In April '08 I my family of nine visited the Guanacosta area of Costa Rica. We reserved a privately owned villa located in the Bahia Pez Vela Resort near El Coco. After arriving at the Liberia Airport we drove to a "jewel" of a place with its own beach, swimming pool, restaurant, and colony of howler monkeys! The three bedroom villa we had rented was immaculate with a great kitchen, three bathrooms, spacious living room, laundry room, outside clothes drying area, and lovely lawn with flowers overlooking the ocean. All of the appliances were of good quality and worked well. Although maid service was available every day, we only requested the service midweek - they did a great job!
For food, we bought groceries in the local markets, washed vegetables with a 10:1 water/bleach solution, and drank both bottled and villa water. NO ONE got sick during or after our vacation!
Each day we swam and snorkeled in the ocean right off the resort beach. When the tide was low, we hunted little sea creatures in the tide pools. More often than not, we had the beach to ourselves. Twice during the week we had massages on the beach for about $35/person (group rate). Maribelle was fantastic! The fellas at the restaurant also provided coupons for massages and other activities in the area. Besides swimming and snorkeling we rented kayaks from a little shop just outside of El Coco. There were many empty beaches and uninhabited islands to explore. On one beach my son had a verbal standoff with a monkey. The monkey won - it was his island!
Occasionally during the cool of the day we discovered small jellyfish in the water. We avoided stings by swimming when it was hot (best time to swim anyway!), wearing wet suits, or rubbing sand on any tiny stings (a suggestion of the massage therapist!). If we weren't in the mood for the ocean, we swam in the resort pool that was always clean and uncrowded. For extra exercise, my daughter-in- law, who trains for triathlons, found a nice fitness center just 15 minutes away in El Coco.
Other highlights of our week included riding the Canopy Tour zip lines through the jungle, taking a walking tour through the Butterfly Conservatory, and driving to the Arenal Volcano. It was worth the 4 hour trip to see and hear the volcano in action! If you go there, be sure to check road conditions before your departure - there are often detours due to rain wash outs. We stayed one night at the Smithsonian Arenal Observatory Lodge for the best views of the volcano. We also enjoyed seeing the many mammals, insects, and reptiles on our jungle hike at Arenal. If you have time, there are more great tours in the Monteverde area.
Of all of our family vacations, this was our favorite. Besides being adventurous and fun, it was the most restful. Of great significance was the return of my daughter in law's lost wedding ring that was found by one of the maids after we left! The villa owners also helped in the ring's return since it had to be brought back to the States! The owners were wonderful people to work with! Needless to say, we hope to return to Costa Rica and "our" villa at the Bahia Pez Bela Resort!














