Jeff H. said... A Trip To Remember

Date of Stay
January 18, 2013

It was our first time to Costa Rica, and it was a trip to remember. It was not only because of the natural beauty of the country, but also because of the couple my husband and I got to know, Victoria and Jason, the owners of the property we rented. As soon as we arrived, Jason and Victoria greeted us with big smiles and great hospitality. Just when we were taken away by the beauty of the amazing property, Victoria surprised us by taking us to a private tour around the property, which is located right in the middle of the rain forest. We thought the tour was much better than the tour we later on took at Manuel Antonio National Park, where we had to pay to enter. We saw so many white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys and hundreds of tropical plants, most of which we don't even know the names of. By the time we finished the draw-dropping tour and made it to our suite, we were again surprised by the elegance of the room decor and comfort like home. From every single detail in the spacious and beautiful 2-bedroom 2-bathroom suite, we could tell the pride of ownership from the lovely couple. During our 7-day stay, Victoria and Jason were so helpful and friendly, and we felt we were staying at an old friend's place, or better. They kindly offered suggestions to local restaurants(they have very different recommendations, and we had a lot of fun trying some of their favourite local spots), and they also helped to make arrangements for local tours, which was helpful because they speak fluent Spanish and we don't. Jason even offered to teach my husband surfing, but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to do so. Jason also told us about two "secrete" spots that we could buy fresh fish directly from the fishermen. We had the freshest and tastiest yellow-fin tuna at a such a low price that you wouldn't believe, and the experience of finding the hidden spots in a country without street addresses was priceless. We had such a wonderful vacation, and a big part was because of Victoria and Jason. We will be back again, because we have two friends in Costa Rica now!

Our Response

Thanks for the kind words Heather and Jeff! I was just buying some fresh Yellowfin tuna the other day and was thinking about your various recipes as you definitely inspired Victoria and I to use the BBQ more. More importantly, we had the pleasure of your kind and courteous decorum and it was to my regret that Jeff and I only realized during your last evening here that we share a very similar framework for looking at the world and I had one of the most interesting conversations in my life. I thank you for that and can't wait to see you guys again. By the way, we just imported twenty new varieties of palms from Hawaii this week (including a very rare yellow crown shaft form of the famous Betel Nut Palm) so we now have over 230 different species now on display. Thanks again, Jason Hughes