COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER The Municipal Council of Quepos recently got a jump on the rest of Costa Rica with their unanimous decision to officially ban the use of noise-producing fireworks during the end of year festivities There is currently a proposed law pending to make this a permanent ban on the national level but it has yet to be made legally official this will be the first time for the annual fireworks displays put on by local businesses to be without the massive booms that accompany the colorful light displays The decision has been debated over the years weighing the right to continue with the traditionally loud pyrotechnics versus the negative effect the noise has on animals The decision supposedly prohibits the sale and use of fireworks in Quepos because I was in Quepos just a few nights ago and explosions were heard along the malecon several times in the evening According to the pending national law, all fireworks that reach at least 85 decibels are the ones to be banned a crowded movie house or heavy vehicular traffic A firecracker that explodes at close range is in the same league– up to 175 decibels Technically anything under 85 decibels is permissible How this is to be measured is anybody’s guess I have a hard time picturing the Quepos police department out in full force But what of the locals in the barrios, already armed with explosives and ready to set them off as soon as the sun goes down? When I lived in a Quepos barrio, the holiday nights sounded like a war zone. One Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) All around us were the sounds of firecrackers and the occasional modest fireworks with a brief light display just above the barrio My friend had two elaborate fireworks he had bought in Panama Big heavy canisters that looked like something you would load into a cannon and fire and we watched as it took flight high above the barrio and emitted a series of booms accompanied by dazzling light displays that blew away the comparatively anemic efforts elsewhere And just when the neighbors dared to resume their firecrackers established local businesspeople– will set the example of compliance and go with the silent displays But it will be no surprise if the various barrios are alive with booms and explosions that go beyond the 85-decibel level Marlin University is now Marlin Expeditions! We travel to the best big-game destinations on Earth, at peak times of the year, and teach the most cutting-edge techniques to catch billfish. Check out our 2025 expeditions Perched on a narrow strip of rugged Pacific coast and snugged between the mountains and the sea, Quepos, Costa Rica has always produced great fishing for marlin and sailfish At the center of it all is Marina Pez Vela one of the finest marina facilities not just in Central America Quepos is poised to take its rightful place among the world’s top fishing destinations Packs of Pacific sailfish arrive to reinforce the resident fish around Thanksgiving and stay well past April most years Sails are the stars of the fishing show here and it’s not uncommon to encounter them in multiples of anywhere from two to six (or more) at once There are also enough blue marlin around that you have a very good shot at raising at least one and multiple-marlin days are a real possibility And while black and striped marlin are not considered a common catch Plenty of dorado and yellowfin tuna also inhabit these fertile waters Some of the best charter boats in the world call this place home These guys fish hard year-round and are not only highly professional but they are also very adept at figuring out how to put their clients on the best bite no matter what conditions they may face offshore with a typical run to the fishing grounds about an hour to an hour and a half Marlin Expeditions’ expert-level instructors deliver comprehensive techniques to hook and release your own billfish with hands-on Most of the fishing here is done using 20- to 30-pound-test tackle although at times crews may opt to live-bait or pull lures for marlin guests will have the opportunity to experience the luxury of the Parador Resort and Spa one of the finest resort hotels in Costa Rica located just minutes away from Marina Pez Vela in the lush mountains surrounding Quepos White-faced capuchin monkeys are frequent visitors at breakfast and the scenery around the property on the edge of Manuel Antonio National Park As with all Marlin Expeditions, the package includes all meals, charter boats and tips, accommodations, and airport transfers. The format is three days of fishing followed by a mini-tournament for the participants on the fourth and final day. Put yourself in the heart of the action and treat yourself to a trip to Quepos with Marlin Expeditions Sign up for free Marlin Group emails to receive expert big-game content along with key tournament updates and to get advanced notice of new expeditions as they’re introduced By signing up you agree to receive communications from Marlin and select partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy You may opt out of email messages/withdraw consent at any time Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen Marlin may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site Copyright © 2025 Marlin. A Bonnier LLC Company Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited Sign up for free Marlin Group emails to receive expert big-game content along with key tournament updates and to get advanced notice of new expeditions as they’re introduced Subscribe now to get seven keepsake print editions of Marlin per year along with instant access to a digital archive of past issues By 2024-09-18T06:30:00+01:00 A report published by The Guardian newspaper has alleged that pesticides banned in the EU may still be in use in Costa Rica’s fruit export industry research by the Regional Institute for Studies of Toxic Substances (IRET) at the National University of Costa Rica identified traces of fungicides and insecticides in the blood of women and children living close to some fruit plantations which sources bananas and pineapples from Costa Rica denied specific allegations raised around a specific herbicide called paraquat at a production centre called Agroindustrial Piñas del Bosque – Finca La Virgen “La Virgen is an organic farm that does not use synthetic chemicals,” it is quoted as saying before it adds: “Dole stopped using paraquat in all its pineapple farms in February 2008.” which also runs plantations in the country insisted: “All products used comply with the safety and quality standards set by current regulations the company operates in compliance with local labour rights laws.” did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment Site powered by Webvision Cloud Marina Pez Vela to expand from 100 to 300 slips around February 2013 Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "ac7ad34456fe7447a9e37a7ce1033bf7" );document.getElementById("b4033326e3").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment Perched on a narrow strip of rugged Pacific coast not to mention generations of top-flight Costa Rican captains and mates And with the world-class Marina Pez Vela fully online Quepos is poised to take its rightful place among the world’s top destinations I got the call from Brent Brauner, the global brand manager for Columbia Sportswear’s PFG line of performance fishing gear. He wanted to field-test some new warm-weather clothing and capture some blue marlin action on camera The only catch was that the trip had to take place before the end of 2018 Over the next few weeks we narrowed down the choices With the seamounts producing the most reliable blue marlin fishing on the planet we elected on a sort of combination expedition: two days offshore with a bonus day trip to target tuna on the spinner dolphins sailfish on baitballs or anything else we could find With its calm seas and a great transitional bite we chose Quepos as the place to be in mid-December Brauner brought Columbia’s ace cameraman Joshua VanPatter while I tapped Marlin Senior Editor Jen Copeland to round out our team We needed a vessel large enough to support not just our crew but a medium-sized mountain of camera gear so I called up Ken and Amanda Cofer at Tranquilo Charters the boat was perfect for our needs: The staterooms had been converted to bunks for added sleeping and gear storage and the addition of a Seakeeper gyro meant a rock-stable platform steam all night for the distant seamounts around 100 miles offshore and day-trip out of Marina Pez Vela for our final day Charter boats used anchor-ball moorings in the lee of the protected coastline and fishermen arrived and departed by way of an ancient concrete quay that also served as a commercial dock the fishing has always been outstanding pretty much all year round Packs of sailfish arrive to reinforce the local resident fish around Thanksgiving and stay well into April most years and multiple-marlin days are a definite possibility Blacks and stripes are not considered a common catch but it’s certainly not unusual to add one of either species to the tally Marina Pez Vela now sports a modern cofferdam system that means a safe It has 195 slips in operation with the ability to add an additional 100 slips in the future all with a safe operating depth of 14 feet for vessels up to 200 feet in length The fuel dock has high-speed fuel delivery and each slip has fiber-optic internet and digital cable Perhaps one of the most important yet often overlooked features is the boatyard the options to haul out a sport-fisher in this region usually meant a trip up to Puntarenas and the commercial yard there Quepos is home to Costa Rica’s first 200-ton Travelift The full-service facility can handle just about any maintenance needs There also is a dry stack with a forklift for smaller vessels up to 38 feet in length Marina Pez Vela is home to six restaurants including the famed Runaway Grill as well as a provisioning center and supermarket plus storage bodegas and even a captain’s lounge with private conference center and work stations The entire operation is first-class and on par with any high-end marina in the world “We’re seeing continued expansion over the next five or six years,” he says “We are also committed to the boat owners and anglers as the key to the success of the project which is why we’ve invested heavily in the conditions of the docks and things like providing high-speed internet to each slip warm-hearted people and a strong connection to the land and the sea — continues.” The concept of a community marina was an intriguing one Rather than be walled off in a private enclave Marina Pez Vela is right on the main road in Quepos and is open and inviting to visitors and locals alike Friday nights are free movie nights with free popcorn where everyone gathers to watch movies under the stars on a big-screen projection setup and the Bright Lights Christmas boat parade was overflowing with people Marina staffers dress up like Santa Claus and pass out presents to the kids It’s what Cutter calls “good human friction” — but it also creates a sense of connectivity to the local community that makes it authentic It’s also a culture that nurtures the next generation of captains and mates See More Costa Rica Fishing here It is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour ride to Quepos from the Costa Rican capital of San Jose We stopped about halfway down for lunch and then again to check out the giant saltwater crocodiles hanging out on the banks of the Tarcoles River We arrived in Quepos in time to meet the Cofers at the Runaway Grill for a cocktail before departure; Capt Roger Muñoz and first mate Daniel Arrieta secured all the camera gear and we were underway around 8 p.m Fishing on the seamounts begins at first light well before dawn basically until you can’t see the baits any longer We began by trolling a spread of four lures on 50s to scout the area at a faster pace It wasn’t long before we had our first knockdown — but the hooks failed to find purchase one of the small frustrations of lure fishing that comes with the territory Not red-hot by Costa Rica standards but four blues in a single day is damn good fishing anywhere else in the world We did catch our first blue around midmorning on a lure then transitioned to live-baiting for a bit By the end of the first day we had released four blue marlin and had seen or jumped off a few more a few rum drinks and an outstanding steak dinner not to mention more than a few fish stories Muñoz chose to run and gun among several locations looking for the mother lode We released a blue in the morning but never found a hot spot so we picked up and ran home in the afternoon fishing for about two hours on one of Muñoz’ favorite spots 45 miles off Quepos Right away the conditions looked better: There were bait and birds A little while later we raised one blue and then another but unfortunately failed to connect on either fish I asked Muñoz what he wanted to do the following