House Tour
Comfortable Home
The pool is large enough to swim laps for exercise. Behind it is the rancho with its outdoor kitchen, then the main house, with the carport on the left and the studio room behind.
Rich Kitchen and Dining
One of the joys of an original Costa Rican home is its tough, very hard, rare woods, like jatobá. The kitchen has generous under-counter cabinets, a large buffet, a quality table and chairs, and a simple pantry.
Garden-View End Bedroom
With tropical greenery on two sides, this serene main bedroom is a true retreat. Cool evening breezes roll in off the Pacific and through the surrounding forest, carrying the scent of tropical blooms and the sounds of the jungle settling in for the night.
Second Bedroom
The second bedroom also has good cross-ventilation and its own bathroom. Like the main bedroom, it has A/C for anyone not yet used to Costa Rica’s climate.
Wisdom of Flagstone
Flagstone around the pool stays cooler underfoot than ceramic tile, which heats up fast and passes that heat straight to your feet. The stone is also nonslip and slow to warm in the sun. Frequent night rain and mist leave the porous stone damp, and as that moisture evaporates it keeps the surface cooler.
The Living Area of the Great Room
Light pours in from three sides of this inviting living space, where large louvered windows frame a lush tropical garden and keep the air moving naturally throughout the day. The room breathes.
Hardwood ceilings, cool tile floors, and quality tropical wood furniture dressed in vibrant botanical prints give the space authentic Costa Rican character: comfortable and unpretentious, with just the right touch of color.
Simple but Functional Bathrooms
Each bedroom has its own simple, easy-to-clean bathroom.
A Studio or Third Bedroom
This attached room has A/C, a private entrance, and plumbing for a small half bath. Adding the bath would make it a third bedroom at very little cost.
Carport Protection
The carport keeps your car dry in the rain and shaded from the tropical sun.
What years here have taught us
- The main house and pool are concrete and steel, strong, resistant to everything, and able to support more.
- The old growth super hard woods were chosen because of their resistance to rot and pests. They are very expensive now.
- Slightly elevated along a natural breeze channel gives open access to morning, afternoon, and evening breezes.
- Louvered windows essentially open completely, sliding windows half open.
- A pool you can actually swim back and forth in is very different than a smaller one.
- Flagstone around the pool stays cooler than ceramic tile and is nonslip.
- Our Papagayo street can be a bit rough but that’s an advantage over dirt that turns to mud in the rain.
- Life here happens outdoors, and the house is built for that.