Let's Go Places Travel News

Hello

It's been a rough couple of weeks in our house with everyone except for me being down with HFM disease. Our little ones powered through it and were back in preschool after a week, but my husband took a bit longer. Hopefully, everyone will be ready to travel to Germany in less than 2 weeks' time. I can't wait since I haven't seen most of my family in over 3 years. And it will be the first time for them to meet our twin boys.

But that's not what today's edition of Let's Go Places is about. Today we are looking at some of the most romantic hotels in Costa Rica, a Costa Rica & Panama tour along the Caribbean Coast, and our hotel spotlight fits right into it: an authentic eco-resort on one of the Caribbean islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

If none of these make you want to pack your suitcase, I don't know what will :).

We've also included some "just for fun" travel-related articles.

Safe travels

Anja

TropiQ Trips Blog

The 10 Most Romantic Hotels in Costa Rica

Beautiful rain forests, sandy beaches, remote lodges, and active volcanoes – it is not surprising couples head to Costa Rica for a romantic getaway or their Costa Rica honeymoon.

Nature lovers will find eco-conscious lodges and adventure seekers can go zip-lining, kayaking, or hiking. To add to that, the hotel choice is huge: accommodations range from cute, peaceful boutique hotels to larger properties with a wide array of amenities.

We have compared and here are our 10 most romantic hotels in Costa Rica:

Tour Of The Week

Caribbean Costa Rica & Panama

VISIT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF CARIBBEAN COSTA RICA AND PANAMA, TWO AMAZING COUNTRIES-IN ONE AMAZING TOUR

Discover the best Caribbean Costa Rica and Panama have to offer!

Begin your Caribbean vacation trip to Costa Rica by visiting two absolute highlights of this country. The Arenal Volcano is situated inland, on the side of the American Cordillera, facing the Caribbean. The Tortuguero National Park is a perfect specimen of the Caribbean lowlands. With its expansive, branched canals it serves as an excellent opportunity for wildlife watching.

Cahuita on the southern Caribbean coastline provides a relaxing stopover before continuing to the Bocas del Toro islands, located just off the coast of Panama. A domestic flight takes you from the Atlantic coast to Panama City, where your journey concludes with a visit to the impressive Panama Canal.

Hotel Spotlight

Al Natural Resort – A magical place in complete harmony with nature

Between jungle and sea, Al Natural Resort is a comfortable and private retreat, perfectly integrated into the lush tropical environment.

The resort is located on the secluded beach of Old Point (Punta Vieja), on the southeast tip of Bastimentos Island in an area renowned for its natural beauty in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

All the bungalows are stilt houses and are situated right on the beach. They provide occupants with uninterrupted views of the water and surrounding flora and fauna.

The front part of the bungalow is open to the sea and the back is enclosed with 3/4 high walls. If you want to close the bungalows, it is very easy as they are equipped with canvas curtains. All bungalows are equipped with a hammock, reading chairs, and a coffee table, as well as a locker and a safe for valuables.

Each bungalow is unique and is composed of a terrace, private bathroom with hot and cold water, good lighting powered by a 12-volt solar-powered electrical system.

In order to provide each guest with maximum privacy, it is the resort's goal to maintain an intimate scale. There are only seven beach bungalows, each of different sizes and unique designs.

Al Natural is an authentic eco-resort with a relaxed atmosphere and a friendly team that offers a comfortable level of personalized services. Gourmet Meals, prepared with fresh local products by the European Chef, are served family-style in their two-story restaurant.

Just For Fun

The Best Travel Gifts for Those Who Can't Wait to Get Back out There

We may not be planning trips in the way we used to just yet, but that hasn't stopped us from finding new ways to scratch that wanderlust itch.

If anything, it's made us more creative—finally opening our cookbooks to recreate recipes and cocktails from around the globe, trading our grocery store coffee and wine for blends and bottles with a more interesting story, and reading a whole lot of transportive books.

THE WASHINGTON POST: 19 stories of strangers who found love while traveling

You can’t force a travel fling. The stars must align for such twists of fate to change the trajectory of your trip or, in some cases, your life.

By The Way readers share their tales of alluring accents, missed flights, and the magic of hostels.

The Ultimate Family Beach Vacation Packing List

Planning beach trips with kids (and all their gear) is no easy feat—we'd go so far as to say it's a discipline that, when skillfully executed, should be applauded.

That’s why we’ve called on the experts—parents who live within minutes of shoreline and travel-savvy ones who understand packing constraints—to share their best family beach gear recommendations for days by the water. With their collective decades-worth of caretaking and vacationing experience, their perspectives are parenting gold.

Read on for their top family beach packing list picks, useful whether you're hitting the road to spend the summer at a beach house or live within driving distance of the shore year-round.

Couple travel the world recreating scenes at movie locations

After going on several big trips together as a couple, Robin Lachhein and Judith Schneider, both from Frankfurt, Germany, wanted to do something extra special for their next vacation.

They talked through various potential ideas before coming up with something that excited both of them -- traveling to a movie location and recreating a famous scene.

In 2014, they visited Prague and re-enacted a clip from the 1996 film "Mission: Impossible," making sure to document the moment on camera.

Over the next few years, Lachhein and Schneider visited everywhere from Rome and Iceland, to New York and even Utah, recreating scenes or promotional shots from films like "Thelma and Louise," "The Hunger Games," "Eat Pray Love," "The Devil Wears Prada" as well as TV series such as "Game of Thrones" and "Downton Abbey."

The Greatest Travel Books of All Time, According to Authors

There is an astounding number of travel books out there. How to choose the best of the best? You can start by asking the experts.

We reached out to a batch of authors—Pico Iyer, Julia Phillips, and Imbolo Mbue, to name a few—to see what travel books have made a mark on them—an even more meaningful question in a year when travel was extraordinarily limited for most.

We wanted to know which books, regardless of genre, changed the way they considered a certain culture or place or people; the books that inspired them both to write and to get out into the world themselves.

About

This travel update is brought to you twice a month by Anja Phillips, owner of TropiQ Trips.

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TropiQ Trips provides customized tours to Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Belize, and other countries in Central America & the world. We create unique travel experiences - at no extra cost to you!

Tourism is a critical revenue source for nearly every country in the world. We work with local agencies in each of our destinations. When you travel with us, you support small hotels, businesses, and local families, not big cooperations - here and there.

If you’d like to get started with planning your once-in-a-lifetime vacation, please reach out by replying to this email, emailing us, or scheduling a call.

I can't wait to work with you!

Anja