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Stacey's Costa Rican Fact & Spanish Word of the Month
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Since Costa Rica is a predominately Christian (specifically Catholic)
country, Christmas is a major celebration with the focus on family and
tradition The official holiday season commences on December 12th
the with Festival de la Luz (festival of light) when the capital city of San
Jose is transformed into a garland of lights.
The
nativity scene also plays a key role in the Costa Rican Christmas
tradition. Most families throughout the
country will have figurines of Mary, Joseph, the wise men and the animals of
the manger called "Portals." The baby
Jesus figurine is not placed into the "Portal" until Christmas Eve and instead
of Santa Claus it is the baby Jesus who brings gifts to the children.
The Costa Rica Christmas season doesn't end until the sixth of
January, when the three wise men are said to have greeted baby Jesus (the Epiphany).
the Spanish word for
Merry Christmas: Feliz Navidad |
Pablo's Cocktail Corner
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Rompope (Tico Eggnog)
1 quart whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup finely ground almonds or almond meal (optional, see Note)
12 egg yolks
2 cups light rum or brandy
Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon stick (and ground almonds, if you are
using them) in a large saucepan. Over medium heat,
bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature.
Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemony. Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk mixture, and
gradually whisk the egg yolks into the milk mixture. Return to low heat
and, stirring constantly, cook until mixture coats a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to
cool completely.
Add the rum or brandy to the mixture, stir well. Transfer to a container and and cover tightly.
Refrigerate for 1 or 2 days before serving. Makes 1-1/2 quarts.
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Steph's Travel Tip
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When
you arrive in the airport you will first pass through immigration, then you
will head downstairs to baggage claim. After you collect your bags, go
through customs and exit the airport. There are porters for hire if you need
help getting your luggage out of the airport.
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Costa Rica Vacations at Del Pacifico
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The holidays and the high season are fast approaching us and now is the time to make your plans for your Costa Rican vacation at Del Pacifico!
Contact us for more information about planning your Del Pacifico dream vacation.
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Availability of Condos in Del Pacifico
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We still have a couple 2 and 3 bedroom condos available as well as some flats in La Prada. Please contact us for exact information on availability and pricing.
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Upcoming Gathering Dates
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January 14-18, 2010
February 11-15, 2010
Please contact Leslie for more information!
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Del Pacifico
US Office
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12 East Eager St.
Baltimore, Md 21202
+1-410-727-6444
866-466-5623
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Del Pacifico
Town Center Office
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800 mts este del Aeropuerto en Esterillos
Esterillos Este, Parrita, Puntarenas
011-506-2778-7080
+1-410-800-4773
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Del Pacifico Newsletter
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No. 7, December 2009
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Dear Barry,
Welcome to the December edition of the Del Pacifico Newsletter! Happy Holidays everyone! Wow~ this has been a quick year. It seems like it was just the 4th of July and it's already time to make plans for New Years. If you just can't decide what to do- Costa Rica is a great place to spend the New Year! Call Stacey Murray to plan your trip (410-727-6444) to enjoy the natural luxury of Del Pacifico.
 Happy Holidays From Our Family to Yours!
Wishing everyone a happy and safe New Year. May the New Year keep you and everyone you love safe, healthy & happy.
Hope to see you down in Costa Rica in 2010!
Prospero Año Nuevo,
Stephanie Green
Editor
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Steph's What's New at Del Pacifico Report
Casa Guanacaste- Inviting Luxury Home for Sale
This amazing home features 4,000 square feet of living space with golf course view and ocean view, 3 bedrooms, wrap around verandas and a truly spectacular pool and hot tub. The hot tub is the perfect location for sunset cocktails with its unobstructed view of the ocean. Can't you already picture yourself there? This house is currently being offered for $1,750,000. Please contact us for more details. New Addition to the Del Pacifico Family...We've recently welcomed the first generation of Don William's Andalucian horses from the stallion he bought in Spain. He is very happy because the stallion's genetics were successfully passed on to the next generation, "This will definitely improve our breed for both riding & working horses."
...We are gearing up for the January Gathering- just about one month away! If you are interested in investing in real estate at Del Pacifico or in finding a second home, this is the perfect opportunity to visit Del Pacifico and decide what type of investment is right for you. We still have a few spaces left, so be sure to call Leslie Hoblitzell (410-727-6444) for more information. Click here to download the itinerary. Costa Rica Surfing Circuit The
Surf Federation of Costa Rica has announced the schedule for the National Surfing Circuit for this season. It kicks off next weekend in
Jaco Beach. Th  is is the ...first weekend of 7 that will be held all over Costa Rica in the coming months, ending with the Grand Finals in June. The really great news for Del Pacifico is that the 2nd round is being held on Playa Palo Seco (just south of Paritta) the weekend of January 16 & 17- coinciding with our January Gathering so some of our lucky attendees will be able to watch a couple hours of surfing as an optional activity during the weekend!
