Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica: 05/01/2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Green Season Specials!

Hotel Capitan Suizo:

May 15th to December 15, 2011

A couple massage (40 minutes) at Aromas del Mar Beach Front Spa
One romantic candlelight dinner for 2 people at the hotel beachfront restaurant*
A 10% discount in the hotel´s gift shop
Complementary Boogie boards, kayaks and bicycles
Daily Buffet Breakfast

Special Conditions:

Special package is available from May 15th to December 15, 2011.
4 nights stay is required
Special package applies only for new bookings from this communication.
Promotions based in double occupancy.
Promotion applies to all room categories.
This promotion can not be combined with other promotions.
Rates according the rack rates 2011 published (commissionable)

*Complementary Dinner includes an appetizer, a main dish and a dessert, clients will be able to choose “A la Carte” from our regular menu. Beverages are not included
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Peace Lodge

Until May 31, 2011

50 minutes in room massages for only $30 per person.
Stay 3 nights and get a Free Waterfall Gardens Guided Tour
Stay 3 nights and get half price on our Poás Volcano and Doka Coffee Plantation Tour

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Hotel Villa Caletas
From April 24 2011

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Florblanca Resort
May 1st - December 14th 2011

If you stay 5 nights, the 5th night is free!
The resort does accept kids 6 years and older during this season.

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Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort

April 25th - November 20th 2011

Complementary full a la carte breakfast and two tours that should not be missed: Tortillas at Petatillo and “Easy Being Green” Tour. Free Internet and free international calls also included in the rate.

Small Distinctive Hotel Members on Twitter!

Did you know that many of our hotel members are also on Twitter?

To stay updated on the latest updates of your favourite hotels, simply click the links below to follow them:

Hotel Grano de Oro

San José

Twitter: @HotelGranodeOro

Arenas del Mar Beach and Nature Resort

Manuel Antonio

Twitter: @ArenasDelMar

Hotel Florblanca

Santa Teresa

Twitter: @HotelFlorblanca

Hotel Casa Turire

Turrialba

Twitter: @CasaTurire

Hotel Cuna del Angel

Dominical

Twitter: @CunadelAngel

Hotel Villa Caletas

Jacó

Twitter: @VillaCaletasCR

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hotel Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo - Tours & Activities

Hotel Capitan Suizo is one of the few beach resorts located directly on Tamarindo, one of Costa Rica`s most beautiful and popular beaches. But even though Tamarindo is famous for its beach life, there are a plenty of other activities to undertake during your stay here... Capitan Suizo offers a variety of exciting and fascinating tours which can be booked directly from the hotel. For the activities offered in and around the hotel, you can directly scroll down to the bottom. Have fun!

Explore Costa Rica`s national par

k in surprising new ways and get acquainted with its typical wildlifeEstuary Tour at Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge

This two-hour boat ride will take you through waterways surrounded by mangrove vegetation, water birds, monkeys and iguanas. Turtle nesting at Marino Las Baulas National Park (during season). This tour takes place at the Marino Las Baulas National Park and it focuses on the natural

history and protection of the Leatherback Sea Turtle, the largest reptile on the planet.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park (Hiking)

Hike through the foothills of the nearest active volcano in the province of Guanacaste and admire the secondary activity of this volcano such us fumaroles, mud pots, and bubbling hot water.

Canopy and Hot Springs at Rincón de la Vieja

Check out the tropical forest in a different way by riding through the canopy of the forest on sliding cable lines connected to platforms built in the treetops. Experience a volcanic mud bath and enjoy the thermal water of the natural hot springs surrounded by tropical scenery.

Palo Verde National Park

This tour consists of a boat trip on the Tempisque River at Palo Verde National Park. It focuses on watching and learning about the species that inhabit this area such as water birds, crocodiles, iguanas and monkeys.

Tenorio Volcano National Park

The main attractions of this national park are a blue water waterfall and other sightseeing spots such as: hot water springs, forest crickets, a blue water lagoon and a blue river originated by the discharge of sulfates and other chemical substances.

