Season of Change

Sunset in Playa Pelada, March 2020

A Season of Change

At the end of each high season, I like to reflect on the people that I had the pleasure to greet at vacation homes, and how everyone enjoyed their stay in Nosara. Nosara’s high season this year was unlike any other.

Throughout the season, I was in the presence of change.

I was concierge to some very personal moments in the lives of the guests that I welcomed to Nosara.

I welcomed the family of a WISH child whose wish was to learn to surf in Costa Rica. I supported a return guest facing her fear of surfing after a bad accident the year before. I assisted four friends, one terminally ill, on their last surf trip together. I reassured a mom that her family’s first Christmas abroad would still be full cheer. I welcomed the families of a bride and groom that stayed at one vacation home all together to honor the nuptials. And I arranged a surprise gift of a birthday cake and in-home massage for a 40th birthday celebration.

I witnessed a lot of joy amidst some big changes for these guests.

Locally, we too, changed as a community. From September to February, we gathered several times to honor the lives of friends and family members in Nosara that we lost this season.

Whether we’re processing the loss of a friend or loved one, facing our fears, creating new traditions, celebrating milestones, or planting new seeds on our life path, the one thing that remains true is that life is full of uncertainty.

Change is always present.

Nosara’s high season ended early with the COVID-19 pandemic. With the virus rapidly making its way throughout the world and changing the course of daily life as we all know it, it seems that bigger changes are still to come.

For our small community, so reliant on tourism, only time will tell if all the small businesses that add to the charm of Nosara will survive to see another season.

I have hope that they will.

Nosara is a spirited community and one with a resilient heart. The people that live here are determined to self-sustain.

The Amigos de Costa Rica, together with the Nosara Food Bank and Nosara Civic Association, have arranged an emergency fund where donations can be made to provide food for the people in Nosara that no longer have income. Here is the link if you would like to donate.

The Nosara Spanish Institute just launched on-line Spanish language classes for new students and alumni, and both Pilates Nosara and Harmony Healing Center are hosting free fitness and yoga classes via their Facebook pages.

So even if you can’t be in Nosara to participate in person, you can still be part of Nosara’s virtual community and join a class!

I think I can speak for the whole community in saying that we look forward to welcoming guests to Nosara once again. Until then, be safe, be kind and extend grace to everyone during this time of uncertainty.

Pura luz y vida.

Life Abroad Blooms During Rainy Season!

At 5:45am, I woke to crisp cool air and a symphony of jungle sounds – a troop of howler monkeys to the north and birds singing in the trees all around our gardens.

I lounge in a rocking chair, enjoying a cup of coffee and the orange sunrise light over the jungle and ocean. September and October are my most favorite months in Nosara.

This is the quiet time of year when tourism slows to less than a crawl and many businesses close while their owners travel. For those of us who stay through the rainiest time of the green season, we embrace the tranquil pace and cooler temperatures.

Though, it’s largely because of Mother Nature that these are my favorite months.

Girlfriend is wildly active! The tree canopies are full, bright green and the branches bounce with life—monkeys, birds, iguanas, bug-mud houses and even coatis are gettin’ their climb on. There are butterfly parties dancing on mangoes fallen from trees, an occasional snake being relocated away from a home, horses happily rolling around in pastures and sea turtles nesting in the local shores.

Waterfalls flow and new ones form, the rivers swell making roads impassable and creating an easy merge with the ocean for crocodiles to make their way down to a neighboring river mouth.

And what captivates and demands your attention more than crazy amounts of rain and a booming thunderstorm? A little frightening yet exhilarating.

If lightening is your thing, you may even get up close and personal with an occasional bolt of charge, I did. After putting my son down for a nap one afternoon, I took a seat at the kitchen table when I heard—not saw—but heard a bolt of electricity rip through the sky and strike the earth somewhere near by. There was a flash outside followed by an easy current that ran from my feet up through my body. Crazy, scary, cool!

Though in all of Mother Nature’s raw awesomeness, what I appreciate most is that she has a way of reconnecting me to my present moment. In her presence, I slow down, reflect and really feel gratitude for my family, friends and the natural world. I feel inspired to return to my simple, personal joys – laughing with my son, morning cuddles, nesting, cooking, free-writing, the feel of freshly laundered sheets, taking pictures, and my coffee time with the jungle when I wake.

For me, this time of year is so much more than just wildly beautiful, it’s pure joy.

