Destination Renewal Locations

About Destination Renewal Locations

Nosara, Costa Rica ~ Beach Sanctuary ~ January 2015 

Despite the Nicoya peninsula being one of the last locations with large areas of unpaved roads in Costa Rica, Nosara is one of the oldest communities in the country, as well as a fishing and agricultural area.

Unlike most coastal tourist towns, Nosara lacks nearly any development directly on the beach as much of it consists of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge (necessitated by the breeding Olive Ridley and Leatherback sea turtle). Nosara is also a surfing destination as Playa Guiones is one of the most consistent waves in the world with over 330 days per year of rideable conditions.

The official town center is located 6 km inland from the beach. Within "Nosara town" is the market, pharmacy, post office, churches, school, police station, public library and Red Cross clinic (Nosara lacks a hospital facility). There is a Banco Popular branch located in the small commercial area near Playa Guiones. Guiones. Playa Guiones is also the location of a world-renowned Yoga school.

Nosara, Suggested Lodging

Contact us for information. Location to be determined.

Taos, New Mexico, USA ~ The Land of Enchantment ~ Febuary 2015

The Taos Pueblo, which borders the town of Taos, has been occupied for nearly a millennium. It is estimated that the pueblo was built between 1000 and 1450 A.D. Taos Pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in America. There are over 1,900 people in the Taos pueblo community with about 150 people living at the pueblo year-around.

The Taos Pueblo was added as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 as one of the most significant historical cultural landmarks in the world (other sites include the Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids and the Grand Canyon in the United States).

Beginning in 1899, artists began to settle in Taos. Six artists formed the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. In time, the Taos art colony developed. Many paintings were made of local scenes, especially of Taos Pueblo and activities there. Some of the artists' studios have been preserved (many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and may be viewed by visitors to Taos.

Many people feel a deeply moving spiritual inspiration the moment they step out of their car arriving in Taos.

The vast expanse of mountains spread out rising above the high desert mesa sagebrush. White peaked most of the year, the mountains call to be explored. Cresting the top of the ridge, as each vehicle climbs out of the Rio Grande Gorge, the deep crevice of the Rio Grande can be seen snaking through the plains below. Purple and red sunsets glow over the mountains at dusk turning the mountains red and pink giving them their name, Sango de Christo mountains (blood of Christ). This is truly a magical place.

Taos, Suggested Lodging

Contact us for information. Location to be determined.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada ~ City of Gardens ~ Sept 2015

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 80,000, while the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, has a population of 344,000.

Victoria is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from BC's largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. Victoria is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Seattle by airplane, ferry, or the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry which operates daily, year round between Seattle and Victoria and 40 kilometres (25 miles) from, Washington by Coho ferry across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the British Columbia Parliament Buildings (1897) and the Empress hotel (1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco's. The region's Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before non-native settlement, possibly several thousand years earlier. Victoria, like many Vancouver Island communities, continues to have a sizeable First Nations presence.

Known as the "City of Gardens," Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination with a thriving technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry. The city has a large non-local student population, who come to attend it’s many universities and schools. Victoria is very popular with boaters with its beautiful and rugged shorelines and beaches. Victoria is also popular with retirees, who come to enjoy the temperate and usually snow-free climate of the area as well as the usually relaxed pace of the city.

Victoria, Suggested Lodging

Contact us for information. Location to be determined.

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