Villas Sol, Beach Resort & Hotel

Is a beautiful resort sitting on a hill overlooking Playa Hermosa, the Pacific Ocean, beach, boats, islands and dive sites. Playa Hermosa is one of the prettiest beaches in Costa Rica and has received the prestigious “Blue Banner” award from the Tourist Board for safety and cleanliness. It is located just 25 minutes from the Liberia International Airport on a good paved road. The hotel has 54 rooms, each with two queen beds, central air conditioning, cable, phones, mini-refrigerators, a coffee maker, private balconies to enjoy the breath-taking view and gorgeous sunsets. Trams take you around to the three restaurants, three pools, disco, mini-mart, dive shop and beach. Tennis, basketball, volleyball, ping-pong and lots of other activities are available. Adventure tours and scuba diving trips originate at the resort and beach.

The Cacique Villas overlook the hotel. There are 80 two- and three-bedroom villas that are perfect for families and groups of four to six persons. All have central air, cable, full kitchens and private patio. Dipping pools are available in 24 of the units. The villas have the same great view plus an additional larger swimming pool and recreation area. Trams take you around to all the activities. Scuba diving and adventure tours originate from the villas also.

DIVING SAFARIS

Bill Beard's Diving Safaris is the oldest and most reputable land-based scuba diving operation in Costa Rica. Bill Beard is the true pioneer of scuba diving in Costa Rica, diving there for the first time in 1970 from dug out canoes.

Diving Safaris is located at Playa Hermosa inside the compound of the Sol Playa Hermosa resort on a good paved road just 25 minutes from the Liberia International Airport. Trams are available to take you from the dive shop and beach to the hotel and restaurants. There are several great restaurants and other hotels on the beach within just a few minutes walk.

Diving Safaris was the first operator to bring dive groups to Costa Rica and to offer adventure land tours. It is also the first NITROX facility in Costa Rica and has NAUI, PADI & NASE instructors on staff.

Scuba diving on the northwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica is possible 365 days a year. The resort and dive sites are located south of the hurricane line and Costa Rica has not experienced a hurricane during the past 100 years.

All scuba diving packages offered may be combined with any of the adventure land tours. There are special packages for families, children, mature travelers and non-divers. Plan to tour and scuba Costa Rica with us for an unforgettable memory.

CATALINA ISLANDS

The Catalina Islands are located approximately 15 miles from Playa Hermosa and the dive shop. The trip takes one hour and enables you to see some of the beautiful mountains, volcanic pinnacles and secluded beaches that are only accessible by boat. There are usually spinner dolphins and ridley turtles on the way out and back. We never hesitate to jump in with manta rays, whale sharks, orcas and mating turtles when the opportunity presents itself. The best months for diving the Catalina Islands are December through April, schools of Manta rays with wing spans from 14 ft. to 20 ft. have been seen along with numerous white tip sharks and occasionally bull or tiger sharks. This site is also known for the large schools of jacks, mobula rays and cow-nosed rays. The Catalina Islands are considered a slightly more advanced dive due to stronger currents and surge

BAT ISLANDS

The relaxing cruise to the Bat Islands is a worthwhile trip year round--weather permitting – with March through November considered the optimum months for this long-range trip. Here you might see the impressive 8 ft. to 14 ft. bull sharks, schools of cow-nosed rays, eagle rays and an occasional manta ray or sailfish. The Bat Islands are famous for the ever-present varieties of larger schooling fish: rainbow runners, horse-eye jacks, spadefish, pompano, snapper and wahoo. The most popular dive sites are Big Scare and Black Rock, which are located approximately 27 miles from Playa Hermosa and the dive shop; it is a 2-hour trip with lots of turtles and dolphins to see en route. There is also the opportunity to sight humpback whales and orcas. This is a challenging dive, but well worth the extra effort.

LOS INOCENTES WILDLIFE REFUGE

Los Inocentes is the ultimate nature lover’s adventure. You can enjoy abundant wildlife and panoramic views of the rain forest at the foot of the Orosi Volcano while horseback riding through the ranch.

This part of the rain forests is home to an estimated 2,250 species of plants, 125 species of birds, 25 species of mammals and 1,800 species of insects. The wildlife includes howler, spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys. There are also sloths, tapirs, jaguars, collared peccaries, Montezuma Oropendulas and many parrots. It is one of the best places in Costa Rica for animal life observation.

The plant life on the side of the volcano is rich in epiphytes which grow not only on the trees comprising the undergrowth of the forest but also on larger trees that are forever battered by the wind, rain and mist. Identifying the flora and fauna of this region has just barely begun.

There is a very nice hacienda on the property with a swimming pool, excellent accommodations and a wonderful restaurant. The management is very friendly and helpful.

MONTEVERDE

Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve was founded in 1954 by a group of Quakers from the United States searching for a peaceful place to live. Eco adventure travelers are enamored with Monteverde. It is the home of the Cloud Forest Preserve, the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest and the Santa Elena Reserve. The 25,000 acres comprise six different life zones and 400 species of birds have been identified, including the resplendent quetzal. There are 490 species of butterflies, 100 species of mammals, 2,500 species of plants among which 300 are orchids and 200 species are ferns.

There are two tree-top canopy tours available, and the Sky Walk that has nine suspension bridges high over the tops of the trees and valleys gives you an entirely different perspective.

The lodge at Monteverde has a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere with gorgeous gardens, a large, atrium-housed Jacuzzi and the best restaurant and food you can imagine.