It’s hard for me to sum up why I suggest visiting Nosara this time of year. The words that come to mind are exhilarating, expanding, replenishing. tranquil. Words that don’t make much sense to the typical traveler looking for a Costa Rican beach vacation. Though there is a quote from the book, The Republic of Tea, that I think will resonate with the indiscriminate traveler,

“Its the kind of place that reminds you of your own true nature, and it makes you wonder how it was you ever came to forget.”

“Planting” Your Family Vacation in Nosara!

The replenishing rains have returned to Nosara and its green season once again! The green season is one of the most beautiful times to visit Nosara!

I love living in a place where nature is abundant. There’s something about living closer to nature that adds a sense of calm to every day, no matter what the day brings. Regard for our natural environments and resources is a hot topic (no pun intended) these days and it’s a [sad] reality.

The care for our natural world matters and not only in our every day life, it matters even in the way we vacation.

Let’s do our part by traveling with reusable water bottles, shampoo bottles, and biodegradable toiletries, and seeking out activities to enjoy that will leave a lasting and positive impact.

I’d like to introduce to you Costa Verdes.

Gather your family and friends and plant a tree with Costa Verdes. It’s a great way to enjoy the beach, learn a little about the local flora and fauna and make a positive impact during your stay in Nosara!

Costa Verdes is a nonprofit organization with the mission of reforestation along the shores of many Costa Rican beaches. In 2014, the Nosara Civic Association reached out to Costa Verdes for their assistance with the reforestation of Playa Guiones.

Wow, what a difference Costa Verdes has made! Visit Costa Verdes website and scroll down to see the ‘then and now’ photo of Playa Guiones. The difference is really remarkable!

A morning tour with Costa Verdes is a great way to plant some roots to remember your family’s Nosara vacation. The tree planting takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.  To arrange a tour, send an email to Gerardo. He’s a great person and speaks both English and Spanish. Contact: gerardo.bolanos@costaverdes.org or visit: CostaVerdes.org

Enjoy!

Where To Fly Into, Liberia (LIR) or San Jose (SJO)?

HERNANDEZ, UNSPLASH

You’ve decided to bring the family to Nosara for your family vacation. Now it’s time to book your flights. Here’s a little insight...

First things first. Which airport do you fly into?

Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR) is the closest international airport to Nosara, approximately 2.5 hours away by car or taxi. Airfares to Liberia can be more expensive than San Jose but sometimes you can get a great deal. Airfares are most expensive during the busy holidays weeks of Christmas, New Year’s and spring break.

Over the past few years, more flights and more airlines are offering service to Liberia (LIR) airport. So much so that the airport plans to expand and eventually be open 24/7. Some of the airlines that offer service to Liberia include: Alaska, Delta, JetBlu, American, AirCanada, Southwest, COPA, Continental, United, AeroMexico, Sunwing, KLM and FinnAir.

What’s great about Liberia airport is that not only is it closer to Nosara than San Jose but it’s a smaller airport and very easy to navigate. There’s only one way to exit the airport when you arrive so it’s easy to find your reserved shuttle or the car rental shuttle service. If you have a late night arrival or an early morning departure that requires a hotel stay, I suggest the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia. It offers a free shuttle service and is within a five minute shuttle ride to the airport.

The largest international airport in Costa Rica is in the country’s capital of San Jose.

San Jose’s San Juan Santa Maria International Airport (SJO) is approximately a 4.5 to 5 hour drive to Nosara by car or taxi. Flights into San Jose offer the best fares and more flights. If your flight arrives in San Jose in the late afternoon, I suggest staying the night in a hotel or hiring a shuttle to drive you to Nosara. It is dark in Costa Rica by about 6:00 p.m. and the roads are not well marked. With a taxi driver, you can relax and let them do the night driving.

Sometimes flying into San Jose will require an overnight stay. I recommend the Holiday Inn Express it is very close to the airport and offers a free shuttle service. If your vacation plans include spending a few nights in San Jose to check out the city, I suggest Suites Cristina. Though it’s further from the airport, especially during rush hour, the amenities are ideal for a family and it’s central to some of the city highlights. They also offer a shuttle service that must be arranged directly through the hotel at least 48 hours in advance of your arrival.

Another option to get to Nosara from San Jose or Liberia is Sansa Air.

Sansa Air offers service from Liberia and San Jose to Nosara. The flight from San Jose is about an hour and from Liberia, it’s about 20 minutes. The air crafts seat about 12 people, and flight times are limited so it’s recommended to reserve in advance to get a seat and a good deal! Be sure to review the baggage size and weight restrictions, they are different than the commercial airlines.

