I surprised my husband with our first trip to Costa Rica for his 52nd birthday. Choosing to stay at Toucan Gardens Villa was the best decision I could have made.
Upon making the reservation, I was introduced to Jose, the house manager. I was nervous about being able to pull it off from NYC and in the midst of a pandemic until I spoke with Jose. Reading the reviews, I had questions about renting a vehicle and also wanted the chef to prepare dinner for us on my husband's actual birthday. I am so glad that Jose suggested we use a driver. After all of that traveling, along with the lack of road signage and shaky gps, we'd have been the opposite of relaxed by the time we'd arrived to the Villa. Instead, we were greeted at the airport by Marco, who stopped at Crocodile Bridge, the grocery store (get the marinated ribs and grill them at the Villa), and to grab our first taste of Costa Rican food (yum gallo pinto).
Entering the gates, the property slowly introduces itself to you. By the time we got to the villa and got out of the car to meet Jose, my husband was pretty much speechless lol. The property is that impressive. Jose took the time to show us the grounds and discuss the different plants (tasting cinnamon, lemongrass, and oregano) and wildlife. And here's the thing, he introduced us to these things in a way that you could tell he cares about them, about the property, the land, the animals and as he shares this place with you, it feels like a gift.
Everything everyone says about how beautiful this home is is absolutely true. The view is an experience! The home itself is warm and inviting especially considering its size. It rained every day for a couple hours and we enjoyed that as well. Lounging by the pool watching the rain is like a waking nap. The bed was very comfortable and we had no issues with bugs or temperature control. Jose prepared dinner for us on our last night and it was perfect. We spent our days relaxing...no I mean like actually relaxing where you have no idea what time it is and you don't care that you don’t know what time it is. You don’t need to know because all of your grown up responsibilities, (driving, choosing a park guide and beach, where to eat, remembering to get a covid test) are taken care of by Jose. He’s not just the house manager, he’s the chef, the concierge, tour guide, historian, comedian and pretty much like your favorite cool, wise uncle. We can’t thank you enough and will be back as soon as possible!