The Famous Action Movie Star Will Discuss Investing in Costa Rica.

Steven Seagal, the famous action movie hero, has found his way down to Costa Rica with his wife and daughter and will be meeting with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias today at 2:30 p.m. The actor arrived yesterday to the Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose and said he is interested in creating a small movie production company in the country and would like to discuss options with the country’s leaders. His visit seems to mimic the goal’s that Mel Gibson had several years ago before deciding to build a multi-million dollar property in Guanacaste.

Seagal, who is known for performing his own fight scenes with a black belt in martial arts, will be staying at the Real Intercontinental in Escazu, San Jose during the business portion of his trip, but it is uncertain if he will continue on to visit other sites and the Costa Rica beaches.

Other celebrity figures that visited Costa Rica in the past year include Britany Spears, Bill Gates, Mel Gibson, Michael Schumacher of the race car fame and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Rumors also suggest that Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady are considering having their wedding in Costa Rica, where Gisele already has a beach property.

Roman Abramovich

It Would be a Huge Mistake to Not Diversify Your Destinations.

So, you’re considering a vacation to Costa Rica?  Avoid these common mistakes to make the most of your trip!

1. Trying To Do Too Much – Unfortunately, travel times in Costa Rica stink.  The roads are just plain lousy and driving can be hazardous.  For a typical 8 night trip, I’d suggest no more than 3 destinations, tops. For those who can afford to spend an extra few bucks and fly between locations, it’s DEFINITELY worth it. The drive from San Jose to Guanacaste is lovely, but you really aren’t missing much if you fly directly. If you can get a flight straight to Liberia, that’s preferable if your vacation will focus on the Guanacaste area.

2. Driving – If you can avoid it, do. It’s expensive, somewhat risky and time consuming. Better to fly and if necessary, rent a car when you’ve reached your destination, assuming you really want the freedom to tool around town.

3. Believing TripAdvisor’s Every Word – It’s a great site, but don’t take it as gospel. A tiny percentage of customers that post these forums have actually been there. There’s always one guy who hates ice cream and chocolate.

4. Doing Too Little – Costa Rica is a country of rich and diverse landscapes, climates and wildlife. To sit in one location, in one hotel or resort, for an entire vacation is a mistake. I think a great vacation consists of a balance between adventure and relaxation, and specifically in Costa Rica, between the beach and rain forest.

5. Not Pre-Planning A Few Tours – The best tours in Costa Rica often sell out, so it’s best to plan one or two tours in advance. As someone who is inherently lazy, I can also tell you that it’s very easy to convince yourself to not get up at 7 a.m. for a rafting tour unless you’ve already pre-paid.  Force yourself to plan ahead a tiny bit and you’ll be glad you did. Some of the best experiences in Costa Rica are the fantastic Canopy, Rafting, Rapelling and Sailing tours. Your local guides are also great sources of information regarding how to spend your freetime.

6. Packing The Wrong Stuff – Check the weather ahead of time.  If you will spend any time in San Jose or Arenal, you’ll probably need some long pants and a light jacket, fleece pullover or sweater. If coming during green season, a rain jacket or poncho is a must. Pack tons of sunscreen, some bug repellant and a light day pack for excursions. Most importantly, if taking domestic flights, DO NOT OVER PACK. You will be brutalized for extra weight on the small flights otherwise.

7. Visiting For Too Short A Period – Hey, I know darn well that vacation time is hard to come by.  But if you can’t spend at least 6 nights in Costa Rica, I’d suggest you postpone your trip until you can get the time off. In my opinion, the ideal vacation to Costa Rica is around 8 nights and includes 3 distinct destinations. To do all that and not spend all your time on the road, you’ll need at least one solid week off from work. Call in sick if you have to!

8. Assuming All-Inclusive Is The Way 2 Go – Maybe in Jamaica, but not here. Costa Rica is blessed in that 80% of the hotels have 30 rooms or less. That is one of the major factors that makes Costa Rica one of the most sustainable, authentic destinations on earth. Coming all the way here just to stay in a mega-resort is a mistake. There are some great resorts here, don’t get me wrong, but if it’s your first time to Costa RIca, you shouldn’t deprive yourself from getting outside the walls of a resort and seeing ‘the real’ Costa Rica. This country is far safer than the Dominican Republic or Jamaica, so staying behind the guarded walls of a disney-style resort just isn’t necessary. If you’re of the impression that you’ll save money at an all-inclusive, this is not the case. Dining out in most of the popular tourism areas of Costa Rica is resonable and if you’re willing to explore, sometimes downright cheap.

