costa rica scoop: march 2013
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Newsletter featuring updates and specials about Hotel Punta Islita, El Silencio Lodge & Spa, and Costa Rica as an upscale travel destination.TRANSCRIPT
2012
Costa Rica Scoop Costa Rica Scoop news for upscale travel by Grupo Islita │ March 2013
March
2013
- Grupo Islita -
Exhausted? Experience The 4 Elements
Greetings from Gustavo Time sure does fly when you are having fun! And it zooms by when you are busy. We find ourselves close to finishing the first quarter of 2013 and we are very pleased with how the year is evolving. We have many reasons to celebrate and many exciting developments and events to look forward to.
Both properties were selected as traveler’s favorites in Trip Advi-sor’s 2013 Traveler’s Choice Awards, confirming that we are suc-ceeding at providing experiences of excellence. We thank every friend who took the time to write a review. Your feedback is es-sential to helping us guide our efforts!
From the Fifth Edition of the Punta Islita Golf Tournament to the launching of an amazing wellness getaway program at El Silencio Lodge & Spa, the coming months will bring excellent opportuni-ties for travelers to experience Costa Rica in unique and exciting ways.
Spring is in the air and we look forward to celebrate it with you!
Warmest regards! -Gustavo Segura, CEO
Gustavo Segura trains for the upcoming
Punta Islita Golf Tournament
Those who have visited El Silencio Lodge & Spa know that it is a uniquely soothing desti-nation. Embedded in verdant cloud forest it is a veritable sanctuary for peaceful relaxation in close contact with nature. A beautiful re-treat where you will find no crowds, no hus-tle, and definitely no bustle.
Responding to ongoing suggestions from guests, El Silencio has put together a special getaway event aimed at highly successful indi-viduals who may need to take a regenerative break. Themed after the 4 Elements, this Ex-periential Wellness Retreat provides the ulti-mate relaxation escape. It is conceived as a
guided journey of remarkable experiences that will engage your senses to gently dissi-pate stress, appease the mind, and imbue the soul with boundless freedom.
This seven-day program blends yoga and meditation with thematic cuisine, allusive spa treatments, and intense eco-adventures all grounded in the essential attributes of water, earth, wind, and fire.
Intrigued? We cordially invite you to preview the experience by launching the online cata-log at:
http://bit.ly/4ElementsCostaRica
Stargazing Heaven!
Stargazing Heaven!
For those who are just starting out on
the golf course (or are thinking about
it), our Golf Pro, Calis Najarro offers the
following tip: Be mindful of the GAP!
Grip -Keep it relaxed. Pretend that
your club is a breathing creature
that must be firmly held, not
choked!
Alignment -It goes beyond your
two feet. Your arms, torso, and
even your head must help trace the
ball’s projected path.
Posture - Pretend you are about to
face off with the golf ball. Your
stance should be perfectly bal-
anced, at shoulder width, knees
bent slightly, and flexed at the hips.
Slouching is never an option!
- Hotel Punta Islita -
T his April 27th will bring the Fifth Edition
of the Hotel Punta Islita Golf Tourna-
ment, a fun event that draws golf enthu-
siasts to our Par 3, 9 hole executive golf
course. It is a wonderful weekend, shared in full ca-
maraderie and celebration. The tournament is held
under the scramble modality and features great
prizes and special gifts from our sponsors.
Interested? Please don’t hesitate to contact us for
more information. We would be delighted if you
joined us! Just contact: [email protected] Hotel Punta Islita’s golf course is eco-friendly, featuring pest-resistant hybrid
turf and gray water irrigation.
Art!
Mind the GAP
C alis Najarro set his
sights on a golf ca-
reer ever since he
first laid eyes on a
golf course when he was sev-
enteen years old.
Born in El Salvador, he adopt-
ed Costa Rica as his country
thirty-two years ago and Ho-
tel Punta Islita as his golf turf
since 2010.
Calis’ passion for the game
patience, and energy have
made him a favorite with golf
enthusiasts and beginners.
About the Golf Pro Golf Tips from Calis:
Feathered Fireworks!
- Hotel Punta Islita -
H otel Punta Islita’s partner-
ship with The Ara Project
enters a new phase! We
look forward to the expan-
sion of a recovery and release program
that has successfully brought back these
gorgeous specimens to Islita’s skies.
Since its launch last year, we have seen
seven Red Macaws thriving in the tropi-
cal dry forest that surrounds the proper-
ty and we look forward to the introduc-
tion of 14 more pairs in the coming
months.
This year, we are thrilled and proud to
announce that Islita will be Ara Project’s
headquarters. We have donated a 2.4
hectare that will house the program’s
entire recovery and breeding center as
it relocates from Alajuela. When the
move is completed, more than two hun-
dred Red Macaws will be raised, nour-
ished, and gradually acclimated to Is-
lita’s natural surroundings in prepara-
tion for life in the wild. Paired with
community outreach initiatives to in-
volve our neighbor communities in the
protection of our feathered friends, we
are confident that this initiative will
help repopulate Guanacaste’s skies with
these stunning, yet endangered birds.
To learn more about The Ara Project,
visit: http://www.thearaproject.org
Mind the GAP
More than two hundred Red Macaws will soon be calling Islita “home”!
Embrace
The Mountain!
- El Silencio Lodge & Spa -
chorreado kits are a great gift idea.
