Read the Mark Mead interview in Luxury Travel Magazine about luxury travel to Costa Rica.

(Playa Herradura, Costa Rica)  They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but Mead Brown will provide guests with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for stays of 5 or more nights at one of their professionally managed luxury villas or condominiums in Costa Rica.

With the stress of family life, work, the economy and the upcoming holidays, one can take time to relax with a getaway in the rain forests and beaches of Costa Rica, and reflect on the many things for which one can be grateful. 

Mark Mead, CEO of Mead Brown Costa Rica and the 2011 Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s villa rental specialist, said, “Preparing the Thanksgiving feast is time consuming and tedious.  So, too, is clean up.  Leave all that to the professionals.  Come to Costa Rica for a holiday vacation; just give thanks and enjoy a memorable experience with family and friends.”

Roasted Butterball turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables and rolls are included in the feast.  It’s not Thanksgiving dinner without pie for dessert.  The selection is pumpkin, peach-blackberry, or apple; all baked personally by Chef Richard Lemon.

The offer is good for any stay of five or more nights, when one of those nights is Thursday, 24 November 2011.  The meal can be taken at Lemon Zest Restaurant on Jaco Beach, or delivered to your villa or condo.  Click here to book your Costa Rica vacation rental accommodations.

Costa Rica is a wonderland of exotic flora, fauna, and adventure.  One can fish for sail fish, marlin, tuna and snapper; and experience other activities, such as:   Zipline canopy tour, sea kayaking, river rafting, ATV adventure, surfing, sailing, hiking, snorkeling, championship golf, massage, spa, Yoga or just laying on one of the many beautiful beaches.  For an overview, check out Costa Rica Tours and Adventures. 

About Lemon Zest

Lemon Zest serves fusion cuisine with an international menu.  Richard Lemon, the master chef, grew up in the Bahamas where his grandmother let him cook with her, beginning his culinary infusion process. He was graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York; served a three year apprenticeship at the renowned La Vielle Maison restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida; and in 1994, along with wife Nellie, opened his own successful restaurant in Del Ray Beach, Florida, Splendid Blendeds Café.  They opened Lemon Zest on Jaco Beach in 2008.

Jacques Cousteau once called isolated Isla del Coco, in the deep and swirling Pacific some 550 kilometers (340 miles) from the Costa Rican mainland, “the most beautiful island in the world.” The lush apex of a volcanic mountain range that divers have compared to the Grand Canyon, Isla del Coco is an ecological marvel that must have enchanted the oceanographer from both above and below.

There are dozens of rewarding dive sites and accredited operators in Costa Rica, sure. But this is Central America’s Holy Grail for serious scuba divers, a rare world that National Geographic says is “like going back 200, 400 years. Isla del Coco is one of the few baselines we have…for understanding what the ocean was like before.”

There are dozens of wildlife-rich dive sites in the waters surrounding this pristine isle, among vast canyons, steep ridges, undersea caves stretching hundreds of unexplored meters, and tiny islets beloved by sea creatures, all bathed in cool, nutrient-rich waters that rise with the deep ocean currents.

Coco is most famous for hundreds of scalloped hammerhead sharks that swim amidst the epic undersea scenery, but more than 280 fish species ply these waters, to the delight of divers from all over the world. There are dozens more pelagics, including silky, reef, whitetip, tiger and whale sharks; Huge marble, eagle, and Pacidic manta rays; mobulas; pilot and humpback whales, and more. Vast schools of tuna, snapper, crevalle jacks, groupers, flouders, hawkfish, surgeonfish, squirrelfish, trumpetfish, urchins, eels, and more, glint in silvery numbers as they flow with the rough waters. This is a trip for experienced divers only, who will never forget it.

Unfortunately, the marine conservation area also serves as a difficult-to-protect base for illegal fishing, with foreign fleets killing endangered sharks just for their fins, a practice chronicled in the excellent 2006 documentary Sharkwater.

In order to protect this oasis of untouched nature, Isla del Coco was declared a national park in 1978 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, though humans apparently didn’t discover it until the 1530s. That’s when Spanish navigator Johan Cabezas first marked it down (with a deliberate vagueness) on the charts; there is no evidence of pre-Colombian habitation.