Make Every Guest Stay Part of Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

As we head into the end of high season in Nosara, I like to reflect on the highlights and funny tales of guest stays at the Vacation Rentals that I manage.

The highlight this year: guests that brought their own reusable travel gear!

In my arrival email to guests, I suggest that they bring their own reusable travel shampoo bottles, snack packs, an easy to pack reusable bag and their own water bottle in support of #NoPlasticNosara. And most of them did! How do I know this? Many of them smiled proudly and made a point to show me their gear and water bottles upon arrival. It was awesome!

Even the smallest green effort can have a positive impact and contribute to the well-being of this little jungle beach town.

BARE bum soap, available at la bodega

Here are some suggestions on ways to incorporate more green practices into your Nosara vacation home:

1. Consider purchasing handmade, package free soaps by Bare Bum from La Bodega. You can slice one bar of soap to create a few smaller bars for each bathroom.

2. Provide clear guidelines for guests on how to properly dispose of trash (black trash bags) and prepare recycle items for pick-up (clean and dry). I provide these guidelines on my website so they are easy to access.

3. Refill your biodegradable cleaning products at Mermaids Cleaning. Cleaning is an essential part of your vacation rental business. Reuse those bottles by bringing them to Mermaids to be refilled.  

4. Support the Nosara Recycle Center. For a small fee of only $10/month, Nosara Recycle Center can pick up your recycle items every Wednesday.

5. Suggest that your guests bring their own reusable travel items.

6. Soap Nuts. One of my homeowner clients recently started providing nifty little nuts of natural laundry soap as part of her welcome package for guests.

What green practices do you incorporate into your vacation rental business?

What Brought Our Family to Nosara, Costa Rica

When people ask me what brought our family to Nosara, I tell them, “I googled it.”

It was May of 2011 and our son would be turning 1 year old in July. One evening, I climbed into bed and said to my partner, “I guess I better think about going back to work full time soon. We’ll need to start looking for a daycare.” My partner stayed up all night contemplating options that would not include putting our son in daycare.

By the time morning broke, the idea was to move abroad.

My partner worked a remote job at the time, and as long as we stayed within a certain time zone we could make the move. We are from California and decided we wanted to go south – Mexico, Central or South America. The two places that came to mind were Costa Rica and Mexico. 

We had both traveled through and loved Mexico for its rich history and crazy good cuisine. We had also been to Costa Rica and appreciated the friendly culture and simple lifestyle. We also knew that we could easily find a family friendly town that offered one thing we each liked to do—surf and yoga.

So I googled it: Yoga   Surf   Costa Rica   Mexico

Our search results were Nosara, Costa Rica and Sayulita, Mexico. We started [virtually] knocking on the doors of rental properties in both towns and the only doors that opened were in Nosara. So the decision was made.

Our plan came together in just three short months. We sublet our house, purchased our plane tickets, I quit my job, we had a yard sale and moved the rest of our personal belongings into our garage. Our families agreed to take care of our cat and cars while we were away. Our plan to stay in Nosara for the next five months came together easily. It was October 1, 2011, when we arrived in Costa Rica.

As I sit and draft this blog, it is October 1, 2016. Exactly five years later.

This makes me smile. Perhaps that is why the green season is my favorite time of year in Nosara, it’s when it all started. Little did we know that on this day five years ago when we left California in pursuit of more quality time with our son, we were writing the preface to our next life chapter.

Our initial move to Nosara was a time of a lot of “firsts” for our son.

At 13 months old, he was proudly using his newly acquired walking skills for impromptu explorations down the dirt roads, pushing a large toy truck through rain puddles, playing in the warm ocean and tide pools, and he especially love cold Pipas during our morning time at the beach. He would nap in a hammock in the afternoon, followed by a bike ride to the main road to watch cars go by. He also loved stroller dancing with his arms in the air, bobbing his head to the beat of the music playing at a nearby cafe.

My heart still overflows just thinking about this time in Nosara.

Being able to stay home with my son and share in his ‘firsts’ was the second greatest gift from my partner (my son being the first, of course). I have so much gratitude for that special time.

We enjoyed our stay in Nosara so much that we extended our stay from five months to eight. During those eight months, we made lots of like-minded friends, deepened our appreciation for Costa Rican culture and their regard for children and family, and rediscovered how beautiful life is when we choose to enjoy nature, allow ourselves to be in the present moment and to live simply.