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¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – November 2013

November 2013 coverBienvendios/Welcome to Paradise or at least that’s how we see it here in Quepolandia  and we are pretty sure after your visit you will feel the same….We are nearing the end of Green Season also known as Rainy season….doesn’t seem to have been too bad this year at least at this writing….don’t get me wrong we can still get some heavy rains into December but hopefully things will stay on the mild side…..We want it to by dry for the 3rd Quepos Open at the Quepos Tennis Club…qualify begins on the 2nd & 3rd with the final matches  on the 8th – 10th of Nov. Everyone is welcome to come on out and watch local, national and international players play some great tennis… we are sure it will be even bigger and better than last year…..we are happy to report that our restaurants are back open after some have taken vacation to relax and get ready to serve great food …you won’t be disappointed as we have the best and a huge variety to suit everyone’s taste….if you are here for Thanksgiving you will most likely find a turkey dinner as several usually have it on the menu….all our tours are up and running so don’t miss the excitement of catching that big fish or flying through the jungle on a zip line or whitewater rafting…..we would like to thank Glenn Baxter , part-tine resident of Manuel Antonio for our great cover shot –an outstanding sunset …we are sure that you will get a chance to capture your own photos, send them to us(please note the requirements ) and you too might make the cover of Quepolandia….we hope you enjoy your visit with us..please tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia..as they are what keep us going…also check out our Live Music listings and treat yourself to some great local music..maybe even dance a little………well that about wraps it up for this month..hope to see you around…be sure to “like” us on facebook.com/Quepolandia  and check us out online here when  you get back home…until next time go out and have some FUN………ciao…P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – September/October 2013

cover-sept-oct-13Bienvenidos/Welcome to the heart of our Green Season…also known as Rainy Season and boy can it rain…September is sometimes very nice with lots of sunny mornings before rain in the afternoon so get out and enjoy your day early…we are glad you have come to Quepolandia and hope you enjoy your visit….this issue covers 2 months and we will let you in on what’s going on for both months…Sept. 15th is Costa Rica Independence Day complete with a wonderful parade..it generally gets under way about 10:30 to 11 am but it varies & takes place in downtown Quepos…lots of children dressed in traditional costume and floats and marching bands like you have never seen…don’t miss it! This year represents the 192nd year of independencePura Vida…we need to mention that many of our fine restaurants take time off in the 2 months for vacations for employees..we recommend that you call ahead as to not be disappointed ..thankfully for us they don’t all close at the same time! All tours will be operating although some may be on limited times…there is still plenty to do and less crowds so enjoy….we would like to thank Sjoerd (Jay)Biesman, Wildlife Projects, from The Netherlands for our great cover shot…bee in the orchid…Jay comes to visit every year and always gets some great photos…..to all you photo bugs out there send in a couple of your best shots as we need more all the time(see guidelines in magazine)…October is a quiet month but we try to liven it up with a Chili Cook-Off around the first week so keep your ears open and check here online for info or at facebook.com/Quepolandia  for details….Halloween has become a big event for both Ticos and Gringos so create a costume and come out for the fun from Quepos to Manuel Antonio..check with Jaime Peligro Books & Adventure in  Quepos face painting and temporary tattoos to add to your outfit! We are off for a little vacation ourselves and will be back with you for the November issue….have fun, be safe and tell your friends what a great little piece of Paradise we have here…ciao for now…..P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – August 2013

August 2013 coverBienvenidos/Welcome to another month in Paradise– are we lucky or what and since you are here with us you are too…. Into everyday will come a little rain so just relax and enjoy – it keeps our air clean, cars dirty and makes everything so beautifully GREEN here in our rainforest…..just take care driving and go ahead and dance in the rain….this month brings Mother’s Day to Costa Rica and it’s a National Holiday- as well it should be, so take your favorite Mom out on the 15th to celebrate with a delicious, elegant dinner at Kapi Kapi or gourmet pizza at Victoria’s or panko tuna at Agua Azul….or seafood platter at Z Seafood & Lounge…all in Manuel Antonio …….or in Quepos great Italian dinning at Escalofrio, Dolce Vita, or L’Angolo…you get the idea – we have great restaurants and that doesn’t even name them all so check the pages of Quepolandia for more……….we also have every exciting tour you might like..we doubt you will be bored in our little corner of Paradise…….we continue this month with the new look of Quepolandia and we have added a new column called Inside Look by Sarah Munro….so let us know what you think….we would like to thank Elizabeth Rowe of Manuel Antonio for our cover shot of the beautiful waterfall…nice job Elizabeth and bet it was fun, too – We would like to recognize our lifeguards at the Manuel Antonio Beach…they do a great job and make next to nothing….there has been a very strong riptide lately and as always extra care needs to be taken when swimming or playing in the surf…we want you to enjoy your visit….tell your friends about us and follow us here & on facebook.com/Quepolandia  ..come back soon……….ciao for now…………P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – July 2013

