Around the House
Communication: We have hi-speed internet with wi-fi (tablets and lap-top computers are useful) and land line telephone for local calls (anywhere in Costa Rica is “local”) – [011-506-2779-9757] this is a contact number where you can be reached from home or you can make long-distance calls on this line using a calling card – we use “skype” to call long distance via our laptop computer - very cheap. When making local calls you only need to use the last 8 digits on our land line phone.
Electricity: electricity is the same voltage as in North America so your small appliances, ie hair dryers (we have a hair dryer at the house and I-Pod music deck), lap top, re-chargers for cameras etc. will work just the same as home.
Agent: “Woody” is our English-speaking property manager; he and Jill hail from U.S.A. but they are full-time residents on Isla Palo Seco. Woody can arrange tours or answer any question about the area [2779-3228]
Cleaning: Sylvia keeps us clean and tidy – the house will be clean with plenty of clean towels and extra linen + fresh linen on the beds which will be arranged as you wish them – if you wish cleaning service during the week it can be arranged at a modest cost ($30.00).
Keys: will be arranged at booking time
Security – when we decided to build a home in the tropics we wanted to make sure that we selected an area with stable government and low crime - Costa Rica and in particular this area of Costa Rica fit the bill – that does not mean that there is no crime in Costa Rica – there is (just as there is in the USA and Canada) – so, when we built this house we decided to leave nothing to chance as far as security is concerned – we probably went overboard – the house is protected with decorative burglar bars on all windows and doors, the yard is fenced and gated and we have night-time security – “Reyes” provides our night security from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am every evening – he does not speak English but he is reliable and very friendly.
Insects – At dusk/dawn the “noseeums” can be annoying here. We recommend using insect spray if you are sensitive at all – insect spray is quite effective and you will not be bothered if you remember to use it - I like Deep Woods Off - we have not been overly bothered by mosquitos.
Groceries: Jaco has two larger grocery stores but Parrita has two grocery stores that are pretty good! We usually use the store that is right beside the Parrita River Bridge (Maxi-Bodega).
Money: Our rates are quoted in U.S. dollars but you will find the Costa Rica currency, “colones” easy and convenient to use – most small businesses prefer colones and the smaller restaurants are not equipped to accept credit cards. The simple equation is c1,000 (colones) = $2.00 US. There are ATMs that you can use your interact card at (at the airport, and in Parrita at Banco National + others – they are safe – I usually withdraw no more than c100,000 (= $200.00 US) at one time) – you can also use credit cards (VISA is most common) quite safely at most larger stores – ie the grocery stores and gas stations.
Surf Boards: We have two boogie boards + two long surf boards + one short surf board for your use - enjoy! However, please note that surf boards can be broken (for example - a large wave can toss the rider and jam the board into the sand - not always, but occasionally the board will break - broken/gouged surf boards can usually be repaired but a break costs $80.00 and a gouge costs $40.00 to repair - if the board is totaled $350.00 to replace the long board and $150.00 to replace the short board (these are used board prices) we operate on the honour system and we expect that the person using the board at the time damage is incurred will notify us and reimburse us for the damage/loss so that we can continue to provide the boards for all of our visitors.
Safety in the ocean**** - the ocean is warm and inviting but you must use extra care when entering - most beaches that enjoy waves big enough to surf will also produce "rip tides" and this beach is known as a surfing beach (tournaments are held here!) - a swimmer can be swept out to sea with serious consequences. If you go into the ocean without a surf board or boogie board you should not go beyond mid-thigh depth (rule of thumb) and always make sure that someone else is on the beach (with surf/boogie board) in case of trouble. At high tide times the ocean gets deep quickly because of the slope near the tree line - low tide to mid-tide is the best time to enter the ocean because the bottom is flat and the depth stays shallow further - we don't want to frighten you away from the ocean (we are in it all the time) but you must exercise extra caution when entering it.
Electricity: electricity is the same voltage as in North America so your small appliances, ie hair dryers (we have a hair dryer at the house and I-Pod music deck), lap top, re-chargers for cameras etc. will work just the same as home.
Agent: “Woody” is our English-speaking property manager; he and Jill hail from U.S.A. but they are full-time residents on Isla Palo Seco. Woody can arrange tours or answer any question about the area [2779-3228]
Cleaning: Sylvia keeps us clean and tidy – the house will be clean with plenty of clean towels and extra linen + fresh linen on the beds which will be arranged as you wish them – if you wish cleaning service during the week it can be arranged at a modest cost ($30.00).
Keys: will be arranged at booking time
Security – when we decided to build a home in the tropics we wanted to make sure that we selected an area with stable government and low crime - Costa Rica and in particular this area of Costa Rica fit the bill – that does not mean that there is no crime in Costa Rica – there is (just as there is in the USA and Canada) – so, when we built this house we decided to leave nothing to chance as far as security is concerned – we probably went overboard – the house is protected with decorative burglar bars on all windows and doors, the yard is fenced and gated and we have night-time security – “Reyes” provides our night security from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am every evening – he does not speak English but he is reliable and very friendly.
Insects – At dusk/dawn the “noseeums” can be annoying here. We recommend using insect spray if you are sensitive at all – insect spray is quite effective and you will not be bothered if you remember to use it - I like Deep Woods Off - we have not been overly bothered by mosquitos.
Groceries: Jaco has two larger grocery stores but Parrita has two grocery stores that are pretty good! We usually use the store that is right beside the Parrita River Bridge (Maxi-Bodega).
Money: Our rates are quoted in U.S. dollars but you will find the Costa Rica currency, “colones” easy and convenient to use – most small businesses prefer colones and the smaller restaurants are not equipped to accept credit cards. The simple equation is c1,000 (colones) = $2.00 US. There are ATMs that you can use your interact card at (at the airport, and in Parrita at Banco National + others – they are safe – I usually withdraw no more than c100,000 (= $200.00 US) at one time) – you can also use credit cards (VISA is most common) quite safely at most larger stores – ie the grocery stores and gas stations.
Surf Boards: We have two boogie boards + two long surf boards + one short surf board for your use - enjoy! However, please note that surf boards can be broken (for example - a large wave can toss the rider and jam the board into the sand - not always, but occasionally the board will break - broken/gouged surf boards can usually be repaired but a break costs $80.00 and a gouge costs $40.00 to repair - if the board is totaled $350.00 to replace the long board and $150.00 to replace the short board (these are used board prices) we operate on the honour system and we expect that the person using the board at the time damage is incurred will notify us and reimburse us for the damage/loss so that we can continue to provide the boards for all of our visitors.
Safety in the ocean**** - the ocean is warm and inviting but you must use extra care when entering - most beaches that enjoy waves big enough to surf will also produce "rip tides" and this beach is known as a surfing beach (tournaments are held here!) - a swimmer can be swept out to sea with serious consequences. If you go into the ocean without a surf board or boogie board you should not go beyond mid-thigh depth (rule of thumb) and always make sure that someone else is on the beach (with surf/boogie board) in case of trouble. At high tide times the ocean gets deep quickly because of the slope near the tree line - low tide to mid-tide is the best time to enter the ocean because the bottom is flat and the depth stays shallow further - we don't want to frighten you away from the ocean (we are in it all the time) but you must exercise extra caution when entering it.