Covering the most land mass of all seven provinces, Guanacaste has activity from one corner to the next.

Let’s face it though – the area most dominant throughout media conversations is the Papagayo Peninsula.

Since the Four Seasons built their flagship resort and golf, movie stars and royalty from all over the world have been coming to see what the buzz is all about. The area is undeniably extravagant with it’s surrounding natural beauty.

Costa Rica has long been quietly absorbing the lion’s share of retirees from North America. Many Canadians and Americans alike are retiring in Costa Rica. And the most popular location for many of them is Guanacaste.

Although it is the least populated province, the land mass is the greatest. Additionally, the Guanacaste coastal areas have become developed with one target market in mind – the luxury tourism market.

For the most part, areas aside from Guancaste do not cater to the higher end all-inclusive traveller looking to be pampered in some big brand hotel and resort. However, this is not to say there isn’t a market for it.

The region has been consistently building up facilities to cater to foreign tourism including the Costa Rica medical tourism sector and as previously mentioned…the luxury Costa Rica vacation seeker.

But the question was…”What Makes Guanacaste Such A Gem?”

Well to put it to you frankly…it’s loaded with all the right ingredients to suit even the most selective of tourists.

Whether you are in to scaling active volcanoes, swimming in rainforest waterfalls, surfing Witch’s Rock or just want to relax with a round of golf followed by sunset drinks – Guanacaste has it all in spades.

Not to mention that the Guanacaste region boast some of the finest beaches in Central America including the world famous Playa Conchal.

Curious about this pure life, I ventured to the town of Tamarindo, to seek some higher learning at surf school.

After a refresher lesson with a gentle instructor on Day 1, I was paired the next day with instructor Percy Lawrence. He had an infectious smile and spirit; I knew my surf education was about to change.

As we walked out to the ocean, I was keen to jump on the board, but Percy kept me on the beach, lying on the board and paddling into the sand, a sure sign of a novice surfer.

“Paddle, paddle,” Percy instructed. “You have to practise, and build your muscle memory.”

I finally passed the “paddle the sand” test and stood up, but Percy continued to keep me from the water, telling me to watch the waves.

He asked, “How long did it take for those waves to get here?” Still in ultraanalytic city mode, I did some quick calculations in my head, desperately trying to recall late-night news explanations of how long it takes a tsunami to travel across the Pacific.

“Umm, three weeks?” I said, tentative in my response, but confident there was a right or wrong answer.

“Maybe,” Percy said slowly, “Maybe less, maybe more. But it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that the wave has travelled all the way here, and now, you have the privilege of riding it.”

After briefly rolling my eyes at his philosophical rhetoric, I had a reality check. Not everything had to be right or wrong here. In that moment, I left my city mentality behind in favour of a pura vida attitude.

Over the next several days, Percy alternately encouraged, yelled, praised and criticized.

I limped out of the water at the end of each day, but every morning returned for more. Beyond gaining confidence on the board, I couldn’t help but draw some parallels between surfing and life.

Look ahead, don’t look down

Too often, we find ourselves in a hunched position, looking down – at our desks, holding snow shovels or over a keyboard. In surfing, you have to keep your eyes up, and trust that your feet will land on the board where they need to be. On the water and in life, the waves will keep coming, whether you ride them or not. But life’s more fun if you raise your head and choose to ride the waves.

Keep things simple

Most mornings at surf camp, I headed to the beach certain that I was forgetting to bring something.

Accustomed to the abundance of gear associated with most Canadian winter sports, it didn’t seem right to head out the door barefoot, with just a board tucked awkwardly under my arm.

Keep life simple – look at everything around you, and understand the difference between what it is you want and what you really need.

Paddle, paddle

On the third day, I seemed to be doing everything right, but just as I stood up, the wave would get in front of me, and I would lose momentum and sink into the water.

“Paddle, paddle!” I could hear Percy cry. After a few missed attempts, he swam over to me, sensing I was frustrated. “Listen,” he said.

“Why do you stop paddling when the wave starts to push you? That’s when you need to give two really hard paddles. Why do all that work and then just stop?”

He was right. Never stop at 90 per cent. The last 10 per cent is the hardest work, but often provides the best rewards.