July 2013 CoverBy Pat Cheek

Bienvendios/Welcome to Paradise we are happy to have you here in our Beautiful part of Costa Rica…….and even happier that you are reading the Anniversary issue of Quepolandia! Thanks to Ana Lyons for Matapalo for getting it rolling way back in 1998…. we have made it our top priority to continue to make Quepolandia an important part of the community of Quepos/Manuel Antonio. We could not do it without our great advertisers who have stuck with us thru the good and the lean times – we thank you……..please let them know you found them in the pages of Quepolandia.…this issue also launches a new look for Quepolandia with more additions to come in the next few months…we welcome your comments as always……..so enough about us – you need to get out there and enjoy all our great area has to offer…go fishing, fly through the air with the greatest of ease on a zipline or raft the whitewater with your adrenalin pumping..parasailing or jet ski – you can have a great time…don’t forget to include a trip to our World Famous Manuel Antonio National Park and see the wildlife…along the way you are sure to enjoy a cold beverage and a variety of wonderful food served in our great restaurants……we would like to thank Paul Gerace for our outstanding cover shot of the Strawberry Green Jean Frog…Paul recently retired and moved from NYC to beautiful Dominical  – we are glad to have you here…….watch out for the heavy rains at times, drive defensively, keep an eye out for your fellow travelers and locals, be safe and come back soon.. you can also follow us on FB and on our website www.quepolandia.com……ciao for now…..P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – June 2013

June 2013 CoverBienvenidos/Welcome  to our beautiful Paradise we are a glad you have come for a visit ….congratulations to all the graduates,  newlyweds and those of you that picked Costa Rica for a perfect vacation…we doubt you will be disappointed……..we have it all……from the best tours to the best restaurants and you will find them all right here in Quepolandia…please let our advertisers know that this is how you found them..A Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads….June brings a little more rain and the occasional torrential downpour but this time of year it is mostly in the late afternoon and evening…there will still be plenty of sun so don’t forget the sunblock…we would like to mention a couple of things about the beach area…the official looking guys trying to stop your car and have you park at the first area are anything but official….just drive on past as there is plenty of parking closer to the Manuel Antonio Park – unless you just like to walk a kilometer hauling your stuff…….the other  is we have a pretty strong riptide at times  so please use caution when swimming in the surf……we would like to thank Sjoerd (Jay) Biesmans of Wild Life Projects (photography, web and graphic design,  [email protected]) for our cover shot of the  beautiful Blue Crowned Mot Mot….Jay visits us every year and always gets some great photos….he lives in The Netherlands..There will be a wonderful party/fundraiser for our local animal group PAWS held this year on June 22nd at La Foresta Resort see their ad for the details and come on out for the fun…rest assured your support goes to a worthy cause……we hope you enjoy Quepolandia, we welcome your comments both on our website and facebook…check out our check out  Readers Resources on the menu bar above where you will find the Tide Chart, Bus schedules and much more – plus our classifieds if you are looking for a place to stay before you travel….don’t forget to send in those perfect photos for a chance at our cover or a short story about your travels …..have a  safe and wonderful time..

…..ciao for now……….P 

Happy Father’s Day – Dad (I’m your present!)


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – May 2013

Cover May 2013

Bienvenidos/Welcome to all you travelers….we are happy to have you visit and hope you have a great time. May is a perfect time to be here with plenty of sunshine and a little rain thrown in..a welcome sight for those of us that have endured the heat and humidity of this past dry season and welcome our vegetation’s rebirth -bring on the GREEN. You will find plenty to do from a tour of our World famous Manuel Antonio Park to white water rafting and an exhilarating zipline or a day on the water as Captain of your own boat..check out Tres Ninas Boat Rentals or one of our Charter Sportfising boats like Luna Tours, Pez Rey, Pez Espada for a great day of world class fishing….you won’t go hungry as we have wonderful restaurants so check the pages of Quepolania for their locations……….we would like to thank Lona Collison of Ontario, Canada for our most beautiful cover shot. Lona and Lloyd spent a few months here and took some great photos..Lona said the helaconia is one of her favorite flowers and from this photo you should agree! Happy Mother’s Day to those visiting from the US & CA..we celebrate on Aug. 15th here so if we are lucky we get 2 days of recognition! Please take the time to tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia and take a copy home to your friends – you can also follow us on FaceBook and here on our website…..have a wonderful visit and come back soon……..ciao……P

Happy Birthday to our friend, Virginia!


