A new Hyatt hotel is opening in Panama next year

September 1, 2023 No Comments

Hyatt Regency Panama City will be the first Hyatt Regency hotel in Panama City and the third Hyatt hotel in Panama.

Perfectly situated for business and leisure travellers, the hotel will be in the heart of Panama City’s business district, less than 10 miles from Tocumen International Airport, near the Multiplaza shopping mall and the new Amador Convention Center.

About the hotel

Hyatt Regency Panama City will offer 382 guestrooms and suites spread across two towers, as well as a pool, state-of-the-art gym, variety of restaurants including a wine bar and coffee shop and 20,000 sq ft. of meeting and event space including two ballrooms, an outdoor terrace for events and a Hyatt Regency Broadcast Lounge, allowing guests the option to attend a live conference in a hybrid manner.

The hotel’s convenient location in the Panamanian capital will provide easy access to public transportation and area attractions like cinemas, restaurants, retailers, recreational activities and more.

Additionally, the hotel is located a short drive from downtown Panama City, both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and local attractions such as the Panama Canal, the Casco Viejo neighborhood and the new Fuerte Amador cruise terminal.

Expected to open just in time for the 2024 summer season following an extensive renovation, Hyatt Regency Panama City will mark another milestone in Hyatt’s sustained brand growth strategy in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

One of Costa Rica’s best boutique hotels just got a lavish upgrade

February 24, 2023 No Comments

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel, located in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, has undergone a series of renovations intended to elevate the guest experience.

Sparked by the pandemic, the property underwent several renovations to its facilities and experience offers. The remodeled rooms, villas, and restaurants have been elevated. The experience programming focuses on creating lasting feelings for guests and transformational experiences unique to Cala Luna’s location, including educational visits to its nearby farm, La Senda, which supplies the hotel with organic fruits, vegetables and spices. The dining has been revamped with a new apothecary cocktail menu as well as a new take on Costa Rican modern cuisine. 

About Cala Luna 

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas is one of the only hotels in Guanacaste, Costa Rica that remains green all year round.

With few barriers between the hotel and nature, the 39-room boutique hotel is tucked within Costa Rica’s Playa Langosta and the Baulas National Park, the most exclusive, relaxing and private area of Tamarindo Beach. Cala Luna is a tropical, sustainable oasis just two-and-a-half-miles south of Liberia Airport.

Committed to its local community and environment, Cala Luna boasts the highest Sustainable Tourism certification (level 5) from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).  Open-plan spaces and secluded accommodations meld into the lush jungle that attracts more wildlife than anywhere else in the area – monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, birds, insects, and humans.

Guests can nourish their senses daily through delicious home-grown ingredients, gastronomic farm-to-table dinners, holistic wellness, spa therapies, and deep connection to Mother Earth, all onsite. From dining at nearby farm La Senda and walking the world’s largest labyrinth, to sipping cocktails on the beach as the sun slips over the edge of the ocean, Cala Luna offers the ideal holistic retreat.

For more information about the property, visit www.calaluna.com. 

These are some of the most unique eco tours in Costa Rica

January 9, 2023 No Comments

One of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Costa Rica is home to a plethora of experiences.

Whether you’re looking to explore the rainforests, go deep in a bat cave, or try your hand at foraging, here are five of the best eco tours to try in Costa Rica.

Go looking for leaf cutter ants

The dense rainforest houses thousands of species that play an essential role in the ecosystem, including a plethora of insects. With all of Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife, it’s too easy to overlook the smallest creatures, but leafcutter ants are some of the most fascinating animals you will find in Costa Rica.

These ants live within a complex society of their own, and farm mushrooms underground using mulch chewed from leaves stripped from specific plants and trees. In the Sarapiquí region, a unique town and river area in the Heredia Province with incredible biodiversity, guided tours give visitors a close-up look at active leafcutter colonies. Participants will learn about colony caste divisions, see ants cut and transport leaves, and even spot the queen ant – all of which can normally not be seen without the assistance of an expert.

Fungi tour

The rainforests near the equator have some of the highest fungal biodiversity on Earth. Costa Rica’s rainforests are an eco-tourist’s dream and are teeming with fungi kingdoms. Guided excursions to see the fungi of Costa Rica’s rainforests allow for the exploration of areas that are still being actively investigated by scientists, and aid in rainforest conservation efforts.

Tours run throughout the year but are best enjoyed during the nation’s rainy season. There is a wealth of fungi kingdoms to explore, including day-long trails to see the fungi that cling to the oak trees of the Grecia Forest Reserve “Bosque del Niño” or bioluminescent fungi that grow in the cloud forest of Monteverde.

Those staying in San Jose can even embark on these trails in La Cangreja National Park, which is just 20 miles outside of downtown. Costa Rica’s wild fungi trails are aimed at nature enthusiasts, and travellers will have the opportunity to find, identify, photograph, and in certain cases, even taste some of the world’s rarest fungi. The trails feature recreational and educational activities curated to promote the conservation of wild mushrooms at the local level through responsible and sustainable tourism, and local communities and indigenous knowledge are involved and integrated into the entire experience.

