Properties in Costa Rica Blog

Thanksgiving has arrived and for many decades, it has been a holiday that has been celebrated greatly in Costa Rica given the large number of ex-pats living over here. Slowly but surely, the essence of the autumn harvest has been incorporated in many ‘Tico’s’ home but in a rather tropicalized fashion (fresh fruits & vegetables of the season).

If you are planning a visit to Costa Rica around these dates, we got you covered because there are many traditional Thanksgiving activities you can do. In the capital, San José, or popular beach towns like Jacó or Tamarindo, several restaurants have made it easy to enjoy a typical Thanksgiving dinner for example.

Roast turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and of course, amazing apple pie is just a few of the staples that you will find for just about 20 US dollars. Some people even opt for a cheaper ‘Costa Rican’ version of the Thursday dinner if you will by substituting the turkey for chicken and buying some fresh sweet potatoes and herbs from the

farmer’s market to make a delightful stuffing. Also, another pro-tip if you are wanting to keep your costs on the low is to switch pumpkin pie for ‘ayote’, which is basically a squash that is similar to pumpkin in both flavor and color.

This November period is also great in terms of weather, with the rainy season coming to an end and the start of one of the lowest temperatures of the year (ranging from high 70s to low 80s). The breeze from the ocean and the beautiful food is just a perfect combination to enhance the celebration of the holiday with family and friends.

It’s important to remember that even though it is a national day in the US, it is not a paid holiday here in Costa Rica.

Undoubtably, with the amazing food experience, remember to keep an eye for online and store discounts for Black Friday and the shipping deals and discounts from Aerocasillas and Mailboxes in case you feel like buying something from US retailers.

Whether you want to spend November 24 th relaxed on the beach or zip-lining through the forest, there are plenty of options available to help you make of this day an unforgettable experience filled with thankfulness and appreciation.

As always, thank you for reading,

Properties in Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Costa Rica has been for a long time a destination that attracts millions of tourists on a regular basis and this year, it is no surprise that this beautiful country has been crowned as “The Most Desirable Country of 2022” in the Wanderlust Travel Awards taking place in the Tower of London. 

Received by William Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism, and other Costa Rican Tourism Institute representatives, this award is truly a reflection of the hard work that is put in year after year by all Costa Rican citizens (specially those involved in Touristic activities). In order to win the gold category for “best desirable country”, Costa Rica had to go past other big finalists such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Japan, Peru, Jordan, and South Africa. To be involved in a ceremony hosted by one of UK’s most established travel magazines (Wanderlust) speaks highly of the way in which tourism is handled in the country, especially when it comes to Costa Rica’s position as a leader in responsible and sustainable practices. 

In fact, an important part of the ceremony was dedicated to highlight Costa Rica for being a pioneer in the field of ecotourism, knowing well that the development and implementation of these practices are essential to the world as a response to the ever-growing climate change issues we’re all facing. The discussion of these topics along with the back and forth that takes place in an event such as this ultimately benefits everyone, given that both Costa Rica and other countries implementing ecotourism can feed of each other’s trial and errors and hopefully strive for better and more successful practices. 

Costa Rica has now established itself as a distinguished place for traveling and through its years of experience it has developed a system that is now being properly rewarded in the international stage. Be it pristine beaches, more than 500.000 animal species, active volcanoes, or simply it’s amazing people, you can be sure that booking a flight and experiencing for yourself the wonders of the ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle is a great vacation idea. 

As always, thank you for reading,

Properties in Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Photo: El Observador

References: 

1. TCRN Staff (Ed.) (2022, November 10). Costa Rica Won the Award for “The Most Desirable Country of 2022” in a Special Ceremony at London. Retrieved November 21, 2022, from https://thecostaricanews.com/costa-rica-won-the-award-for-the-most-desirable-country-of-2022-in-a-special-ceremony-at-london

November has arrived and this means that we are going to start witnessing the arrival of hundreds of thousands of beautiful olive ridley Turtles in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge shores of Costa Rica. Why are they arriving you ask? Well, ‘arribadas’ start to reach these sectors of Costa Rica in the beginning September until December due to its optimal conditions for nesting and laying their eggs. The incubation period lasts around 100 days in the dark warm sand and typically, these mesmerizing animals arrive at night and when they come, they come in volumes, with records that register over a hundred thousand turtles only in one night!

The process that these turtles have to go through is truly admirable and to experience their hard work in person is a sight in itself. To be able to witness such a spectacle, it is important to note that since 1984, this land has been protected by the Ostional Wildlife Refuge which helps preserve the 15 km of beach territory from poachers that plan to steal the eggs for commercial purposes. The protection and conservation of these animals is crucial and for that reason, tourist access is also restricted by the SINAC (National System of Conservation Areas) in order to avoid other problems such as the use of white flashlights or excessive noises that ultimately disorient the turtles and complicates their nesting process. 

But don’t worry, if you truly want to experience the turtle nesting in a respectful manner as a tourist, what you have to do is reserve with anticipation and contact one of the several guides that work with the SINAC to ensure the health and safety of the animals (remember: if you are calling from the US, the country number extension for Costa Rica is +506).

If you have the opportunity and are visiting the Guanacaste regions of Costa Rica, don’t miss out on the chance of seeing these wonderful scenes in person! 

 As always, thank you for reading and we’ll catch you in the next one. 

Properties in Costa Rica 🇨🇷

References

1. CostaRica.Org (Ed.). (2018, December 5). Playa Ostional en Guancaste Costa Rica. CostaRica.Org. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://costarica.org/es/playas/guanacaste/ostional/