morning The reply was an easy one: Come right back here Our last fishing day was a standard day trip out of Marina Pez Vela First up: tuna under birds and spinner dolphin showing off their wild aerial antics and swimming within a few feet of the boat as we trolled past It’s one of those National Geographic moments offshore and for guys like Brauner and VanPatter who had never experienced this before casting at busting tuna from Tranquilo‘s broad Carolina bow It wasn’t long before we had a couple nice tuna in the fish box then one of the lines took a strange angle as it headed for the surface a billfish erupted from the calm surface and put on a blazing display for the cameras we had hooked the fish on a purple rubber-worm-and-jig combination that would have been more at home on Lake Okeechobee than in 5,000 feet of salt water off Costa Rica (The mates have found that these rubber jigs work great on yellowfin tuna.) After a few more photos and video We released two blue marlin after the stripe a couple chunky yellowfins and a half-dozen 30-pound dorado and all of this took place on seas that were as flat as your dining-room table it was that we did not catch a sailfish for our boat grand slam and we did not raise a single sailfish the entire trip but that’s fishing — and the marlin more than made up for it The next time you find yourself seeking a destination where exceptional fishing intersects with beautiful weather in a safe welcoming country full of truly warm-hearted people Lodging: By far the most convenient and luxurious option for lodging are the Marina Pez Vela Villas full kitchens and even a rooftop pool for the exclusive use of villa owners and guests proximity to the docks and personalized concierge service make for an unforgettable and easy experience located on the edge of Manuel Antonio National Park It’s the official host for the Offshore World Championship Dining: The Runaway Grill is the unofficial base of operations for anyone fishing out of Marina Pez Vela with an extensive menu and happy-hour specials at the bar each afternoon They also have a hook-and-cook policy where guests can bring in their own catch of the day and have it prepared that evening We had several memorable meals at other restaurants in the marina as well which run the gamut from fine dining to fast-casual sports pubs Fishing: Ken and Amanda Cofer have been chartering Tranquilo in Central America since 2012 relocating from Nicaragua to Costa Rica in 2014 “We wanted to offer a larger and nicer boat for people that wanted to experience a premier-level charter with a great crew and all the latest equipment,” Amanda Cofer says can come to Central America in their offseason to keep their anglers up to speed dredges and other gear they use on their own boats on every charter.” There are a host of additional charter operations based in Marina Pez Vela to fit nearly every species and budget don’t overlook the outstanding opportunities for roosterfish potential world-record snook and other species closer to shore The Offshore World Championship has been held in Quepos since 2013 thanks in large part to the support the event has received from Marina Pez Vela and the Costa Rica Tourism Board as well as the local community According to OWC tournament director Dan Jacobs Quepos is an optimal location for the event thanks to several key factors And because the participating anglers rotate daily among the boats the availability of a substantial charter fleet and a host facility large enough to accommodate everyone is also a critical element.” A plethora of hotels and restaurants check another must-have box Then there’s the fishing: Quepos has a world-class fishery 64 teams video-verified 2,735 billfish releases; in 2015 for an average of more than 42 billfish per team over four days of fishing The OWC celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2019 with this year’s tournament running April 29 through May 3 Last weekend I took a Costa Rican road trip: Perez Zeledon to Dominical Quepos to La Palma de Puerto Jimenez and back The total drive time for the initial trip was four and a half hours The most difficult stretch now is the first 35 kilometers a mountain that peaks at about 1,100 meters (3,700 feet) then plummets down to sea level over the next steep and winding 16 kilometers (10 miles) From there is a relatively easy couple of hours driving the well-maintained Costanera highway At a village called Chacarita about an hour north of the border with Panama you turn off for the final 55 kilometers to La Palma This last stretch is a lonely narrow road that climbs and descends around the Golfo Dulce In an hour of driving you will likely encounter fewer than ten other travelers going in either direction While 4.5 hours is far from the time you would make driving on the Autobahn, it was a breeze compared to the first time I drove this same route almost 30 years ago. Back then, there was no Costanera highway. Most of the coastline from south of Jaco all the way to Puerto Cortes was an unpaved axle-buster of a road At the beginning of most dry summer seasons as for a few weeks you could drive at a moderate speed without risking permanent damage to your vehicle And though it was part of the road that ran from Alaska to Argentina even this international highway had small stretches that were gravel and/or potholed In those days most bridges were one lane which added more time to your travel a large truck would get stuck and lines would back up for hours each way The only people happy were the vendors who would materialize seemingly from nowhere nuts and soft drinks sealed up tightly in small plastic bags that were almost impossible to drink without spilling some of the contents onto yourself The trip that once took around ten hours and required patience Bad infrastructure is one aspect of the good old days that nobody misses The final leg back, from Dominical to Perez Zeledon and many local vacationers were returning from the beach at the same time The drive over the mountains was an endless line of crawling traffic and took an hour and a half– double the usual time– because of bottlenecks at the two remaining one-lane bridges along the route Walking the streets of Quepos on a hot and hectic Friday afternoon One is the voice whose philosophy is simply ‘Live and let live’ It is the voice that brought me here over 30 years ago a voice best personified by a man lounging in a hammock eyes slightly glazed after a short smoke and a long drink beatific smile painting his face as he stares out at a panoramic Costa Rican vista The other voice demands attention every time I see someone double parked blocking traffic or aggressively and arrogantly turning a one way street into a two way street or when I see some emaciated street person wanting some coins because he pretended to help me pull into the street This other voice is not charitable or tolerant or even remotely me and almost but not quite erupting and sending the passersby running for cover If I had a name for this unwanted inner voice it would be Wilhelm or Josef though if I had to call it something I would call it my inner fascist It is a voice that screams for control and discipline and has a cut and dried solution for all of those little tics and nuisances that accompany life in Costa Rica and I freely admit that I have no freaking idea where this voice originates one look at my bloodlines and places of residence and the truth is self-evident: Mine is the background of a slacker and a partier and most definitely not one worried about regulating traffic flow or creating ample sidewalk space or making sure every citizen is a productive and contributing member of society Yet this voice hovers within and demands solutions to the woes inflicting Quepos: walking the streets to write tickets every time a pirate taxi impedes traffic or an unmarked camion parks on a corner blocking cars from turning if only we could set up a tent city in the campo and take all those homeless crackheads and drifters and grifters and fence them in if only we could legally break the hands of the thieves and break the balls of the locos yet I would bet there are many out there who harbor there own version of my Wilhelm/Josef/what-the-hell Adolph that voice of tranquility and reason to emerge hey Wilhelm or Josef or whatever I should call you If you don’t like the way we do things here in Costa Rica maybe you should check out some place like Singapore or China or Saudi Arabia I understand they have a lot of order and control and do things more to your liking in those parts. Then I retire for a short smoke and a long drink and stare smiling through heavy-lidded eyes at some majestic mountain or ocean view, and repeat that worn yet welcome phrase on the lips of so many Costa Ricans……..Pura Vida Costa Rica is home to some of the world’s best billfishing and one of the top destinations for anglers is the central Pacific town of Quepos It’s not only the gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park — it’s also a kickoff point for some red-hot offshore action The town’s name originates from the Quepoa Indians the original settlers of the region at the time of the Spanish conquest of Central America disease and slavery eventually brought down the Quepoa until only the name remained The town first gained prominence from its export of bananas surfers and a few adventurous sport-fishing captains — started to visit the region starting businesses and putting down roots travel was made easier when Costa Rica’s national airline began flying regular routes to Quepos from the capital city It didn’t take long for word to spread about the phenomenal fishing taking place just offshore and it’s a well-deserved reputation that still holds true today “The fishing here is exceptional almost year-round,” says Ken Cofer we’ve released 25 to 35 sailfish a day in slick-calm weather conditions It’s the only location we’ve been where you can count on consistently good weather and sunny skies 100 days in a row and the run to the fish is usually from 11 to 35 miles from the marina.” When the rainy season sets in from June through October but the bottomfishing remains very consistent with big snapper and -grouper caught within 25 miles of the beach the action heats up from January through May with terrific fishing for record-size snook big snapper and roosterfish leading the list of targets The excellent year-round fishing prompted Cofer to relocate Tranquilo from its home port in Nicaragua to Quepos Marlin are another big draw in Costa Rican waters and Quepos is right in the middle of the action The biggest concentrations of blues are found on the deepwater seamounts well offshore but the results can be absolutely spectacular: Ten to 25 marlin bites a day is not unrealistic but it can be some of the best blue marlin fishing on the planet when it’s hot A multiday trip out to the seamounts is one of those bucket-list items for any gung-ho angler willing to put forth the effort to make it happen black marlin can be readily targeted on either the Furuno Bank Slow-trolled live baits are the preferred method for enticing a black marlin bite but they will also rise to the standard Costa Rican trolling spread of circle-hooked medium ballyhoo fished behind squid daisy chains and natural or artificial dredges Quepos is undergoing a sort of renaissance period these days One highlight is the continued expansion of the Marina Pez Vela project It’s located right in downtown Quepos and has become a truly world-class destination marina complete with a modern boatyard and even a 200-ton Travelift virtually unheard of anywhere in Central America Marina Pez Vela features concrete floating docks for vessels up to 200 feet in length along with all the other amenities expected from a facility like this 24-hour security and even dry storage for smaller boats up to 38 feet long Marsha Bennett relocated her famed El Gran Escape restaurant from downtown Quepos to the marina as well but the tradition of great food and drinks continues is ready to help anglers coordinate any aspect of their trip airport transfers or even directions to the nearest grocery store Quepos and Marina Pez Vela also host the Offshore World Championship cites three great attributes of the region: a strong confidence in fishable weather for the event and a high-quality marina for the participating vessels Quepos is an outstanding destination,” Jacobs says “There is a wide range of hotel and restaurant options plus Manuel Antonio National Park is right next door The fishing and the weather are both consistently good and our anglers really look forward to coming back next year.” Marina Pez Vela also hosts the Quepos Billfish Cup the top destination should be Manuel Antonio While it’s among the smallest of the national parks it contains an amazing amount of biodiversity More than 109 species of mammals can be found including two varieties of sloths and three of the four species of monkeys that live in Costa Rica Quepos really does offer the best