Pura Tranquilidad
Mar 9th, 2010, 06:01 PM
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Pura Tranquilidad
We are not long back from a superb vacation in Cabuya on the Southern Nicoya Peninsula. There is a sign in the village that reads 'Pura Tranquilidad'...well that couldn't be more true! It's a nice little fishing village that let's you feel 'away from it all' while still having everything you need right on your doorstep. We wanted somewhere away from the touristy areas to be able to experience true Costa Rican culture and Cabuya was ideal. Everyone we met was so nice and friendly and more than willing to help us with whatever we needed. And they were always keen to help us with our spanish. It was great being nearby Montezuma (or Mal Pais, if you have your own transport) for days/nights when we wanted somewhere a bit livelier.
Our accommodation was a lovely privately owned vacation rental, Villa Labadee Vacation House. I found it while searching on the internet through the homeaway site, but they have their own website (http://www.costa-rica-house-for-rent.com/index.php) with lots of photos and testimonials, which I found great since I was booking it over the internet. The house was nice, comfortable and clean, and had everything we needed. It has a beautiful garden & patio area out the back and a hammock that is the perfect spot to completely unwind and be serenaded by the sounds of nature. It certainly melts away any stress you may have! It was great to have a kitchen to cook some of our meals, and saved us constantly eating out. We were looking to get away from it all on this trip, but it was a nice bonus to have wireless internet in the house to keep in touch with loved ones back home, and check in with the real world if we needed to. The owners were very welcoming and great to get to know. They were most helpful with any questions we had or advice we needed. I'd totally recommend staying at one of their rental properties.
There are two small supermarkets in Cabuya, which stock pretty much everything you might need. As well as a few restaurants for eating out. All within walking distance. We really enjoyed the local bakery, where you can buy great fresh bread and cakes (it also has a nice cafe, if you're looking for somewhere to eat). El Coyote cafe is a great place for pizza or smoothies, and we also found out about a restaurant house about 1km past El Coyote which has amazing views.
We found plenty of activities and adventures to enjoy during our stay. We took a horse riding tour in Montezuma along the beach to 'El Chorro' waterfall, we went kayaking and snorkelling around Isla Cabuya, ziplining, hiked Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve & spent a few hours at the beautiful, pristine beach there (best to visit the beach when the tide is high), rented quads for a couple of days and drove over to Mal Pais, where we learned to surf. The trip to Tortuga Island was a great day out, we'd definitely recommend it (we went with Zuma Tours). A tip that the owners of our vacation rental gave us, was to go and swim in the Rio Lajas. And we did. Many times. It's a terrific place to cool off and relax in some of the pools.
There are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from in the area. The beach right in Cabuya is a fishing beach (a good place to go and buy fresh fish for dinner - we had a great barbecue one night). It's a bit rocky, but you only have to walk a little while in the direction of Montezuma and you'll find a nicer, sandy stretch of beach. You may even have it all to yourself, as we did on a few occasions. Playa Las Manchas is a charming little beach, one of our favourites, and a lovely place to spend the afternoon playing in the ocean. We found some good snorkelling there too - if you swim right from the beach there is a long underwater canyon filled with fish.
Now that we're home, I lie in bed at night missing the sound of the waves to lull me to sleep! Our time in Cabuya definitely made for a perfect vacation. The only thing we didn't like was that we had to leave, but I have no doubt we'll be back again.
Our accommodation was a lovely privately owned vacation rental, Villa Labadee Vacation House. I found it while searching on the internet through the homeaway site, but they have their own website (http://www.costa-rica-house-for-rent.com/index.php) with lots of photos and testimonials, which I found great since I was booking it over the internet. The house was nice, comfortable and clean, and had everything we needed. It has a beautiful garden & patio area out the back and a hammock that is the perfect spot to completely unwind and be serenaded by the sounds of nature. It certainly melts away any stress you may have! It was great to have a kitchen to cook some of our meals, and saved us constantly eating out. We were looking to get away from it all on this trip, but it was a nice bonus to have wireless internet in the house to keep in touch with loved ones back home, and check in with the real world if we needed to. The owners were very welcoming and great to get to know. They were most helpful with any questions we had or advice we needed. I'd totally recommend staying at one of their rental properties.
