What an incredible month. Everything about our stay at Villa Pochote exceeded our expectations. The Villa itself has been built beautifully (by Trey himself) - clean, spacious, bright with outstanding views from both floors. Great swimming pool, barbecue area and a lovely yoga studio free to use at your leisure with a great teacher who comes every Wednesday at sunset and teaches a class. If you want wildlife you're in the right place too - Iguanas, Howler monkeys, Whiteface monkeys, red squirrels, Coatis, an abundance of birds, the garden is teeming with life and when you sit an wait, it all comes to you.
You can walk the the closest beach (Playa Manzanillo) in around 10 minutes but to get anywhere else you'll need a 4x4 or a quad/buggy as the roads are tough work otherwise. And you will definitely want to go everywhere else. So get one.
The next beach along is Hermosa where I spent most of my time, great for surfing, beautiful sand, and with a guy who sells coconuts and delicious ceviche out of the back of his van for when you get hungry or thirsty. From there you're on the road to Santa Teresa, a bustling little surf town packed full to the brim with good vibes. There are a number of great bars and restaurants, plenty of surf stores and a few small supermarkets to pick up supplies. All along Santa Teresa are more pristine beaches, usually busy with local and travelling surfers. Further out from Santa Teresa you'll find plenty of nature reserves, other little towns and an abundance of staggering waterfalls (some easier to find than others).
The best bit, however, is Trey and Jaclyn. Their hospitality knows no bounds. They gave us lifts to town, surf lessons, the best advice on where to go, they lent me snorkelling gear, Trey flexed his superlative BBQ skills when we all had a cookout, they booked us taxis, Jaclyn took me to the rodeo in Cobano, Trey even took time out of his day taking me around properties that were for sale when I expressed interest. The list very much goes on.
Overall we count ourselves lucky to have found such a breathtaking place. If the rest of Costa Rica is as wonderful as the tiny slice we saw then what a country it is. As an unexpected bonus we have also made great friends along the way. We will surely be back.
Pura Vida