Change up your supporting cast Surfing is as much about the people around you as it is about the waves. In everyday life, we have lead actors in our lives, but we also have a huge set of supporting actors. Some enter our lives for a scene or two; some become part of our lifelong cast. This is particularly true when travelling. Let’s face it, camaraderie is inevitable when you’re paddling side by side, a wave is about to break on top of you and you have a split-second decision to go over, under or through. Getting to the other side of that wave together often turns a stranger into a friend.

Change up your supporting cast on a regular basis, and you’ll gain a broader perspective on life.

On my last day surfing, I was out practising on my own and caught a great wave. As I gazed to shore, I soon realized I was going to run down Percy, who was coaching his next disciple in the whitewash. As I approached, I almost jumped off my board to avoid him, but when he saw me, his signature grin reappeared. ‘Yeaaah!” he shouted, moving out of the way and enthusiastically waving me through. “Pura vida, man.”

Back at my landlocked desk, 41 degrees latitude north of Costa Rica, I find that I think about waves at some point every day. How they sound, and how they curl.

How, from the water, I saw the early morning sun peek over the hills and then watched that same golden globe sink into the sea at the end of the afternoon. I think about how next time, I’ll get on my feet faster and paddle harder. And during the ebb and flow of daily life, I hope my own tide takes me back to the surf soon.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: For a shorter trek to Tamarindo, try to fly to Liberia, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, about an hour’s drive from Tamarindo.

Where to stay: I stayed at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, located on the beach. Packages include lessons, board rental, accommodations, daily seminars and break-fast.

Surf’s up: Surf schools are becoming widely available all over the world, ranging from one-day lessons to weeklong (or longer) surf expeditions.

© Copyright (c) The Province
BY PAULA WORTHINGTON, POSTMEDIA NEWS

Well first off, Chipko is a type of flip-flop sandal designed originally in India by founder Priya Dua.

The word “Chipko” is a Sandskrit word meaning to stick. However there is another meaning more fitting – an 18th century reference to a Himalayan movement where villagers tied themselves to trees to prevent their cutting. Thus the term “tree hugger” today!

Throughout the 1960′s and 70′s, Guanacaste was the scene of massive deforestation while ranchers cut many of the trees there to make way for cattle farms to tap in to the lucrative beef supply market to the likes of McDonalds and other fast food joints.

It was during this time that the first National Forests & Wildlife Reserve was established to help protect what was remaining from suffering the same fate.

Back to Priya again…

Having an applied science and mathematics degree, Priya Dua was skeptical about entering in to the market she knew nothing about.

“What my math degree really taught me,” she says, “was to realize that if there is a problem, the there must be a solution, because there is no such thing as an unsolvable problem.”

As Priya would continue to find a sponsor who could point her in the right direction for helping her brand become more eco-friendly than it already was, Priya would soon discover it was right under her nose the entire time.

Located in her hometown in the USA – the non-profit Save Nature Group in San Francisco, California, seemed to fit the bill.

The Save Nature Group had a program already in place to save the forests of Guanacaste, but with little publicity.

Norman Gershenz, CEO of SaveNature.org told Chipko’s founders that the group makes certain that the money goes directly to saving the dry forest. It also educates school children within a 50-kilometer radius of the conservation area to cherish nature.

But it’s not all about sandals, although their success is central to what the Dua’s want to accomplish. “We’re excited not only about the tangible product but the intangible cause it represents,” Priya says.

For every pair of the sandals sold in the United States, the company places funds to support 100 square feet of forest in Guanacaste province in Costa Rica.

Mel Gibson purchased the property in 2007 for a cool $25.8 million and has it currently listed for $35 million. Not a bad profit Mel!

However, reality is everything is relative, especially when you make $15 million a movie. Think of it like a transfer of wealth.

So what is the juice on the ranch itself? Just look at what Mel’s Guanacaste mansion, Hacienda Dorado, has to offer:

• 7 bedrooms in the main house
• 2 separate 2 bedroom guest homes each with private pools
• private beach
• over 150 hectares of Costa Rican jungle and large tracks of cattle ranch land

Mel Gibson reportedly feels that, because he bought it for a retreat…a getaway from the paparazzi, that lately they just follow him there – and now with his much publicized woman issues, he’s shedding some skin.

Enter Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who just so happen to be in the market for a little Costa Rica real estate.

As we report a week or so ago, the Hollywood royalty are actively seeking a large ranch to support their ever growing number of kids.

