Costa Cruises

Pearl Sea Cruises

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Cruises | Posted on November 30th, 2009

There is a thing in the cruise industry known as a “pearl” vacation. “Pearl” directions on cruises are such areas which have with magnificent weather throughout the year. Countries and cities, where you can go at any time and get a real haven, are very attractive for tourists. These areas are distinguished by the presence of all necessary conditions for good rest. “Pearls” of cruise holidays are always ready to welcome guests.

The most popular “pearls” of cruise holidays are the following destinations:
- Caribbean Sea with a visit to Costa Rica;
- Sea cruises in the Pacific Ocean with a visit to Hawaii;
- Canary Islands;
- Bahamas;
- Thailand;
- Sea cruises with a visit to Greece.

All these sea cruises are very popular among the citizens of Europe and America. The popularity of “pearl” areas is rapidly growing and tourists continue to actively buy the cruise package tours to these countries.

All the “pearl” sea cruises offers visiting places, where there is an opportunity to enjoy all the achievements of the tourism industry. Passengers of cruise liners, falling on the shore of the island or the port city, may be sure that there will be clean beaches, they will take part in well-organized excursions, and, of course they will be able to go diving.

Costa cruises are especially attractive for travelers, as Caribbean is perceived as a safe territory, with a stable economic situation and lack of conflicts of any kind. Besides, the tourists in such civilized countries are not afraid of infectious diseases and any hazards. Many island countries do not have strict visa requirements for travelers entering their territory, which also positively affects the growing popularity of sea cruises with a visit to these countries.

Of course, cruise in the “pearl” direction will cost a little more, as it includes visits to different countries.

The Most Popular Destinations in Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Travel to Costa Rica | Posted on November 27th, 2009

Due to the fact that Costa Rica avoided the usual Latin American tyrants, revolutions, and howling, it is very quiet, peaceful atmosphere, which attracts hundreds of tourists from all corners of the earth. There nature there is just amazing. It is not surprising, that most tourists in Costa Rica like natural attractions and outdoor entertainment.

Most travelers like to visit the National Park of Manuel Antonio. This is a jungle with a huge number of animals that go out on the trail. This includes monkey-jumpers, and iguanas, and birds, and colorful crabs, as well as many other animals.

One of the world famous parks is in a small town of Zarcero. The park has become famous throughout the world with cypress sculptures. This miracle is created by Evangelista Blanco Renes. For already 40 years he has kept these creations in perfect condition. He received offers from other countries to create similar parks, but refused all and stayed in Costa Rica.

The most popular sport in the country is swimming in the river kayaks. Most suitable for this is the lake Arenal. You can just ride the boats on the same lake, but it is better to go for skating on canal of Tortuguero. Nearby is the Arenal Volcano. It is dangerous to come close to the vent of the volcano, for it is better to watch from a special place called parquero interior.

There are magnificent beaches in Costa Rica. Its length is more than 1000 km. While in Costa Rica, you can swim in two oceans: the Atlantic and Pacific. All the beaches have small hotels and bungalows. Here you can find everything you need for proper rest.

Lovers of diving and snorkeling must visit Cocos Island. Water here is transparent to a depth of 24 meters. It allows you to see the rich fauna of Costa Rican depths, to admire the quaint rocky reefs. Here you can also go fishing.

In addition, Costa Rica can offer its guests horseback riding and biking, hot air ballooning and jumping from a bridge into the abyss.

Costa Deliziosa

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Cruises | Posted on November 26th, 2009

Costa Cruises, one of the largest tour operators and the best cruise company in Europe, as well as the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing today announced that the ceremony of naming the best ship of the company, Deliziosa will take place in Dubai on February 23, 2010.

In the fleet of the company it will be the 15th boat. This will be the first ship naming ceremony which will take place in the Arabian city. Naming ceremony will take place during the commission of a cruise in honor of the Big inauguration. The ship will sail from Savona February 5, 2010 and is expected to reach Dubai between 23 and 26 of February. Guests, who will be on board during the cruise and will walk on its deck for the first time, will take part in the inauguration ceremony.

Costa Deliziosa (with total weight of 92600 tons, accommodates 2,826 people) is now being built on the Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. The ship is scheduled to be ready on January 29, 2010.

The Costa Cruises company already has such vessels as Costa Luminosa, the inauguration ceremony which was held on June 5. Ship Costa Deliziosa will be the flagship of the fleet of ships of the company. It will be unique: fashionable and made with the latest technology.

The naming ceremony of Costa Deliziosa strengthens relations between the authorities of Dubai and the company Costa Cruises. The Italian company belongs to Costa Crociere, which launched one of the first regular cruise with a major focus in the cruise tourism.

Vacation in Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica Vacations | Posted on November 25th, 2009

Costa Rica is a country with pristine nature almost entirely unspoiled by human activities. Therefore, for tourists who love the fresh air and natural landscapes, vacation in Costa Rica will bring a lot of fun.

The most popular place to visit is the National Park Manuel Antonio. There in the jungle you can see monkeys, jumpers, birds, lizards, red and dark blue crabs, yellow spiders, iguanas and other interesting animals. On the beaches with white sand you can observe fish.

