Reviews

I had a great stay we did an amazing hike through the jungle and had a great time at the beach the cultural experience I had there was great as well and the food is amazing

Let me start by saying that i had a great time. Got to truly dive into the bribri culture. I will say that the one thing i had a problem with was staying comfortable at night while at doña Ana’s house. My bed’s bug net just collapsed at night and i ended up not really going out of my way to fix it. I also had to ask for a fan which i understand that its a general luxury but it goes a very long way to making the experience better and i will say that in casa tucan tranquilo house in gandoca they had the bug nets much better set up. Besides that the food was incredible, meeting members of the house and the community like carlos, don ruben, minor, and the sepecue students was a very delightful experience and overall if you have any problems don’t be like me and avoid asking for help they will more than happily give it to you. 🙂

Not only a nice play to stay but also a place where you can learn more about their culture as well as connect with their community. The food was amazing and fresh. Additionally a great place to witness the biodiversity of Costa Rica! This could include hearing monkeys, seeing toucans in the trees, and so much more. Lastly, the staff was incredibly kind and made the experience wonderful.

I spent two weeks here with Ohio State. We had an amazing time immersing ourselves in the local culture through interactions, food, and experiences. The staff here are wonderful and caring. The whole experienced broadened my perspectives and taught me so much about both the local culture and the culture all around Costa Rica!

This village and the home of the McCarthy’s gave us an experience that has us coming back every year at the minimum! We were so well taken care of that all of my stress was non-existent! I wake up with back pain daily, and I never experienced that once I step foot on their home. I was feeling relaxed, at peace, and was around good people who laughed and stayed up to chat and hangout–all great recipes for healing and fun.

I visited this beautiful home with my partner back in March 2021 and I’ve built so many deep connections from the people there. We stayed in the upper level of the main home where we had our private bathroom and balcony overlooking the lush forest!

We woke up to a delicious breakfast which included patacones (fried sliced green plantains), arepas (very unique compared to Mexican arepas), and fresh fruits from the area: papayas, mangoes, and bananas. Every meal was also home-cooked which we can tell was from their hearts because their entire family joined the feasts and we dined together heartily.

The family treated us like family. We would watch and play cornhole with the nephews or just relax on the hammocks. Their sister, Ileana would check in with us every now and then, and made sure we got our needs met.

For the nature experience, they took us to a movie-like scene in the lagoon where we swam and walked a few steps to the ocean where we also fished from the shore. The beautiful white sand and private beach is more than what we asked for!

We also experience the nearby city, Puerto Viejo, which was a 20 minutes drive and their family, Mario, was happy and willing to drive us there when we needed to. There, we could easily rent bikes and bike along the rode to other cities where we met more family and ate delicious meals. We will be returning yearly and when possible, more than once a year.

If you to are ready to experience the culture of the Costa Rican Caribbean, this is for you. We came to Costa Rica to look for lodgings that provided a cultural learning experience that we could share with our high school students on future visits to Costa Rica and were thrilled with this resource. It is a working finca (small, self sustaining farm) located adjacent to the Gandoca-Manzinillo National wildlife refuge, and is only a short walk from the spectacular Playa Gandoca beach. Staying here you feel as if you are part of the family and get to participate in farm life activities. We toured the organic heirloom Cocoa orchard that is interspersed with dozens of exotic fruit and spice trees, including Star Fruit, Guava, Papaya, and Nutmeg. Later we helped roast the processed cocoa beans over an open fire while chatty Howler Monkeys and colorful Toucans filled the trees overhead. We ground the cocoa beans into delicious chocolate bars that we snacked on during our stay. We also learned to make traditional tamales and learned some of the secrets to Caribbean cuisine including how to make the famous “Rice and Beans.” For each meal our hosts walked with us into the forest to harvest the plants and fruits that are the backbone of Caribbean food. During our stay I had a cold and they provided teas of freshly harvested ginger, hibiscus and wild herbs. It was an immersive experience unlike anything you would experience at a traditional resort. The accommodations were newly constructed and were clean and comfortable. The facilities are adorned with beautiful art and wood carvings by local artists including family members. Several of the rooms incorporate beautifully finished wooden beams and pillars made from a massive tree that was felled in a wind storm and recycled. During our stay we genuinely felt included as a member of the family and left feeling like we now have many friends in Gandoca.