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*** DIRECTIONS TO LA CASA QUE CANTA FROIM GUIONES:
From the south: Continue NORTH past the Cafe de Paris and Cocunut Harry's Surf Shop along the one and only main road.
Drive for about 5-8 minutes and you will see a split in the road with signs pointing to Nosara Center or to Ostional. Continue
straight direction Ostional and cross the colorful bridge over the Rio Nosara.
Make an immediate left into the village of Santa Marta and drive through with the soccer field to your left. At the end
of the field make a right and proceed down a little more rustic road past twenty or so modest homes on the right. Continue
another 50 yards past the last house and turn up the SECOND large drive to the right. Enter the property and you will see
the white stucco and green cast iron gate about 50 yards in. Keep going and you will soon see Felix and Laura's cottage on
your right. Get some speed up the hill with your 4-wheel drive locked in! Once up the steep drive, you will find our beautiful
home and sweeping panaramic views of Nosara.
Directions from the north: SOUTH on the coast road from Ostional and through a few rivers that are only passable in the
dry season. See the colorful and only bridge ahead of you - turn right BEFORE THE BRIDGE and follow the rest of the above
directions.
*** La Casa Que Canta is off the grid and we strongly recommend renting a GSM telephone from your rental car agency. As
of very recently, Cingular/At&t and LA Cellular have arranged for their GSM/gprs phones to work in Costa Rica. Call your
carrier before you leave to determine if they offer international service. Tri or Quad band phones are best and Costa Rica
operates at a frequency of 1800. Calls from Costa Rica on US cell phones cost approximately $2/minute. Also - a cell phone
can be provided to you for emergencies and to be used only at the house. It cannot place international calls.
Our home is in a direct line to a tower and has perfect cell reception for GSM/gprs CELL PHONES ONLY.
AND IMPORTANTLY COSTA RICAN CELL PHONES NUMBERS THAT BEGIN WITH AN 8. For example, 812-3212. Please specify to the rental
agency that you need a phone that begins with an 8 and will work in NOSARA!!!
We forsee no emergencies for you, but it is convenient to have a phone to make reservations and calls for information.
We are sorry for any inconvenience. The phone lines were to be installed last January....
*** DESPITE COSTA RICA'S REPUTATION FOR ECOTOURISM AND PROGRESSIVE POLICIES, RECYCLING IS LESS THAN PERFECT THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY. PLEASE! BE CONSCIOUS OF THIS AND USE AS FEW PLASTIC ITEMS AS POSSIBLE. BRING A NALGENE BOTTLE AND REFILL AS YOU
WISH. THE WATER IN COSTA RICA IS BETTER TO DRINK THAN MOST AMERICAN BOTTLED WATER.
AND THE BEST AND CHEAPEST WAY TO BUY BEVERAGES (BEERS AND SODAS) IS IN BOTTLES. YOU CAN PURCHASE THEM AT THE LARGER SUPERMARKETS
(Super La Paloma and Super Nosara on the local map) IN CRATES AND PAY A DEPOSIT THAT IS GUARANTEED UPON RETURN. ALSO, MILK
AND JUICES COME IN BIODEGRADABLE PAPER BOXES. PLEASE GRAB THESE INSTEAD OF PLASTIC CONTAINERS!!!! THE ENVIRONMENT THANKS YOU.
*** There is a stereo at the house. Please bring your own CDs or plug in your iPod.
*** If you are a huge news and sports junkie like myself, it may be hard to not have a TV for a week. You can get your
CNN fix at the Cafe de Paris, Gilded Iguana and various other restaurants. Sports downtown at Rancho Tico or at the Casa Tucan.
There are a few games, magazines and extra books at the house. ENJOY and bring more if needed.
*** JUST TO REITERATE, THE WATER AT LA CASA QUE CANTA IS NOT ONLY SAFE, BUT REALLY GOOD FOR YOU... FULL OF MINERALS FROM
A VIRGIN AQUIFER. THERE IS A BRITA FILTER ON THE MAIN KITCHEN WATER THAT WE USUALLY USE FOR FILLING A COLD WATER JUG IN THE
REFRIGERATOR.
*** Tile floors are customary in Costa Rica. They are beautiful and keep things cool - AND VERY SLIPPERY WHEN WET!!! PLEASE
TAKE CARE WHEN EXITING THE POOL AND ANY TIME THE FLOORS ARE WET!!!
*** Depending on your sensitivity to bugs, you may need to frequently apply repellent, especially as the sun sets and
in the later evening hours. Please plan accordingly - Costa Rica is a lush tropical rain forest and those pesky little biters
are everywhere.
As a general and obvious rule (and my pet peeve), the more you keep the doors closed, the fewer bugs you will have inside.
Unfortunately, I can't do anything about the bugs outside, but keep your eyes open for all our little friends who do, including
the toads and frogs, bats, dragon flies, birds, preying mantis', lizards, geccos, and more.
*** TENNIS - We belong to the Tennis Association of Nosara. We pay a yearly membership fee, but as our guests there is
a small surcharge to play while you are in Nosara. Please let us know beforehand and we will let the people in charge know
you are on the way. There are two rather nice courts across from Cafe Luna on the road to Hotel Playas de Nosara, another
in the jungle on the south end of town and our friend just built the first Har Tru court in all of Costa Rica. It is beautiful
and we will try to set up a match for you with him.
*** While we're on the subject, a place not to miss is the Hotel Playas de Nosara. It is a great place to explore. Check
out the website below.
*** More logistics... Each day in Costa Rica is about 12-13 hours long - all year. The sun rises at about 5:30 and sets
at about 5:30. When it sets - the sky is dark. Really dark. When planing your adventures, please consider that you will not
want to be without flashlights after around 4:30pm.
*** I believe you will find, as we do, that there is so much to do during the day that by nightfall you are exhausted.
Relaxing is hard work! Do not be surprised that even after a day or two your entire schedule has shifted. And to help further
you into the Costa Rican groove, the monkeys will be there most mornings to wake you as the sun rises. They don't call them
Howlers for nothing.
***
Please don't leave anything of value in your car. There is a fair amount of petty theft everywhere in Costa Rica. We have
never had so much as a dime taken from our property, but we have heard that a client had their camera stolen from their car
parked at the beach in Guiones.
*** ICE - You can never have enough ice. There is a small icemaker in the freezer and several trays. but I recommend
buying bags of ice when you shop. It is a shame to have to have a warm Pina Colada.
*** Washer and Dryer and the Bodega, in general...
Like most homes in Costa Rica we have a safe room in the house located under the stairway called a bodega. This room is
for the owner and caretaker's use ONLY. Inside there is a washer and dryer for house towels and sheets ONLY. If you really
need one or two important items washed, ask Laura and it may be possible for her to help you out. Otherwise, there is a Laundrymat
in the "strip mall" next to Cafe de Paris. They will wash, dry, fold and fluff for you there. Thank you!
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