Recommend January 2014 - (Page 76)

Delta's new ﬂights from Los Angeles and New York to Liberia reinforce the importance of Costa Rica's Paciﬁc attractions: long blond beaches with perfect surf, giant cattle ranches and national reserves of the Guanacaste province and the Nicoya Peninsula. BEST PLACE TO STAY The eco-lodge Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge; boutique seaside hotels like Florblanca and Latitude 10; luxury resorts-take the all-inclusive Westin Playa Conchal Resort & Spa for one, Four Seasons Resort at Peninsula Papagayo for another, or JW Marriott Guanacaste with top golf and spa facilities. BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE Make yourself at home in an eco-friendly lodge and settle into the beauty of the 25,000-acre Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, located four hours from the capital in the Tilaran mountains of Guanacaste province. Experience the unique cloud forest environment on a guided hike in search of the resplendent quetzal, or go horseback riding or canopy touring. See the daily migration of Costa Rica's largest population of scarlet macaws who make themselves at home in Carara National Park. You'll never meet more monkeys, including the endangered squirrel species, in Manuel Antonio National Park, which is also home to sloths, toucans and macaws and is famous for its beautiful beaches, rainforest hiking, and canopy touring. BEST SPORTING LIFE The golf scene stars a solid core of 18-hole championship courses, with Westin Playa Conchal Resort offering a 7,030-yard course designed by Robert Trent Jones; the Four Seasons Resort at Peninsula Papagayo with a signature Arnold Palmer course; and at Puntarenas at Los Sueños Marriott, designer Ted Robinson's beautiful 6,698-yard La Iguana course. Costa Rica also offers great surﬁng along the Paciﬁc Coast (March to late-November); the most popular centers are Tamarindo, Nosara and Malpais on the Nicoya Peninsula, Jaco (for beginners and intermediates), and Playa Hermosa. World-class sportﬁshing happens along the central and northern Paciﬁc coastline where bill ﬁsh abound. BEST KEPT SECRET Unbeatable are the fresh seared tuna, Belgian French fries, big healthy salads and fresh fruit smoothies at Lola's oeanside restaurant on Playa Avellanas. FACTS BEST TIME TO GO: January to May, although the northern Paciﬁc Coast is drier and popular most of the year FUN FACT: Despite the small size, Costa Rica shelters 4 percent of the planet's biodiversity and 3.5 percent of the world's marine life GETTING THERE: Delta ﬂies from Atlanta to San Jose and from Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York (JFK) to Liberia ENTRY DOCUMENTS: Valid passport CURRENCY: Costa Rican Colon MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD: Costa Rica offers a bonanza in tropical fruit: mangoes, papayas, pineapples, melons and bananas are most common, add in granadillas and maracuya (passion fruit) and others. Any and all make great smoothies BEST BUYS: Reproductions of pre-Columbian gold jewelry, masks carved by the indigenous Boruca people, and wood crafts from salad bowls to the signature painted Costa Rican oxcarts. (Yes, they ship.) INFORMATION PLEASE: Costa Rica Institute of Tourism-visitcostarica.com ECUADOR COSTA RICA VENEZUELA ARGENTINA Liberia F O 54 D52-D59.indd 54 12/20/13 9:21 AM FOUR http://www.Tourism-visitcostarica.com http://www.webgotravel.com http://www.webgotravel.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 2014

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Aloft Hotels
Tour Talk: Swain Destinations
Uniworld's Queen Isabel
Disney Magic
Delta Air Lines Travel Guide 2014
Macau
Egypt Update
Scandinavia Exposed
B Hotels & Resorts
What's New in Las Vegas

Recommend January 2014