One of the most amazing places I have stayed, and would stay again in an instant is the Pacuare Eco Lodge in Costa Rica... I stayed in the above cabana high in the rainforest canopy above the ground. The cabana has its own private bridge and hot tub.... You can walk out on the bridge and see monkeys, toucans and feel like you are atop the trees. The lodge sits on the Pacuare River and is only a few hours from capital city San Jose. You can raft the river and take treks up to cabecar indian villages. The whole property is run on renewable energy via solar, wind and water turbine power.. the staff is great, huge community area for dinner/breakfast and drinks.... There are a many different size cabanas and shared hammock areas... Each cabana feels like it is your private rainforest high in the canopy... Yes, there is a honeymoon suite too!! http://www.pacuarelodge.com/ Enjoy!

A few hours North of San Jose, Costa Rica are the small towns of La Fortuna and Arenal which are known as the basecamp for many adventures such as rafting, mt biking, trekking, bird watching, hot springs and watching lava come off of Arenal Volcano at night. One of the coolest day trips is to zipline through old-growth rainforest 600 feet in the air. You'll see and hear howler monkeys, see toucans and more... You'll take a safety class with SKYTREK, get outfitted with helmets, gloves and a harness before you take a tram up to the first of ten ziplines.. You hook up and the ride is breathtaking through the upper canopy of primal rainforest! Very safe and reputable company with a spotless track record. (506) 2479 9944 - info@skytrek.com After your zipline adventure, have dinner at small town of Forutuna at one of the many small travel restaurants in the backpacker-esque town.... Then hit one of the famous natural hot springs just on the edge of town. A great one I have spent many a night soaking in is Tabacon hot springs. The springs will set you back about $40usd, dinner included, but the quality is excellent compared to some of the other hot springs in the area. www.tabacon.com -Remember to take a little camera/video to strap to your arm or chest while zipping down the lines!

Anamaya is located in Montezuma, Costa Rica. This image is taken from their extremely tranquil yoga deck, where guests practice twice a day. This hidden gem is affordable, has gorgeous cabanas, and serves the best vegetarian food I've ever had. Originally built to be a celebrity destination, the owner, frequently seen on the grounds conversing with guests and attending yoga classes, decided to follow his vision of creating a tranquil oasis for detoxification and health. The experience also includes an infrared sauna, workshops, surfing, and whatever services guests and friends want to offer. For example, this week we have an amazing musician that plays during morning and evening yoga sessions and gives free astrology readings :) This place is truly special, combining health, community and a sense of tranquility in a breathtaking setting.

"You get to the end of the road . . . make sure you lock your car. Follow the beach down to a bunch of white tents. You can’t miss it.” We’d heard those words before, and we’d proved our inalienable right to, indeed, miss what could not be missed. But after a long walk, we saw someone hailing us from a tented area. “You’re just in time--we’re about to release the turtles.” Not many visitors go to Playa Caletas to find Pretoma Turtle Sanctuary. Situated on one of the more remote beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and often moving between beaches, it’s a place you’ve got to know is there and want to find. Fortunately, we did. “The people who make it here are the people we want to come,” summed up our makeshift tour guide from Barcelona. We met young people from all over the world there for one cause--to safeguard enough turtles between egg laying and hatching into the sea to keep the species viable. As the Pacific sun set, our three kids got the experience of holding a baby Olive Ridley sea turtle gently in their hands and releasing it onto the sand. We all cheered them on in their dangerous scamper to the sea, and we all felt a little like turtle parents, swelling with pride at our offspring and thrilled for their safety. Not the way we’d ever spent a Christmas Eve before. But caring for the helpless felt like a good fit, as we returned back down the long moonlit beach.

While we were staying in a really great cabin down off of Matapalo Beach on the Oso Peninsula in Costa Rica (Sueño Verde), we were often visited by families of Capuchin monkeys who would go foraging for insects and coconuts in the trees right around our bungalow. They would meticulously climb through each coconut tree and check each palm frond from the top side to the bottom side. I was able to time it and catch one as he was peeking through the fronds to look underneath.

Montezuma was a must-stop recommendation of all the beaches, so when we two Floridians finally arrived on the miniature, desolate coast in this small town we were confused. The communal bonfire atmosphere described seemed unlikely and the view was dreary on the cloudy days we were there, but our uncertainty was stifled when a gruff looking man came running to shore mid-catch (translation: bloody fish in hand) to show us his hostel rooms. We took one to end the awkward pressure of the circumstance and headed to the highly anticipated beach to relax. Having fulfilled this trip's bucket list, we saved laying in the sun and doing nothing for last, but a few hours of being the only two people on the beach under the clouds proved disappointing. Holding on to hope that this town would measure up to its reputation, we searched for the known waterfall to redeem it. Looking up the creek I worried the trek upstream might add to the discouragement, but when our luck brought on rain as well, we gave up on forcing this portion of the trip, packed up our clothes, and jumped in. Feeling the rush of the refreshing water and playing like no one was watching was all it took. I jumped off a rock that looks much smaller in photos and took a potentially homeless, bearded man's directions to swim deep enough to see the limestone below. We consequently had a blast, by ourselves--no parties, bonfires, or beach tans necessary. I mean we found those eventually, but after a day playing in the water.