In Costa Rica you can look at the Volcano Arenal, who slept for 300 years, but in 1968, woke up. There was a strong earthquake and the eruption. Lava on the slopes of the volcano is perfectly visible until now.

Costa Rica is a perfect place for leisure. Fans of different sports enjoy spending time here. The most popular sport is sailing on inflatable boats on the beautiful river rapids. In a country like the same ride a canoe. Experts believe that Lake Arenal, situated at an altitude of 450-600 meters above sea level, is among the five best places in the world for sailing surfing.

In the north-eastern coast of the Pacific there is an excellent condition for diving. Special courses are organized for starters. Experienced divers are recommended to dive off the coast of Cocos Islands. Coast of Costa Rica is a great place for sport fishing.

There are beautiful and diverse beaches in Costa Rica. The best beaches are in the province of Guanacaste on the Nicoya peninsula – Del Coco, Ermoza, Flamingo, Pedro, Grande, Nozari, Montezuma, Carillo. In the south Pacific coast there are beautiful beaches in the resort areas Hako and Punta Leona. In the Atlantic, you can swim at the beaches Portet and Bonita, as well as framed by coconut palms beaches Cocles, Punta, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo. All the beaches have bungalows and small hotels for accommodation.

If you like the mountains then you can visit several highways, paths and trails for biking or horseback riding through the mountains. Furthermore, Costa Rica offers such an adventure travel as riding in a balloon. You can ride the cable car over the jungle. Extreme lovers are offered to jump off a bridge into the abyss.

Costa Cruises Two New Liners

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Cruises | Posted on November 24th, 2009

Costa Cruises, an Italian cruise ship company, plans to introduce in operation at once two of the newest cruise ships this year. The Costa Cruises company, a member of the holding company Carnival Corporation, is a giant of the Italian tourist industry and the leading European cruise company. 14 liners of Costa Cruises make cruises to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East and Indian Ocean. Cruise company Costa Cruises cooperates with more than 65 000 travel agencies around the world, and the level of satisfaction with cruise company’s product is 98%, which is one of the highest in the world cruise market.

Both of new Costa Cruises liners, Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica, were designed by the architect and interior designer Joseph Farcus. Various artistic images have been used in their design. The main topic of design for Costa Pacifica was music. The musical theme is not just prevalent in the design of the liner. Apart from the fact that passengers of Costa Pacifica will be everywhere surrounded by sounds and visual symbols of music, they can make use of this recording studio and professional sound engineer to record their own rendition of their favorite songs. Theater Hall features some great liner carefully planned acoustics and high reliability of transmission of sound.

The hall is decorated in baroque style with an exclusive Venetian glass. Samsara Spa center occupies an area of about 6000 square meters and is one of the largest in the world cruise fleet. The spa salon is next to the cabins and suites of Samsara class passengers of which have direct access to the salon and enjoy discounts on its services. Costa Pacifica Liner, with a displacement of 114,500 tons and capable of taking on board 3,850 passengers, will make cruises in the western Mediterranean in summer and in the eastern Mediterranean in winter. Costa Luminosa is the most exclusive and innovative liner of Costa Cruises company.

Public spaces of liner are decorated with exclusive materials – ebony, ivory, twenty kinds of marble, granite and quartz, and are equipped with LED backlight. The movie theater on the liner was created using the latest 4D technology. It allows viewing films to be transformed into an unforgettable attraction, when various special effects that enhance the perception of visual images are added to the visual component. Another distinctive feature of the Costa Luminosa liner is a unique roller coaster outdoors. Like on the liner Costa Pacifica, on Costa Luminosa passengers can use the services of Samsara Spa. According to the tradition of the Costa cruise fleet, Costa Luminosa ship offers passengers to enjoy the 288 original, and more than 4000 copies of works of fine art.

Displacement of Costa Luminosa is 92 600 tons. The 1130 cabins can accommodate 2,826 guests. The 772 cabins have private balcony, an exceptional measure for ships of this class. The liner will make cruises in Northern Europe in summer and to the Middle East in winter. Cruises on the newest ships the Costa Pacifica and Costa Luminosa in 2009 and 2010 can already be booked now.

Costa Rica National Cuisine

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 23rd, 2009

The basis of the national dishes of Costa Rica are primarily rice, black beans and meat, fruits, fish and vegetable. All this is prepared with various sauces and onions. Typically, local cooks rarely use spices in their dishes, but usually ketchup or chili sauce is served with any dish.

National dish of this exotic country is casados. It’s a mixture of rice and beans with vegetables. It is served with beef, pork or chicken. There are a few other dishes of Costa cuisine that are equally popular. This includes baked fish called the ala plancha, pastry stuffed with meat, cheese or chicken called arreglados, marine fish in lemon juice, seasoned with onion and coriander and, of course, shells called conchas.

Due to the variety of climate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – from apples to tropical species grow in Costa Rica.