Though every attempt to settle Coco properly failed, dozens of (in)famous pirates frequented the little-known island, replete with fresh water, ample game, and plenty of coconuts for brewing “wine.” Tales of massive lost treasures still circulate, and to date some 500 expeditions, including one led by US President Teddy Roosevelt, have scoured the isle and its labyrinth caves system for booty. All these expeditions have (officially) proven fruitless, and are now (officially) banned by the Costa Rican government.

Isla del Coco's Espíritu Santo, or white tern, is so famously fearless that it hovers above the heads of visitors, as if it were checking them out. Photo by Colin Plant.

The real treasure of Isla del Coco, the largest uninhabited island on Earth (23.85 sq km/9.2 sq mi) and inspiration for Michael Chrichton’s “Jurassic Park” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” is its incredible natural wealth. The rugged topography rises steeply from sea level to 200-meter (656-foot) wave-crashed cliffs to chill cloud-forested elevations, creating a dozen microclimates spread out below 634-meter (2079-foot) Cerro Iglesias. Bathed in some 7000mm (23 feet) of precipitation annually, the mountain presides over a waterfall-streaked Eden of giant moss- and bromeliad-draped trees that shelter hundreds of species, a third of which are found nowhere else in the world.

The island's remarkably wet climate and fantastic topography give birth to some 200 waterfalls plunging from the cloudforested heights, some straight into the sea. Photo by Colin Plant.

This is not the sort of spot one visits on a whim; only about 1100 people make the rough, 36hr voyage here each year, most of them on expensive, all-inclusive dive trips with either Undersea Hunter or Okeanos Agressor. Non-divers may be able to join infrequent expeditions offered by the Friends of Isla del Coco and the Organization for Tropical Studies. Private boats can arrange to anchor in one of the protected bays, with access to showers, toilets, and two ranger stations, but visitors must sleep onboard; camping is strictly prohibited. Most visitors arrive between March and May, so make arrangements well in advance for this time. Accomplished divers are willing to grapple with rainy season’s rough currents, particularly June through August, will be rewarded with huge schools of hammerheads.

Tortuguero Refugio Partners with Mead Brown to Build New Facility

Mark Mead, CEO of Mead Brown Costa Rica, announced today that effective immediately, Mead Brown is offering a hands-on experience at the turtle refuge known as Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre on Playa Hermosa, 10 minutes south of Jaco Beach.  One-hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to the refuge to build bathrooms, shower and changing facilities for volunteers and staff.

July-December are the months when turtle eggs are laid, incubated and hatched on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast.  During that time, 138,000 eggs from 1,400 nests are buried on Playa Hermosa and reburied at the refuge.  Of those, about 128,000 hatch and make their way to the Pacific Ocean.  The Pacific Black, Olive Ridley and Hawksbill species of sea turtles all nest on the Central Pacific Coast.

Michael Brown, president of Mead Brown, said, “Sustainability, being connected to our natural environment and helping people to experience the nature of Costa Rica in a way that enhances the environment are all part of our core values.  Our aim is to leave the people and places we have contact with better than we found them.  The turtle isn’t merely a cute part of our logo; turtles are something to which we are committed to helping in a meaningful way.”

Engineer Belfort Cubillo Jimenez, manager of the turtle refuge, said, “We are excited to partner with Mead Brown Costa Rica.  They are good corporate citizens, and their commitment will help many people experience the wonder and beauty of our turtles.  At the same time, Mead Brown will help us improve our facilities to better serve volunteers and staff.”

The projected cost for the new facility is USD $5,000.  Mead Brown anticipates this new adventure tour will generate enough revenue by the end of 2011 to pay for it in full.  The adventure tour cost is $50 per person; 100% of that will be donated to the turtle refuge to construct the new facility.

Misty and arboreal, with enormous ferns, cascading orchids, and bromeliad-fringed trees, the cloud forests of Monteverde have long been one of Costa Rica’s iconic destinations. This cool, green world of waterfalls and moist trails has become a magnet for scientifically oriented NGOs and a low-key, rather bohemian tourist town offering quality accommodations, dining, and even nightlife, making Monteverde Central America’s most comfortable base for exploring the rare and fertile cloud forest ecosystem.

A few words of advice: If you’re the sort of explorer who prefers natural wonders unspoiled by the sight of fellow tourists, Costa Rica has more remote locations that you could consider, rather than this well known spot. Monteverde also isn’t the place to work on your tan: Temperatures average 16°C to 20°C (56°F to 68°F), with between three meters (118 inches) and six meters (236 inches) of rain annually; dress accordingly. Rubber boots are highly recommended (and for rent at several hotels and attractions) if you plan to do any serious hiking.