No cage...just a perch under the forest canopy at the "Zoo Ave" bird sanctuary, just west of San José, Costa Rica. Several of the parrots and macaws do 'speak,' but most of these splendid creatures are not pets; tame enough, though, so you can safely get very close... ...unflinching eye contact from an animal whose intelligence can equal that of a 5-year-old child, whose life-span can equal that of a human. Many of these birds are going extinct in their traditional habitats--deforestation, poaching... For more information: http://costarica.com/attractions/zoo-ave/

Drivers can pull over near this bridge outside of Jaco to observe these large beasts bathe in the river. The crocodiles can grow to be up to 11 feet long. Rumor has it that an occasional crock has made its way to the ocean and attacked surfers.

There are plenty of opportunities to try canopy tours in Costa Rica, but I have to highly recommend Extremo in Monteverde. The best strategy we unexpectedly took on this venture was going in blind. We took recommendations for the best town and tour guides and otherwise had no idea what we were getting into. Besides the course being affordable and breathtakingly scenic, the variety of stunts were outright scary. Having taken an uneventful, tree-to-tree canopy tour before, the thrill of this experience blew me away--mostly because I didn't look through the pamphlet. Our guides were hilarious, each leg of the course was more adventurous, and we didn't have enough preparation to be scared. Not knowing what a "Superman" or "Tarzan swing" were gave us an advantage and is probably why we led the pack fearlessly. The bonus is bonding with your group who you'll inevitably see again if your stops are all major tourist destinations. We were tickled running into grown men who we'd seen so scared the guides had to push them off platforms. AND, Extremo just added bungee jumping to their offerings. Check out the YouTube videos, the view is indescribable.

Sightseeing is fantastic -- especially when viewing the sights up close and personal while rigged up to rappelling equipment. Going to Costa Rica anytime soon? Forget the jungle zip lines and opt for waterfall rappelling if you're looking for something out-of-the-ordinary. http://domestiphobia.net/2010/10/26/chasin-waterfalls/

Located on Costa Rica’s southern Pacific Coast, the Osa Peninsula is covered by one of the largest lowland tropical rain forests in the Americas. The new Kurà Design Villas are ideal for exploring the region. The vision of an architect and a biologist, the six villas are near several parks and reserves. Kurà can organize snorkeling and diving trips to Caño Island Biological Reserve and whale-watching trips to Ballena National Marine Park. Photo courtesy of Kurà Design Villas. This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue.

While most people travel to Costa Rica for the jungle ziplining, waterfall rappelling, and famous surf beaches, traveling to rural villages like Bagaces in Guanacaste can have its own rustic charm. On the streets of Bagaces, you won't find any other tourists, save maybe the students at the unofficially dubbed "monkey house," a small community dedicated to studying the capuchin monkey in the wild. You will eat what the locals eat, drink what the locals drink, and, on karaoke nights, of which there are many, you will sing what the locals sing. Eat the freshest chicken you've ever tasted at Restaurante Pollo Asado Las Leñas - more commonly known as Katia's, diagonal from the gas station (yep - there's only one) and just down the dirt road. Just don't sit downwind from the coops. Shop at the Super Compro and buy your beer one can at a time. Drink a bottle of Imperial at Tejas and experience one Costa Rican's interpretation of an American bar, complete with musical odes to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilara. The point, my friends, is to get lost for a minute. Wander the dirt roads and make fun of the cows. Wave to the pick-up trucks. And turn, breathless, to view the volcanoes in a way most tourists never get to see.

One of the more popular activities near the Arenal Volcano in central Costa Rica is the Sky Trek zipline and for good reason. Your adventure is a series of 8 ziplines with the highest being 700' above the ground and the longest ride being nearly 1/2 a mile long. You get over your initial fear after the first 5 seconds when pure exhilaration takes over as you view the mighty Arenal volcano on one side the beautiful Lake Arenal on the other. I can't imagine there is a more stunning place to zipline in the world.

North of oft-visited Manuel Antonio on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, is a small cove with a public beach by the name of Biesanz. The beach is hidden from the cliffs high above where resorts are like stars in the sky, numerous and crowding. Hike down a path that's largely unmarked locally, yet discoverable via Google or Mapquest, and you'll be rewarded with a beach that rarely hosts more than a dozen people at a time. It's just popular enough to include amenities like kayak and canoe rental, even snorkel gear. Just get there early and plan to only stay for the hours the sun is directly overhead. Once the afternoon wanes, the cove becomes rather dark because of the high cliffs overhead which act like a natural shelter. Added bonus: the sand turns purple here in patterns that recall Marimekko or Ikat designs.