of both worlds: a laid-back Costa Rican fishing experience combined with some of the best wildlife and most beautiful beaches in the world Renovation and expansion of the runway at La Managua Airport in Quepos began Wednesday and will completed before September “The flag was raised for the start of construction and expansion works of the landing strip of the La Managua aerodrome the third most important at the national level which will favor connectivity and tourism,” the Presidency informed The aerodrome will receive a parking apron improvements to perimeter fencing and a new rainwater system Security upgrades will also help the airport comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements Works are being done by the Costa Rican construction company MECO with a budgeted investment of 1.7 billion colones (about $2.7 million) A renovated Quepos airport is a long time coming. Upgrades were first announced in 2017 but Costa Rican authorities later rescinded a building contract after the agreed-upon works never materialized the aerodrome has remained in a state of disrepair including a runway in desperate need of repaving The condition of the facilities has contributed to fewer domestic flights The administration of Carlos Alvarado has prioritized airport improvements as a way to boost tourism La Managua Airport serves Manuel Antonio National Park one of the country’s most popular wildlife reserves welcomed some of the top teams from around Costa Rica and the U.S with many teams posting some incredible daily catch totals in the days leading up to this year’s tournament The weather conditions were also near-perfect as well The Quepos Billfish Cup is held the weekend before the Superbowl which creates an incredibly exciting level of competition prior to the big game This year it was the team aboard Billfish emerging victorious They led the first day but gave up the lead to Fish Tank on Day Two they rebounded on Day Three with an incredible performance that included 15 sailfish and three marlin releases for the win Matt Rabenstine from the Billfish team was the tournament’s top angler The Fish Tank team came on strong but settled for second place with their 39 sailfish releases in three days Laura Jessen was the event’s top lady angler Wybulu was third with 25 sailfish releases in the tournament The top junior angler was Sebastian Holmann from Showtime Next year’s Quepos Billfish Cup will include the largest purse and prize money in tournament history and event organizers are expecting the largest and most competitive fleet of boats in tournament history Marina Pez Vela will also host the Offshore World Championship Last weekend 40 artists and 20 children undertook a painting project (2 kms long) from the entrance to Quepos to the Pan-American Highway This multi-day project gave new life and beauty to this avenue by painting a multitude of murals along its length Several organizations worked together to make this happen: Mar a Mar association Environment Committee and The Municipality of Quepos Marketa Zemanova and Petra Brinkoff.  The day begins with a hearty breakfast at Serenity Boutique Hotel and a pep talk by Conchita.  After viewing the completed murals Conchita shared these thoughts “I love all of the beautiful murals with the message to protect our oceans.  We are so grateful to the talented artists who have transformed what was before a drab last 2 kms of El Camino de Costa Rica into a fun and meaningful finish.” Then it’s time to create.  Many of the artists came from other parts of Costa Rica to donate their time and creativity to this project.  They left behind a lasting monument to their talent and their message leave their mark as well.  The children had a wonderful time and as a result several of them have expressed an interest in learning more about creating art which Petra is encouraging.  Petra added If I can create purpose by playing with others then the outcome will be a community with purpose” “This project is very important for our community and the legacy we leave our children.  We feel like we are making our town cleaner and more beautiful while passing a message of hope to protect our environment.” Andy ended by saying she hopes this is the first of more such activities The art they left behind was amazing and inspiring.  .  “A true artist is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.” Salvador Dali Whimsical.  Many of the artists have the same concerns that many of us do about the destruction man brings to Mother Earth each and every day.   And so the artists set out to remind us of consequences of our actions.  Thus the work focused on nature and a Save our Planet theme.  Giving us all something to think about Colorful and beautiful.  What started as an idea grew to involve almost 75 volunteers that made this art project become a reality.  The styles and form of the art varies from simple to complex realism to abstract.  But they all contribute to the feeling that you are entering a community that cares about nature and the impression it leaves on every visitor The road into Quepos has been transformed from something you forget as soon as you pass it to a magical and beautiful surprise on each passing building.  To the organizers In the world of high-stakes tournament fishing hard-working mates and skilled anglers are important ingredients held all the cards during the 2017 Quepos Billfish Cup The team stacked the deck with experienced anglers while Cristian Delgado handled the deck duties held off a strong push by Fish Tank on Day Two and won another daily on Day Three with an incredible 15 sailfish and three marlin for a grand total of 36 sails and three marlin Rabenstine was the tournament’s top angler with 39 sailfish and one marlin released in three days of fishing to score 8,300 points They were the top daily boat on Day Two with 17 sailfish Wybulu was third with 25 sailfish and 5,000 points For the tournament there were a total of 262 billfish releases: 254 sailfish and eight marlin Marina Pez Vela offers world-class facilities including a complete boatyard and service center high-speed refueling for vessels up to 200 feet in length It’s also home to the 2017 Offshore World Championship Puntarenas — When the Marina Pez Vela first opened here the people of Quepos were pretty suspicious The Los Sueños Marina north of Jacó paved the way for big marinas in Costa Rica but it was gated off inside an exclusive Marriott super-resort as if foreign developers had paved over paradise and put in a parking lot with a guardhouse to keep Costa Ricans out and they’re only for Americans,” said Jeff Duchesneau the 43-year-old general director of Pez Vela who through no fault of his own is from Boston that was the reputation we had in Quepos,” Jeff said “Like nobody in Quepos liked this marina and it was a really strange relationship.” Today the marina is a major anchor of the Quepos economy and offering all kinds of maritime adventure snorkeling and booze cruises on fabulous catamarans People in town now understand that this marina is public and open to all On Friday nights the marina offers free movies on an inflatable screen in a public amphitheater and everybody sits on the stairs,” Jeff said “We can seat 300 people on those seats on the stairs.” he tries to find whatever he can that’s new and rated PG or G “And these are some of the things that Quepos loves As with many big developments in Costa Rica the marina hit a major roadblock with the global financial crisis of 2008 When a new marina law in Costa Rica passed in 1999 Harold Lovelady of Texas obtained a concession in Quepos (as Los Sueños did in Herradura) and started building For years he was backed by Banco Promerica which wanted to sell real estate associated with the marina The marina was half built but he hadn’t sold enough slips “The Promerica investment group and Harold reached a mutual agreement for the group to continue the project that Mr The bank put the project on hold through 2008 and 2009 “It was kind of a weird project for a long time,” he said the buildings were done but didn’t have a lot of tenants yet Perhaps the marina’s greatest creation was its yacht yard where giant yachts can be lifted out of the water and put in dry dock for maintenance and storage There’s a marine travel lift nicknamed “Beauty” that can haul 200-ton yachts out of the water vertically using straps attached to the bottom by divers And then there’s “Beast,” a gigantic forklift that can lift boats onto a multi-level dry rack “What all these boats had to do before was go up to Puntarenas and then there’s this set of mud flats where these boats would basically just sit on some rails,” Jeff said “The tide would go out and these boats would be sitting on these rails in the mud These guys would do all this work lying down on their backs in the mud.” He said all the boats here have to be taken out of the water once a year to service the hull and apply anti-fouling paint and even in the low season it’s nearly full “For the high season we were over 100 [percent occupancy] which is why we’re still expanding,” Jeff said He said the cost of the expansion is probably around $10 million Though the marina has 10 deluxe condos that rent for around $350 a night it plans to build a 50- to 80-room luxury hotel overlooking the marina and downtown Quepos No design has been approved for how big it will be despite reports that it will be 10 stories tall “We don’t want to build cheesy,” Jeff said “It’s got to look and fit with the limited space we’re on I don’t think we’d build 10 or 12 stories.” The marina and its expansion plans have not been immune to controversy, with questions raised about waterfront overdevelopment, increased traffic, noise and other issues. But opposition has not been nearly as vocal as with some other marina projects, notably the expansion plans of Crocodile Bay in Puerto Jiménez Jeff said a lot of perceptions have changed over the past couple of years “Today you can walk around Quepos and ask 10 people what their thoughts are on the marina and nine will say this is great for Quepos … And the other one will say it’s the worst thing possible.” Jeff walked with me out the front of the marina and to the left attractive brick walkway that connected the marina to the seaside malecón (boardwalk) called the “Paseo de Los Quepeños.” “Welcome to public-private partnership at its best,” he said she and I put this deal together where the city bought all the materials and we put in all the labor and all the design and the civil infrastructure and the lights and all the building “Come out here at like 6:30 in the morning There’s hundreds of people running and biking and doing exercise drills Jeff is well aware that many people think of Quepos as a place to drive through on their way to Manuel Antonio But he is an unabashed advocate for Quepos in its own right “They gave me this whole sociological study when I started the job,” he said “and Quepos was ‘unsafe,’ ‘dirty,’ ‘unsustainable,’ ‘old,’ all these negative words And Manuel Antonio was the opposite — ‘beautiful,’ ‘sustainable,’ ‘safe.’ “And part of our mandate here is how do we change that how do we make sure Quepos itself has beauty Manuel Antonio is a neighborhood of Quepos … not the other way around.” The Tico Times Travel section takes an in-depth look at some of Costa Rica’s greatest destinations with multiple articles exploring the attractions of each we’ll visit one of Costa Rica’s finest gems the hillside enclave of Manuel Antonio and its seaside neighbor Having completed the 20th edition of the Offshore World Championship in May and the 7th edition of this iconic event here at Marina Pez Vela the opportunity to reflect on the impact of fishing on our local community and tourism in the area is upon us While Manuel Antonio is firmly established as an ecotourism destination we forget that fishing has long been a way of life and subsistence for the local Quepos community and that early sportfishing exploration was some of the first tourism to the area The history and roots of the ocean and fishing are deeply rooted in this community on the history of both artisanal fishing as well as the history of sportfishing in the area along with its socio-economic impacts I wanted to take a minute to share some thoughts and perspective on the sustainability of fishing in the area and the generational component which is visible now there is a tremendous commitment to sustainability in all forms of the word its growth and well-being from a cultural and economic standing is unwavering and very much a part of our DNA at the project These efforts are crucial to the future of the project and the ability to ensure that our waters are rich in marine life for generations to come we are already seeing multi-generation teams of captains and mates working the growing charter and private fleets in the marina With all the new tourism and investments in marina high-paying jobs are being created that allow our local community amazing opportunities in all areas of the fishing world More and more Quepos youth have family members or friends who have been part of the industry and are dreaming of their chance to learn more about fishing and its magic At this year’s Offshore World Championship we had an amazing opportunity with 50 children from the community While anglers from around the globe went out to fight for a world title the captains and crews from the fleet at Marina Pez Vela They were taught casting and the basics of fishing from the organizational team While records were not set with the amount of fish caught I can assure you records were set with the amount of smiles excitement and enthusiasm from these children just when you thought it couldn’t get any better Bonnier announced that each child was able to keep their rod as a gift from the OWC One child and his family spoke of how he had been starting to save to buy his own rod but didn’t know how many years it was going to take him  His commitment and passion were rewarded with some basic knowledge and tools to pursue his passion all in the shadow of the world’s biggest fishing tournament stage Who knows how many of those kids will fish for pleasure or as a way of life at least one of them will be leading anglers from around the globe on an expedition in the future This story was sponsored by Marina Pez Vela Puntarenas — Reviewing hotels and restaurants in this place we felt like mosquitoes at a nudist colony: We were very happy to be here Quepos and Manuel Antonio are a mecca of great hotels and restaurants most of them carved into stunning locations on a seaside mountain some of them located within a gorgeous marina For those who can pay top dollar in Costa Rica Manuel Antonio is perhaps rivaled only by Papagayo for the quality of its lodging This article concludes our package on one of Costa Rica’s finest gems the hillside enclave of Manuel Antonio and its seaside neighbor Yet amid the swank ecolodges and airplane-themed attractions and $22 entrees in the hills of Manuel Antonio and down the road in Quepos where you could sleep in a dorm room for $12 a night So don’t be too quick to dismiss this place as too expensive Manuel Antonio is also known as one of the most gay-friendly resort destinations in the world of course — the point is that Manuel Antonio is open to all And most people agree it should stay that way We don’t claim these are “the best,” because we didn’t try them all But here are five good hotels and five good restaurants Costa Verde is a 4-star hotel with a 5-star concept: Turn airplanes into hotel rooms to see a 1965 Boeing 727 jutting out of the jungle but it was bought in San José and laboriously transported here unique hotel room that costs between $260 and $500 a night There’s also a “Cockpit Cottage” currently under construction (no tail) and call the whole area “Jungle Landing.” (There are also very nice rooms not made out of airplanes that start at $97 plus tax.) Costa Verde director Allan Templeton is from Connecticut where he apparently skipped every class on “How To Do Things Small.” built around the carcass of a 1955 Fairchild C-123 cargo plane that was used by the Reagan-era CIA/NSC to deliver arms to the Contras in Nicaragua so it went from running guns to serving shots air-conditioned railroad dining car built on the base of what used to be a banana train It’s a great place to have a Hebrew National hot dog and a cold Imperial There’s also the Zip Coaster where for $12 you can try either the course built like a roller-coaster where you fly through the canopy as if sitting on a bicycle Costa Verde has also become a go-to wedding destination, and it’s easy to see why if you watch this video and on the poolside “wedding helipad.” Everything in this place seems to be just a bit over the top There’s probably only one hotel in the world where Mikhail Gorbachev Chuck Norris and Oscar Arias have all stayed who is president of the Quepos Chamber of Commerce opened here in 2000 after a career as director of the national press clubs in Washington and Moscow “When I started this I made everything very Tico-like then over the years I started getting a little feedback and it changed,” he said “Now people want modern stuff.” As you walk around you can still see the three styles that influenced the imaginative design: rustic Costa Rican Elegantly appointed rooms run from $175 to $1,500 for the presidential suite free transportation to the beach and a Bat Cave And there’s a rule against children under 12 with a pool where three-man bands can perform for private parties on a platform over the water Bodaan gestured to pictures of Costa Rican heads of state and said If you needed driving directions from Quepos Gaia could be described as the first 5-star hotel on your left Far from the cluster of luxe hotels at Punta Quepos and beyond Gaia rises from the rain forest unexpectedly on a hill so steep you welcome the guard shack Take a ride up to the lobby and the restaurant take in the statuary inspired by the indigenous population and hold your breath for the view at the top Don’t be expecting a wide-angle photo of a gorgeous hotel exterior because this place is so steep and surrounded by jungle that all its best views are looking out not in — unless you’re shooting pictures from the air The rooms here (for adults and teens 13 and up) offer everything you’d expect at a 5-star hotel in Costa Rica: sumptuous interiors nature reserve tours and transportation to the park and beaches prices range from $165 for two to $1,200 for four Boris Marchegiani, who is a mix of nationalities including Italian and Venezuelan, opened Gaia in 2006 along with a couple of partners. This year it was recognized by Best in Travel Magazine as Mexico and Central America’s leading boutique hotel when you see scarlet macaws flying around Manuel Antonio This was once a natural corridor for these gorgeous birds but their population collapsed amid all the development Gaia established a unique project on its property that brings in macaws bred in captivity from confiscated adults It’s currently establishing its own breeding program on the premises Dialing down on the dollars you’ll need to spend on this fabulous vacation a really likable 22-room hotel with prices between $45 and $95 Under the management of the gregarious Minnesota couple Paige Cain and John Westgard for almost two years now the Blue Monkey is a go-to option for medium-price travelers who don’t want to spend all of their money on hotels The little restaurant and bar is often lively at night The property has two inviting swimming pools And on its northern (downhill) side there’s a steep undeveloped rain forest ravine that is teeming with wildlife — sloths The eclectic design means rooms can vary widely but most have air conditioning and television with views that vary from poolside to roadside For well-heeled honeymooners or any couple seeking romantic seclusion in a stunning setting Prana Rainforest Retreat has only one villa this 1,500-square-foot house is a shrine to Eastern design statues and furniture imported from the Far East Sumptuously designed by a couple who live next door Prana offers a private swimming pool and a spa pavilion where massages are offered within view of a beautiful waterfall The property borders the national park and is surrounded by jungle thick with wildlife yet it’s a five-minute drive from the main road in Manuel Antonio may be the most impressive restaurant I’ve ever eaten at in Costa Rica who prepared for this vocation by studying nuclear engineering is a stone-cold perfectionist who believes in doing everything “at the next level,” and it shows in the quality of his food and its presentation exquisite cuts of beef and caramelized octopus with deep-fried calamari lots of octopus were harmed in the making of this lunch for four Dean showed us an $800 cookbook that details that octopus should be cooked to 147° F (not 148°!) so that it’s neither too mushy nor too tough to get the exact same consistency every time,” Dean said “We do everything at the next level,” Dean said If you love all things Japanese (and we don’t mean chasing Pokemon) look no further than the new Sunrice Restaurant at Marina Pez Vela Opened last spring by New York/Hollywood transplant Michael Wex There’s a reason Sunrice was recently rated #1 on Trip Advisor out of 62 restaurants in Quepos chicken or fish filling inside a triangular-shaped mound of rice in a seaweed wrapper omusubi is a common fast food found in convenience stores made the night before and gobbled by commuters on the subway But Japanese visitors to Sunrice have told Michael that his version is among the best they’ve ever had Other popular items include spicy tuna over crispy rice a baked crab roll in soy paper and even homemade coconut mango vegan ice cream the attentive service or the wallet-friendly prices here Sunrice also sells Japanese-influenced merchandise including insulated bags and children’s chopsticks with characters like Angry Birds and Ninja Turtles plus artwork by Costa Rican artist Enrique Campos you can enjoy all that coastal Costa Rica has to offer and unique healthy and delicious Asian-inspired cuisine,” says Michael With its quirky feng shui and gorgeous view Falafel Bar makes for a perfectly relaxing lunch with friends The best part of it all is that it’s healthy Israeli flags hanging across the ceiling hint at the owners’ roots and the Mediterranean menu Recommendations include the classic shawarma a dish similar to a gyro where grilled meet is rolled up with veggies inside a wrap or the heavier but equally delicious schnitzel plate All main dishes are served with sides of fresh vegetables and an amazing homemade hummus Falafel Bar also specializes in mixing up special smoothie combos like guanabana and papaya or blackberry and ginger these two things are sure: It will most likely be healthy and it will most definitely be delicious it’s a good bet you’ll be craving seafood Maybe no restaurant in Manuel Antonio does fish better than Café Agua Azul Like most places on the main road cutting through Manuel Antonio’s hillside Agua Azul has an incredible view overlooking the Pacific Ocean But what separates the restaurant is the perfectly cooked fish plates like the popular red snapper that comes over a salad of shredded green papaya and plantains all bathed in a sweet tamarindo sauce and dusted in paprika The panko-crusted tuna is another must-have dish for fish lovers is served over a bed of rice and vegetables with wasabi on the side to kick up the heat the more U.S.-style fare is every bit as good One such comfort food is the plate of fries smothered under melted cheese and bacon bits that’s filling enough to be a whole meal or shared among a table for an appetizer Brian Galloway of the Philadelphia area bought the place and reopened it in December 2015 Probably the most popular item on the menu are the very tasty fish tacos as well as the authentically Mexican tacos and nachos with your choice of meat are a filling meal for two Brian says he doesn’t like to eat out and leave hungry The thing I find in Manuel Antonio is that there’s not a lot of consistency “We try to be open seven days a week … really focused on the food.” Contact Karl Kahler at kkahler@ticotimes.net and Michael Krumholtz at mkrumholtz@ticotimes.net Puntarenas — The first tourists to lay eyes on Manuel Antonio were apparently the crewmen of the Spanish explorer Hernán Ponce de León But the numerous Quepo natives on the shore put on such a display of hostility against the foreigners that he decided against landing and proceeded to safer shores farther north Today Manuel Antonio and the neighboring port of Quepos thrive above all on visitors welcome them with open arms and are inundated with them we took you to Valle del Sol in the Central Valley Starting today and for the next three weeks PART I: Valle del SolPART II: Quepos/Manuel Antonio• Today: Overview• Oct According to data from the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) Manuel Antonio was the most visited national park in Costa Rica in 2015 The two parks sometimes trade first and second place There is no comparing the volcano’s gate prices with the mountains of wealth generated by Manuel Antonio every day In a country obsessively dedicated to promoting tourism Manuel Antonio National Park is packed with monkeys But these same animals don’t know where the borders of the park are popping up near people in unexpected places all the time rare squirrel monkeys use the power and phone lines along the main road as a major thoroughfare the port town built in the lowlands in the early 20th century today is a bustling big town/little city with a central market an actual casino and a marina full of millionaires’ yachts a ridge that has also come to be known as Manuel Antonio convenience stores and even a “gentleman’s club” that stretches the definition of “gentleman.” It would be easier to name the things you can’t do of course visit the national park — and much more One of the few things you can’t do here is go