Modern art at the Diria

This is rather unusual, but it is decoration in one of the outdoor corridors in a section of the Tamarindo Diria Resort.  The Diria uses a pre-Colombian theme, as I showed yesterday, but the resort expanded a few years ago to take over the resort next door.

The Diria upgraded the rooms, grounds and facilities, as the Diria is the leading resort in the area, but they kept some of the different design elements, such as this colorful hallway accent.

This week we have photos of the National Archeological Museum in Guatemala City posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Diria Pool and Statuary at Night

This is a night scene from a portion of the large lagoon pool just below our condo at the Tamarindo Diria Resort. There are islands, coves, beach-type sides, statues and fountains in the pool.

The decor features statuary with a pre-Colombian theme, as you can see here, but tomorrow I will show quite contrasting decor.

This week we have photos of the National Archeological Museum in Guatemala City posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Oceanside relaxation

This couple was enjoying relaxing in the last rays of the sun on the beachfront lawn at the Diria Resort.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the Great Synagogue of Budapest, Hungary.

Evening dip in the Diria Resort pool

Some people take a late dip in the beachfront pool at the Tamarindo Diria Resort as the last light of the day will soon disappear over the ocean beyond the pool

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Beachfront dinner at the Diria Resort

After sunset, a dinner at a beachfront restaurant is a pleasant way to end the day.  This is the outdoor restaurant on the beach at the Tamarindo Diria Resort.

One of our two condos is part of this resort complex, which is the largest in town, by far.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

White, decorated ox cart

Afer showing so many ancient artistic creations lately, I thought I should show a more contemporary artistic expression.

This is an example of Costa Rica highly decorated ox carts, although this one is unusual because its base coat is white rather than red.

This is not a working ox cart.  It is a display on the grounds of the Tamarindo Diria Resort, where we have one of our two condos.

We have photos from a cruise up the east coast of Baja California in Mexico's Sea of Cortez posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Tamarindo Diria Rooftop

For the last two days I showed views from the walkway in front of our condo at the Tamarindo Diria Resort, so today I am showing this little view of an architectural detail from the balcony of our condo.

This is a view of a part of the rooftop of the Tamarindo Diria Hotel buildings.  I like the pre-Columbian decorative features and the Spanish colonial design elements.

I also like the fact that our condo is on the 4th floor and the condo building sits on higher ground so that we have views over the hotel buildings to the beach and ocean.

This week we are showing another set of underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Diria Statue

This is a wider view of the statue that I showed yesterday.  The grounds of the Tamarindo Diria Resort are landscaped beautifully and are accented by reproductions of pre-Columbian statuary.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Welcome Home Statue

When walking home to our condo at the Diria Resort, this statute greets us, welcoming us home and, I presume, keeping away any evil spirits.

This week we have underwater photos from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Diria Resort beachfront

This is part of Tamrindo Beach in front of the Diria Resort.  The resorts staff puts the lounge chairs and umbrellas out on the beach each morning and takes them in at night.

All beaches in Costa Rica are public property, so they have a system of bracelets that hotel and condo guests wear to make sure that the only people who use the chairs are people who are staying at the hotel rooms or or condo units that are part of the Diria resort.

The palm trees provide shade for people who prefer to say on the resort's lawn rather than using the lounge chairs on the beach.

This week we are showing photos of an old cemetery and ruins of an old Friary on the Hill of Slane, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Diria Oceanside Pool

I recently showed a series of photos from the Diria Resort, but neglected to show a photo of the ocean side swimming pool.  This is an early evening shot, with the ocean in the background reflecting a little light.

The guests at our Diria condo get to use the amenities of the Diria Resort, which is a major benefit.  The Resort asks that condo guests use the big pool near the condos, rather than the much smaller ocean side poo, so it is not crowded for guests in the nearby hotel rooms.  That is fair enough.

This week we are showing photos from Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, featuring photos of elephants and giraffes, including some teenage elephants fighting.

Diria Resort Restaurant

As the afternoon draws to a close, and sunset settles over Tamarindo Bay, the Diria Resort Restaurant becomes even more inviting as a place to enjoy a drink or dinner.

This week we are showing photos from Waterford, Ireland, the home of Waterford Crystal, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Dira Resort Beach Front Lawn and Palm Trees

This is the beachfront lawn of the Tamarindo Diria Resort.  It provides a pleasant place to enjoy the sun, sea, and fresh air blowing in from the Pacific.

And you can rinse the sand and salt water off after swimming and have a drink or a snack so that you feel more refreshed while lounging around.

