Upon arrival
I loved how clean, safe, and incredibly comfortable the house was immediately. The beach is footsteps away and there is a wonderful restaurant beach side along the beach front promenade.
With more time
How soon can I get back, I kept thinking. Who else can I tell about this place? How smart was I for selecting this house in this part of Costa Rica.
Overall assessment
You will love the location, incredible staff, amazing beach and tropical wonderland vibe. These things definitely exceeded my expectations. I've stayed in Costa Rica before, at a private home, and the difference with this one is the staff who looked after us like family, private access to the beach, and a great community feel. The layout of the area (it's a town in the making with a surf shop, a great restaurant, and cobblestoned streets) made me feel like I was staying in a colonial town (think Old San Juan meets a Tuscan village) that happens to be part of a resort (like Club Med but with better food and no crowd).
What we did
The two beaches that are part of the property have amazing rock formations that are teaming with underwater life. Perfect for snorkeling. I saw an octopus, 100s of unique and very colorful fish, starfish, sea urchins, and I played tag with a few puffer fish. Nearby we visited small towns with lots of character, went fishing (highly recommended), and had some wonderful local meals. My friends did the tour and zip lining adventure as well. We had a bunch of cooks in the house too and we had multiple meals together in the house (easy access to supermarkets in the area, helps to speak Spanish). It was an easy kitchen to work in and had everything we needed -- we cooked our own fish, made soup, and even slow cooked a brisket on the outside grill. We were in food heaven. The mornings were fruit and a neat "Tico" breakfast prepared by our wonderful head house lady, Anita.
I'm coming back. This home is a real treat.