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – April 2013

April 2013 coverBienvenidos/Welcome to our corner of Paradise…we are hopeful that we all survived another Semana Santa and are looking forward to a beautiful April..maybe we will begin to see a few rain showers as we are pretty dry and would welcome some green back into our lives…….if we are so lucky to get some rain it surely won’t wash out your fun so not to worry………..we would like to welcome some new advertisers to Quepolandia and hope you will try them out or stop by for a visit….MidWorld Costa Rica,a zipline and more and FlexiTour  which offers a little of everything… check out their ads now among our wonderful tours that are waiting to thrill and excite you………we also have some top notch restaurants just waiting to serve you …you may be hungry for fish & chips so check out El Gato Pescador, or Escalofrio in Quepos or L’Angolo Ristorante just 2 of our great Italian restaurants…we have something for everyone so you won’t go hungry…we would like to introduce Sarah Munro as our new fishing report  columnist and in line with fishing we would like to welcome all the anglers/competitors and visitors here for the Offshore World Championship hosted by Marina Pez Vela this month…we know it will be a great tournament. Our cover shot is from David Tuplin of Canada…David shot this a few years ago and due to the lack of fish photos (ya gotta be quick) we’re rerunning this great shot of a sailfish on the fly…we hope you have a great time while visiting Costa Rica…please tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia…  we hope you will continue to follow us on FaceBook and here on our website… viaje and come back soon……….ciao…………


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – March 2013

Cover March 2013Bienvenidos/Welcome to PARADISE and our beautiful area….we are happy to have you here………March is a busy month with Semana Santa/Easter week and the influx of many people to our beaches. Traffic can get a little slow on the hill so take your time and have some patience – also keep an eye out for many pedestrians….it’s only a 7km road so it won’t take long to get there safely……..and then Pura Vida! …with lots of people come the not so nice little snatch and grab thieves so be aware and hang on to you “stuff” – we may live in Paradise but it’s the same the World over..don’t let your vacation get ruined by not paying attention…We have the greatest tours and the best restaurants around so enjoy a fun and active day then relax with a cold beverage, a beautiful sunset and a delicious dinner…..Hotel Makanda is now having a Pool side BBQ every Sunday – a beautiful spot to enjoy the afternoon..check it out….plus a 10% discount if you mention their ad in Quepolandia………..March Madness for you basketball fans – many places will have the games on so no problem…and don’t forget St. Patrick’s Day…sure to be a “Green Beer” somewhere…Wacky Wanda’s might have something going on….We would like to thank Lloyd Collison of Midhurst, Ontario for our very colorful cover of the Toucans..great shot!….our beaches are beautiful and the weather great so enjoy a boat ride that you can Captain with Tres Ninas Boat Rental, or charter one of our great Sportfishing boats, like Chaser, Luna Tours, Pez Rey, Mad Marlin or Pez Espada(see their ads)  and go catch dinner- Dos Locos Restaurante in Quepos  will cook it any way you like… we hear the fishing’s been great…..well that about wraps it up for the month ..be safe, have fun – remember to check us out regularly online and follow us on facebook…tell your friends about your great vacation in Quepos/Manuel Antonio and come back soon……….ciao …………..P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – February 2013