Cacao tour

Cacao is grown across the Caribbean and South America but is particularly important in Costa Rica. It was a highly prized and sacred crop among the indigenous Chorotega and Bribri communities and was used as currency by the Chorotega up until the 1930s.

With the creation and popularization of chocolate, the cacao bean became the cash crop of Costa Rica. The provinces of Guanacaste, Alajuela, Limón, Cartago, and Puntarenas, all contain thriving cacao plantations, which are perfect for any chocolate lover. These plantations offer experiences led by experts who will detail the history, culture, and traditions of chocolate and cacao, as well as the hidden secrets of bean fermentation and sun-drying.

Travellers can personally roast and grind cacao beans, and make their own chocolate treats, including traditional Bribri ceremonial drinks.

Discover medicinal plants

More than just a source of natural beauty, plants growing in Costa Rica have long been sources of traditional remedies.

Indigenous populations across the country know how to identify the medicinal properties of the surrounding flora, and much of this knowledge has been passed through generations. To discover the diversity of plant life across regions in Costa Rica, travellers can visit the foothills of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano, La Fortuna, and the Southern Zone, where the indigenous have preserved the integrity of their traditional villages.

Local experts offer hikes and nature walks through forests and fields where they identify the healing powers provided by trees, herbs, roots, and vines. Guides will educate visitors on the medical properties of plants like ginger, moringa, or chaya leaves, and tell the stories of the locals who cultivate them.

The medicinal plants tours are interactive experiences where participants can feel and smell the plants to identify their textures and scent. At the same time, guides will explain how plants can prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, allergies, and stress.

Bat tours

Costa Rica has more than 116 species of bats. These mammals control pest populations in crops, such as bananas and mangoes, and pollinate several plant species. In the Monteverde cloud forest or the Sarapiquí region, travellers can find interactive and educational tours led by highly trained and experienced guides that offer a whole new appreciation for these often-misunderstood creatures of the night.

Travellers will learn about the diversity and abundance of bats in Costa Rica, their natural history, classification, adaptations, reproduction, threats, and more. On this tour, visitors will have a safe opportunity to observe some of the bats captured during the evening for research projects. Guests will leave the experience with a greater understanding of bat conservation’s importance and ecological benefits.

Nicaragua is brimming with natural experiences: here are our top picks

November 11, 2022 No Comments

Nicaraguan tourism officials say it can be incredibly uplifting to rapidly go downhill in the Central American nation.

Ana Garcia of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board noted during a recent Toronto event that adventurous sorts vacationing in her homeland can spend some 45 minutes hiking up 728-meter-high active volcano Cerro Negro and then slide down its steep slopes on a sled made in part of plywood and partly of metal, possibly hitting speeds of around 93 kph while doing so.

The sledders wear special suits and goggles to protect themselves from what’s described as a “gravelly, basaltic surface.” And, continued Garcia, that sort of exhilarating activity underscores Nicaragua’s adventurous side, with adventure tourism being one of many sides to her homeland.

The board is also promoting the natural side of a country that has 26 volcanoes, 7 of them active; a freshwater lake with sharks; 74 protected areas; 4 biospheres; and 200 private wildlife retreats.

“We’ve come out of the shadow of Costa Rica and Nicaragua can stand on its own,” Marlon Moreno of Moreno + Co. — which represents Nicaragua in this country — told those on hand.

Nicaragua borders Costa Rica, which is widely seen as a pioneer in eco-tourism. Nicaragua offers the same types of landscapes and wildlife that have long been attracting people to Costa Rica.

Moreno added that Nicaragua has beautiful beaches and is a “very cultural” part of the world, with colonial architecture being found in the cities of Leon and Granada. He said Nicaragua has a thriving farm-to-table scene and the country also is producing quality rum, coffee and cigars. Nicaragua’s Pacific coast is home to the 293-unit, all-inclusive Barcelo Montelimar — part of Spanish chain Barcelo — but Moreno said the country is more focused on boutique hotels.

Among those on hand for the gathering was Roberto Yanqui of Martour International, who labelled Nicaragua a “very unspoiled” part of the world with nice beaches and colonial cities. Nicaragua is one of the world’s premier surfing destinations, Yanqui continued and added it offers a lot of spa and yoga retreats, among them the Canadian-owned Coco Loco, which Martour recently took a group booking for.

Michele Martinson of Aeromexico in turn said Nicaragua is a “really great option for people looking for a new vacation opportunity.” Moreno said those vacationing in Nicaragua will encounter lodging options that range from backpacker retreats that may be available for as little as $10 a night to the incredibly swank Leading Hotels of the World member Calala Island, an exclusive island retreat.

Nicaragua can be reached from Mexico City with Aeromexico, Copa Airlines from Panama City, El Salvador and Miami with Avianca and American Airlines will return to Managua in November. Those wanting to enter the country must show proof of vaccination or receive a negative PCR test no more than 72 hours before their departure.

Nicaragua saw political unrest several years ago but Moreno and Garcia said the country is now quiet and there’s no need for tourists to be uneasy about their visit.

BY: IAN STALKER