beaches

Massages on the Terrace at Casa Las Brisas

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Massages at Casa las Brisas

There are many masseuses that set up along the beach road in Playa Flamingo, but to be truly pampered and relaxed on your vacation, it’s easy to schedule massages at Casa Las Brisas or over at the Casita.

We have used Orfa Massage for over a decade; she and her staff are outstanding. They bring everything and set up wherever you prefer, but the upper terrace or along the promenade is ideal; private and shaded, and you hear the waves crashing on the beach below. 

They are all licensed, professional massage therapists. They can schedule up to three guests per hour. You choose the level of pressure and it will be one of the best, most relaxing massages you’ve ever had.  We provide spa robes for your use during your stay. Her contact info is found in our Resource Book at the house. 

Flamingo Marina Update

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Flamingo Marina

Progress continues on the Flamingo Marina. It’s really taking shape and getting closer to opening in January 2022; located in the sheltered inlet of Potrero Bay leading into Flamingo. Casa las Brisas is located just up the hill on the prestigious North Ridge peninsula overlooking beautiful Playa Flamingo. A sport fishing paradise🐬

Baby Sea Turtle Nesting

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Arribada at Playa Ostional

Evening falls and the horizon becomes dotted with round figures drawing closer to the coast with help from the motion of the waves. In a matter of minutes, greenish flippers and shells appear, slowly touching the wet sand and starting to dig deep holes with their rear flippers. One after another, Olive Ridley turtles come home and that’s how the “arribada” (Spanish for arrival), or “flota” (fleet), of turtles in Playa Ostional begins.

After leaving the water, the female crawls through the sand to choose a place to dig a hole and deposit; it must be a place with no vegetation and distance from the coast to protect the eggs from the high tide. The turtles dig a hole the size of their body; then, with their hind flippers, take the sand to make a deep hole and elongated shape where they drop their eggs.

After about 60 days of incubation, little turtles move from the sand to the top of the nest with their flippers. They come to the surface when the temperature has dropped, usually at night, as a way to evade predators and the hot sun. The baby turtles wait for the rest to join the group to go out to sea.

Why would a small village tucked away in Guanacaste, Costa Rica receive that visit? It’s difficult for science to explain it. What we do know is that Playa Ostional is one of the last hopes for protecting the Olive Ridley turtle, one of the most endangered species in the world. According to managing biologist for the Ostional Development Association (ADIO), the town is working to avoid their extinction, which would be tragic. Because the beach is not part of a National Park, but a Wildlife Refuge, the community itself prepares the beach to make it a safe place where the turtles can arrive. They have an agreement with the Ministry of Environment to manage the turtle habitat and the legal sale of 1% of the eggs they produce. It is also a huge tourist attraction which provides income for the community as well.

More turtles visit Ostional every year. However, factors beyond the community’s control, such as ocean temperatures and coastal drought, can affect the turtles continuing to come to the community. Climate temperature directly affects these species. The sand needs to be a certain temperature for an equal number of male and female turtles to hatch. If it exceeds 30° C (86° F), only females might hatch or the egg might not hatch altogether. When no males are born, the species population begins to decline due to lack of mating.

The community is confident that their conservation and education efforts will be successful so that these sea turtles will continue to return to the beach where they were hatched, year after year. If you are interested in witnessing this natural phenomenon, Ostional is located about an hour’s drive south of our beach house in Playa Flamingo. They nest throughout the year, but on the Pacific coast it is concentrated from July to November.

Baby Olive Ridley
Baby Olive Ridley

Costa Rica Stands Out As The Best Vacation Destination When Travel Resumes

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Family Vacation at Casa Las Brisas

Needless to say, the last few months have been a huge struggle for everyone around the world.  Quarantine at home all alone or with extended family each pose challenges that we have never had to deal with in the past. We have all missed many activities we used to take for granted, and will be ready to embrace again once it is safe to do so. Travel is at the top of the list!

Renowned international media such as Lonely Planet,  Condé Nast Traveler, Matador Network, Canadian Traveler, Profession Voyages, Forbes, El Mundo de España, among others, have highlighted Costa Rica as a destination to consider once the crisis passes. Even Good Morning America highlighted the story of a British family who recreated the Costa Rican rain forest at home after canceling their trip to our country.

