
from this terrace the views open over the ocean towards the Nicoya Peninsula
This August my second visit to Costa Rica was finally achieved! I had been to the central valley of this small Central American state once before in February 2006 when I was still finishing my degree at the University of Geneva and already setting up my first company (which then was sadly closed in favour of this one!) called Ride Escape Ltd.
At that time my purpose of travel was not the discovery of rare and beautiful properties which almost no one else knew about, but rather, of exciting horseback adventures in different natural settings. I had found out about Centaura on the net and soon gotten in touch with Esteban who kindly invited me out for a ride. I had flown from Los Angeles through Houston and arrived at San José airport on my own expecting to easily pick out ‘a man with a hat and a moustache named Alex’. What I hadn’t realised then was that most people you will run into at SJO airport are men, have a moustache and wear a straw hat!

riding in a sunday cabalgata 2006
Luckily Esteban had also been there that day and we quickly found each other and took off for the 2.5 hour drive through a lush landscape of coffee plantations, rain and cloud forest, leading to the small village of Platanar at the feet of the famous Arenal Volcano. Platanar gets its name from one of the rivers in the state of San Carlos and Esteban has built a farm there where he and his family now reside, together with a team of almost 30 horses. His company Centaura takes visitors on rides in the region and further afield all around Costa Rica, as well as flying safaris in a hot air balloon!

proud man with embellished tack participates in a traditional topé parade
March is the season for cabalgatas in rural Costa Rica and I had planned my visit there as to be a part of this yearly fiesta, which is a true treat for horse lovers, no matter what kind of riding they’re into! On Saturdays local men and women put on a show prancing through town and village squares on their prize horses who literally dance down the road decorated in fancy saddles and silver-studded bridles. On Sundays over 1,000 riders meet up in the morning a ride throughout the day with a stop for lunch half-way between start and finish point. Parishes take turns at hosting these events and local ladies who prefer not to ride prepare the rice & bean gallo pinto, grilled meats and tortillas for the hungry crowd. At the end of the day, dances are held in large farmsteads and rodeos and cattle sales take place into the night.
But that was 2006. This year I did go back to Platanar and Esteban’s farm but only for a short visit which did of course include some horseback riding and a big surprise given all the changes which had taken place on the property since my last visit when the farm was brand new.

youngest horse at the finca
There is now a swimming pool and a lodge for guests. Esteban’s wife Monica now has a beautiful finca-style home uphill from the stables where her children also live and where my sister Ania and I were invited to home-cooked breakfast early in the tropical mornings. We had a couple of very relaxing days which ended with a visit to a remote hot spring up in the hills facing the Arenal Volcano. This nighttime activity is often enjoyed by locals who can wade in the hot mineral baths while sipping piña coladas or ice cold Imperial beers.

ania & ariella at the hot springs
What a great finish to our stay in the countryside and a fabulous first impression for Ania of Costa Rican hospitality and lifestyle. We were ready now to move on to villas! It was sad to leave the finca and Esteban’s family behind, but we were whisked off for our meeting with Katrin von Enden at the mall in San Ramon. Katrin has been living in Costa Rica for 4 years although she is originally from Germany, and that very morning she had picked up Ania’s & my cousin Sam in San José. We were going to drive towards to coast that day: destination Dominical on the Pacific shore.
Because of her deep knowledge of the country, Katrin was the perfect guide for our visit and the perfect partner for Ariella’s Villas in Costa Rica. We had met one morning at my Geneva office and discussed the possibilities of future collaboration for private property rentals in the popular coastal sites of Mesoamerica’s safest country, beginning with better known areas such as Guanacaste and Tamarindo, then moving down towards Manuel Antonio and its natural reserve, and Dominical with it’s excellent surfing spots. Our plan for August was to start at a villa in Dominical but before we reached it later that evening (in the pitch black night and pouring rain!), Katrin had to take us for lunch at one of her favourite restaurants: the terrace at Villa Caletas, one of the most spectacular views of all times. My family members and I were literally blown away when we reached our table from the car park below.

the view of nicoya from villa caletas terrace
The rainforest canpy stretched out from just below us in a steep descent all the way to the waves breaking on the jagged cliffs facing the Nicoya Peninsula.
As August in Costa Rica is smack in the middle of Green Season (or Rainy Season), we were constantly trying to figure out when would be a good time to see properties, or travel in Katrin’s jeep, or do some outdoor stuff.. or hit the beach! After lunch at the resort we took off for a long drive in hard rain. In the car we couldn’t stop talking; everyone was so excited and our encounters with dangerous creatures of this climate were making us giddy. Before getting to Caletas, we had a made a stop on a bridge over the Rio Tarcoles, famous for its large reptile inhabitants, and in the driveway of the resort we ran into some of the biggest eight-legged insects Sam had ever seen (and he is terrified of spiders!)… Luckily we didn’t come too close to any of them!

crocodiles in the rio tàrcoles
We reached Casa Amigos well after nightfall- which happens early on the Equator- and ventured down the hill to an American restaurant run by a crazed football fan. The villa we were staing at is part of a two-house property set above the coast on an elevated plot of land with only a few neighbours, all of them also fancy villas. What was so amazing is that despite its proximity to some great surfer’s beaches and touristy bars and restaurants, we felt completely isolated at Casa Amigos, as it is set in a small clearing in the untouched rainforest. From our bedrooms we could hear monkeys calling at daybreak and one night at sunset we watched a couple of toucans build their nest just a few hundred metres away from the swimming pool. Staff only comes in for cleaning and the house is equipped with all the commodities one could possibly need for entertainment, relaxation, even cooking! The DVD collection was a big hit with us, but then we never found the time to cuddle up of the sofas and watch a movie because we were so busy exploring our surroundings. On the second night there, we drove towards Uvita (famous for it’s ‘whale-tail’ shaped beach) and had the most delicious fish dinner at a small restaurant that Katrin knew well.
During our stay in the area around Dominical we learned about all the activities Ariella’s Villas’ clients will be able to partake in when renting a holiday home there. Dolphin tours are quite popular although from Katrin’s experience it is sometimes quite difficult to spot any!

ania at the beach
The choice of beaches to visit is endless, as there is sand, cliff and wave distinction of many kinds on Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline. Some beaches are popular with surfers, others with locals, and yet others are deserted and great to spend half the day on (remember there are high and low tides here, and high tide is not a good time to sunbathe, but the schedules for these are provided at the villas). Busily visiting villas, Katrin and I were unable to do any ocean swimming in Dominical, but Sam and Ania experienced the waves without us and took some pictures to share.