Serenity News...
The US improves travel alert to Costa Rica by restoring
it to pre-pandemic category
The US market leads the recovery for the national tourism sector and is the most
important for the country.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of State of the United States of America improved for the second time, in just over a month, the travel recommendation to Costa Rica by now placing it at level 2 of 4. In this category was the country before the beginning of the pandemic. In the case of the CDC, the change means moving from "a high level" to a "moderate level" of Covid-19. For the State Department, alert level 2 - calls for "exercising more caution in Costa Rica."
*Source Revisita Summa Jan 5 2022 Edition
Digital Nomads Welcome to our new co-working space
It’s new! Serenity Boutique Hotel has added an exclusive co-working space for our digital nomad guests. Work in comfort and beauty while you enjoy the Pacific coast.
Check out our co-working space here.
Costa Ricans Live Longer Than Us. What’s the Secret?
The Costa Rica model demonstrates what happens when you put it first. Source - The New Yorker Aug 23, 2021
Costa Rica tops in attracting foreign investment: report
Costa Rica was the world’s best-performing country relative to its size in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), according to analysis from fDi Intelligence.
Courtesy of Alejandro Zúñiga who published the article in the The Tico Times
Travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 and minors of age may enter Costa Rica without travel insurance!
Starting next August 1st, and with the aim of increasing tourist visitation, Costa Rica will allow entry without travel insurance to minors under 18 years of age and to tourists with a complete vaccination scheme against COVID-19.
Source - Costa Rica Tourism Board July 2021 Read More Here >>
COVID-19 - Series of Articles on the Crisis in the Costa Rican Hospitality Industry - Written by a Managing Partner Garry Wallace
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Crisis in the Costa Rican Hospitality Industry.
Read More Here >>
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Hotels in Costa Rica Riding Out the Pandemic.
Read More Here >>
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Outlook for Costa Rica’s hotel industry post Covid-19.
Read More Here >>
Courtesy of Garry Wallace a Managing Partner at Serenity Boutique Hotel in Quepos, Puntarenas. Published in The Tico Times Jun/Jul 2021.
Costa Rica hits renewable energy mark for fourth year in a row
Courtesy of Alberto Font from The Tico Times who published the article in their Dec 21, 2018 Issue.
Costa Rica has generated more than 98 percent of its power through renewable sources for the fourth year in a row, the state energy body said Thursday.
In 2018, just 1.44 percent of the country’s electricity came from fossil fuel plants, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) said in a statement.
ICE power director Luis Pacheco said Costa Rica’s electricity generation system had made it “an example for the region and the world.”
Costa Rica generates the majority of its power from renewable sources like wind. (Alberto Font/The Tico Times)
River water is the main source of energy, providing 73.87 percent of the country’s needs, followed by wind (15.6 percent) and geothermal energy from its volcanos (8.38 percent)..
Costa Rica avoided using its fossil fuels plants in 300 days during 2018; the last instance came on May 17.
October was the month in which it generated the most renewable electricity, some 976.78 gigawatts an hour, the ICE said.
Serenity Boutique Hotel offers quiet retreat for Central Pacific visitors
Courtesy of Elizabeth Lang from The Tico Times who published the article in their Nov 2017 Issue.
Quepos just got calmer.
The hotel formerly known as La Sirena, in the heart of the Central Pacific coastal town, relaunched this month under a new name: Serenity Boutique Hotel. This rebranding of the hotel by new Canadian owner Garry Wallace seeks to provide its customers with a more serene experience while enjoying their stay at Quepos.
Garry says this focus was motivated by the fact that the hotel – which sits just minutes from Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica’s most popular national park – was already known as a particularly tranquil spot.
Garry also adapted the hotel for it to be able to meet accessibility standards, which included the addition of a ramp as well as a complete renovation of the common areas of the hotel.
Serenity Boutique Hotel offers delicious breakfasts that include gallo pinto, eggs, toast and juice as well, and can advise guests on travel throughout the country. Because it is a short walk from the bus station, waterfront and local restaurants, and only 10 minutes by bus from Manuel Antonio, the hotel provides a convenient and economical base from which to explore the park, or attractions further afield.
The hotel will be offering cooking classes in December through its new Pura Vida Cooking School.
“People who stay in this area can learn some Costa Rican fusion cooking in a fun environment, and it’s a party at the end of the class. We open up the pool, we put on some good music, we serve a few drinks and it becomes a pool party,” Garry said.
For more information visit Serenity Boutique Hotel’s webpage. The boutique hotel has 14 rooms with air conditioning, cable TV and WiFi, starting at $65.
“One of the things this hotel has been known for for many years is that it’s the quietest hotel in Quepos,” Garry told The Tico Times. “At other hotels, the windows face the street, and with motorcycles and cars and people it can get quite noisy at night. All of our rooms face the pool.”
Garry and his staff made various renovations to create a particularly serene environment for guests.
“People like to stay here because it was quiet and peaceful. We’ve taken that and made it our brand. We’ve renovated to bring in more of a peaceful environment with lots of green,” Garry explained.
A meal from the Pura Vida Cooking School
Interview on CIUT 89.5 FM
Fly - Hosted by Melissa Rodway
Listen to the co-owner Garry Wallace explain the personal and professional motivation to purchase and improve the Serenity Hotel.
"Pura Vida"
Read how the renowned Inter-nations annual review for 2017 described Costa Rica - This year it climbed to 2nd in the overall most popular category!
“Costa Rica offers the freedom to live a peaceful, happy life, surrounded by peaceful, kind and happy people.”