Costa Rica is the best country for travelers looking for great experiences. “We are the world leader in nature tourism and the second in adventure tourism, according to the World Economic Forum. The tourist who visits us has a variety of options to do throughout the country. Activities such as canopy zip lining, white water rafting, hiking, surfing and scuba diving are just a few, which are also combined with cultural elements and authentic unique experiences,” said Shirley Calvo, executive director of the National Tourism Chamber (Canatur). This was also reflected in a TripAdvisor ranking in which “Worldwide, Costa Rica proved to be the favorite destination for travel, ranking first in the list of countries”.  – CostaRicaNews.com

When You are Ready to Travel, Casa Las Brisas is Ready for You! Renting a private villa with stunning ocean views is the ideal spot for a family vacation. Having privacy and far less contact with other travelers and staff is a tremendous plus. Balance crowded hotel lobbies, elevators, hotel restaurants and community pool versus having your own spacious vacation home with a huge kitchen, private pool and little to no interaction with others required. Casa Las Brisas is the perfect beach house for your family vacation!

Without a doubt, Costa Rica is a small country that offers big experiences to all. Although we do not know when the social confinement will end, we can assure you that once this period passes, this beautiful country will welcome you with open arms and the warmth and kindness of it’s people.

Playa Flamingo Costa Rica Vacation Home Casa Las Brisas ocean side luxury home.

Rainbow from the terrace

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Flamingo Rainbow

This perfect rainbow, puffy Cumulus clouds and shimmering Pacific signal brighter times ahead. Flashback to last May; this was taken from our upper terrace at Casa Las Brisas after a week of thunderstorms and high winds. Instead of sipping our customary morning coffee outside in the rocking chairs listening to the parrots chatter or watching whales frolic in the ocean, we spent our days indoors reading, playing cards, watching movies and cooking a lot of great food (and maybe lots of day drinking…) Hmm, this is sounding a lot like what we have all been doing for the past month during these difficult times of social distancing and quarantine. But then one morning we woke up to a lovely sunny day and this huge rainbow parked right over the ocean in Flamingo Bay off our terrace. It signaled the end of the stormy weather and the return to our normal beach life and days filled with hikes, golf, lunches at our favorite restaurants, lazing around the pool, and maybe more day drinking:)

Brahma on the Beach

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Cow on Potrero Beach

The lovely white sand beaches are all currently closed in Costa Rica because of the quarantine in effect until April 30. But that hasn’t been much of a deterrent for the cattle here! This is a Brahman bull who is quite happy having the run of the beach to himself. Literally to himself, as you can see the beach and Potrero Bay in the background are totally deserted, per government order. This normally would be one of the busiest tourist weeks with Semana Santa (Holy Week) being the most important holiday for Costa Ricans.

Brahman cattle are most common in Guanacaste because of the arid terrain. They are raised mainly for beef and are grass fed, making them lanky and thin. I love their sweet faces and those long soft ears. The cattle farmers frequently move the herds down the beaches to avoid conjestion on the narrow roadways. But that doesn’t mean you won’t round a turn and find 5 or 6 or these beauties standing in the road completely unconcerned about making way for your car!

A Slice of Heaven in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

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Playa Flamingo Costa Rica Vacation Home Casa Las Brisas ocean side luxury home.

We think Playa Flamingo is just like heaven. This photo was taken July 31, 2018 right after a brief storm swept across the bay and the sun broke through the clouds. Truly stunning. Deep sea fishing is great right now, the golf courses are lush, the beaches are not crowded and the drinks are always cold. Temps are mild and sunny, with the occasional afternoon rain that clears up and leaves you with sunsets just like this beauty. Green Season rates at Casa Las Brisas are in effect through October, so come stay at Casa Las Brisas and experience your own slice of heaven. #casalasbrisascostarica #ilovethebeach

For other beautiful photos of Playa Flamingo, check out our “Just Imagine” page.

Travel Tip created by Phil in association with Vacation Soup

Good News for Canadian Snowbirds

Phil Lapkin Casa Las Brisas , , , , , , ,
Good News for Canadian Snowbirds

Air Canada to Increase Frequency of Flights Connecting Canada and Costa Rica

Air Canada announced the increase in the frequency of flights connecting Montreal, Canada to Liberia, Guanacaste, going from one to three flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) starting December 18, 2018; while flights from Toronto to Liberia will go from four a week to daily as of December 15, 2018, the increase in flights will maintain through April 2019, covering the high season.

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) explained that these new flights will be in an airplane A319, and will raise the number of available seats to 17,000.

Costa Rica received over 200 thousand visitors from Canada in 2017 and close to 87 thousand of them traveled directly to the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia. Canada represented 6.8% of the total arrivals to the country and 13.4% of the arrivals from North America.

“We continue to share positive news reinforcing the commitment to strengthen the tourism coming from North America. We are proud to receive the results of our efforts as part of the strategy to attract more airlines and increase the frequencies”, commented Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism.

Revelo also affirmed that this shows the trust of this airline in Costa Rica and Guanacaste as a destination.

