Want Costa Rica in the palm of your hand?

If you’ve got an iPhone, a Touch, or an iPad, you’ve probably noticed that there are two and a half zillion apps out there to choose from, many of them barely worth the space they’re taking up on your handheld. But when one of our contributors puts one together, I know it’s going to be worth downloading.

So take a look at Costa Rica Pura Vida! by Christopher Baker. He’s the writer that put together many of our reviews of luxury Costa Rica hotels and he knows the country inside-out. You want credentials? OK, he’s the author of Moon Costa Rica and National Geographic Costa Rica.

Here’s the official description. For a mere $2.99, here’s what you get:

+ 250+ description entries, including Hidden Gems.
+ Photo slide-shows with almost 2,300 colorful photographs displayed in stunning high definition.
+ Driving directions where appropriate, plus fully interactive Google Maps that let you browse based on your exact, real-time location.
+ Entries organized by useful criteria like ACTIVITIES, BEACHES, CULTURAL & HISTORICAL SITES, PARKS & RESERVES, and more, including the author’s recommendations for MUST SEES.
+ Entries sorted by name, neighborhood, distance, and price.

After you buy it, you get upgrades and updates for life! Click here to go to the App Store.

Related post: Cool Cancun and Isla Mujeres App

I did a post recently on how to get into airport lounges when you fly as they can make your layovers a whole lot more pleasant or productive. I noted in there that my choice is the American Express Platinum card. It’s a hefty $450, but gets you into the lounges of three major airlines, with your guests/family.

It just got better though: now you can add USAirways to that list as well. True, this airline is perpetually at the bottom of the rankings when it comes to customer satisfaction, but if you do get stuck flying with them, at least your time between planes will be better if you’re passing through Charlotte or another hub where they have a lounge.

This post from Dan’s List runs down all the benefits of the card—and there are a lot—plus if you’re a new customer you can get 25,000 miles upon approval that you can deposit into a bunch of different airline and hotel programs. Sweet deal!

If you’re immersed in social media and have a big tribe of followers, you might be able to turn that into a free trip to Ixtapa, Mexico. The top Latino social site, Quepasa.com, is giving away five trips for two to the area of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. There aren’t a lot of details posted on what you get exactly, but judging by the sponsors, there will be plenty of adventure excursions involved.

Basically you sign up or sign in (if you’re already a member) of this tri-lingual site, then use their slideshow maker to create a collage of why you would go there and what you’d like to do. Judging is based on four factors, with one being votes (ballot stuffing encouraged) and one being how “viral” your entry was—as in how much you spread the word.

Hey, I’m not saying you luxe readers of this site have the time and patience for this kind of thing, but I bet you have a kid who does…

Sign up here: Quepasa.com Ixtapa Giveaway

See our reviews of the top hotels in Zihuatenajo: La Casa que Canta and Tides Zihuatanejo (their beach pictured at the top.)

In cheesy, overbuilt Cancun, wouldn’t it be nice to have a filtered guide to the best beaches, the best eats, and the best bars not filled with drunk 18-year-olds? Download the Cool Cancun app from the iTunes Apps store—for the moment on sale for 99 cents—and you’ll be immediately in the know.

I like to give a shout-out when one of our regular contributors to Luxury Latin America has something else in the works worth mentioning. This is something I can highly recommend. Zora O’Neill writes the Rough Guide to the Yucatan and Cancun & Cozumel Directions. Over the years she has developed a keen sense of what’s worthwhile and where the bargains are.

The app gives opinionated and spot-on reviews of a few paragraphs each in several categories, which you can search by name, location, or price. There are Basics (transportation, hotels, beach tips), restaurants, clubs, shopping, and more. That includes one addition you won’t get from the likes of Time Out: “Kid-friendly.”

Admit it, if you’re spending every day at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun, after a while aren’t you itching to get out and eat some real Mexican food, maybe some tacos pastor at a lively stand that’s open past midnight? Download Cool Cancun and Isla Mujeres and you’ll be chowing down and hitting the cool clubs like a local expat, frequenting the great places and ignoring the worst tourist traps. If you’re heading that way, it’s a no-brainer.

Haven’t made plans yet? See our reviews of the best hotels in Cancun and Isla Mujeres.

If you travel regularly, or take a few flights a year with long layovers, getting into the more refined space of an airport VIP lounge can make your trip much more pleasant. More comfortable furniture, work spaces, snacks, and even a shower in some of them. Road warriors who put in enough miles to get to the elite level of an airline usually get access for free, but the rest of us need to pay for a shortcut.

Here’s how to buy your way in, apart from getting a day pass on the spot (usually $40-$50 per person).

Credit Cards with Lounge Perks

Most of the airlines offer some kind of “platinum” or “president” card that charges a hefty annual fee in exchange for a list of perks that elite travelers get, like the ability to check one bag for free and a year-long pass to the airport lounges. Continental’s high-end card, for example, is a hefty $399 a year ($304 the first year), but you also get “access to United and US Airways lounges; first and second checked bag fees waived; Hyatt Platinum elite status; 1,000 Flex elite-qualifying miles per $5,000 in purchases; priority check-in, boarding, and express security screening.”

Priority Pass

This company’s card gets you into the widest range of lounges available, including foreign carriers, but carries a fee of $249 for 10 visits or $399 for unlimited visits. It’s worth it if you fly solo a lot internationally, but for vacationers you will need to pay $27 for each guest. Get a discount if you purchase through this link: Priority Pass – 10% Off

American Express Platinum

This has been my method of choice for the past few years and while it pains me to pay the $450 a year for the card, I feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth. Just flash the card, your boarding pass, and your passport and you get into the lounges of American, Delta, and Continental. What really makes it worthwhile is you can bring your family in, which I’ve done multiple times flying to Mexico or across the U.S. The card also includes emergency evacuation service, which is also a few hundred dollars in value, plus it gets you extra perks when you use it at many luxury hotels, like free breakfast or a room upgrade. And of course the Membership Rewards mileage program, which is very handy for topping off different mileage/points accounts from airlines and hotels. The downside is, you have to be flying on the airline to use the lounge. So if you fly into Santiago on LAN instead of one of the U.S. carriers, you’re out of luck.

Buy a membership

This is the worst choice because you pay top dollar just to get into a single airline’s lounge (and sometimes their partners’ as well). You’re better off just getting their credit card or an Amex Platinum card since the cost can be north of $400. You do get to bring in family or a guest though, which can really bump up the value compared to something like Priority Pass. Be advised though that some lounges–like American’s—are much stingier with what they give you than others, like Continental’s—where free cocktails and Wi-Fi are standard. Choose accordingly.