Always wanted to stay in a luxury Costa Rica vacation rental? How about Casa Fantastica or Vista Azul in Manuel Antonio?

Help raise funds for an incredibly important cause this October 22nd and participate in the online auction for a 7 day stay at an amazing Costa Rica vacation rental.

We will receive online bids whilst the auction takes place at the 7th Annual Halloween Bash hosted by VarsityPainting.com. All proceeds raised will be donated to Raise awareness and funds for children’s tumor research and Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) www.advocurenf2.org

The Varsity Painting Halloween Bash kicks off on the 22nd of Oct at 7.30 p.m Pacific Standard Time at the Redux lounge, 1141 Locust Street, Walnut Creek, California. Tickets cost $50 and can be bought on the Varsity Painting website.

What is NF2?

Varsity Painting proprietor, Roland Thoms, who organized the event has a special reason why Advocure NF2 will receive these important funds.  His 14 year old daughter Camille was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), a genetic condition in which tumors grow on the nerves of her brain, spine and ears.

What is Advocure NF2?

Advocure is dedicated to advocacy and to strengthening efforts that expedite research contributing to systemic therapies to treat and eventually cure NF2.

How to participate in the online auction

1. Escape Villas will receive separate online bids for Casa Fantastica and Vista Azul from 7.30 p.m. to 10pm Pacific Standard time to be submitted to email: bidvacation@escapevillas.com
2. Bidders must “Like” the Facebook page Experience Costa Rica before they submit their bid.
3. All bids will be sent to Roland Thoms of Varsity Painting in real time so that the winner of the auction may be announced at the end of the event.
4. The one week stay can be applied to the following dates: Sat-Sat Apr 14-May 12, 2012 and Sep 8-Nov 10, 2012.

Can’t attend the Halloween Bash but still want to donate?

It’s important to note that all funds raised will go to research being performed by doctors and scientists working on a cure/ therapy to control tumor growth. While we are not close to eliminating NF2, we are extremely close to containing it and preserving the quality of life for Camille and thousands of others affected. The event hopes to raise a total of $100,000 and all donations made will be matched by the Thomas family.

Every donation counts. Visit the Varsity Painting website with details on how to make your tax deductable donation.

Terms and Conditions

The following vacation rentals Casa Fantastica and Vista Azul :

1. Will be put up for auction under the following terms: 50% off 7 night stay.
2. Payable within a week of the auction ending.
3. If the winner of the auction does not pay within a week of the auction the vacation rental will be passed to the second highest bidder who will also have one week to make payment.
4. A minimum bid of $4950 is required for the Casa Fantastica auction to be valid. (Maid and laundry services are included and as well as the chef at Casa Fantastica)
5. A minimum bid of $3295 is required for the Vista Azul auction to be valid (Maid and laundry services are included. Chef services are available for an additional fee)
6. The one week stay can be applied to the following dates: Sat-Sat Apr 14-May 12, 2012 and Sep 8-Nov 10, 2012.
7. Online bids will be submitted as the auction is taking place during the Varsity Painting Halloween Bash.
8. Bidders must “Like” the Facebook page Experience Costa Rica before they submit their bid.
9. Name, address and telephone number should be included in each email bid, submitted to: bidvacation@escapevillas.com
10. All bids will be sent to Roland Thoms of Varsity Painting in real time so that the winner of the auction may be announced at the event on October 22nd at 10.30 p.m.

Click for Vacation Rentals in Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio National Park has been recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world, according to the highly esteemed Forbes Magazine.

Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have visited Manuel Antonio National Park on your Costa Rica vacation, this news will come as no surprise. With four pristine white sandy beaches, verdant tropical greenery and an abundance of fascinating Costa Rica wildlife, this is a popular vacation destination both eco tourists and sun worshippers.

Of a total of nearly 7,000 national parks around the world, Manuel Antonio National Park was listed as number 11 in the top 12 most dazzling national parks to grace the globe.

But why has this National Park won such an accolade?

· Manuel Antonio National Park is made up of 1700 acres of land mass and 135,906 acres of marine reserve home to the rare two-toed sloth, white-faced and squirrel monkeys, soaring hawks, pelicans and kingfishers not to mention the abundance of tropical species.

· Manuel Antonio National Park is known for being home to one of the safest beaches for swimming in Costa Rica.

· It is the smallest of the 20 national parks Costa Rica has allocated for total protection. Even so, it is the country’s second most visited

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conservation area, after the Poas Volcano.

· Experienced bilingual guides are on hand to provide a fascinating Costa Rica wildlife tour.

· It is Costa Rica’s most popular national park with international tourists.

· Manuel Antonio National Park is looking to position itself as the country’s most accessible protected area, a project is underway to build construct a bridge that leads to Playa Espadilla. In line with Costa Rican Law 7600 for people with disability.

· A new visitor’s center intended to enhance the experience of tourists is also planned to open in 2012 just in time to celebrate its 40^th Anniversary.

Forbes is considered to be one of the most trusted resources for reliable business news and financial information.

Click for More Costa Rica National Parks

It’s only taken five years, but additional funding to maintain Costa Rica’s National Parks has been approved by members of the Asamblea Nacional, the Costa Rican Parliament, on the 27^th June. The $19 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) will be spent on infrastructural improvements and the promotion of tourism projects in the protected areas of Costa Rica.

Approved Funding Will Help Maintain Costa Rica National Parks

Receiving more than 2 million tourists in 2010, it is clear that the Costa Rican rainforest is an important asset that the country must strive to protect through the application of sustainable tourism practices. The implementation of (more…)

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The British television presenter Penny Smith travelled to Manuel Antonio and Quepos in the Central Pacific, Costa Rica as part of a beach vacation review for the best selling newspaper, The Daily Mail.

In an article published on the 29th of May, Penny Smith details her exciting eco tourist adventure to the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where she stayed in a luxury villa in Quepos. Smith opens her review with a reference to the resident sloth, explaining that the Costa Rican pace of life is laid back and that’s not without reason. “Don’t get me wrong – there are speedy animals here, including jaguars, apparently, but the sloths are the ones that do the place justice. It’s a country where it pays to take your time. Stand still and you suddenly spot all sorts of things.”

Smith stayed in a luxury vacation rental close to Quepos which was nestled on one of the many verdant foothills that contour Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast. The villa overlooked a deserted beach and included a 24 hour concierge service, “What a wonderful thing to have staff. It means that the mountain of washing-up that accrues with a large party does not become a source of acrimonious arguments.” Smith explained. (more…)