Barra Honda National Park

Pure adventure and nature: in this park there are a lot of underground caves; there is one cave open to the public with many stalactite and stalagmite formations. You will also hike in the dry forest with panoramic views of the Tempisque River and Palo Verde National Park.

Corobici Floating Tour

This tour is an easy ride through the Corobici River on a rubber raft where you will have the opportunity to see the characteristic vegetation of the area as well as interesting wildlife like monkeys, iguanas and wading birds.

Scuba Diving Tour

This exciting tour will take you to the Catalina Islands that are a 45 minutes boat ride north of Tamarindo. You may see large manta rays, reef sharks, dolphins, turtles and hundreds of species of tropical fish. And is there a more beautiful way to end an exciting day with a spectacular sunset?

Other outdoor activities offered:

- Biking

- Catamaran Tour

- Golf (A beautiful 18 hole golf course is just 20 minutes by car from the hotel).

- Horseback riding

- Kayaking (tours or rental)

- Sailing

- Quad (ATV) tours

- Snorkeling

- Sport fishing

- Surfing (lessons or rental)

- Tennis (Tamarindo Tennis Club)

Available free of charge:

- American Football

- Badmington

- Beach toys

- Boccia

- Boogieboar d

- Football soccer

- Ping Pong

- Volleyball

For more information on tours and activities, have a look at the website of Hotel Capitan Suizo.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Special Offer by Peace Lodge!

Peace Lodge
Green Season Special

Until May 31, 2011

Located within the private wildlife refuge of La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park the Peace Lodge’s ultra upscale accommodations are uniquely themed to complement the inherent beauty of its rain forest setting. The detailed architecture exudes a natural elegance and sophistication with every room boasting a Jacuzzi tub and stone fireplace along with showers that transform into waterfalls with the turn of a knob.

During this entire month of May, the Peace Lodge offers a special Green Season offer!! Have a look at the offers below and enjoy a rejuvenating stay at this peace-ful place:

50 minutes in room massages for only $30 per person.
Stay 3 nights and get a Free Waterfall Gardens Guided Tour
Stay 3 nights and get half price on our Poás Volcano and Doka Coffee Plantation Tour

For more information about Peace Lodge, visit: http://distinctivehotels.com/our_hotels_peace_lodge.html.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Small Distinctive Hotels Member certified with “4 leaves” for sustainable tourism.

Hotel Capitan Suizo, one of Tamarindo’s most enchanting accommodations and member of the hotel group Small Distinctive Hotels, officially received its Sustainable Tourism Certification by the responsible committee of the Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT). As the first hotel in the Tamarindo area, Capitan Suizo has managed to be certified with 4 out of 5 leaves.

It has been a long and sustained effort to achieve the level of sustainability which has now been officially rewarded by the ICT. As the hotel’s manager Vinicio Hidalgo states, “Our team is proud and satisfied about this result; it is a great motivation since everyone has worked extremely hard to obtain certification at this level. We have learned along the way that these positive results with the CST can only be attained in team work and our gratitude extends to each member.

In order to achieve this certification, a balanced development needs to take place in 4 areas:

The interaction of the hotel with its physical environment, the dissemination of information to raise awareness among guests, as well as the socio-economic involvement in the community and efficiency of its facilities. For more information about the certification, please visit:

http://www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/en/

DESCRIPTION OF HOTEL CAPITAN SUIZO

Hotel Capitan Suizo is a luxurious boutique hotel, located directly on one of the most attractive swimming beaches of Tamarindo.

The beach-setting along with the exuberant tropical gardens, discreet elegance and Swiss quality provide a rejuvenating atmosphere, which is reflected in its 22 rooms.

Various Good Practices implemented at Hotel Capitan Suizo

The hotel prepared for two years before officially applying for the CST evaluation. The first year focused on generating a positive change regarding the employees’ attitude in order to ensure a joint effort in achieving its sustainability goals. The second year consisted in the implementation of important changes in a wide variety of areas.