You may also visit the Butterfly Gardens and the Hummingbird Gallery. The area’s natural diversity provides and enchanting backdrop that adds to the magic of relaxing and becoming a part of Monteverde.

ARENAL VOLCANO

Arenal Volcano is a three-hour, scenic drive from either Playa Hermosa or San Jose. Arenal is an almost perfect cone rising out of the flat surrounding plains. It is the most active volcano in the Americas. In the daytime, clouds of ash and smoke frequently billow into the sky. On clear nights, spectators are occasionally treated to eruptions of lava and burning rocks that explode into the air and shower down the cinder cone. This is high-adrenalin! Even when it is overcast, the rumblings, venting and molten lava glowing through the clouds provide a very special experience.

One of the hot springs locations has an open view of the volcano that you can enjoy while you dine in the restaurant, bathe in the thermal pools and waterfalls, stroll in the gorgeous gardens or enjoy a refreshing drink at the swim up bar. There are European-style spas that offer massages, facials, body wraps, hot oil treatments, manicures, pedicures, watsu therapy, brush scrubs and more.

SARAPIQUI RIVER

River rafting on the Sarapiqui River is exciting, fun and safe for all and just might be the highlight of your vacation.

Winding through the region called “Eternal Spring”, this river offers some of Costa Rica’s most lush and vibrant scenery. Free flowing, it has its origins in clear mountain streams that traverses a verdant rain forest and is always exhilarating and beautiful. The streams join together and become the beautiful Sarapiqui. If Matisse had come to Costa Rica, this is what he would have painted.

This narrow, low-volume river is ideal for experienced rafters, white-water novices and families that will enjoy its moderately flowing rapids, interspersed with tranquil stretches. The journey is also excellent for bird-watchers and other nature lovers, as the river stretches its way through lush vegetation that is home to hummingbirds, toucans, woodpeckers, and scores of other native bird species.

Do not miss this classic tropical river experience!

The rafting trip is approximately 3 hours and is a class II and III. Lunch is served on the riverbank at the halfway point. River guides, safety kayakers, life vests and helmets are provided. This river rafting experience may be combined with adventure tours and scuba diving.

TORTUGUERO

Tortuguero is located on Costa Rica’s northeast Caribbean coast. The essence of Tortuguero is slow moving, tropical rivers. The rivers define everything in Tortuguero, as they are its roads and soul. If a visitor wishes to take home the essence of Tortuguero, they must get in tune with the river. This is the epitome of an adventure tour. There are two ways to get to the river lodge. You must travel by small plane or by riverboat. Once you are there, it is one of the best places in Costa Rica to kick back and relax. You may watch green sea turtles laying their eggs, fish for tarpon and snook, take boat trips back into the jungle through some of the other waterways, channels and small lagoons or just hang around the gardens and lovely pool that reflects the river. The lodge has the best accommodations and food in the area. Many guidebooks have written that it is one of the best places to visit, stay and dine.

CORCOVADO

Corcovado National Park is one of the protected wilderness areas with the greater biodiversity in Costa Rica. It is located on Osa Peninsula, and it isn’t easy to get there, but the effort is certainly worth it. This is adventure travel personified. You leave San Jose in a small plane and fly to a small landing strip along side the beach. A representative of the Tent Camp Lodge meets you and your luggage is taken in a horse-drawn cart while you walk the 45 minutes on the beach to the lodge. But what a wonderful walk -- there are scarlet macaws everywhere! Identification has been made of 500 species of trees, 140 mammals, 367 birds, 40 freshwater fish, 117 amphibians and reptiles, including 32 species of snakes and 48 species of frogs and toads. The lodge gives new meaning to the concept of an ocean-front view: white, canvas, platform tents perch on a grassy bluff a few feet from the pounding Pacific Ocean. Guests arrive to the sight of rain forests growing right down to the ocean. Meals are served family style, and the food is outstanding – lots of veggies and local stuff. You feel as if you are million of miles away from it all -- and you are.

PACURE RIVER

In the Atlantic region of Costa Rica there is a protected zone of incomparable beauty that begins near the town of Siquirres, and covers approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) as it descends down the Talamanca Mountain Range. The Pacuare River is located between the coastal lowlands and the country’s highest mountain range and constitutes one of the most important protected areas of major biological importance.

This river is “wild and scenic” and the Discovery Channel rates it as one of the top five rivers for rafting in the world. The Pacuare winds deep inside one of Costa Rica’s most impressive primordial rainforests. You will traverse 20 miles of remote and scenic waters that run through a wilderness of dense vegetation covering the sides of steep gorges that rise above the river’s banks. The thick undergrowth provides shelter for jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, sloths, and numerous other species of animals and birds.

You may choose a one-day trip or a two-day trip with an overnight stay. This is a high-adrenalin class III and class IV river rafting adventure tour and it may be combined with our other scuba diving and adventure tours.

SAN JOSE

San Jose is a large metropolitan city located in the central valley of Costa Rica. It is the center of commerce and cultural events, stopover for travel from one coast to the next, headquarters for all national institutions and guardian of the country’s most precious monuments and landmarks. The heavy traffic, bus fumes and tall office buildings can easily obscure all of this. We have several very nice hotels in San Jose to accommodate travelers that either arrive late or have an early departure from the large international airport, Juan Santa Maria. Even though there are many interesting things to do and see in the capitol city, we are in the adventure tour and scuba diving business and spend all of our time outside of San Jose enjoying the many beauties of the country. If you would like to spend some time in San Jose visiting museums, the National Theatre, parks and gardens, we can make all the arrangements.