Costa Rica is quickly becoming a popular destination for world travelers that are looking for a hidden paradise with unspoiled beaches and the peace and quite they need to really relax and unwind in their hard earned vacation. Now you can find more and more private home owners in Costa Rica that offer to rent out their houses to you at fair rates with amenities you would not encounter in any hotel. 100% private pools and absolutely no one around to disturb your vacation. If you are interested in a Costa Rica vacation we recommend that you visit: Casa Oceano Beach Villa

If you like to surf, or hobnob with the Hollywood elites, then the Mal Pais / Santa Teresa area would be for you to rent a luxury vacation villa. Although the area has many lower priced rentals, about 10 years ago, there were a number of property owners building mansions a few feet from the beach that have attracted the movie stars and models looking for a bit of privacy. Costa Rica Beach Rentals is a luxury villa rental site you might want to check out.

If you're in the Manuel Antonio area, a web site to check out would be the all inclusive and wedding villas on www.vivilasvillas.com. You can enjoy your vacation or wedding / honeymoon and be take care of as if you were in a 5 star resort.

Because Costa Rica has become known as a medical tourism destination, for instance, for HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone treatments, many vacation rental are catering to tourists coming here for medical or dental reasons. One such vacation rental home in San Jose, the Capital of Costa Rica and the center of the best medical treatment, is Casa Orleans, available for extended stays up to a month or two. A very prominent dental center nearby specializing in dental implants is Colina Dental in San Jose. Using the latest in guided dental implants technology, visits can often be shortened as much as 70 percent.

Of course, if you are on an extended stay in Costa Rica, you would probalby want to rent a car, not only to get around in San Jose, but the rest of the country. Service Car Rental is conveniently located near the San Jose International Ariport.

Activities in Costa Rica while you're here can be anything from SCUBA diving near Drake Bay at Pirate Cove Hotel to taking a canopy tour in Manuel Antonio. Costa Rica doesn't just have great surfing, but many national parks - over 30% of the state is protected by national parks and private reserves. That would be an easier activity and would allow you to see tropical nature.

Other interests you might have while in Costa Rica is checking out real estate - houses and businesses, if you should want to move or retire her. One such new resident opened up a rum cake business and now exports different varieties all over the world.

Vacation Travel Recovers, but Frugality Is Focus Vacations have become a luxury for many Americans trying to make ends meet in this economic downturn, but there are signs that people are slowly, even timidly, on the move again.

Vincent DeWitt for The New York Times - Vacation News Click for full article.

Families who postponed trips last year are making modest vacation plans, travel agents say. And business owners or executives who felt it was insensitive to travel as they cut costs and laid off workers are again making plans to get away, leisure industry experts added.

Stacy H. Small, president of Elite Travel International, said at least half of her clients who were business owners cut back last year. “I had a lot of clients say ‘I just don’t feel right,’ ” she said. This year, nearly all have returned.

The pent-up demand is starting to filter through, though it is more a trickle than a flood. With it, analysts said, comes a new level of austerity as vacationers search for frugal ways to get away by juggling their finances, taking shorter trips and even staying with relatives.

The auto group AAA says it expects 34.4 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home this Labor Day weekend, up nearly 10 percent from 2009, a forecast based on an improved economy and lower gasoline prices.

People are traveling with “one hand firmly clasped to their wallets,” said Henry Harteveldt, a market researcher for Forrester Research. “The comments I get are that generally business is better, but no one is popping Champagne corks,” he said.

In response, hotels, cruise lines and other travel-related businesses are discounting rooms, advertising reward programs and adding incentives, like the Cape Cod innkeepers who threw in a whale-watching excursion with a four-night stay, or the Las Vegas hotel that included a spa treatment with a room reservation.

Looking for a Mexican condo?

Some of the best bargains, by far, are in southern Mexico in Acapulco. Modern beachfront Condos in other Mexican destinations can cost well into the 6 figures and sometimes even 7 figures. In Acapulco you can get completely modern and renovated condos for under $100,000. Acapulco condos are some of the best deals in Mexico. And, even better, the condos here can be rented out to earn income when you are not using it. They pay for themselves.