bungee-jumping (that’s in Monteverde) owner of the 5-star La Mansion Inn and president of the Quepos Chamber of Commerce sat down to talk on a couch in his lobby with a gigantic piranha in an aquarium behind him a few steps from an unbelievable view of a beautiful bay He said this region has almost all the features that draw people to this country “Thirteen of the 15 reasons why people come to Costa Rica are here in the Cantón de Quepos,” he said “The only thing we don’t have is a volcano and a museum.” A museum is in the planning stages — restoring an old banana company building in front of the Marina Pez Vela that will showcase the history and culture of this region “Once we have that museum and cultural center the only thing missing is a volcano,” Bodaan said And we both agreed that you can’t just build a volcano Bodaan said one of the community’s struggles is trying to keep local park revenue from being appropriated by national authorities to support other parks “Some of our members have a very strong position that all of the money should go to Quepos,” he said say let’s share the wealth at least a little bit But after we have the infrastructure in place — parking welcome center — we’re a 5-star destination He said a couple of years ago the per-capita income in this area was $6,000 to $7,000 a year reinforced by the marina industry.” He said the Chamber’s goal is to boost the per-capita income to between $15,000 and $18,000 The marina in particular has created highly specialized jobs “There are 165 trades associated with the marina industry we don’t need more maids; we need specialists in the marina industry.” “The problem that we have is not attracting more visitors; the problem we have is infrastructure We get like 68 cruise ships that visit Quepos every year bringing thousands and thousands and thousands of visitors “But the park can’t handle more than it can handle We’re a little bit a victim of our own success.” I bet there are a lot of places in this country that would like to have this problem Jim Damalas of California first came to Costa Rica in 1974, and in 1976 his partners bought the property that is today the Sí Como No with rooms ranging from $350 to $500 a night unlike Tamarindo and Jacó and Flamingo and all these other places,” Damalas said “if you go out on a boat and you look back it can create a lot of traffic issues on the holidays Sitting in his breeze-swept lobby overlooking a huge expanse of almost completely untouched forest between us and the sea Damalas noted that there are 50 meters of maritime zone where nobody can build anything Then there are another 150 meters where you can apply for concessions to build flat zone that we were now looking down on “You won’t get that down behind that 50 meters of jungle you’ll be sweating down there and getting bit by the bugs.” gave me a tour of the property (which actually has a movie theater and I asked him if any celebrities had been here He said pop star Pink (a repeat visitor to Costa Rica who got married in Papagayo) checked in one day and walked up to the poolside bar the bar was inundated with orders for strawberry margaritas Bear in mind that the town of Quepos was here first that it’s the municipality that governs the entire region and that it’s joined at the hip economically with Manuel Antonio Quepos has been something of a wagging tail on the bounding dog that is Manuel Antonio There are two major businesses that don’t rely on tourism: Martec Virtually all other businesses in this area rely on visitors in one way or another director of the Gaia Hotel and Reserve and president of the local Chamber of Tourism when asked to describe Quepos and Manuel Antonio “It would be like the difference between being in Cannes or La Côte d’Azur.” If you understand that analogy “This was basically developed for tourism,” he said Quepos was rarely seen as much of a tourism destination in its own right It does have a lively casino at the Kamuk Best Western that’s open until 4 a.m. using the busy bus terminal and taking advantage of the lower prices for lodging and food But Quepos got a major upgrade around 2012, when the Marina Pez Vela opened after the paralysis caused by the global financial crisis of 2008 modern and open to all — it reminds me of San Diego with all its upscale restaurants and shops meaning anyone can come here without a penny in their pocket and sit and enjoy the sunset for free and there are free movie nights twice a month the marina had a questionable reputation in town just because it was a marina where the locals might not feel like they’re welcome Duchesneau did everything in his power to turn that perception around Today most quepeños whole-heartedy embrace the marina and are proud to have it “I call this my human friction area,” Duchesneau said standing on the seaside plaza built like an old amphitheater where 300 people can sit on the stairs to watch movies or other performances “This is where the Costa Rican kids and the American tourist kids start playing together and running around it feels like what a marina should be in Costa Rica.” Many people say Manuel Antonio is “too crowded” and “too touristy.” As noted in a previous Tico Times story on the national park the species you see most here is Homo sapiens It is a fact that Costa Rica’s greatest places tend to attract the most visitors Some travelers avoid Manuel Antonio because they’ve heard there are too many people there The attractions of this region may be tourism’s perfect storm — extreme biodiversity excellent marina and omnipresent views of vast green forest and blue ocean I’m sure the Garden of Eden was nice with only two people in it But if you don’t mind your paradise a little more populated authorities provided a little more information regarding today’s arrest of the head of the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) in Quepos Costa Rica’s Chief Public Prosecutor Jorge Chavarría has confirmed the arrest on Wednesday of the head of the Judicial Investigation Police is accused of illegally detaining three North Americans in an apparent land dispute with an alleged drug trafficker The Tico Times has not yet been able to obtain a statement from Solano alias “Bombillo,” also was arrested but they said he has been under investigation for alleged drug trafficking Authorities suspect “Bombillo” was involved in a land dispute with the North Americans and hired OIJ’s Solano to “scare them” via illegal detention for several hours citing a non-existent international arrest warrant A press conference on the arrests and allegations is scheduled for 1:30 p.m please contact David Boddiger at dboddiger@ticotimes.net Follow wordpress-257819-2837440.cloudwaysapps.com for updates Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Chamber of Commerce of Quepos is Worried About the Environmental Impact at Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park The Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism board of Quepos expressed its serious concern about the current situation of Manuel Antonio National Park and the environmental impact reported in the area The Chamber emphasized that the current scenario is not only caused by tourism but also by the mismanagement of resources by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) The Chamber understands that tourism in Quepos and Manuel Antonio has been a vital source of income for the region generating jobs and opportunities for the local population they also highlighted that they have observed a series of problems related to the management of the park by the responsible authorities and a lack of effective solutions The lack of investment in infrastructure (trails and restrooms), the lack of control and surveillance of the area, and the absence of concrete actions to prevent and mitigate the environmental impact has generated a critical situation requiring urgent solutions For those involved in the tourism industry the main cause of these issues is the mismanagement of resources which thwarts hiring more personnel for the required tasks The Chamber calls on MINAE and SINAC to accept their responsibility and take immediate measures to reverse the current situation It is necessary to implement and execute an integrated management plan for the park that includes actions such as building adequate infrastructure for visitors hiring more park rangers to improve the constant surveillance of the area including environmental education measures and adopting technologies that allow for efficient resource management All of this will be possible if existing laws are enforced and the available funds are used efficiently The Chamber also urged the community to collaborate in the conservation of the park and visit responsibly A Costa Rican court this week acquitted tour guides involved in a 2018 rafting accident that killed five people Two brothers and the owner of the rafting company Quepoa Expeditions SA had been charged with homicide but were absolved by a unanimous decision from the Quepos Criminal Court The rafting accident occurred in October 2018 tourists were visiting the country as part of a bachelor party “Fourteen tourists and three guides on board three rafts Puntarenas when the accident occurred,” Red Cross spokesperson Alexander Morales said at the time Survivors of the accident told ABC News that they had not been warned of the dangerous rafting conditions and criticized Costa Rica’s safety standards for adventure tourism But the judges this week cited in dubio pro reo — in case of doubt to side in favor of the accused — among the reasons to acquit Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado expressed his “dismay” at the events and said in a statement that he had instructed authorities to provide all necessary support to the victims’ families Rafting and other adventure tourism activities are hugely popular with tourists in Costa Rica waterways often flood during the rainy season The featured photo shows Quepos from the air: Mangroves Punta Quepos and in the distance Manuel Antonio Puntarenas – The fate of this small coastal town has often been determined by external influences: the Standard Fruit Company a huge boom in tourism based on the popularity of the nearby Manuel Antonio National Park The leadership of the Marina Pez Vela in the heart of the town seeks to break the community’s historical duality between the locals and the gringos  by working with the Municipality and other actors to create collaboration for the general improvement of Quepos The Marina has been making an effort to invite all quepeños in to make use of its facilities as a public space Sales Manager Scott Cutter says this aspect of the Marina is particularly important to him “For me to be a part of a project that starts to… show people that development isn’t intrinsically bad and can create great public space for future generations of local people and better job opportunities – that’s a fun thing,” Cutter told The Tico Times Cutter’s love of the town and its history has led him to create free public events such as family movie nights support for the Independence Day faroles parade a Día de las Mascaradas with trick-or-treat included and the Christmas Bright Lights boat parade These events are done with the sole purpose of creating a safer and more fun Quepos “We try to do all these public events so that the community of Quepos takes ownership and feels that the Marina isn’t just some other gringos,” Cutter said The Marina formed an alliance with the Quepos Municipality to work together to improve the malecón to create a safer public space that people could enjoy throughout the day “We did all the architectural work for the malecón: the paving stones All of the new benches and flowerpots on the malecón the Marina donated them to the Municipality and we’ve given them a full design plan on how to redesign the whole malecón,” Cutter said See also: Yacht or not? How Marina Pez Vela won over Quepos, and transformed it This help on behalf of the Marina contributes to the Municipality’s project of beautifying the town “The malecón has been appropriated so that the people and tourists who come here feel safe,” Emily Fernández from the Quepos Municipal Office of Tourism Management Cutter says that’s all part of the Marina’s vision and goal of empowering the people of Quepos to feel proud of their town “We don’t want to be the people who change Quepos We want to be the people that helped Quepos change itself,” Cutter said The Marina has been carrying out the Bright Lights Boat Parade for four years now with the goal of creating an enjoyable family event to start off the holiday season It can’t get any bigger here because we don’t have any more space I think the Marina… may become a starting point just like the Festival de la Luz” in San José He says he plans to keep building on past successes I think that’s one of the things the Marina’s good at They understand that none of the things that we’re going to do here are about doing an event and tomorrow it’ll end They know that if