Rum holds the leading position among the alcoholic drinks of Costa Rica. The best varieties of rum are Centenario, Abuelo and Platio. In addition, coffee liqueur Cafe Rica, as well as light beers Imperial Bavaria and Pilsen is especially popular.

Coffee of Costa Rica is considered one of the best in the world; this is why it is consumed here in huge numbers. It is served on the table in small jars and poured into tiny cups. This coffee is only on the second place with its flavor saturation. The coffee beans from Guatemala are on the first place. Cocoa also grows in Costa Rica. It is used to make the Swiss chocolate. However, the berry of cocoa can not be eaten raw. It is not recommended to eat them fried as well. To be suitable for eating, they must undergo a long process of treatment. There is also a herbal tea popular throughout Costa Rica, which is brewed according to old recipes.

Ecotourism in Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Travel to Costa Rica | Posted on November 20th, 2009

Costa Rica is a country of two oceans, with many extinct and active volcanoes, geysers, over a third of which is occupied by national parks. The country gives great consideration to expansion of national parks, where you can see 850 species of birds, more than 80% of the flora of the world. Costa Rica is the first country declared as eco-tourism country. It, to the conclusion of Geographic Society, is one of the softest and most conducive to human and climatic conditions. Average temperature is +23-25 C. On the Pacific coast, the most visited by tourists, the temperature is +26-28 C. Average water temperature is +24-26 C.

Costa Rica is a country with wet and dry equatorial forests, with an abundance of rivers and waterfalls. During one trip you can visit the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Traveling around the country, you will see the picturesque countryside, numerous fauna, learn an unforgettable flavor and customs of the country.

Costa Rica is a country that you can visit at any time of year. Hotels are available in the most exotic places with beautiful beaches and personalized service for every taste.

Arriving in Costa Rica, you can try yourself, also, in horse trekking, rafting, and snorkeling, in surfing and windsurfing, championships which are held annually in this country. Try yourself in setting a world record and get into the Guinness Book of Records (87 world records) by catching large tuna, grouper, sea bass (world record 122 kg.), sailfish, marlin, and the oldest fish – Gaspar. When diving, you will be able to meet the whale shark, humpback whale, huge mantle, many stingrays, fish, hammer, saw and other exotic fish often inhabiting in these waters.

Costa Rica is a country with a long history that respects its traditions. Here you can see the carnivals and plunge into the atmosphere of the festival, the most famous is held in the city of Limón, in October.

Costa Rica is the Happiest Country in the World

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 19th, 2009

According to the rating of Happy Planet Index (HPI), Costa Rica today is the greenest and most peaceful country in the world. Rating is based on research conducted in the field of ecology and the moral health of citizens of different states of the world.

Britain is in the middle of the list, taking 74th place out of 143 possible. The United States is at the 114th place. Russia was also in the rating and took the 108th place. The top ten was fully occupied by the countries of Latin America, while most African states were at the very end of the rating.

HPI shows in which countries and how widely the natural resources of the planet are used. Also, the compilers are interested in how comfortable citizens consider their life to be.

Thanks to HPI, it became clear that the happiest people on Earth are Costa Ricans. On average they live longer than residents of the United States. The care for the environment in Costa Rica is at the same height level. However, in countries with rapidly growing economies , such as the United States, India and China, 20 years ago, people were happier, and the environment was better.

The Dutch were recognized to be the happiest nation in Europe. Residents of the Netherlands live an average of more than a year longer than U.S. residents, although the degree of satisfaction with life among the Americans and the Dutch is the same. In addition, in the Netherlands, natural resources are consumed more carefully, and ecology is given the utmost importance.

Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on November 18th, 2009

This paradise, discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502, is, without exaggeration, the crown jewel of Central America. And not only because Costa Rica in translation from Spanish means “rich coast”, but because of incredible contrasts, a staggering number of interesting objects, fantastic wealth of nature, as well as Latin America’s traditional hospitality and the feeling of complete security.

The attractiveness of Costa Rica, as the diamond has many facets. None of all the countries of the New World can boast with as many attractions per square kilometer as Costa Rica. In just one day spent here, you can see forever green rainforests and volcanic wasteland, savannah and rain forest on the mountain slopes, hundreds of kilometers of pristine beaches, a variety of national parks, scenic river valleys, and waterfalls, pearly. In addition, Costa Rica has long received the status of “Leader of active rest” for a terrific variety of proposals: from rafting on the swift mountain rivers and trekking to the volcanic craters in the region to the best windsurfing and entertainment in the spirit of Tarzan – the flight over the tops of trees in the jungle with the help of special devices. Costa Rica also has the right to claim the laurels of “the most democratic and safe country” in the region.

Costa Rica welcomes tourists with consistently good weather and pleasant climate. The country’s capital, San Jose, as well as the main airport, Juan Santa Maria, is located at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, which ensures a steady stream of pure mountain air and requires no additional acclimatization upon arrival.

It is said that Costa Rica is one big national park. Surprisingly, for such a small area more than 50 different reserves and more than 100 private conservation areas, whose total area is about 30% of the country are located here! About 70% of all growing plants on Earth can be found in Costa Rica.