The ability to enjoy the amenities of the Tamarindo Diria Resort help make our condo there very popular with renters.  It is much more pleasant to enjoy the resort than to stay in nearby condos that do not have access to resort amenities.

My property management company tells me that my two condos are rented more often than any of the other 180 condos that they manage.  The Diria beachfront facilities and location are a big reason for that.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Waterford, Ireland, the home of Waterford Crystal.

View down to the Swimming Pool

Our condo at the Diria Resort is above the resort's large lagoon-shaped swimming pool, which is 10,000 square feet (929 sq. m.)., the largest in Tamarindo.

Although the pool is large. most of it is hidden from view by the palm trees that are in the coves and islands that are part of the Diris Resort's pool landscaping.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from Cabra Castle, northwest of Dublin Ireland.  If you want to see what it is like to stay in a  castle-hotel, use the link to take a look

View from our Diria Condo to Cabo Velas

This is the view from our condo balcony over the trees of the Tamarindo Diria Resort to the beach and across Tamarindo Bay to Cabo Velas.

Our condo is on the 4th floor, which is high enough to be above the palm trees and hotel units the lie between us and the beach.  The far row of palm trees in this photo line the beach.

Often people who consider renting our condo will ask how far it is from the condo to the beach.  This photo shows that distance.  It is about 100 yards, an easy walk through the beautify grounds of the Tamarindo Diria Resort.

We do not tire of this view.  We have this view from our balcony, from our living room, and from the master bedroom.

This week we are showing some photos of Paris, featuring several of its museums. on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

View from Our Diria Condo to Playa Grande

It occurred to me that I have shown lots of photos of sunsets and ocean views from our condo right on the beach in the Playa Langosta area of Tamainrdo, but I have not shown many photos of the view from our condo at the Tamarindo Diria Resort in the middle of Tamarindo.

Today I will start a little series to cure that oversight.  This is a photo from our condo balcony looking north across the mouth of the Tamarindo estuary towards Playa Grande.

The trees in the foreground are part of the grounds of the Tamarindo Diria Resort.

The main part of Tamarindo beach is straight out to the ocean to the left of this scene, but I like the view to the north as well.  I will show the view to the west tomorrow and in the coming days.

Yesterday was a holiday in Guanacaste, the northwest province of Costa Rica.  It was not a national holiday.  It was Annexation Day, celebrating the vote on July 25, 1824 during which Guanacaste voted to be a part of Costa Rica rather than Nicaragua.  Thank goodness.

This week we are showing some photos of Paris, featuring several of its museums. on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Diria Resort Beachfront

This is a photo of part of the beachfront at the Tamarindo Diria Resort.   Guests of the hotel or condo units have a choice of spending time on the beach or lounging around overlooking the beach on the grassy lawn, under the shade of palm trees, with access to the food and drink of the resort.  

Tough choices.

This week we have photos of of the Cathedral of Milan, Italy, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Cafe Chairs

Today's worldwide Daily Photo theme is "cafe chairs."  This is the coffee shop at the Tamarindo Diria Resort, where we have one of our two condos.  It is a great place for morning coffee and pastry, and later in the day they have brink oven pizza here.

There are no Starbucks in Tamarindo, although Starbucks has come to San Jose, Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is, of course, a major coffee producer, and its blends are premium in the world of coffee aficionados.

Whenever we visit Costa Rica, we bring back coffee for family and friends.  Julie's mother and her secretary say that the coffee we bring back is the best they have ever had.  Bags of gourmet coffee are sold at the local food markets and tourist shops.

This week we are showing photos of Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, featuring the doorways of the Spanish Colonial old city of Grenada.

Ancient Stone Ball

This is one of the giant stone balls the pre-Columbian cultures carved and that can be found at various locations around Costa Rica, which I have shown and written about in the past.  You may remember the opening scene from the first Raiders of the Lost Arc movie, in which Indiana Jones runs from a giant stone ball in the jungle.

Some places in Costa Rica preserve and display these stone balls as decorative items.  There is one at the entrance drive to the airport in Liberia.  The one in this photo is at the beachfront restaurant at the Tamarindo Diria Resort, which is a popular place to gather at sunset.

This week we have photos of Africa posted on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Tamarindo Diria Stone Statue

This is one of the stone statues on the grounds of the Tamarindo Diria Resort, where we have one of our two condos.  The Diria uses this figure as its logo.  It looks like some of the pre-Columbian figures in the museum in San Jose, so I presume that this design has its roots in the early native American culture of the area.

Sadly, Costa Rica does not have a lot of Native American architecture or other relics of pre-Columbian culture.  The indigenous population was nearly wiped out after Spanish colonization, victimized by European diseases and enslavement.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our  Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some more photos of Africa.