Expect Big Game Fish in Smaller Numbers When Fishing Jaco in June.

While the fishing in the Jaco area has been good over the past months with boats recording bill fish catches over the 15-a-day mark, the first 2 weeks in June have seen a slight slow down as the bill fish move further north. That being said it is not dead, it is just that the fish being hooked are in smaller numbers — though much larger in size!

This weekend Hooked Up Sportfishing (a fishing and vacation outfitter located in San Jose, Costa Rica) went out on Super Fly from the Marriott Los Sueños Marina for a day-long fishing trip. The boat was a beautiful custom built 42 ft boat with a full kitchen and AC. this boat is well known in Costa Rica and especially in the Tournament ring. Hooked up Sportfishing has been designing luxury vacations to Costa Rica since 2000 and specialises in luxury fishing vacations to Costa Rica.

The day before our trip, Super fly had gone out and caught a 500lb black Marlin and two sailfish, giving us a cheerful outlook, however as always with fishing you can never be sure, it is a day by day thing. The start to the day was slow with only some small Mahi-Mahi and Wahoo biting, however after about two hours the Captain signaled a Marlin approaching which took the bait and a 150lb Blue Marlin was landed. The video of the catch is below:

The second sailfish was caught about one hour after the Marlin and weighed in at around 150lbs, and the final sailfish was caught on the way back in and weighed in at around 150lbs as well. The Captain and the mates have years and years of experience, which became obvious to to us every time we hooked a fish, as their response was 2nd nature to them.

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This Jaco fishing report was written for Costa Rica Pages by Richard Bexon after his Costa Rica fishing trip this past June 13, 2009.

Local travel agency is offering free flights from the beach for vacationers who book by July 10th.

San Jose, COSTA RICA (June 30, 2009) — A well established luxury travel agency located in Costa Rica is offering free domestic flights on SANSA Regional airlines from any beach destination to either of the country’s two international airports, in order to encourage clients to take advantage of one more day in the sun.

Costa Rican Vacations (www.vacationscostarica.com), which specializes in personalized vacation packages to Costa Rica, said it will award a free domestic flight to all members of any group that books a vacation with them before July 10, 2009. The flights may originate in any of the SANSA’S more than 10 beach destinations, some of which are more than eight hours by land from the nearest international airport.

In Costa Rica, it is common for visitors to spend their final night of travel in the urban capital of San Jose in preparation for an early morning flight home. This means that the last 24 hours of most trips are marked by ground travel and airport lodging, as most people overlook the option of a domestic flight. Instead of focusing on financial concerns, Costa Rican Vacations wants its customers to get the most out of the time they have to visit the Central American nation by avoiding a long, bumpy commute when they can be relaxing on the beach.

For example, one of the most popular itineraries to Costa Rica will have visitors end on a high note in the beachfront town of Manuel Antonio. To make the four hour journey by land back to San Jose, most travelers must depart in the early afternoon the day before their international flight home and spend the night near the San Jose airport. On the other hand, a 20 minute domestic flight to San Jose offering beautiful views of the coast and Central Valley can be arranged for the next morning, while rewarding the visitor with an extra half day of memories at this tropical destination.

“We wanted to offer this special promotion to attract potential clients who may be holding back,” Sales Manager Richard Bexon said. “We don’t want someone to decide against a vacation because of time constraints when domestic flights in Costa Rica offer a convenient, speedy solution for travel to multiple destinations in a short period of time.”

Despite noting slightly stricter budgets and tighter time constraints among travelers in 2009, Bexon said that Costa Rican Vacations has actually seen an increase in clients traveling to Costa Rica this year. “With flights as low as 9 from major U.S. airports, I think people are seeing Costa Rica in a new light, preferring it over more expensive destinations like western Europe,” he said. “With many Costa Rican hotels bowing to client demands of lower prices and added value, Costa Rica packs quite a punch when it comes to value for your dollar.”