February 2013 coverBienvenidos/Welcome to the most beautiful part of Costa Rica – or at least that’s how we feel about it – it is a beautiful country. We are happy to have you here for a visit and know you will have a great time…..we have just about everything that Costa Rica is known for- from white water rafting, zip line, sport fishing, surfing, check out our new advertiser, Dante Water Sports………so get out there and have some fun!………when you work up an appetite then head to one of our many wonderful restaurants both in Quepos and Manuel Antonio….enjoy our beautiful beach and visit the world famous Manuel Antonio National Park..truly a national treasure. If you are looking for the Super Bowl never fear several places will be showing the game and don’t forget your Valentine on the 14th..many restaurants offer special dinners for the occasion, check with Victoria’s Gourmet Restaurant …..there is also a music festival called Best Fest to the south of us near Uvita, you can find more information in Nancy’s article Fiddlin’ Around……….please tell our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia…drop by for a visit and maybe a cold drink and conversation..we are a friendly bunch of “locals”………we would like to thank George Billman of Herndon, VA for our cover shot– George was visiting in November and captured this great photo of the capuchin monkey couple commonly referred to as carablanca or whiteface—they sort of reminded me of the painting, America Gothic by Grant Woods (trivia question for Thurs night at Dos Locos) of the farmer /wife with the pitchfork! Well that about wraps it up for this month….remember to check us out regularly online and now follow us on facebook…..come back soon………ciao….P 


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – January 2013

Quepolandia Cover January 2013Bienvenidos/Welcome to Paradise..if you are reading this then we have made it through the Mayan End of the World deadline- yahoo! and New Year’s Eve festivities since we are writing this mid December….Happy New Year – Feliz Año  Nuevo………lucky you to be spending your holiday in beautiful Costa Rica…we hope you will find Quepolandia full of useful information concerning great restaurants and fun tours – we have it all in one very small area—everything that you want to see and do is here! Don’t forget the Manuel Antonio National Park for great outing, inside the park is another beautiful beach,………please mention to our advertisers that you found them in Quepolandia………the fishing is great – lately with lots of Dorado around for a fun catch and a tasty dinner—many of our restaurants will cook your catch, so check out one of our fishing charters – our fleet practices Catch & Release of all billfish……..congrats to Marilyn Burrow of Canyon Lake, Texas for our cover shot. The beautiful Africa tulip tree with a flycatcher standing by…..Marilyn said she loved the beauty of Costa Rica and we agree! Nice Shot.

We have many new advertisers and would like to mention Dragonfly Thai now open at the beach and Ummara. Ummara has been in the business of swimsuits for years and can have you in a custom swimsuit in about 24 hrs ..look for them just down from BAC SJ ATM where the taxis park………..don’t forget to follow us on online here and on facebook, www.facebook.com/Quepolandia ….Quepolandia would like to thank all of our advertisers of 2012 as we look forward to PROSPEROUS 2013 for all..tell your friends about us….hasta pronto!…….ciao………..P.


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – December 2012

Cover December 2012Bienvenidos/Welcome to our Paradise we are happy to have you here with us and know you will enjoy your stay……you should be able to find everything you need right here in Quepolandia…..this month we are introducing our “In the Spotlight” section for one restaurant- Barba Roja and one tour -Tres Niñas Boat Rental but you will find all our tours and restaurants excellent…including Silvana’s new Gondola Gourmet Restaurant at Tres Banderas Hotel ….. we have fun and eat well! Please let our advertisers know that you found them in Quepolandia …although at print time we didn’t have info on turkey dinners you can usually find a great traditional meal at Victoria’s Restaurante on Christmas and a New Year’s Eve package… there will be many festivities as well as Live Music and Party at Dos Locos Restaurante. There is a huge street party with DJ in front of the seawall in Quepos including fireworks at Midnight……we would like to thank local Dallas Boyd for our great cover photo of the humpback whale, Dallas was lucky enough to spend about a hour with this whale  while aboard a Tres Niñas Boat so you can see the other great shots “In the Spotlight”……….. Thank you Quepos Tennis Club for another great tournament… we would like to wish you all Happy Holidays ….thanks for visiting with us and spread the word about your great vacation in Quepos/ManuelAntonio. Follow us here online  when you get home…Happy New Year!!..caio…………P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – November 2012

Cover November 2012Bienvenidos / Welcome to our beautiful Paradise… and Quepolandia….here it is November and our “green season” rains have been relatively light through Sept/Oct. so unless we get drowned during Nov. we’ve had it much easier than the last couple of seasons…..enough rain to keep us green, green, green but still easy to get out and enjoy ourselves….we hope you will do the same. Our restaurants are all open and ready to serve you delicious food of all types – the freshest of the freshest…at this writing we have not received information on Thanksgiving Dinner but in past there have been traditional meals available in both Quepos & Manuel Antonio ……… congrats go out to Alexandre Auberson  from Switzerland for our cover shot…the beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly ..Alexandre and his family were here visiting his father Daniel of the Quepos Tennis Club – great shot! All tours are open and waiting for your call, so book a fishing trip, zip line, white water rafting or any of our numerous tours and have some fun…..remember to follow us here online  and come back soon…….ciao………..P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – September/October 2012

