Cahuita

"My husband and I were lucky to spend a week at Casa de Earlybirds in late September, which, by the way, is a wonderful time to visit. We had almost no rain and the beaches to ourselves. The layout of the house is great: up on the second floor looking out over the jungle toward the beach. The design is nice, too; lots of wood and interesting items decorate the space. The open living area allows the sights and sounds to be with you always...the roar of ocean waves, beautiful plants and the monkeys and birds. The toucans squabble in the trees in front of the house, so we got some pictures of these fabulous birds. The howler monkeys visited a few times in large family groups. My favorite time of day was early morning with coffee in the protected "outdoor" living room. Once the sun was up, so was I; not wanting to miss anything! (my husband slept in!) The property is within a protected wildlife area, and our wanderings around the neighborhood provided as much nature viewing as any excursion we took! We rented bikes in Puerto Viejo, and rode between the different beaches along the road. We enjoyed swimming at the beach just outside our gate. Favorite restaurants: Cool Calm Cafe in Manzanillo, Selvin in Punta Uva, and Carribean Coffee shop...(the tour of their organic chocolate farm is fantastic). The owners of Casa de Earlybirds are easy to deal with and the caretaker downstairs is helpful. All in all, this was the best week of our 3 week trip to Costa Rica."