Market research studies carried out by ICT show that 35% of Canadian tourists that show some interest in visiting Costa Rica (prospects), are from Toronto and Montreal, which validates Air Canada’s decision to offer more flights.

“Canadian tourists are interested in culture, relaxation, nature exploring, adventure experiences, beaches and surf”, assures the release.

The new flights will benefit the province of Guanacaste and translates into more and better employment for the tourism industry.

Earlier this month the government also announced the opening of a new route by Sunwing Airlines that will connect Vancouver Canada to Liberia

Interested in learning more about what Costa Rica has to offer? We update our Facebook page nearly daily with current events, sights, and more. Check it out!

We also love to blog – to find more interesting facts and images of all that Casa Las Brisas has to offer, check out the rest of our blog!

Costa Rica is awarded as the international destination of the year

Phil Lapkin Casa Las Brisas , , , , , , , ,
Perfect Sunset

Costa Rica is recognized in the world for being one of the richest destinations in biodiversity, for the variety of its unique tourist attractions and for always going to the forefront in the development of sustainable tourism. Precisely for this and other reasons, the prestigious magazine Condé Nast Traveler Spain granted our country the recognition of the “International Destination 2018”.

The “Golden List” awards ceremony took place at the emblematic Casino de Madrid on Calle de Alcalá in Madrid Spain, in an event that celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, in which the best destinations are awarded, resorts, spas, urban hotels, getaway hotels, “traveler solidarity”, family hotels, airlines, cruises, both national and international.

For Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism, this award is one of the results that validate the effort and development of the promotion strategies carried out in recent years in the European market, where it has significantly increased the number of direct flights to the different Costa Rica airports and has been registered a notable increase in tourist visitation.

“Without doubt, receiving the recognition as the International Destination of the Year by one of the most relevant and well-known magazines in the world is an incentive to continue to increase strategically the actions tending to position Costa Rica as a destination which is constantly evolving, capable of offer unique experiences to visitors and above all that can be enjoyed 365 days a year”, said the new hierarch.

It is worth mentioning that the award merit obtained by Costa Rica is even more outstanding, since it was initially included in a list of 25 international destinations at the end of November. Later, thanks to the vote of the public and the followers of the website www.traveler.es managed to enter among the 10 finalists.

In this list competed with other world destinations of interest for the taste of the Spanish as Azores, Cape Town, Samaná in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Hawaii, Kerala in India, Puglia in Italy, Scotland and Mexico City.

This important prize was received by the Ambassador of Costa Rica in Spain, Mrs. Doris Osterlof. She thanked this recognition, not only on behalf of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), but also on behalf of her new leader, the first woman in the last twenty-five years to assume the Ministry of Tourism in Costa Rica, and without a doubt on behalf of all Costa Ricans.

She also emphasizes that this award is part of the results of the efforts made in tourism in Costa Rica. Besides, Mrs. Osterlof invited those who were present during the event, to know this small country, great not only in its natural beauty, but for its warm and hospitable people, the country of the “Pura vida“.

Condé Nast Traveler is a solid means of communication founded almost 20 years ago that has become, more than a magazine, a benchmark for the current Spanish traveler. Within its editorial line highlights the visualization of the most fashionable and striking destinations, suggesting to its readers how to enjoy them.

Its printed and digital editions reach a medium and high purchasing power, permanently showing unique and sophisticated destinations. For all the above, it is an honor that Costa Rica has been designated by its readers as the “International Destination of 2018”. This will surely motivate a lot of readers to plan and enjoy some incredible Costa Rica holidays.

Its print edition has a monthly print run of 20,000 copies and its website www.traveler.es registers 800,000 unique users and more than 5.5 million monthly page views, together with a Facebook profile of more than 200,000 followers.

It should be mentioned that in the year 2017 the European market presented an important growth and a total of 462,295 tourists from Europe were registered in the Costa Rica travel. This represented a growth of 6.3% with respect to the previous period. Spain is currently the fourth tourist issuing market with 69,782 Spaniards visiting the country.

The figures maintain their positive trend in the first months of the year and also keep in force all the promotional actions that take place in Europe such as, for example, participation in international fairs, the development of cooperative campaigns, as well as the follow-up of the strategy with the agency of Public Relations of the ICT in Europe.

We expect that the different recognitions Costa Rica is winning all around the world thanks to the great efforts of keeping a sustainable way of tourism will continue to motivate travelers to visit and explore this paradisiac jewel.

Interested in learning more about what Costa Rica has to offer? We update our Facebook page nearly daily with current events, sights, and more. Check it out!

We also love to blog – to find more interesting facts and images of all that Casa Las Brisas has to offer, check out the rest of our blog!