Most services geared to visitors are clustered around the village of Santa Elena, where you’ll find the bank, bus stop, several tour operators, wildlife displays, and inexpensive hotels and restaurants. Most plusher properties are located some distance from “the triangle.” Despite the slightly ticky-tacky face of Santa Elena development, this is actually Monteverde’s original settlement, founded in the early 1900s by former gold miners seeking a more settled life among the forest and dairy farms.

Monteverde itself wasn’t settled until 1951, by seven Quaker families from Fairhope, Alabama. After several of their sons were imprisoned by the US government for conscientiously objecting to the Korean War draft (Quakers are often pacifists), they began looking for a place to settle more in line with their beliefs. They found that Costa Rica had no military, a Constitution criminalizing war, and plenty of land perfect for raising cattle.

The Quakers arrived atop the mountain in ox-drawn carretas, began learning Spanish, and set up their now famous dairy, the Monteverde Cheese Factory. Today, it employs some 350 people, offers tours and samples of their excellent cheeses, meats, and ice creams. In 1971 they diversified, planting organic coffee as part of the Santa Elena Coop; which also offers tours, and sells their recommended coffee by the pound.

The Quakers also set aside much of their mountain property as a protected watershed, which is probably why you’re here. Today, it is the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, privately managed by the wonderful Tropical Science Center.Its majestic swath of virgin cloud forest is home to six different life zones hosting more than 100 species of mammals, 400 birds, 120 amphibians and reptiles, and more than 2500 different plants, including 420 orchids). The uproarious diversity and 12.4 kilometers (8 miles) of well maintained trails make this one of Central America’s top ecotourism destinations. Be aware that a maximum of 120 people may be inside the reserve at one time; if you’re here during peak season (December to March) get there early or prepare to wait.

If lines are too long, visit (310ha/765 acres) Reserva Santa Elena, on the other side of the resort town. This lovely swath of cloud forest, with slightly less diversity but better views (all the way to Volcán Arenal on a rare, clear day) was founded in 1992 as a community initiative by local high school students. They’ve done a great job running the place, and offer 10km (6mi) of hiking trails, and guide service.

There are several other options for experiencing the virgin cloud forest, including the enormous (22,500ha/54,000 acres), virgin Children’s Eternal Rainforest (Bosque Eterno de los Niños or BEN), purchased with donations raised by children in 44 different countries. Or consider the San Luis Research Station, with simple accommodations and an epic, 100-meter (328-foot) waterfall; the free Cerro Amigo Trail behind Hotel Belmar; or any of the numerous “private reserves,” such as the Ecological Sanctuary, offering guided hikes across family-owned land.

Even if you’re the sort of traveler who doesn’t often hire interpretive guides, here in the cloud forest they are key to wildlife spotting—or listening, since visibility in the mists is almost always extremely low. Your odds of finding three-wattled bellbirds, resplendent quetzals, Baird’s tapirs, big cats, or any other denizens of these woods is exponentially higher with an experienced guide, well worth the US$10 to $15 you’ll pay at the entrance to any of these preserves.

Hiking isn’t the only reason to visit Monteverde, which now offers dozens of other attractions and activities. This is the perfect destination for active families interested in truly epic canopy tours, hanging bridges through the serene treetops, horseback rides through the hills, and the town’s amazing collection of wildlife displays, including the famed Frog Pond, and newer Bat Jungle.

Though Monteverde is a popular, well developed destination, it remains quite isolated from the rest of Costa Rica by the three deliberately unpaved roads that connect the mountain town to the Panamerican Freeway. If you’re driving, a 4WD vehicle is highly recommended. Daily buses run to San José, Puntarenas, and Tilarán (for connections to Liberia and the Nicoya Peninsula), while several private shuttle services offer hotel-to-hotel transfers between Monteverde and top tourist destinations. The fastest way to La Fortuna and Volcán Arenal is the Jeep-Boat-Jeep connection down back of the mountain, to boats crossing Lake Arenal.

Is it worth the effort, to spend some time in the clouds? That’s for you to decide, but if you’ve never experienced this beautiful biome, you won’t find a more accessible way into the tropical skies.