In 2008, Costa Rica attracted a record number of tourists, totaling about 2.1 million. While global tourism expected to increase less than 2% in 2009, according to the World Tourism Organization, Costa Rica’s Institute or Tourism (ICT) is predicting a slightly more favorable outcome. The country’s accessibility, competitive prices, plethora of natural attractions from rainforests to active volcanoes and wide range of activities from adventure to relaxation have allowed it to stay competitive in tough economic times.

Ban Should Aid Healthy Growth of Fish Populations.

In a victory for artisan and sport fishermen throughout Costa Rica, new regulations were passed this month with the goal of protecting the offshore sailfish population for future sustainability of the industry and sport. While proponents for further protection of Costa Rica’s sailfish and other sport fishing resources say the regulations fell slightly short of expectation, The Billfish Foundation (TBF) said it was upbeat about the measures that were passed by the Costa Rican Fishing and Aquaculture Institute (INCOPESCA).

“The primary concern was the exportation of sailfish meat which now will no longer be allowed as well as stopping the use of live bait by the commercial long-liners,” said Herbert Nanne, TBF’s Central American Conservation Director, after seeing the final agreement issued Friday, Dec. 19, 2008.

Groups like TBF as well as Costa Rica fishing and sportsmen have been working with the government for the expansion of conservation measures to protect sailfish from commercial fishing for years.

Besides banning sailfish exports, other points in the final INCOPESCA agreement were:

1. The prohibition of using live bait on long-lines, which have been found to kill many sailfish and other marine life.

2. The requirement for a special INCOPESCA license in order to capture live bait to be used by commercial long-liners.

3. The proper release of live sailfish, striped marlins, white marlins and swordfish caught by sport fishermen and commercial long-liners, by cutting the line near the leader or as close as possible to the hook without taking the fish out of the water.

4. The end of proof for your “big catch” stories. Sport fishers will no longer be allowed to use gaffs to bring the fish close to the boat or to pull it up on-board for photographic purposes.

5. A 15% maximum limitation on sailfish permitted as by-catch for commercial purposes.

Regarding the last point, Nanne said: “If more than 15% are landed, the sailfish will be confiscated and donated to nonprofit institutions like elderly homes, schools etc. Commercial fishers that want to land sailfish must request an in-port inspection from INCOPESCA prior to docking. For transport and commerce of sailfish in Costa Rica, the trucks must have special INCOPESCA inspected documents.”

In order to fulfill the measures passed, INCOPESCA will form a special committee to include INCOPESCA regional directors and sportfishing representatives from Golfito and Quepos along with the Costa Rican Coast Guard.

To prepare for the export ban, on Dec. 28, INCOPESCA did an inventory of the sailfish stored in commercial freezers for export purposes. Once these remaining sailfish are sold off, no more sailfish will be exported from the country.

“These sailfish conservation measures are significant and the first in more than a decade in Costa Rica,” said TBF’s President Ellen Peel. “We are proud that the collective efforts of many people were responsible for this victory.” Peel also said that TBF will continue to work with the Costa Rica sportfishing and tourism interests in pursuit of these goals and press for aggressive billfish conservation measures.

Nanne added the conservation measures are the result of the work of many people united in the Costa Rican Sailfish Conservation Front like Donald McGuinness, Todd Staley, Darren McClave, Jeannette Perez, Jesus Vallejos, Domingo Dominguez, Ricardo Seevers, Alberto Laurencich, Miguel Duran, Rolando Chaves, Raul Miranda and others.

“We want to also thank Luis Dobles, the new president of INCOPESCA for working diligently by meeting with all the sportfishing leaders in Costa Rica, and its board of directors for passing the sailfish conservation measures,” said Nanne.

The main issues not passed by INCOPESCA include certain no-fishing zones, like a complete ban of long-line commercial fishing during the months of January through May along the southern Pacific coast starting from 30 miles out from the Costa Rica/Panama border and continuing up to Quepos.

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The Billfish Foundation was established in 1986 and is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations worldwide. With world headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA, TBF’s comprehensive network of members and supporters includes anglers, captains, mates, tournament directors, clubs, sport fishing and tourism businesses. By coordinating efforts and speaking with one voice, the organization works for solutions that are good for billfish, not punitive to recreational anglers and good for the local economy.

TBF’s web site is www.billfish.org and its phone number is 800-438-8247.

Photo courtesy of www.vacationscostarica.com.