Take it for what it’s worth but in my opinion, this deal could be finalized before Christmas 2011 considering Brad Pitt’s openness with the media by expressing his urgency to find a place to suite the ‘fam’ in time for Christmas. Again, this is just speculation however we’ll have to wait and see right?

For more information on Guanacaste real estate, visit our page on the subject.

The duo, who have Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5, and three-year-ancient twins Knox and Vivienne together, are in preparation to spend the holiday season in the Inner American country, reported The Sun.

When asked, representatives for the couple had this to say:

“Brad has found a sprawling farm that he reckons will be the perfect place for the family tree to get away from everything for a while.”

Guanacaste has it all – and for everyone!

Having spent a number of “getaways” in Costa Rica, Brad Pitt has admitted that he’d like to have a place here to escape the hectic Hollywood lifestyle that can sometimes overwhelm the Hollywood royalty couple.

Guanacaste real estate is a popular choice amongst the rich and famous. For it has some of the country’s most prestigious beaches, luxury resorts and stunning landscapes.

So next time you’re looking for a bowl of sugar and living in Guanacaste, you might just find out your neighbors are the Brangelina Bunch!

Accessibility is key to the success of the tourism industry of any country. Realizing this, Costa Rican officials have expanded on both the Juan Santamaria International airport in San Jose and, the Daniel Oduber International airport in Guanacaste to help alleviate any bottlenecks in processing the anticipated tourism flow for 2011-12.

Late 2010 and mid-way through 2011, Guanacaste was struggling, like the rest of the world, in the real estate industry. Guanacaste real estate for the most part, came a standstill and now as of late, it would appear some of the mega developments that had positioned themselves in to what is commonly referred to as, “holding pattern”, are now being revitalized.

“We are seeing now, that more investors in Guanacaste real estate are buying land and making the decision to build faster than ever before. It’s a very positive sign for us after over a year and half of nothing but firesale purchases – this is refreshing.”, says Scott MacDougall of Century21 and Pacific Coast Construction.

One such project is the Guanacaste Country Club.

The high profile eco-friendly retirement community is about set to jumpstart the 2012 season with a bang.

Frank Biden, Vice-President Joe Biden’s brother, has been brought on board with the Guanacaste Country Club in hopes of generating, not only increased attention to the development and all it has to offer, but also a sense of security. People can appreciate that having such an influential spokesman onboard increases investor confidence.

2011 also saw the Saudi Royal Family. Arriving in their private “family jumbo jet”, the Saudi Royals were said to have been not only enjoying a vacation but also scouting the area for investment potential. Could we begin to see Middle Eastern nations investing in Guanacaste real estate?

Hollywood’s fetish with Guanacaste real estate. Gibson, Fergie, Tim Robbins, Saranden and more…

As we previously reported, music sensation Fergie, and husband Josh Duhamel of Transformers made a surprise visit to Guanacaste when they participated in the Eco-Week golf event at Hacienda Pinilla, a luxury development situated in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste. Comprised of 4500 acres, this is one project everyone has their eyes on…especially Hollywood!

So what can we expect moving forward for the province of Guanacaste? One would have to assume, by looking at the evidence, that 2012 has the potential to be very prosperous for Guanacaste real estate and the province as a whole.

The green season 2011 saw the inundation of Guanacaste which wreaked havoc throughout the province.

250mm of rain fell here throughout a 12 day span causing flash flooding and the probable risk of damage to next years crops.

16 shelters were erected in Guanacaste alone which were quickly occupied to full capacity.

Temperatures dropped by 5 degrees from this years average temperature during the final stages of hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although hurricanes never directly strike Costa Rica, their effects are often felt. This year was no exception.

However the rains have subsided and the affected have begun to put the pieces back together while we set the sails for high season in Guanacaste.

With a vast array of activities and adventure tours, the area is filled with a palatable excitement.

Guanacaste Costa Rica is a MUST SEE destination!

Guanacaste Costa Rica may be know by many as a playground for the rich and famous — this is because of increased popularity with Hollywood royalty like Mel Gibson, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Fergie, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, just to name a few.

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

One of the premier luxury resort and hotels chains, The Four Seasons, has opened a flagship Guanacaste hotel and resort that includes an 18 hole Par 4 Arnold Palmer course. This course was voted as being within the Top 20 golf courses in the world by Travel and Leisure.