Finding Your Way in San José

The National Museum's Spanish colonial-era turrets still preserve bullet holes from the short-lived civil war of 1948, as a reminder to Costa Ricans at what cost comes war.

Though this verdant and volcano-wrapped city certainly has its understated charms, most visitors to the nation’s political, economic, and cultural capital are amused by the old tour guide joke, “San José, it’s just half an hour from Costa Rica.”

There’s some truth to that; San José certainly doesn’t boast any of the broad beaches and pristine rainforests emblazoned on all the brochures. With 400,000 people in the city proper, 1.5 million (a third of the nation) in the greater metropolitan area, a photo of rush-hour traffic in paradise might be the more appropriate shot.

San José is the country’s transportation hub, however, which means you’ll probably spend some time here. If you’re combining your vacation with a trip to the nation’s best dentists and doctors (Costa Rica is Latin America’s top medical tourism destination, thanks to low prices and excellent facilities), you may stay for several days. So why not enjoy it?

The bracing climate and central location, well chosen by Spanish conquistadors, is perfect for growing coffee—or enjoying a cup. If you’ve been ensconced in the Costa Rican wilderness for a while, you’ll be ready to indulge in the nation’s widest variety of cuisines.

Thus fortified and caffeinated, it’s time to explore. There are several safe, friendly neighborhoods to enjoy, such as upscale Escazú, home to some of the nation’s finest hotels, restaurants, and shopping; and Barrio Amón, with downtown San José’s most impressive architecture.

The National Artisan's Market, next to the National Museum, offers all sorts of inexpensive arts and crafts, including traditional Costa Rican "chorreadores," or coffee makers.

Because Costa Rica was among the poorest of the Spanish Crown’s American holdings, there’s little traditional colonial architecture here, at least of the sort you’d find in Antigua, Guatemala; or Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende. Most of the city’s best buildings were constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, during a period sometimes referred to as the “Coffee Boom.” The “golden bean,” as this remarkably profitable crop came to be called, funded fantastic buildings blending neo-Colonial, Porfirian Art Nouveau, and even Art Deco styles, exemplified in such edifices as the wonderful and highly recommended Hotel Grano de Oro, and the graceful National Theater, the city’s crown jewel, with tours during the day and (better) world-class performances most evenings.

Party people will find a fairly festive nightlife scene, though visitors should be aware that prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, so some top spots are not for everyone. Sports fans could can out what’s on at the sparkling new National Stadium, a gift from the People’s Republic of China.

Don’t skip the city’s small selection of museums, however. Most are small and unassuming, but standouts include the excellent Museum of Jade, with Central America’s finest collection of ancient jade pieces and other archaeological artifacts; the incredible Museum of Pre-Columbian Gold, with glittering displays right downtown; and the fascinating National Museum, housed in the city’s former Buena Vista Fortress, with predictably wonderful views over the city and surrounding mountains.

Young families will enjoy an outing to the Children’s Museum, with lots of hands-on displays that will even keep the adults entertained. You could also work off extra energy at Parque La Sabana, the city’s metropolitan central park, with small lakes, picnic tables, public art, pickup football (soccer) games, and even a small zip-line canopy tour.

The National Theater is considered Costa Rica's most beautiful buildings; tour guides will tell you that the reason why Costa Rica will never have another war is because they don't want to damage its elegant facade.

Of course, you’re only half an hour from the “real” Costa Rica—though at this point, you’ve probably realized that San José is among the most authentically Tico destinations there is. Any hotel or tour office can arrange dozens of day trips from the capital to hot springs, volcanoes, whitewater rafting destinations, national parks, and much more.

Curious about the city itself? Thanks to the new San José-Caldera highway, the capital is less than an hour from Jaco and Los Sueños Resort; you could go against the grain and do a day trip to San José from the beach. Such urban explorations aren’t for everyone, but if you really want to know Costa Rica, a trip to its bustling heart may be in order.

A Hiker’s Paradise: Rincón de la Vieja’s Dry Tropical Forests

The misty rainforests, draped thick across most of Costa Rica, are justly famed for their pristine wilderness. But adventurers who seek to penetrate their muddy understories must come prepared: Guides are almost always required to identify birdcalls in the fog, while rubber boots—or better, hanging bridges and canopy tours—are recommended in the slippery rainy season.

