A great place to stay, right off the beaten path

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A great place to stay, right off the beaten path

February 23rd, 2012 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | Comments Off

Heard of Quepos and Manuel Antonio? Of course, who hasn’t? The real question is, have you heard of Hatillo? Probably not. Hatillo is a tiny town a short distance from Dominical, on the way to Quepos. In this tiny town is a not so tiny bed and breakfast. Alma de Hatillo or Cabinas Alma, as many still call it, is by far one of the most interesting places to stay in this area.

Interesting? Interesting isn’t always good but in this case it is. Alma de Hatillo is owned by Sabina, she is actually the main reason this place is so interesting. Sabina is very friendly and takes great care of her guests. She cooks breakfast from scratch every Read more

Galapagos guide—When and where to go for the best deals

February 23rd, 2012 | Ecuador - Flights, Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Must See or Do, Ecuador - Travel Tips, The Best of Ecuador | Comments Off

Galapagos diving can be described as nothing short of spectacular. It has been said that if Darwain would have had scuba gear, he’d never have left. The Galapagos has many accolades: the world’s second largest marine preserve; one of the world’s top ten dive sites; the last place in the world to dive with large schools of Hammerhead sharks

A Secret for Air Travelers Arriving in Panama

February 16th, 2012 | Panama - Travel Tips | Comments Off

While cabs in Panama are fairly cheap, the ride to and from the airport is a massive exception. Although the Tocumen Airport is only a mere 20-30 minutes from anywhere in the city, the price does not reflect this distance. To the dismay of the citizens, somehow all the cab drivers in Panama City came together and decided to make the standard cab to or from the airport a whopping $25. Even the most legendary haggler on the planet will have a tough time getting this price reduced, so unless you enjoy forking unreasonable bundles of cash to cab drivers this can be a huge hassle. Some people spend copious amounts of time trying to save money on their flights Read more

Medical Tourism in Costa Rica: Get more bang for your buck!

February 13th, 2012 | Costa Rica - Places to Stay, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | Comments Off

We all hate going to the doctor. We all hate getting sick. We kick and scream and drag our feet all the way to the doctor’s office. The truth is that it’s usually an unpleasant experience.

What if a hospital was actually hospitable? This is no longer a dream. For many who can’t afford proper medical care in their home countries, Costa Rica is a medical haven. San Jose is home to many excellent private medical centers that cater to foreign patients, but one star that shines particularly bright is Hospital Hotel La Catolica.

At La Catolica patients can actually enjoy their stay without wondering what that weird stain on the wall is or whether the food is actually Read more

Awesome Classic American Comfort Food in La Fortuna!

February 6th, 2012 | Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | Comments Off

We pulled up to a strip mall in La Fortuna, and saw this tiny, unassuming restaurant. We walked in and our group of 4 occupied half the seating. It’s that tiny. New York Grill & Pizza owners, John and Priscilla, treat each customer as a guest in their home and only give the best service possible. Coming from Sicilian family, John decided to learn how to make his childhood favorites, along with some American classics. Now he’s serving them up at a bargain price.

As we sat at the counter looking over the menu, every item kept bringing up the same thought “No way, they have that? I haven’t had that in forever!” However, I had heard a lot about Read more

Escape the Heat and Head to the Mountains – El Valle de Anton

February 6th, 2012 | Panama - Adventure, Panama - Must See or Do, Uncategorized | Comments Off

The tropical sun combined with the often overwhelming humidity of Panama make doing anything without air-conditioning quite difficult. After a hot and sweaty week in the city an escape to cool off is an absolute necessity. Now most city-dwellers tend to head to the islands or beaches during their time off and while the ocean is a fantastic place to chill down, I’ve got another equally if not cooler option. An easy 2 hour bus ride from the city, El Valle de Anton is a nice little valley nestled in the mountains of the Coclé Province. The high elevation and persistent breeze gives this small, sleepy mountain town a very cool temperature most of the time, which is the perfect Read more

Turtle’s Head Pub Quiz—prizes and micro-brews on tap!

February 6th, 2012 | Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Gringo Owned Business, Ecuador - Nightlife, Ecuador - Travel Tips, Ecuador-Expat Living, The Best of Ecuador | Comments Off

Want to meet a bunch of like-minded South American explorers, get blitzed and have a chance to win some prizes too? The South American Explorers club’s bi-monthly pub quiz takes place at the Turtle’s Head Pub located in Quito’s La Mariscal the first and third Wednesday of every month.

Starbucks is coming to Costa Rica!!!!

February 2nd, 2012 | Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Places to Eat | Comments Off

Miss Starbucks? Now you don’t have to. Starbucks has announced their plans to expand further into Central America by opening a Starbucks coffee shop in Costa Rica. There are already six other shops in Central America and over 500 in Latin America.

Apparently this new store will be opened in downtown San Jose. It’s hard to imagine that this novelty will be anything but warmly welcomed by Costa Ricans and those of us who miss our Venti White Chocolate Latte or Peppermint Mocha Latte. Starbucks already buys coffee from Costa Rica so it’s only natural that they would open a store here eventually.

When is the much awaited date? May 2012. Starbucks has close to 11, 000 stores in Read more