Del Pacifico on the Web...Del Pacifico is now tweeting, Facebooking and YouTubing! Click the links below to check us out and begin following us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for regular updates from the Del Pacifico crew. |
Barry's Investment Opportunity Area
Town Center Condominiums
Would
you like to earn 8% on a hard asset? Our
La Prada condos are excellent income-producing rental properties.
Here's the
simple math:
A La Prada
condo is only $275,000 furnished! It is the size of a hotel suite & has a
full kitchen & balcony. Let's assume a rate of $200 per night and a resort
marketing & management fee of 40%. That leaves you with $120 per rentable
night. Now let's assume that we only achieve a 50% occupancy rate which means
$60 per night net. Sixty dollars per
night for 365 nights is $21,900 per year. Divide that into your initial cash
investment of $275,000 and you get about 8% cash on cash return on your
investment. If you'd prefer, we have 60%
bank financing available which would more than double your cash on cash return
to close to 20%.
La Prada, our town center, with furnished condos starting at $275,000
These are
rough number and this doesn't capture all of your expenses but I think you see
our main point. Please call Fernando, Jason or Mike (410-409-2700) to discuss this. |
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Leslie's Gathering Wrap-Up Report
Del Pac  ifico hosted a lively group of 38 guests from the East coast of the US as well as one couple from Indianapolis. The weekend started at our welcome dinner on Thursday night with a light tropical rain
as atmosphere. On Friday everyone enjoyed exploring Del Pacifico, riding horses and walking on the beach followed by a typical Costa Rican barbecue at the Del Pacifico Beach Club.
On Saturday, we split into 3 groups with some going on a nature walk in Manuel Antonio National Park, the daredevils zip lining through the rainforest canopy,
and some hardy sailors taking to the crocodile infested waters of the Tarcoles River for the very informative Crocodile
Safari Boat Tour through the mangroves with plenty of bird-watching!
Saturday night we were entertained by colorful local dancers who really got the crowd going and everyone danced the night away under the stars! We are looking forward to the 2010 Gatherings so please contact me for more information. Saludos, Leslie
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Stace & Steph's Excellent Adventures
Isla Damas Monkey Tour
After
spending two weeks in a bamboo hut at the World Surf games, we were in dire
need of an adventure. Having heard about
the Mangroves and Monkey tours from owners and vacationers at Del Pacifico, we
were excited to check it out. It is easy to find with just two turns, left out
of Del Pacifico and right at the Isla Damas sign, approximately 20
minutes away from us. There are covered boats that
run twice a day for the tour, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon with the exact time depending on the tide.
The Mangrove
"forest" is a magical place as it was reminiscent of something out of Lord of
the Rings with it twisted trees and roots growing out of the water. Our guide spoke fluent English and had
actually been born and raised on Las Damas Island adding to his knowledge and expertise
of the area. He knew exactly where
the monkeys were and we encountered a
family of white faced monkeys looking for some food. The guide gave us smashed banana which the
eager monkeys ate right from our hands.
Some of the monkeys were even so bold as to jump into the boat!
 Stacey monkeying around!
It truly was
an exciting experience to be so up close and personal with the monkeys!! We definitely recommend this as an add on to your next vacation at Del Pacifico!
Pura Vida,
Stace and Steph |
Jason's Fishing Report
Local Surf Fishing and in our Estuaries
The fishing has been fun right here near the Del Pacifico
Beach club in Playa Bejuco. About 100 yards in front of the mouth of the
estuary the fishing has been excellent. People are catching a little bit of
everything-jacks, snooks, pargo, rooster. The tide and hour have to be right,
preferably a low tide early in the morning and then catch the rising tide. You
have to cross the estuary so if you don´t get out of there before medium to
high tide chances are your better off waiting. The water gets deep and there are
some strong currents! Hopefully the great fishing lasts throughout the dry season. We
were catching fish using shrimp, mullet and small lures.
Don Frank caught a nice pargo while surf fishing in front of the
hotel site...However, it took him longer to catch the mullet for the bait then it did the snapper! Contact us to arrange your Costa Rica Deep Sea Fishing Vacation! |
Fernando's Recipe Corner
Christmas Apple Torta
Recently we had a Thanksgiving dinner down here at Del Pacifico. I made this torta and it was such a hit that I thought I would share the recipe.
Sauce1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs 
Torta
3 apples sliced in 1/8 1 Melted butter (one stick)
1 1/3 cup flour
1 cup sugar 2 eggs
2 teaspoons of Baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1 tablespoon of rum
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Preparation
Mix sugar and eggs one at a time in the mixer until well
blended. Add dry ingredients to mixer( baking powder, flour, salt) after pour into greased 9 inch spring form
pan. Cover the apple with cinnamon rum and lemon juice in separate bowl then
place slices over mixture in pan bake for 25 minutes at 350f°
Meanwhile make sauce at the blender. After 25 minutes in
the oven take torta out pour sauce over and stick back in oven for 15 minutes.
Then serve with ice cream and enjoy! |
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