Hikers in search of drier trails, however, with clearer views and no need for guides (though they can be arranged) could consider visiting easily accessible Rincón de la Vieja National Park instead, less than an hour from and the international airport. The huge volcanic massif, sometimes called the “Colossus of Guanacaste,” dominates northwestern Costa, covering 14,084 hectares (34,800 acres) and rising to 1916m (6286ft). Most of the volcano is covered with dry tropical forest, Central America’s rarest biome because it is so easily explored—trails are easily negotiated and wildlife clearly visible, particularly in summer months (December through May) when many trees lose their leaves.

Birders in particular will appreciate Rincón de la Vieja’s prodigious fauna, including several species of parrots, parakeets, trogons, and hummingbirds, as well as urracas (magpie jays), bellbirds, toucans, woodpeckers, and perhaps even quetzals at the highest altitudes. Spotting monkeys (howler, spider, and capuchins swing through these trees), pizotes (coatimundis), and kinkajous is almost guaranteed; luckier hikers may find two-toed sloths, armadillos, anteaters, dantas (tapirs) or even big cats. Butterflies flutter in colorful clouds between the buttressed roots of enormous matapalos (strangler figs), while the park’s varied bouquet includes stands of guaria morada orchids, Costa Rica’s national flower.

There are two entrances to the park, about 30km (18mi) from downtown Liberia; many local hotels run shuttles, which take about an hour on the unpaved roads. There is also lodging closer to the top. Both sectors have ranger stations with potable water and shady campgrounds, complete bathrooms and grills, still a rarity even in this outdoorsy nation.

The Santa María Sector is a good choice for people who want to visit Los Azufrales, simple, cement-lined hot springs about 4km (2.5mi) from the ranger station. The majority of trails, however, begin in the Las Pailas Sector, where most shuttle drop you off; the entrances are connected by a little-used, 9km (5mi) trail through the rolling, forested volcanic skirts, primarily hiked by wildlife watchers.

The most popular trail is a relatively flat, 4km (2.5mi) loop past a variety of volcanic features: simmering fumeroles, boiling lakes, bubbling mud pots, popping sulfur vents, and even a sweet little volcanito (small volcano) where iguanas often sun themselves. We recommend saving this trail for the afternoon, if you plan to visit to one of the two picturesque waterfalls as well.

Both waterfall trails run about 4.5km (2.5mi) from the Las Pailas ranger station. Catarata Cangreja is the slightly easier trail (though still challenging), and is perhaps the lovelier cascade, dyed that celestial volcanic blue. Visiting Catarata Escondida requires a much steeper hike, and is the smaller fall. But, as the majority of hikers are put off by the climb, you may have the “Hidden Cascade” all to yourself. Either way, pack some snacks and enjoy a swim in paradise.

Serious climbers will want to take on the very steep, 12km (8mi) trail to active Von Seebach Crater, a simmering acid lake surrounded by a 5-kilometer-wide, barren lunar landscape, a compound caldera that most recently spewed forth lava in 1998. The hike takes all day, and the last two kilometers are extremely steep, and can be slippery and dangerous. The peak may be entirely enveloped in foggy rain even on otherwise sunny days, which will not only obscure your volcanic view, but may even necessitate turning back. You’ll be rewarded, regardless, with views across Guanacaste and to Lake Nicaragua, well worth the trip.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; entrance is US$10 for foreign visitors. Day trips can be arranged from Los Sueños and Jaco; many offer the option of a canopy tour at Hacienda Guachipelin, with decent lodging, horseback tours, and more. Much plusher accommodations can be arranged at Blue River Resort Hotel or Borinquen Mountain Resort and Spa.

Avarios Sloth Sanctuary

Hidden beneath the coconut palms and sea almonds that line Costa Rica’s thickly rainforested Caribbean Coast, just north of Cahuita National Park, is a window on a world that few human beings will ever know. Welcome to Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary and Rescue Center, the only facility of its kind in Central America.

The private wildlife refuge has been operated by Judy and Luis Arroyo since 1997, inspired by an abandoned baby sloth that three local girls brought them in 1992. They christened the tiny creature Buttercup, and she led them to a lifelong commitment.

Immediately charmed by their tiny new charge, the Arroyos began asking for advice—but no one, not even the San José Zoo, could help the Alaska natives care for the orphaned animal. Through trial, error, and luck (or perhaps destiny), Buttercup survived. Without proper sloth training, however, she could never be reintroduced to the wild. Instead, the 18-year-old beauty welcomes visitors to what is now the world’s premier sloth center.