cover-sept-oct-12Bienvenidos/Welcome to our Paradise even in the rain it’s a great place to live and visit………this issue represents our Green Season special covering 2 months just packed full of reading material to help get us thru…just remember not to work all the puzzles or read everything in Sept!…Of interest to those visiting is that most of our restaurants choose this time to close so their employees can take a deserved vacation..we recommend that you call first to see who’s open—thankfully they don’t close all at the same time so none of us will starve. You’ve come at the right time to enjoy some really great fun on tours with less people and thru Sept for sure sunny days (usually) with rain in the late afternoon so enjoy. Quepolandia has heard that La Hacienda Restaurante in Plaza Yara has a new owner and will be opening this month. We haven’t heard if the Chili Cook Off will happen the first week of Oct. so keep a look- out…also KSTR Kids Saving the Rainforest is having a fundraiser on Sept. 9th at Byblos..1pm-5pm. with funds going to the Wildlife Rescue Center which is in serious need of help if they are to remain open…..congrats go to Terry Watkins of MA for his photo of mamon chinos …our cover shot and if you haven’t tried these fuzzy little fruits you are in for a sweet surprise so give it a try….we are big on Halloween here…with lots of partying and always in costume so enjoy the fun…that about wraps it up for us as we plan to enjoy some time off and look forward to seeing you here in November…remember to follow us online here….ciao for now…P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – August 2012

August CoverBienvenidos / Welcome to our beautiful corner of Paradise…. we know you’ll  have a great time. Our little area has everything you need to enjoy a great Costa Rica experience. We have every sort of tour from white water rafting, zip lines, sport fishing and now we offer the first “Captain” your own boat service. Tres Niñas Boat Rental(see ad) is the first to offer you the chance to take out one of their boats for a tour around  or to snorkel, fish or just enjoy a sunset- you decide where and what you want to do…with a short intro into how to operate the boat you are off and with GPS you can’t get lost.

Want to play a little tennis?…we are home to an outstanding facility, Tennis Club of Quepos,

which offers lessons for all levels, set up a game on one of the two courts and enjoy a game of tennis in the jungle..see their ad for more info. After all this activity you are going to be thirsty so drop by one of our drinking establishments, mingle with the locals and have a great meal at one of our many wonderful restaurants…if you are looking for Italian you are in luck as Quepos offers our own “Little Italy” with Escalofrio, L’Angolo and Dolce Vita with great pizza to pasta and in Manuel Antonio you’ll find Victoria’s, we also have great continental  cuisine, try Kapi Kapi for an elegant  atmosphere and wonderful food…actually the list goes on and on so please enjoy and tell them all that you heard about them in Quepolandia.  August 15th is Costa Rica Mother’s Day and it a big holiday (as it should be) we wish all the Mothers a happy day…..our cover shot is by Janet Brent of Kingston, Ontario, Canada a beautiful hummingbird in flight—so send in your best shot and you might make the cover of Quepolandia………busy month around here as Quepos will be hosting a National Film Festival Aug. 23-26 –see the ad for more info….well that about wraps it up for this month…remember you can follow Quepolandia here, on line……..have a great vacation………..ciao…………….P


¿Qué Pasa en Quepos? – July 2012

cover-july-12Bienvenidos/Welcome to Paradise..we hope you enjoy your vacation here with us and all around this beautiful country. There is much to do, see, eat and drink so get out there and enjoy. We are into the early part of our “Green Season” so look for those afternoon showers, sometimes heavy – take care while driving….we are lucky to have great live music so check Barba Roja on Friday to hear Robbie Clark and The Live Wire or Wednesday night at Dos Locos for Benjammin and The Howlers…also at Dos Locos on Saturday afternoon you can relax to the Pura Vida Social Club with a great guaro sour or margarita…check our live music listing for more!..we would like to thank Alan Murray of Portsmouth, England for the great cover shot of the Manuel Antonio Beach area at sunset…you too might make the cover of Quepolandia – remember to send in your best shot 300dpi and see what happens……we wish everyone from the US a Happy 4th of July and those from Canada and Happy Canada Day and………Costa Rica – a great celebration of Guanacaste Day…that about it for this month….follow us here and come back soon…………ciao…….P