Freelance Travel & Lifestyle Writer

About Hotel Guanahnai: “[Its} as if Paris put on flip flops, but still donned a little black dress.”

~As quoted in Cigar Aficionado

"Villages with colorfully painted houses seemed torn from the pages of a storybook. You’ll want to linger in them, as we do, for scones or a pint of beer. Even the narrow undulating roads, lined with hedgerows and flower-flecked meadows thrills."

~Irish Indulgence, The Ring of Kerry -- CAA Magazine - Canadian Automobile Association

"While I wait for the bartender at Dukes I ponder the big question: would I rather be Miss Moneypenny or a Bond girl? It's easy to meditate on such things at Duke's Hotel."

~Bar Bash Washington Flyer

"We follow a path abundant with draped, fading prayer flags that flap in the cool wind like colorful bird's wings. Pine trees scent the chilly air, and the faraway rhythm of rural villagers at work sounds like nature's solemn hymn."

~Taking the richer road less traveled in China Austin American Statesman

"Like a pointer finger, a rainbow as thick as a column, illuminates the sky above Castello di Vicarello."

~Magical Maremma, Toronto Star

"In bygone days hungry wolves skulked along the newly built Nevsky Prospekt like rapacious adversaries from a children's story."

~St. Petersburg: City of Dreams Mariner

"Brussels is as textured as the tapestries that put it on the Medieval map."

~Brussels Sprouts Anew, National Geographic Traveler

"Being with him in the the room where he paints . . . is like being a string on Itzhak Perlman's violin or a pot in Thomas Keller's kitchen."

~Beyond The Tango, Toronto Star

"Huts made from cow pies look like gingerbread houses—some are being repaired by women so concentrated in their tasks they resemble painters fretting over a canvas."

~India in Style Virtuoso Traveler

"I see an oceanscape turbulent with blues. They mottle the water like smudges, bits of sapphire, jade and rich turquoise splayed out in a frenzy of Van Gogh-like brushstrokes."

~Next Stop Paradise, Austin Monthly

"We’ve exchanged our car for a boat and we’re heading across rollicking seas to Skellig Michael—an immense rocket of stone that explodes amid water straight toward the sky. Just visible on its face are steps that we know lead to the remains of a centuries-old monastic settlement high above the ocean."

~Irish Indulgence, The Ring of Kerry -- CAA Magazine - Canadian Automobile Association

"A sudden herd of reindeer crosses our path like a truck running a red light."

~ Chasing The Northern Lights in Norway, Dallas Morning News

"The ancient city’s main square sits just behind the one-time convent (now a sleek, restored, boutique hotel), the silence is so ponderous one might think the entire staff and every guest has taken a vow of silence."

~Cognition and Reflection - Organic Spa Magazine

"The crowd cheers. And, a royal band emits a euphonious serenade. I dismount the immense beast by ladder, snuggle my elephant’s crusty, swishing trunk and accept a well-deserved flute of champagne from a nattily clad waiter."

~Yoga Overlooking the Taj Mahal - San Antonio Magazine

"The city of Lucerne nestles the water--scattering around its edges and up the mountain like a slowly spreading spill."

~Swiss Treat Washington Flyer

Write Your Own Ticket: Travel Writing Workshop In Costa Rica

July 5, 2013 by becca

Like a fine bottle of wine, writing is meant to be shared — especially when the subject is an awe-inspiring or life-changing trip.

WHERE: Four Seasons Resort – Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
WHEN: Thursday, November 7 – Sunday, November 10, 2013
HOW: Call (506) 2696-0198 for room reservations and workshop registration.

Whether you’re hoping to get your travel writing published or just brush up on your skills for blogging, tweeting or storytelling to friends and family, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica has a new opportunity you’ll want to write home about — and then some.

So, pack your curiosity and head to Costa Rica’s picturesque Peninsula Papagayo for one (or both) of two upcoming Immersion Travel Writing Retreats. But if you’re picturing being stuck in a room with a laptop, think again. Along with participating in writing sessions and critiques, you’ll experience half-day adventures near the hotel, interview local experts and personalities and savour delicious culinary assignments, including the Resort’s Costa Rican chocolate class.

Of course, to master the tricks of the trade, you’ll need an A-list group of instructors. At the kickoff retreat from August 30 to September 3, you’ll learn from California-based Perry Garfinkel, a contributor to the New York Times and National Geographic, and the author of “Travel Writing for Profit & Pleasure.” Then, from November 7 to 10, your leaders are Annie Fitzsimmons, who writes the Urban Insider column for National Geographic Traveler, and Becca Hensley, a travel and lifestyle writer whose byline can be found in National Geographic Traveler, Washington Flyer and Austin Monthly.

Want the real scoop on travel writing? Visit Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo for the chance to learn from the best, improve your skills and connect with other adventurous scribes.

Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: Costa Rica, workshop, writing