Avarios is primarily dedicated to helping hurt and abandoned sloths make their way in this increasingly fast-paced world. Scores are brought in annually, many of them burned by power lines, wounded by dogs, or even hurt by groups of children. Adult sloths are nursed back to health, while the babies are reared with as much sloth sensibility as humanly possible. Some are reintroduced into the wild, but most remain permanent residents of the center and surrounding property.

Wild, winsome and naturally prone to offering hugs—it takes a full crew of volunteers to keep visitors from responding to their wide-eyed entreaties, as untrained humans can easily harm the sloths—the sanctuary’s 130+ residents always seem to have a smile.

Permanent inhabitants become part of a free educational program, which teaches kids from across Costa Rica to respect their slow-moving neighbors. Aviarios is also a popular stop for international travelers who want to learn more about sloths. Both two- and three-toed sloths are represented at the center, and if you’re lucky, they may have baskets full of to see when you drop by.

The whole operation costs more than US$10,000 per month, paid for primarily by donations and day trippers, who can enjoy a fascinating tour that includes a film, meet-and-greet with sloth ambassadors (perhaps Buttercup) who have shown a particular affinity for humans, and an optional boat trip through the Río Estrella delta, where past sloths that have been partially reintegrated into their national habitat.

You can also stay overnight at Aviarios’ onsite hotel, just a few minutes from the restaurants and modest nightlife of Cahuita, or even participate in their recommended volunteer program. You can also help support the center by shopping at the online Slothmart, or simply “liking” their Facebook page.

Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary and Rescue Center is located about three hours west of San José, convenient to the popular tourist towns of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

Costa Rican Holidays

The most important event on the Costa Rican religious calendar isn’t Christmas, as some visitors might expect. Though that revered family holiday is certainly sacred, the date you’ll need to plan your trip around is Semana Santa, or Holy Week—the week preceding Easter Sunday.

Chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and special Catholic Masses are just the beginning: Semana Santa is serious business in Central America. If you’re thinking about enjoying your spring break in Costa Rica, or anywhere in Latin America for that matter, you need to start making plans now. In 2011, Easter comes on April 24, but travelers should start making reservations for travel beginning April 16 (Palm Sunday).

The entire country begins to shut down the weekend prior to Easter, as just about every Costa Rican with the means is already planning their escape to the beach. Hotel rates along the coasts rise in every category—and that’s if you can find a room. Many Ticos (Costa Ricans) simply bring hammocks to the beach, or sleep right on the sand. One wonders if the whales and sea turtles consider it a natural migratory event, and plan tours around the massive annual influx of humans.

Inland, particularly in San José and the Central Valley’s major cities, smaller business begin shutting down on Monday, while almost all non-essential services are closed on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday preceding Easter. Most buses stop running on Thursday and Friday as well—if you don’t have a rental car, make sure that you’re where you want to be. Alcohol sales are forbidden Wednesday through Saturday, but if you speak a bit of Spanish, you can usually find bars and private vendors willing to part with a bottle or two, at premium prices.

If you’re willing to work with the wild ruckus surrounding Semana Santa, however, you won’t find a more authentically Costa Rican fiesta. The beach parties are wild, and you’ll almost certainly be invited to toast the holiday with inebriated locals (though it always helps if you bring your own libations). And, if you’re interested in more traditional events, most major towns and cities offer more serious observations of the Holy Week.

More religious Costa Ricans, particularly the older generations, believe that driving, swimming, drinking alcohol, and eating meat (other than seafood) during Semana Santa is sinful. Rather than heading to the beach, they enjoy a quiet week with their families and church congregations.

Catholic churches, most notably in Cartago and around the Central Valley, organize elaborate, costumed processions on Good Friday, depicting Jesus Christ’s last day before the crucifixion. Called the Via Crucis, or Via Dolorosa (literally the “Way of the Cross” or “Way of Sorrows,” and very similar to the Passion Play), these follow a representation of Jesus, sometimes portrayed by an actor dragging the cross, or more often a carved statue carried on a litter by volunteers.

The Via Cruces stops at each Station of the Cross, where other actors perform key Biblical events, such as Simon of Cyrene being ordered by the Romans to carry the cross for a struggling Jesus, and Saint Veronica wiping Christ’s brow with what is now, according to tradition, the Shroud of Turin. All are invited to follow.

