Silver Angel, the brand-new, 211-foot Benetti motoryacht shown in the photograph, is planning to charter in Costa Rica this winter before returning to the Mediterranean for the summer 2010 charter season. The weekly base rate is €450,000 for as many as 14 guests with 21 crew–an unusually impressive charter yacht in general, let alone in a destination as off-the-beaten-course as Costa Rica.

Also heading to Costa Rica this winter is Perseus, the 163-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht that I have written about before. I’m especially happy to hear that this yacht is following its plan to cruise around the world after the tragic death of Capt. Drew Gollan in January. Apparently, the new crew are onboard and ready to move forward with the owner’s charter program (which will include the South Pacific later on) at a weekly base rate of $175,000 for 10 guests with nine crew.

I was in Costa Rica back in 2001 for this Yachting magazine article about a yacht that is no longer available for charter. I absolutely loved the remoteness of the destination, which offers terrific scuba diving, nature hikes, and inland whitewater rafting. The scenery is lovely as you cruise up the coast, and at the time, I felt like a true explorer because there were so few marinas. Not much has changed in that department, so you can enjoy a similar feeling during charters in today.