There are two small supermarkets in Cabuya, which stock pretty much everything you might need. As well as a few restaurants for eating out. All within walking distance. We really enjoyed the local bakery, where you can buy great fresh bread and cakes (it also has a nice cafe, if you're looking for somewhere to eat). El Coyote cafe is a great place for pizza or smoothies, and we also found out about a restaurant house about 1km past El Coyote which has amazing views.
We found plenty of activities and adventures to enjoy during our stay. We took a horse riding tour in Montezuma along the beach to 'El Chorro' waterfall, we went kayaking and snorkelling around Isla Cabuya, ziplining, hiked Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve & spent a few hours at the beautiful, pristine beach there (best to visit the beach when the tide is high), rented quads for a couple of days and drove over to Mal Pais, where we learned to surf. The trip to Tortuga Island was a great day out, we'd definitely recommend it (we went with Zuma Tours). A tip that the owners of our vacation rental gave us, was to go and swim in the Rio Lajas. And we did. Many times. It's a terrific place to cool off and relax in some of the pools.
There are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from in the area. The beach right in Cabuya is a fishing beach (a good place to go and buy fresh fish for dinner - we had a great barbecue one night). It's a bit rocky, but you only have to walk a little while in the direction of Montezuma and you'll find a nicer, sandy stretch of beach. You may even have it all to yourself, as we did on a few occasions. Playa Las Manchas is a charming little beach, one of our favourites, and a lovely place to spend the afternoon playing in the ocean. We found some good snorkelling there too - if you swim right from the beach there is a long underwater canyon filled with fish.
Now that we're home, I lie in bed at night missing the sound of the waves to lull me to sleep! Our time in Cabuya definitely made for a perfect vacation. The only thing we didn't like was that we had to leave, but I have no doubt we'll be back again.
Mar 10th, 2010, 04:01 AM
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Wow,what a great way to unwind! I've checked out some of the houses on line and they look great, and reasonably priced as well. How long did you stay at Villa Labadee?
We were recently in Montezuma and wanted to look into renting in Cabuya, but never got around to it. We are returning in August so perhaps I'll go take a look.
Did you see the other houses listed on the website? If so, how did they compare? Was there ever any security issues?
We were recently in Montezuma and wanted to look into renting in Cabuya, but never got around to it. We are returning in August so perhaps I'll go take a look.
Did you see the other houses listed on the website? If so, how did they compare? Was there ever any security issues?
Mar 28th, 2010, 07:15 PM
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Hi costarica lover, sorry for the delay in replying. Yes it was definitely a perfect way to unwind. We stayed at Labadee for 10 days, though I wish it had been longer! Just as we got nicely adjusted to living by 'tico time', it was time to go back to the hustle and bustle of city life!
We did get to see a couple of the other houses, the owners kindly took us to have a look one afternoon. I have to say, the ones that we saw all looked great. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for and what you need size/space-wise. Security was never an issue and at no point did we ever feel vulnerable. There are iron security bars on the windows of all the houses. As long as you travel smart and remember to lock doors & windows and don't leave valuables lying around, you should be fine. And of course be mindful of your belongings when you're on the beach. We never saw or heard of any problems while we were there and everyone we met was really nice and friendly.
If you're thinking about staying in Cabuya in August, you should definitely contact Noa (her email is on the website). She was really helpful with any questions we had both before and during our vacation.
We did get to see a couple of the other houses, the owners kindly took us to have a look one afternoon. I have to say, the ones that we saw all looked great. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for and what you need size/space-wise. Security was never an issue and at no point did we ever feel vulnerable. There are iron security bars on the windows of all the houses. As long as you travel smart and remember to lock doors & windows and don't leave valuables lying around, you should be fine. And of course be mindful of your belongings when you're on the beach. We never saw or heard of any problems while we were there and everyone we met was really nice and friendly.
If you're thinking about staying in Cabuya in August, you should definitely contact Noa (her email is on the website). She was really helpful with any questions we had both before and during our vacation.
