or buffet. This bed and breakfast offers 6 beautifully decorated rooms and can be found very close to the international airport.
5. Casa Panorama North
Casa Panorama North can also be found in Tulemar Gardens, in Manuel Antonio. This luxury villa offers a honeymoon suite and a two bedroom luxury vacation home with amazing ocean views. It is super close to the Manuel Antonio National Park and beach.
Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, has been living in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She has traveled here extensively. Now loves organizing vacations to this amazing part of the world, having first hand experience of all the places with her family. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!