you really want to change it The Bright Lights Boat Parade will be held on Dec. 9 at Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Puntarenas with more than 15 illuminated boats. For more information visit the Bright Lights webpage William Sean Creighton's remains were discovered in a cemetery in Quepos Puntarenas — The Chinese ambassador to Costa Rica stopped here Friday to have lunch with local officials and tour an oil palm plantation in hopes of increasing business and tourism ties between the two countries Song Yanbin also made a donation of several maritime and art books to the National Coast Guard Academy president of the city council and other officials president of the Quepos Chamber of Commerce and owner of La Mansion Inn and we want to promote more Chinese tourism here,” Yanbin said “Every year 100 million Chinese tourists travel and we want the Chinese to come to this beautiful area.” Afterward the group toured a Palma Tica plant where palm oil is made Three Palma Tica officials gave a presentation on how palm dates are harvested cooked and processed into various oils used for cooking and making butter said the company recently spent a half-million dollars buying Chinese manufacturing products hopes to increase exports of palm oil products to China “From November to date … we’ve bought about 50 containers of equipment from China,” Barboza said “We’ve spent about a half-million dollars in acquiring products from you and for us it’s been an important relationship and we hope to continue it.” Yanbin was impressed to learn that the factory which has been awarded a Blue Flag for its sustainability practices produces virtually no waste and generates all its own power from burning the husk of the palms “What really impressed me is that the operation is self-sufficient very clean — it doesn’t produce black water or garbage,” he said Costa Rica receives only 3,000 to 4,000 visitors from China a year in part because of restrictive visa rules that have recently been eased Both the Chinese and the Costa Rican delegations said they hoped to see these numbers increase dramatically “What interests me is eco-tourism,” Yanbin said “That is one of Costa Rica’s biggest advantages to bring more Chinese here to get to know Costa Rica The central Pacific town of Quepos near Manuel Antonio National Park had an unwelcome tourist over the weekend The sight of a 200-kilogram (440-pound) crocodile waddling through the streets of Quepos on Friday sent children and visitors running according to a statement from Costa Rica’s Public Security Ministry Authorities said the 2.5-meter-long reptile climbed onshore from a nearby estuary and strolled the streets before police firefighters and locals wrangled the animal onto a truck The croc was released into the wild under the supervision of the National System of Conservation Areas The crocodile appeared more curious than anything about its neighbors in the fishing and tourist town Last week, police had to relocate a 300-kg crocodile from Playa Claritas The PELAGIC Rockstar Offshore Tournament® is set to take place in Quepos, Costa Rica from January 12 to 15 This highly-anticipated event is Central America’s largest and richest sportfishing tournament with over $1,000,000 in prize money on the line Angling teams from all over the world will come to Quepos to compete for the prestigious title of Tournament Grand Champion and the chance to win big The target species for this tournament include sailfish, marlin, tuna, and dorado, and the action will take place off the coast of the port town of Quepos. The event will be held at Marina Pez Vela world-class yacht harbor that features restaurants there will be a festival-like atmosphere with daily rock concerts and the famous Costa Rican hospitality Summary of Entry Fees & Optional Jackpots: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to experience some of the best fishing on the planet and be a part of the PELAGIC Rockstar Offshore Tournament® Have you heard of this place called Manuel Antonio It’s got the most popular national park in Costa Rica a gleaming new marina in nearby Quepos and a ridge between the two lined with world-class hotels Some people avoid Manuel Antonio because it’s too “crowded,” too “touristy” — and they’re making a big mistake In the second installment of our series on “Costa Rica’s Greatest Places,” today The Tico Times Travel section kicks off a multi-story package on the attractions the adventures and the backstory that have made Manuel Antonio and Quepos the top destination in Costa Rica Read the opening story in Travel A pickpocket attempt on crowded Manuel Antonio Beach on New Year’s Day quickly went haywire for three men who tried to snatch the purse off a U.S the head of police in the Quepos region on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast townspeople and local visitors on the beach saw the men try to steal the purse and quickly swarmed the men and their nearby car “The version of the story we were told is that the men tried to steal a purse from the foreign tourist and from there a large argument broke out that included damages to the car,” Arias told The Tico Times Monday during a phone interview The robbery attempt happened around noon Monday in the middle of the popular beach destination Though the three men failed to steal the purse they were apprehended by police on the scene that the men were eventually released since the U.S citizen did not want to press charges and the men had no prior incidents on their personal records for damages done to the would-be robbers’ vehicle during the citizens’ arrest Quepos and Manuel Antonio are one of Costa Rica’s top meccas of great hotels and restaurants Today in Travel we conclude our six-part package on Quepos/Manuel Antonio part of the series “Costa Rica’s Greatest Places,” with our recommendations for five hotels and five restaurants in a range of prices Read the story in Travel The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) in Costa Rica has identified 36 specific locations across the country where tourists face heightened risks of falling victim to theft Dubbed “hot spots” by the Tourism Police, these high-risk tourist destinations were singled out due to an alarming spike in criminal offenses targeting visitors in 2023. The designated areas encompass a number of popular coastal towns and beaches frequented by tourists, including Jacó the analysis carried out by Costa Rican law enforcement flagged regions such as Garabito and the Osa Peninsula as tourist sites warranting increased vigilance against crime Statistics provided by the Tourism Police indicate that 1,447 crimes against tourists’ personal property were reported nationwide in 2023 and physical assaults targeting visitors to Costa Rica Though the figure shows a slight decrease from the 1,518 tourist-related crime cases logged in 2022 it still amounts to an average of 120 complaints per month Authorities say the vast majority of the tourist crimes in 2023 were concentrated in 10 areas across Costa Rica In light of these concerns around tourist safety, the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) announced expanded collaborative initiatives with the Public Security Ministry on February 8 The reinforced measures aim to curb crime rates plaguing popular travel destinations across the country. CANATUR has repeatedly urged the Costa Rican government to make tourist security a top priority in recent years With tourism representing one of Costa Rica’s foremost industries authorities say safeguarding visitors from crime is essential to maintaining the nation’s reputation as a leading eco-tourism destination in Central America The newly designated high-risk zones will allow law enforcement officials to strategically allocate greater resources towards security in vulnerable tourist sites [tribulant_slideshow gallery_id=”49″] The Casa Romántica is an architect’s dream come true the home is set in Manuel Antonio’s thriving rainforest and ensconced in nature Every feature of the home and property have been impeccably designed and are of the highest quality and it features 20 foot walls of glass and an open floor plan A cascading water feature greets everyone who enters and runs through the home to the pool on the other side Within the home are a number of aesthetic architectural features and even an oversized jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom The property is serviced by an electric gate and small guard house there is a small guest house or caretaker’s house on an independently titled property adjacent to the house which could be purchased along with the main house and is without doubt one of the nicest new homes in Manuel Antonio **There is an adjacent guest house (a 1 bedroom studio) which can be sold as an ‘add-on’ to the main home The property sits on a larger lot (3500 m2) and the guest house is used as a 5th bedroom for some of the vacation rentals Asking price: $275,000 – please inquire for further details and photos ▪ Stunning architecture ▪ Private rainforest setting ▪ 10 minutes to Manuel Antonio beach ▪ 5 minutes to Quepos ▪ Adjacent 1 bedroom guest house available for purchase with 3500 m2 of land ▪ Alarm System ▪ Ceiling Fan ▪ Laundry Room ▪ Cable Available ▪ Furnished ▪ Security Guard on Duty See this and other listings in the new Tico Times Real Estate section here. surveillance plane spotted a suspicious ship 36 nautical miles off of Quepos on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast The boat was carrying at least 810 kilograms of cocaine according to a Public Security Ministry statement on Wednesday When the five operators of the 30-foot drug boat realized it was being tracked by the plane the crew began throwing the cocaine overboard By the time Costa Rica’s Coast Guard intercepted the drug boat 17 nautical miles off the coast from Quepos ministry spokesman Jesús Ureña said in a telephone interview Drug Control Police recovered 810 kilos of cocaine in the waters around the boat The crew consisted of three Colombians with the last names Góngora Solís and Obando; and two Costa Ricans identified as Elizondo and Cabalceta Cabalceta reportedly had a sizable rap sheet including crimes for extortion and aggravated robbery Costa Rica’s Public Security Ministry seized 21 metric tons of cocaine in 2014 making it the largest single confiscator of the narcotic in Central America according to comments from minister Celso Gamboa during an end of the year review See also: At US-Mexico border, a flood of heroin, meth show drug trade is changing in the heart of the Central Pacific coastal town relaunched this month under a new name: Serenity Boutique Hotel This rebranding of the hotel by new Canadian owner Garry Wallace seeks to provide its customers with a more serene experience while enjoying their stay at Quepos Wallace says this focus was motivated by the fact that the hotel – which sits just minutes from Manuel Antonio Costa Rica’s most popular national park – was already known as a particularly tranquil spot https://ticotimes.net/travel/manuel-antonio-quepos-costa-rica “One of the things this hotel has been known for for many years is that it’s the quietest hotel in Quepos,” Wallace told The Tico Times and with motorcycles and cars and people it can get quite noisy at night Wallace and his staff made various renovations to create a particularly serene environment for guests “People like to stay here because it was quiet and peaceful We’ve renovated to bring in more of a peaceful environment with lots of green,” Wallace explained Wallace also adapted the hotel for it to be able to meet accessibility standards which included the addition of a ramp as well as a complete renovation of the common areas of the hotel Serenity Boutique Hotel offers delicious breakfasts that include gallo pinto and can advise guests on travel throughout the country Because it is a short walk from the bus station and only 10 minutes by bus from Manuel Antonio the hotel provides a convenient and economical base from which to explore the park The hotel will be offering cooking classes in December through its new Pura Vida Cooking School. “People who stay in this area can learn some Costa Rican fusion cooking in a fun environment we serve a few drinks and it becomes a pool party,” Wallace said For more information visit Serenity Boutique Hotel’s webpage The boutique hotel has 14 rooms with air conditioning Advertise was on a four-day fishing adventure out of Quepos First day offshore in the Pacific Beckwith and pals slammed yellowfin tuna to 60 pounds using top-water popping plugs Beckwith with good friend and fly-rod billfish angler Jake Jordon did an overnighter out of Quepos They caught six blue marlin in the 100-to-250-pound class all on regulation fly tackle With that kind of stellar fishing most anglers would have taken a day off the water to recoup “I wanted a big snook for a possible 6-pound line class record,” says Beckwith who runs Down East Guide Service out of Morehead City So he and I and