Guanacaste Costa Rica has a spattering of luxury Costa Rica all inclusive resorts for the solo traveler and families alike.

Adventure seekers will be happy to know that the province of Guanacaste has many attractions that get the adrenaline flowing.

Guanacaste Costa Rica has many attractions

Some volcanoes in Guancaste Costa Rica area: Orosi, Rincon de la Vieja, Miravalles, Tenorio and the world famous Arenal volcano.

Surfing is also world renown with Witches Rock being exceptionally the case. Additionally there are zip lining, waterfall tours, Costa Rica fishing vacations, and any number of pristine beaches like Playa Conchal, Flamingo and Tamarindo to name a few.

Something you may not have known — Guanacaste Costa Rica was annexed to CR by Nicaragua and has retained a rich history unto it’s own. Primarily cattle land, the area is full of ranchers and as a result, throughout the year you shouldn’t be surprised to find various rodeos and topes which are cattle and horse drives.

Guanacaste Costa Rica Tourism Numbers At All Time High

Tourism numbers continue to rise and with the recent completion of the expansion at the Liberia International airport, these numbers are expected to continue growing.

Another sector that is on the rise is Costa Rica medical tourism and with announcements from some of the most affluent private hospitals like Clinica Biblica and CIMA, they plan on developing in the areas around the Liberia airport — Guanacaste Costa Rica has an obviously bright future.

Now the opportunity has returned in 2010!An original investor has decided to immediately sell his four lots in Catalina Cove which produces a favorable circumstance for anyone considering a purchase in Costa Rica. These four lots are heavily discounted from the 2005 sales prices and offers a prime opportunity for even the most frugal buyer.

Surrounding Catalina Cove are a variety of prestigious names like Westin Conchal, JW Marriott, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Mike Young championship golf courses. All lots in Catalina Cove come complete and ready to build with water, cable, electric, telephone and even internet to each and every lot.

The infrastructure of Catalina is top quality including asphalt roads within. Already existing inside Catalina Cove are million dollar homes. A big attraction is the projects beachfront restaurant/bar and swimming pool. Its a great place to hang out with friends, family, and neighbors while having lunch, watching the majestic sunsets or ending the day with an incredible fresh seafood dinner.

NOW REDUCED!!! From $133,000 to $99,000 – PRICED TO SELL!

It is very common to find expats who have moved from one end of the country to the next before settling into a property to call their home. This is often done at the advisement of many in order to explore all that Costa Rica has to offer. With so many micro-climates, mini-cultures and diverse landscapes, house hopping may not be such a bad idea. My personal journey has taken me to four very different areas of the country in eleven short months.

While many chose specific areas for specific reasons, the most sought after location amongst my group of associates is Guanacaste. Guanacaste real estate has seen an enormous surge in development in the past few years. In fact, it garners the most interest of all beach Costa Rica real estate.

For most, Guanacaste is synonymous to the sea, the beach, the sun! It boasts a tropical dry climate and a short rainy season. Meanwhile, the highlands of the Guanacaste landscape offer a cooler moist climate and an awe-inspiring cloud forest. Such features have easily made Guanacaste the number one tourist destination in Costa Rica.

But beyond the natural beauty of its coast, Guanacaste Real Estate is as good as it gets. The big attraction is the diversity of beach and ocean view properties stretched along the 125 mile coastline from Marbella to near Nicaragua. The majority of Guanacaste real estate buyers in the Guanacaste region are people who are relocating, looking for vacation property or seeking great investments for rental income.

These fabulous Guanacaste real estate villages offer property buying enthusiasts roomy homes with indoor pools, stunning ocean views and surroundings and modern amenities, as well as all of the many creature comforts one could ever desire. While many leave their homes in search for paradise, Guanacaste real estate is intentionally designed to bring paradise to your home.

Not surprisingly, the Guanacaste real estate market holds opportunity for everyone!

With golf, fine foods, night life, hiking trails, water sports, Costa Rica fishing vacations, horseback riding, boating, and beaches all within a stone’s throw of your property, can life get any better? So, if you’re still contemplating where to make your next move, sit back and mediate on the only phrase that matters: Destination Guanacaste. Once you experience all that Guanacaste real estate has to offer, life as you know it will never be the same.

Click the following link for more information and advice on buying Guanacaste real estate.