New Experiences
T wo new offerings let El
Silencio’s visitors enjoy
culinary experiences
that enhance the
pleasures of wine sa-
voring and fine dining.
Let sommelier Carlos take you on
a fantastic wine lover’s journey.
Learn about wine’s origins, grape
varieties, growing conditions,
and unexpected challenges. In-
cludes a crash course on wine-
pairing, highlighted by a fun
tasting session stacking up two
reds and two whites against ele-
mental flavors to illustrate the
fine art of selecting the perfect
wine to complement and en-
hance a favorite dish.
The new River Deck Dining is an
unforgettable experience over-
looking the crystalline flow of the
Gorrion River. Enjoy a very spe-
cial menu in a mesmerizing
setting. Our new river deck is
beautifully laid out for a unique
and private fine dining session to
best enjoy El Silencio’s magical
nature and signature cui-
sine. Fully attended by a person-
al waiter.
Did you read about us on
CNN? El Silencio Lodge &
Spa was recently featured
on CNN.s travel segment
as one of Costa Rica’s
most exciting, pristine,
and luxurious cloud forest
destinations. Please fol-
low the link to enjoy the
full article and feel free to
comment in the message
boards if you would like
to add your two cents as
a Costa Rica expert! http://bit.ly/ESLonCNN
El Silencio in the Headlines
- El Silencio Lodge & Spa -
English for Los Bajos
E l Silencio Lodge & Spa fully embrac-
es sustainability as a strategy to en-
sure that the travel experience is
bot planet-friendly and people-
positive. Regarding the latter, we are excited
to launch our most ambitious program yet:
English 4 All!
Geared towards children, teenagers, and adult
members of the Bajos del Toro community,
this initiative will provide affordable English as
a Second Language instruction. Bilingual abil-
ity is key to economic opportunity and
through English education we hope to build a
lasting legacy in Bajos del Toro.
The announcement of this program has been
met with enthusiasm by the Bajos del Toro
community and we are thrilled to announce
that we have hired a licensed instructor to
provide two-hour sessions 4-5 times a week.
Classes will be in session mid-June.
If you would like to support this exciting pro-
ject, please consider making a special dona-
tion. Any contribution will help! Every $55 co-
funds one month of English lessons for one
student.
In the course of the following weeks, we will
be launching a Facebook Page to provide up-
dated and ongoing information. ESL students
will be able to give us feedback, post com-
ments and photographs, and engage in
written English interactions to further their
language skills!
- Costa Rica -
- Costa Rica -
Tico Art: colorful cultural expressions
C osta Rica’s visitors will un-
doubtedly encounter many ti-
ny replicas of the traditional
oxcart. Sold as one of the
country’s most emblematic souvenirs, its
colorful, kaleidoscopic patterns are pop-
ular and ever-present in any of the coun-
try’s gift shops. But the history of these
intricate patterns is more than a collec-
tion of symmetrical shapes. These signa-
ture shapes date back to the mid 1800’s
and are closely linked to the emergence
of coffee as Costa Rica’s most important
cash crop.
The large solid wood wheel replaced
spoke and hub counterparts because
their massive weight and structure were
better suited to transport coffee through
Costa Rica’s 19th century muddy paths
and rock laden roads.
The large surface presented an enticing
canvass. Artisans and sculptors who had
honed their skills on creating painted
wood carvings depicting religious figures
found a natural medium in the oxcart
wheel. As coffee growers A beautiful cart
became a status symbol and an emblem
of personal and regional pride. Carts
were painstakingly personalized, through
art and even through the creation of a
signature “song”, a unique chime pro-
duced by the metal hub with each turn of
the wheel.
The rich history of the Costa Rican oxcart
was recognized by UNESCO in 2005 when
it designated its tradition as a master-
piece of the oral and intangible heritage
of humanity.
El Silencio Lodge & Spa’s Eco-Concierge, Ronald
Jimenez is a local expert, carrying the cultural tra-
ditions of Bajos del Toro. His oxcart painting les-
sons have quickly become a favorite among El Si-
lencio Lodge & Spa’s guests.
hotelpuntaislita.com │ elsilenciolodge.com ..….
Grupo Islita’s two select proper-
ties blend the best of Costa Rica’s
beach and mountain settings fea-
turing intense nature, upscale
comfort and bespoke services. Re-
member, we now offer a unified
reservations center and a dedicat-
ed bilingual team to help travel-
ers, travel professionals and their
partners ensure seamless logistics
from arrival to departure.
How may we assist you?
Email: [email protected] Phone in Costa Rica: +506 2231-6122
Toll Free from US & Canada: 1-866-446-4053
Online chat: www.hotelpuntaislita.com or www.elsilenciolodge.com
Blending Grupo Islita’s beach and mountain properties is the perfect way to experience a complete Costa Rica getaway.
H otel Punta Islita
and El Silencio
Lodge & Spa are
once again among
the pre-nominated properties in
two of the world’s most prestig-
ious travel publications. This is
a great opportunity to recognize
the services offered by our
amazing staff. We cordially in-
vite you to share your opinions
in this year’s Readers’ Travel
Survey.
Participating is free and earns
you a chance to win exciting
prizes, including a $10,000
dream trip! Please vote today.
We thank you in advance and
wish you the best of luck!
Just click on the following links:
We Hope Details Made the Difference!
http://bit.ly/CondeNastVote http://bit.ly/TLSurvey2013