Jordon went after snook on that fourth day off Quepos.” Using specialized light-tackle IGFA regulation gear, including a Shimano 4000 Stradic reel spooled with true-tested IGFA 6-pound Black Widow line, and a very long and “forgiving” 9-foot spinning rod, the anglers set out in the rolling swells of the Pacific Ocean to hunt for oversize snook First the anglers found and caught live sardines near the beach “That fish made a run and took about half the line off the spool,” says Beckwith “We ran closer to the fish and the snook tried to jump and got about half out of the water That’s when we knew it was the fish we were looking for and for sure it was bigger than the existing 6-pound test snook record At the time Roy thought it might be an all-tackle record because it was so huge.” Beckwith says they positioned the boat close to the fish again trying to get it in But the center-console was near the beach and huge Pacific Ocean roller waves the area is famed for was pitching and wallowing the boat “The snook was trying to get to the other side of the breakers near the beach where we couldn’t follow it and surely would lose it,” Beckwith explained “So I had to really put pressure on the fish to get it out of the area.” whippy custom spinning rod he used helped cushion the fight of the heavyweight snook almost like a fly rod would do in a similar fashion and he grabbed the 10-foot length of 50-pound test shock leader at the end of his 6-pound line I walked the snook to Roy and his mate who held a dip net and we got the fish in the boat,” described Beckwith “Then we put it in the boat’s live baitwell which was barely big enough for it to fit inside,” The anglers immediately called Quepos alerting them they had caught what surely was an IGFA record snook They kept the snook alive and got it to Marina Pez Vela in Quepos But they were concerned the weigh scale wouldn’t qualify as being a certified one So they then drove the fish to another set of scales in Los Suenos The snook didn’t survive the trip to Los Suenos as it otherwise would have been released by Beckwith and the fish’s heavier weight has just been accepted by IGFA as the new men’s 6-pound test line class world record for the species Beckwith’s snook betters the previous 6-pound line class record Pacific snook by nearly 12 pounds The former Pacific snook 6-pound line test men’s record weighed 31-pounds “My only regret is we couldn’t release that beautiful snook back into the Pacific,” says Beckwith “But the drive to the second set of weigh scales was too much for it to survive Sport Fishing may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site Copyright © 2025 Sport Fishing Firecrown The Bright Lights Boat Parade marked the official kickoff of the holiday season in the Central Pacific town of Quepos on Saturday The Marina Pez Vela offered its traditional parade with a total of 17 boats decorated with beautiful lights See also: Open doors, bright lights: Marina Pez Vela’s community outreach in Quepos This is the fourth edition of the Bright Lights Parade participants competed with their finest decorations for the title of best illuminated boat The winner for this year was the Gallo Pinto boat with a perfect score “Marina Pez Vela thanks all the people from the town of Quepos for their support year after year… and we pay tribute to those who supported the people affected by Tropical Storm Nate,” Jeff Duchesneau Open doors, bright lights: Marina Pez Vela’s community outreach in Quepos Costa Rica experienced a strong shake this evening the fault line producing the event is located about 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Quepos It is considered a shallow event due to experts because it was only about a mile (10Km) deep Reports from representatives in Quepos report no damage or injuries at this time In an update to last week’s article where we reported on a Costa Rica judge’s order to change the means of detention of defendant Harry Bodaan from house arrest to immediate penal detention Bodaan is one of three defendants in the murder of Dr María Luisa Cedeño back in July of 2020 in her room at the Hotel La Mansion in Maunel Antonio/Quepos Bodaan was the owner of the hotel and lived in his private home on the hotel premises In November of 2021 Bodaan sold the hotel then in December of 2021 he left the hotel and moved into another hotel in La Garita. La Garita is not in the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area where Bodaan had lived for over two decades. It is in the Central Valley about twenty minutes from Juan Santa Maria International Airport. José Miguel Villalobos says he notified local authorities in Quepos of the need to change the detention residence November 25th 2021 because the contract of the hotel sale required Bodaan to leave the premises by the 15th of December 2021 He also said that he gave authorities the address of the new residence but did not receive a reply It should be noted that the court overseeing the case is located in San Ramon and not in Quepos The attorney of the victim’s family pleaded successfully that given the hotel sale and the change of address without authorization that since Bodann is a Dutch citizen he should be considered a flight risk Bodaan is now in a private hospital under police custody The details of when he was admitted was not made available nor was it clear if it was a voluntary admission by Bodaan or by judicial authorities It is not uncommon in Costa Rica for criminal defendants to convince a court that their age or medical condition requires hospitalization rather than detainment in a penal facility The Criminal Court of Quepos sentenced dancer Teodoro Herrera Martinez to 50 years in prison for the rape and murder of Dr owner of the Hotel La Mansión (where Cedeño was murdered) That was the verdict of judges Sandra Arrieta Sánchez Courtroom number 3 of the Criminal Court of Goicoechea was crowded as many came to hear the verdict for the atrocious murder of Dr Maria Luisa Cedeño was found dead in room 3 of the hotel La Mansión Inn in Manuel Antonio Cedeño intended to enjoy a relaxing weekend but was brutally attacked and murdered All the evidence pointed to the three suspects who were charged by the prosecution. The Prosecutor’s Office had requested 255 years in prison for the defendants Bodaan, Herrera and Miranda on March 13 for aggravated murder and aggravated rape The initial petition included 89 years in prison against Herrera particularly 54 years for three offenses of aggravated rape the Prosecutor’s Office asked for an 83-year sentence 35 for aggravated homicide and 48 for three offenses The sentence for rape was reduced because the Prosecutor’s Office accused them as accomplices The forensic analysis implicated Herrera because his DNA was found on Dr The prosecutor’s theory pointed at Herrera as the mastermind and the other two defendants as accomplices to the crime According to the conclusions drawn by the Public Prosecutor’s Office Cedeño’s murder “could not have been perpetrated” by only one person and insisted that the three men were involved Miranda’s defense questioned deficiencies in the expert opinions provided by the judicial authorities and “inconsistencies” throughout the trial Cedeño’s family was present at the sentence reading and evidenced their pain and disapproval of the ruling The 2017 Lucas Oil Offshore World Championship billfish tournament got underway Monday with 50 teams from 29 countries competing for the honor of top angling team in the world Fishing takes place out of Marina Pez Vela in Quepos and is co-sponsored by Bonnier Corp which among many ventures publishes one of the most popular magazines among people who chase pointy-nosed fish you must have won another major tournament in the past year Video: A (very) quick look at the start of the tournament (Courtesy of Marina Pez Vela) The first day of the competition echoed this year’s fishing season in Costa Rica The numbers of fish caught the first day of the four-day tournament were down from the record number of fish seen the last few years Even though the numbers of sailfish were noticeably absent the numbers of marlin caught were much better A total of 58 billfish were caught and released eclipsing total marlin caught each year of previous tournaments the first day of fishing The leaders after the first day were teams called Oregon Tuna Classic and 2016 OWC Champions with awards presented at Marina Pez Vela that evening To keep track of the tournament live, click on http://owc17.catchstat.com/?dom=owc&loc=mainnav&lnk=live-scoring The fishing out of Quepos has by all accounts been really hot the past week Lots of sailfish are showing up and the tuna bite is fantastic Captain/owner of Big Eye 2 reported multiple days with 200 pounders and a couple of fights lasting over two hours…in fact one fight lasted into the night and they didnt return to the marina until after 9pm Many of the vessels fishing from here are experiencing really great fishing now for both sailfish and tuna with a few marlin showing up occasionally Reports of several 200 lb tuna  were submitted this week with total tuna numbers also noticeably higher If one can find the sailfish packs its common to raise 10 to 20 or more Lets take some time to congratulate the winners of the 2021 Marina Pez Vela Open In the Gun division Frenzy takes the cup with Caliente and Pacific Fly taking second and third respectively Top Fly  took first place in the Fun division with Good Day holding second place Eleven teams composed of 63 anglers released 139 sails and 2 blue marlin during the two day event The next tourney on the docket is the long-awaited Offshore World Championship This year’s tournament is comprised of the winners from this year as well as those teams who qualified for last year’s cancelled tournament Here is a quote from tournament director Dan Jacobs… “We are thrilled to announce the Costa Offshore World Championship will invite teams that qualified to fish the canceled 2020 event and teams that qualified to fish in 2021 to this year’s tournament scheduled for April 11-16 Marina Pez Vela crews are reporting good catches and the Parador Resort is taking great care of guests.” a group of fishermen fell in love with the coastal city of Quepos Docking their boats was tricky since the pier was not well-developed So they decided to build a small marina to dock their boats in a safe environment the framework for a transformation of the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area was set That’s how Marina Pez Vela started to rise “The original vision for the marina was a modern masterpiece,” said Estibaliz Hidalgo it focused on its core elements for future work It was designed to expand boat capacity and create a fine Yacht Yard it was also meant to “celebrat[e] the history of Quepos” The marina facility is equipped with stores The company is determined to establish itself as a high-standard company the intention is to integrate the local community and create a common space for everyone to enjoy the area “It offers the best of both worlds,” Hidalgo said The company’s focus lies on growth and seeks to expand its facility with further features and services it aims to integrate Quepos’s residents into the community of marina visitors “Travel and marine life used to mean choosing between luxury or authenticity,” Hidalgo said “Marina Pez Vela has made a concerted effort to bring those two together.” they initiated conversations with residents to involve them in the project It soon became clear that most marine companies are set on a short-term result that exploits  local community and only benefits the investors Marina Pez Vela is trying to work towards a sustainable “Rising tides must raise all ships,” Hidalgo said referring to the intention of Marina Pez Vela to benefit all parties – investors the company started to get involved in topics of social responsibility which has become one of the core elements of the company’s guidelines There are social projects that support local students They don’t just involve social responsibility but also allow the local community to take part in the project One of these social activities is a scholarship campaign to provide support for students school graduations and several sporting and cultural events One event that seems to have established itself within the community and its visitors is the Bright Lights Boat Parade “It is a celebration of the beauty of this area the history and community of Quepos and it is done seamlessly,” Hidalgo said emphasizing the connection of locals and visitors in this event Marina Pez Vela hopes to become part of the local community as a domestic project This article was sponsored by Marina Pez Vela. Want an article featuring your business? Contact kstanley@ticotimes.net for more information Costa Rican authorities on Wednesday inaugurated the renovated La Managua Airport in Quepos one of the country’s most-important tourism destinations “This is the new runway at La Managua aerodrome in Quepos,” said President