There are dozens of other more typically Tico traditions associated with Semana Santa, however, not all of them sanctioned by the Church. For instance, in many towns, Judas the Betrayer is burned in effigy on the Saturday before Easter, accompanied by lots of fireworks. In Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, local gentlemen capture a live crocodile with their bare hands, and keep it in a pen (with the blessing of MINAE, if not the Vatican) as part of the Lagarteada, a celebration that almost certainly predates the Spanish Conquest.

Visiting Costa Rica during Semana Santa can be the best of times, or the worst of times, depending on whether or not you’ve prepared. Still up for it? Mead Brown still has luxury villas, homes and condominiums available right on the beach, and just an hour from the most elaborate traditional festivals in the Central Valley. Contact us as soon as possible to make your Semana Santa memorable for all the right reasons.

Costa Rican Coffee
Those neat rows of gleaming, emerald green coffee plant climbing into the Meseta Central no longer produce Costa Rica’s most important export, this is true. That distinction is now held microprocessors, a modern concession of the nation’s romantic past to the globalized economy.

Regardless, the “golden bean,” as coffee was once called, remains a rich and aromatic symbol of the nation. Easily processed and stored, cheerfully addictive, and wildly profitable, it transformed Costa Rica from a forgotten backwater of the Spanish Empire to an agricultural powerhouse, just decades after its arrival in the 1779. It would go on to define an era—the Coffee Boom of the late 1850s to early 1900s—memorialized by the Central Valley’s finest architecture and a railway system, once the pride of the Americas, built to transport this precious cargo.

Today, the nation’s seasonal pulse is still defined by the all-important coffee crop. Tiny white flowers bloom every April in a tropical blizzard of pale petals, draped across the chill volcanic slopes. As rainy season begins in earnest, these become the hard green peaberries, or coffee fruits, that will ripen to a juicy ruby red by November or so, just in time for uniformed children to pluck a few on their way to school.

The dates vary, of course, according to elevation and variety, but the main December to February harvest sends the entire Central Plateau into high gear. Workers flood the fields with their baskets and wide-brimmed hats, picking each fragile fruit by hand. The beans are then usually wet processed, using enormous tubs to wash the surprisingly sweet fruit off the seed, before it has time to ferment and change the flavor. (Some specialty blends do used slightly fermented seeds, but this is an acquired taste.)

The beans are then dried, usually by raking them over cement patios in the sun; if you explore rural Costa Rica during harvest, you’ll see yellow beans spread out on the sides of paved roads. Finally, the coffee is hulled, to remove the “parchment,” then processed for roasting and grinding. The classic Costa Rican method of brewing coffee uses a chorreador, or coffee sock: a cotton filter filled with fresh coffee is suspended above a cup or pot, and hot water is poured through by hand.

Several fincas, or coffee plantations, offer tours year-round, and the very best time to visit is during the harvest. The most popular tours are offered by Britt Café, complete with costumed song-and-dance numbers that entertain the kids; and Doka Estate, a more sedate, traditional tour, both just outside San José. There are several other fincas with similar offerings, including the Santa Elena Fair Trade Cooperative and Don Juan Coffee Tour, both in the Monteverde cloud forests, and even smaller operations in Tarrazu and Orosí, just south of San José.

No matter where you go, however, be sure to pick up a few bags of fine Costa Rican coffee before heading home—this is one souvenir that just about every adult on your list will appreciate. While the most popular brands, such as Britt, are sure to keep your favorite caffeine addicts happy, don’t discount the cheaper, pre-ground store brands preferred by locals, like Café 1820. Because only perfect, whole beans can be considered for exports, cracked but otherwise delicious coffee is relegated for the local market, but well worth a try.

Our favorite is Quick Monkey, the farm boarders primary rainforest and the coffee is shade grown on the side of a mountain in Monte Azul’s nature preserve near Chirripo, Costa Rica’s highest peak at 12,530 feet (3,727 meters) in the Talamanca Range. We include a bag in all of our guests’ vacation rental gift baskets when they stay in Costa Rica with Mead Brown.  Guests often make a special effort to rave to us about how marvelous the coffee is. You can visit the once abandoned coffee farm or take the full organic coffee tour. As a proud member of their local organic coop of family farms, La Alianza, Monte Azul Hotel + Center for Contemporary Art guarantees their process is 100% natural and organic, straight to your cup!