Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends from the United States! Here in Costa Rica we call Thanksgiving the Dia Accion de Gracias, and though it is not a Costa Rican holiday we definitely like to take the time to reflect and be grateful.

What are we thankful for this Thanksgiving? We are thankful for the sunshine that graces our beaches and gardens and warms our souls. We are thankful for the staff here at our hotel who keeps our property beautiful and ready to greet our smiling guests from all corners of the world. We are thankful for being in Costa Rica, where Pura Vida really is the way of life here, which is why this country is always ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. Lastly, we are thankful for our guests, new and regulars, who come to our beachfront bed and breakfast every year to rejuvenate, relax, and enjoy all our property has to offer. If you have visited us, thank you! And if you are considering paying us a visit, we thank you as well! Wherever you are, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Celebrating Mother’s Day in Costa Rica

When Mother’s Day comes around, treat mom to a vacation and set course to sun drenched Costa Rica. After a year of cooking, cleaning and running after the kids, mom deserves to lie on the beach or sit by the hotel swimming pool, read a book, work on her tan, or just relax.

Costa Ricans celebrate Mother’s Day on August 15th. Children of Costa Rican families might travel home to be with mom on her special day; they might cook mom a special meal; give her a card, flowers or a gift, or take her out on the town.

Costa Ricans love mothers, all mothers. Mother’s Day being a national holiday in Costa Rica, banks, schools and small businesses close for the day so employees can spend time with mom, and those who have to work receive holiday pay.

In shops you might see T-shirts and other items emblazed with “Yo (big red heart) a Mama”, and it’s not unusual for local moms, and tourist moms, to be greeted with “Feliz dia de la madre!”

This love and respect for moms stems undoubtedly from Costa Rica being a Catholic country. On August 15th the country also celebrates the Feast of the Assumption, known as the day that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven.

The Virgin Mary being the most important mother in all of Catholic history, Costa Ricans take their cue from religion and have honored their mothers on this day throughout the years.

Not that flowers and gifts were always part of Mother’s Day. For Costa Rican grandmothers the day was just like any other day, but as North Americans adopted the day to honor mom and commercialized it, Costa Ricans embraced this new way wholeheartedly to pay tribute to the moms in their lives.

Our beachfront hotel in Playa Langosta is the perfect setting to celebrate mom on your next Costa Rica vacation.

 

               

Guanacaste Day: Celebrating the Annexation of Guanacaste

Prior to 1824, Guanacaste was part of Nicaragua.  Due to the many active civil wars in Nicaragua at that time, the residents of Guanacaste wanted to be annexed to Costa Rica. The Central American Federation said yes to their request, and Guanacaste was annexed to Costa Rica. The people of Guanacaste take great pride in being part of Costa Rica. Their annexation by choice is celebrated for its core values of democracy each year with a nationwide holiday. The celebration is huge, especially in our Guanacaste province. All banks, schools, post offices and government offices as well as other commercial centers close for this holiday celebration. Annually on July 25th, all of Costa Rica celebrates Guanacaste Day. 

The celebrations include parades, folk dances, music, showing cattle and other activities. Rodeos are also typical of the holiday celebration. However these rodeos are not like the bullfights in Spain...Tico style of bullfighting does not include killing the bull. It is about young men teasing the bull or cow without any weapons, just having fun and for the sport. 

Similar to festivals around the world the streets are filled with vendors of local handicrafts and local foods. Concerts, fireworks and folk dances are also part of the celebrations. The most popular dances are Caballito Nicoyano and the Punto Guanacasteco, old historical folk dances. The festivities include the local children and most of the parades are children dressed in costumes and masks, having much fun.  The music includes the playing of Costa Rica's national instrument, the marimba. 

Interested in participating in the events?  Let us know and we'll be happy to direct you to a local festival nearby!

Our beachfront hotel in Playa Langosta is the perfect setting for your next Costa Rica vacation.

Celebrating New Year's in Costa Rica

Every year, we have had the honor of a special family coming to celebrate the holiday season at our boutique Bed and Breakfast. They travel all the way from New York to leave the cold temperatures and enjoy our tropical sunshine. The entire hotel is rented by them and they come with four generations. The youngest ones of the family we have seen grow up from being infants to young little personalities. This will be the sixth year in a row that they are here and we hope that there are many more years to follow. It's a beautiful way to start the new year together as a family!

We hope you will come for a visit in 2014 and create new memories with your loved ones!
 
Best wishes from Costa Rica from all of us at Sueno del Mar!

You will feel right at home at our beachfront Bed and Breakfast located near Tamarindo, Costa Rica.