Carlos Alvarado who attended a small ceremony at the airfield “Complying with the safety regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to this improvement is added an area for parking for Bravo-type aircraft perimeter fencing and a new rainwater system throughout the terminal “The most important part of the work done at this aerodrome is the promotion of tourism that translates into support for families and tourism companies Nueva pista del aeródromo La Managua, Quepos. Cumpliendo con la normativa de seguridad @icao, se suma un área para el estacionamiento para aeronaves tipo Bravo y nivelación de franjas de seguridad. Es un impulso al turismo y al empleo que genera en Quepos y cantones cercanos pic.twitter.com/WoqMBji6I9 Renovations began in May after years of delays. Upgrades were first announced in 2017 Since then, the aerodrome had remained in a state of disrepair — most pressingly the runway, which desperately needed repaving. The condition of the facilities had contributed to fewer domestic flights to La Managua Airport, which serves the popular Manuel Antonio National Park and the Central Pacific region Works were completed by the Costa Rican construction company MECO with a budgeted investment of 1.7 billion colones (about $2.7 million). MECO is one of the companies implicated in the ongoing “Cochinilla” bribery scandal Prior to its official inauguration, a SANSA flight carrying 12 passengers became the first to land at the renovated airport in early September, Noticias Quepos reported The administration of President Alvarado has prioritized airport improvements as a way to boost tourism SANSA and Costa Rica Green Airways offer domestic flights across Costa Rica; the latter two have scheduled service to Quepos (XQP) The National Emergency Commission (CNE) is installing tsunami-alert sirens in five Puntarenas towns Esterillos Oeste and Quepos are receiving the systems which would provide a preventative alert in the event of a possible Pacific coast tsunami They fortify the growing network of sirens in Costa Rica’s Puntarenas and Guanacaste provinces the CNE hopes to further expand that network with sirens on the Caribbean coast “The placement of the sirens is part of a process where people were educated and trained in tsunami evacuation by preparing maps and indicating to people the meeting points the routes to be taken,” said Silvia Chacón a representative of the National Tsunami Monitoring System (SINAMOT) many oceanside towns have signage indicating proper tsunami evacuation routes Quepos and Golfito are among the population centers that could be affected by a tsunami Perhaps the most significant of these occurred in 1854 when a magnitude 7.2 earthquake near the Osa Peninsula provoked a tsunami that destroyed several towns At least 15 other tsunamis have affected Costa Rica Watch the tsunami alert siren in action below: Department of Homeland Security recommends the following steps for responding to a potential tsunami: In Costa Rica, the CNE has helped prepare tsunami risk and evacuation maps for several communities. Their tsunami webpage has more resources Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission (CNE) on Thursday afternoon extended Red Alerts to three more cantons due to flooding and landslides associated with Hurricane Eta and Golfito in the Southern Zone are now under a Red Alert which were issued Red Alerts on Wednesday evening all emergency and humanitarian response teams are activated This often accompanies an evacuation of the public to shelters and is followed by an evaluation of damage to infrastructure “I reiterate the message asking that you take extreme precautions against the indirect effects of the Tropical Depression Eta,” said President Carlos Alvarado “We are keeping an eye on the evolution of its impacts and supporting the more than 1,300 people in shelters and the affected communities.”  two people died when a house was buried by a landslide according to Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) They were identified as Seidy Sánchez Chaves A large portion of Costa Rica has endured uninterrupted rain for 72 hours Areas in Guanacaste and the Southern Zone received more than 530 mm of rain from November 1-4 many times greater than the expected rainfall for the entire month At least 1,361 people have been evacuated to 41 shelters in 16 cantons Some 60 communities have reported flooding or landslides The greatest damage is concentrated in 23 communities in Cóbano According to Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) landslides have closed parts of several national or local roads The following roads have regulated traffic and drivers should expect delays: Route 14 Access to the following communities has been prevented by damaged or blocked roads Dial 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency in Costa Rica If you came upon the 727 Fuselage Home without context you'd probably start looking around for emergency responders Then you'd probably notice the rock pedestal staircase leading up to the door and the balcony protruding from its wing and realize its just a spectacular if not a little unnerving beachfront accommodation the bright red airplane has been completely revamped to create a luxurious hotel suite with wood finishes rocking chairs and all the standard amenities of a hotel Each piece of the airplane was brought from San Jose Airport to the Costa Verde Resort Tucked right into the rainforest canopy on a stone pedestal the suite has incredible views over the trees out to the ocean and the beach For people looking to immerse themselves in Costa Rica's wilderness or maybe live out a Lost fantasy without any of the hassles of a real plane crash the 727 Fuselage Home is a perfect alternative The control tower at the historic weapons range is now available as a highly unusual vacation rental Frequent fliers welcome in this airplane hotel This bright and bubbly Palm Springs hotel was the brainchild of an iconic drag queen Archduke Franz Ferdinand spent his final night alive at this luxurious hotel This historic hotel has hosted the likes of Babe Ruth A folk-art cottage and hotel straight from a Slavic fairy tale An intricate ceramic tile facade adorns this five-star hotel This Rocky Mountain mansion was the luxurious home of the authoritarian leader of a company town The white folks wearing matching white T-shirts were wiping the sweat off their foreheads when a woman standing out from the sea of white shirts in a red sundress carried in a 9-year-old Costa Rican quadriplegic girl with cerebral palsy was there to meet several therapists and receive a wheelchair made specifically for her picked up the mother and daughter in her white SUV and brought them to the site of the weeklong clinic in the retired teachers’ building about 15 minutes outside of Quepos They were greeted by 19 volunteers in white Fundación Roberta Felix T-shirts who completed a thorough evaluation of Ambar through a translator Sara Moore took Ambar’s measurements and began sifting through boxes and suitcases looking for appropriately sized pieces to build a wheelchair Moore, who sells wheelchairs for a living in Texas was on her fourth trip to Costa Rica to help fit children into donated wheelchairs so this is a good vacation for me,” Moore said fanning herself in the thick tropical heat and Felix invited her to help with the project in Quepos “I’ve been selling wheelchairs for 25 years now,” Moore said “and coming here makes me remember why I do this whereas the families at home just expect this.” She claims her reasons for coming are not completely selfless “There is no better feeling than doing something for somebody ‘Thank you so much’ and ‘We really appreciate it,’ and they cry It’s a great feeling to know you’ve done something good Felix drove all over the area picking up people who had no other way to get to the clinic “The reason we’re doing this clinic,” Felix said “is to get all these kids a proper evaluation and then they can come here on a regular basis to get therapy.” Felix says because most services are in San José, and some are in Puntarenas (a Pacific port city several hours farther north) living in Quepos is extremely hard on people with health problems “Mom gets up at the crack of dawn,” Felix said describing the trials and tribulations she’s heard several times “She finds someone to take care of the rest of her kids and spends hours traveling and waiting to get one hour of therapy for her kid at a public hospital That’s why Felix’s foundation is building a therapy center for children and young adults in the area who wouldn’t otherwise have access to care and therapy when one of Felix’s best friends and major donors will be able to attend where are these kids going to go?” she asks with a desperate twinge in her voice they can’t use it on the sidewalks because the sidewalks have holes in them They can’t go anywhere downtown because the buildings aren’t accessible The parents have to carry these kids around Felix has found 135 cases of handicapped children and young adults in the Manuel Antonio-Quepos area in need of equipment and therapy She pointed out that even though the number is large it may not seem like a problem to the average citizen because “no one ever really knows how many handicapped kids there are here because they just can’t come out of the house.” Felix had a young handicapped neighbor in need of a wheelchair a San José-based foundation collecting money to buy a wheelchair for her neighbor knocked on Felix’s door and I knew several other people in Manuel Antonio who were donating to this imaginary wheelchair,” Felix said Felix tried to get a wheelchair for him on her own and began to look for therapy options “Being an American in Costa Rica and realizing there were no services was shocking The two main goals of the foundation are to help the children help themselves and to give the parents a break in caretaking “A lot of the kids need 24-hour care,” Felix said “All parents have children thinking that one day their kid will be self-sufficient the less the parents worry about who’s going to take care of them when they die.” Gregoria Calderón is a 51-year-old stay-at-home single mother of a 14-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy Calderón spends her days at home with her daughter Yudy can help wash the dishes or pick up clothes but Calderón still has to dress her and feed her – when they have food to eat “Most of us who are mothers of handicapped children are single mothers Another thing Felix would like to do with the foundation is offer full meals to the children at the foundation or donate meals to the families “These kids need high-calorie meals,” Felix said If they don’t eat well or if they don’t eat Calderón would like to send her daughter to a school in nearby Parrita with a special room for handicapped children but she worries about letting Yudy travel on her own like the gravel road in front of their house The left side of her body does not cooperate with her brain “They told me I can send her on the bus (to Parrita) but I would have to take her to the bus every day,” Calderón said “What if there is no one there to help her off the bus But Calderón says she has a lot of faith in Felix to the school and therapy center Felix is building “The goal is to get them as much independence as possible,” Felix said “If they can go to the bathroom on their own or dress themselves or even learn to wash the dishes then we’ve accomplished something for them and for their parents.” it will be comforting to the parents to know that once or twice a week they can drop their kids off somewhere they will be safe the parents can take that time to do whatever it is they need to do like get their hair cut or go to the grocery store “It’s kind of like having a weekend for people who’ve never had a weekend before,” Felix explained A magnitude-4.5 earthquake rocked Costa Rica around 7:40 p.m according to the University of Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network UPDATE: The seismological network recorded a magnitude-4.2 aftershock at 9:20 p.m The epicenter of the temblor was about 7.5  kilometers off the central Pacific coast near the municipality of Aguirre and close to the popular tourist destination Manual Antonio The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica measured the quake at magnitude-4.9 Reports showed it was felt throughout the entire country with the strongest tremors hitting San José and the Central Valley No significant damage or any injuries have been reported Less than a week before Costa Rica’s presidential election, the two leading candidates both took to Twitter to point out helpfully that an earthquake had occurred and to ask their followers if they were OK and not at all as some type of feeble political ploy — Johnny Araya (@Johnny_Araya) January 30, 2014 Vivimos en tierra de temblores, esperamos que ninguna persona haya sufrido daños con el #temblorCR — José María Villalta Flórez-Estrada (@josemvillalta) January 30, 2014