Casa de Abuela Features: Casa de Abuela features a bedroom wing and a ‘great room’ separated by a two story open air hall. There are four bedrooms, each with its own private bath and air conditioning. Two of the bedrooms accommodate a family of four with a double bed and a set of bunk beds, all made by a local carpenter of Costa Rican cedar. The upstairs bedrooms also have external entrances for privacy.
The hall is over two stories high, providing cool breezes even on the hottest day. The great room has a cathedral ceiling and three sets of double doors for air circulation. One set leads out on to the large front porch, providing a perfect setting for morning coffee and bird watching. The kitchen area has a large island for cooking and serving. The dining area has a table that seats 12. Like the bedrooms, the great room is also air conditioned.
Playa de Esterillos Oesta: Esterillos Oeste is a typical small Costa Rica fishing village where fishermen still roll their boats over the sand into the surf. It is located on Playa de Esterillos, a long, beautiful beach that rarely has more than a few surfers and sun bathers. The beach is a short walk down the hill from the house. If you turn left when you reach the beach, you'll see large waves for surfing and, ironically, natural lava flow breakwaters with tide pools for snorkeling and places for children to play. Walk in the other direction along the beach and see Capuchin monkeys as you search for seashells.
If you'd like some excitement or a night on the town, it's only a 15 minute drive to Jaco, the Las Vegas of Costa Rica. Jaco has casinos, fine dining, sushi restaurants and jazz bars. You can also get a massage or shop for souvenirs. Or if you're interested in a romantic dinner watching the sunset over the Pacific, Villa Caletas is the perfect spot, about 10 minutes past Jaco.
Other Adventures: Other must-see national parks in Costa Rica are not far from Esterillos Oeste: Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs and MonteVerde Cloud Forest are both about 4 hours away. And if you're not in to driving, there are many exciting things to do from Oeste, all within an hour or less drive from the house. For example, you can go to Manuel Antonio, one of the finest national parks in CR, go white water rafting above Quepos, ride the 'zip' lines over the rain forest, just above Jaco go deep sea fishing leaving out of Quepos, or take a monkey tour in a mangrove swamp. And best of all, the road to and along this part of the coast is good all the way from San Jose to Esterillos Oeste and Quepos, a very important fact in a country where most roads are dirt and require a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
