I wanted to thank you and Tropical Homes for an excellent vacation stay at the Penthouse Condo. The accommodations were wonderful, house keeping services superb, and the grounds keeper/security/maintenance people were all top notch.
Kevin A. Lee
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Hi Britta, Thanks so much for the wonderful stay at Villa Las Palmas from July 11-25 2010. We could not have been happier with the accommodations or the services. Lilliana and her family were very gracious; always willing to help us in any capacity which they could.
They kept the house in impeccable condition the entire duration of our stay. The house itself exceeded our expectations in every way. The architecture was stunning and spacious inside and out and the gardens were a delight to take in while enjoying the deck or pool.
We were fortunate enough to see monkeys in the mango trees on the property, several species of interesting looking birds, and some bats at night.
The beach access was a bit steep– we had some older people with us that would have benefitted from a railing of some sort, but other than that the place was absolutely perfect. In addition, the property managers were extremely helpful both before and during our stay, making sure that we had information on recreational activities in the area as well as all the information we needed to enjoy the house amenities.
We will without a doubt visit again if we have the opportunity to return to Costa Rica.
Regards, Keri
Review Submitted: December 20, 2010 Date of Stay: December 2010. Our family of 6 has rented the Casa Vista Magnifica in Flamingo Costa Rica two years in a row. This property is spacious, has scenery only surpassed by a post card and is located close enough to many fun destinations that include the most beautiful beaches we have ever visited.
Rosita and Bismark will make sure you have everything you need at the house from meals, to laundry service and including local recommendations for lunch and dinner that only a full time CR resident would know about. Britta Engelhardt and Erika Dent of Tropical Homes of Costa Rica will provide pain free arrangement from the reservation, to check in & out, and to include any activity you choose during your stay.
If you are considering or planning a trip to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, I strongly encourage you to check out Casa Vista Magnifica in Flamingo. It’s a dream vacation come true.
How Travel Can Change Your Life
Often times we take vacations to relax and unwind, forget about whatever has been causing us stress back home, and to simply enjoy a change of scenery. After the trip is over, we go back home and return to business as usual. But sometimes, a trip can be life changing and for one family of four, a trip to Costa Rica changed their lives forever.
The Letsingers, Nancy, her husband Eric, and their two daughters, 10 and 13 years old, decided to take a trip to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic and get away from the hustle and bustle of life in D.C. area. Between 50-60 hour work weeks for Nancy and Eric, school for the girls, plus extracurricular activities, the Letsingers felt maxed out and decided that some time away would be good for everyone. Taking two months off of work and school is not an easy thing to do and many people will say that it simply isn’t possible. This is perhaps the first lesson learned through traveling: anything is possible if you decide it is.
Most often the hardest part of planning a trip is deciding to do it. The initial purchase of a plane ticket or sometimes the simple verbalization that you’re putting a trip together is often all it takes to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Once the Letsingers decided they were going to take the time to bond as a family in Costa Rica, the rest fell into place.
The family of four used their time aboard to work as a team, planning events and details together as the trip progressed. Nancy and Eric, who were interviewed by The Huffington Post about their time aboard said they wanted to make sure their trip involved some sort of community service and so the family volunteered at an orphanage and stayed with a host family, which both of the girls loved. The time aboard helped the girls, who had never been out of the country, become more willing to try new things upon returning home and Eric and Nancy both find themselves more able to enjoy simple pleasures, such as enjoying a peaceful morning.
While some vacations are nothing more than a brief break from the normal routine other trips have the potential to transform our lives. New experiences, new relationships, and exposure to different cultures can help us become more tolerant, more understanding, and bolder back home. Spending time aboard, such as in Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic, reminds us that the world is a very large place, filled with all different types of people, and that the life we are living is just one possibility out of billions of the life we could be living.
Upon returning home, Nancy, Eric, and their two daughters feel as though their two months traveling in Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic has truly changed their lives forever and the experiences they had while aboard will not be forgotten. Plan your trip to Costa Rica and start changing your life today.
Costa Rica: First Time Visiting
If you’re planning your first international trip and Costa Rica is your destination, you’re in luck. Costa Rica is a great place for first time international travelers and thanks to a well developed tourist economy it is easy to plan a trip and get around this small, friendly Central American country.
Elizabeth Donatelli, a broadcast journalist with stories featured on MSNBC, CNN, HLN, and The Weather Channel, recently put together a video for Costa Rica Star News highlighting Costa Rica as a great choice for first time international travelers and helping put to rest any concerns that first time visitors might have.
Having backpacked Europe, driven across the United States five times, and spent several weeks in Central America, Elizabeth Donatelli has used her sense of adventure to help first time visitors to Costa Rica understand just how easy it is to get around Costa Rica, even for those who don’t speak Spanish and have never been to a Central American country.
Chances are those visitors planning a trip to Costa Rica already have a friend, family member or co-worker who has visited this popular destination so asking for recommendations is a great way to start planning a trip. Getting advice from fellow travelers is one of the best ways to plan any vacation, whether domestic or international. Reading online reviews is also a good strategy if you don’t know of anyone who’s visited Costa Rica before. Once you narrow down which places in Costa Rica you’d like to check out, the next step is looking into accommodations and transport.
Costa Rica has a thriving tourism economy and as such many of the popular destinations are filled with a wide variety of accommodations to suit the budget of any traveler. From high end, 5 star resorts, to budget backpacker hostels to beach front vacation houses, it’s easy to find a place to stay in Costa Rica. Unless you’re traveling during the busiest times of the year, Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter week, it is not necessary to make reservations in advance, although you may still chose to do so. There are plenty of places to stay in all of the popular destinations that most travelers visit during their time aboard. There are also multiple ways to get from point A to point B.
Some visitors to Costa Rica rent cars for the duration of their stay, while others may chose to use the numerous private shuttles found throughout the country. And, as Elizabeth Donatelli points out in her video about visiting Costa Rica, taking the public buses is a fine option as well. Getting around Costa Rica is relatively easy although the roads are not always in the best condition and traffic can be unpredictable. Other than some minor delays and a few bumps here and there, transportation throughout Costa Rica is affordable, easy to understand, and reliable.
Costa Rica is a great launching place for international travel as there are many tourists who visit this county each year and Costa Ricans are incredibly friendly and helpful people who want to make sure that all visitors enjoy their stay. After visiting Costa Rica, you’ll be ready to take on your next international adventure. But you may find that you loved Costa Rica so much, you just end up coming back for a second visit!