Environmental and Social Activities

Hotel Capitan Suizo participates in a project for protecting wildlife, especially the impressive howler monkeys that have lost parts of their habitat due to touristic developments in the area. The hotel is part of the Blue Flag program committee and supports a primary school which offers education to children from families with scarce economic resources. Moreover a co-operation with the non-profit organization CEPIA promotes culture, health, sports and education in the coastal communities of Guanacaste. Finally, since three years the hotel organizes a Christmas celebration for children of a close-by refuge.

Infrastructure Enhancements

In order to further enhance sustainability efforts, a range of enhancements have been made in terms of infrastructure: hydrometers have been installed in various sectors of the property to monitor water consumption as well as solar panels in order to heat water. Solid- and organic waste management has been significantly improved; part of the organic waste products are now used to produce organic fertilizers for the garden, since chemical fertilizers have not been applied since many years. Incandescent light bulbs have been replaced with high-efficiency bulbs and high-efficiency minibars are gradually replacing the original ones.

For further information on Hotel Capitan Suizo and its sustainability efforts, visit our website here.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact Hotel Capitan Suizo
Tel. (506) 2653-0075
Eduardo Vinicio, General Manager
Email: Vinicio@hotelcapitansuizo.com
Sonia Fuentes, Sustainability
Email: fuentes@hotelcapitansuizo.com

Contact Small Distinctive Hotels
Hellen Campos, Marketing Manager
Email: hcampos@distinctivehotels.com

Tel: (506) 2258-0150

Why visit Costa Rica in the Green Season?

When green season approaches and the tropical rains slowly get stronger and more frequent, a whole different side of Costa rica seems to come alive. The trees and plants seem to suddenly shine in the most diverse shades of green. The greenness of Costa Rica can be truly and literally be experienced during this time of the year!

But what does this entail: Will we still be able to travel around freely? Will it rain every day? Will we still be able to explore all Costa Rica has to offer?? Are probably some of the questions that come up when reading about the green season. We can assure you there is no need to worry, below we will explain why traveling to Costa Rica during this time of the year can often lead to an even more special experience of the country!

The green season seems to be a time of the year, where all of Costa Rica's nature truly comes alive, everything seems more vibrant, radiantly green. Since there are more fruits on the trees, animals are more active and abundant, so your chances to encounter Costa Rica's typical and beautiful widlife such as toucans, monkeys or sloths are greatly increased during this time of the year. Moreover, since the majority of tourists visit Costa Rica during summer months, this time of the year is more quiet in many parts therefore making it easier to experience the 'real' Costa Rica.

Although usually around October, when rainfall is highest, some venues may be closed, generally speaking most activities can as easily be undertaken during the rainy season as in the summer season. Especially when keeping in mind that mostly rains occur in the afternoon, one can plan accordingly. The same applies for transportation within the countries, during most of the green season it will be possible to explore the country in a rental car. Only around October, when rainfall is more heavy, it is advisable to consult with locals before driving certain roads, and to calculate additonal time in reaching your destination.

One of the other advantages of traveling to Costa Rica in the green season, is that many accomodations as well as other venues offer special rates. Moreover availability at Costa Rica's most beautiful hotels will be easier to get during this time of the year.

Alltogether it can be said that green season is the perfect time to visit Costa Rica in all its green splendor!

1. Which of the definitions below best describes sustainable tourism?
A. A form of tourism designed to sustain the way the travel industry currently operates.
B. A form of tourism that ensures visited countries to be preserved for generations to come.
C. A form of tourism that increases financial sustainability of tourists by offering low prices.

3. Select three countries that are known internationally for their sustainable tourism efforts
A. France
B. Seychelles
C. Kenya
D. Belize
E. Guatemala
F. Jamaica
G. China
H. Russia
I. Costa Rica
J. Greece

5. Which of the following activities can be recommended to make your holidays greener?
A. Turn off electricity when leaving your room
B. Expect local population to understand and speak fluent English
C. Offset the CO2 emissions of your international- and local flights
D. Use local public transportation instead of renting a car
E. Take photographs of local/ indigenous people without asking permission first
F. Reduce duration of showers and turn off water when brushing your teeth
G. Keeping your air-conditioning running when leaving your room

Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica