This is real Costa Rica—not the House Hunter’s International version. It’s all verdant mountains, soaring volcano giants, incredible nature, and farm land—we’re in coffee country! All our neighbors are Ticos (that’s the nickname Costa Rican’s call themselves.)

We live on a finca we've named San Miguel del Rio Oro. But what in the world is a finca? In Spanish it means “farm.”
Now it's not like a huge ranch in Texas (and we know about those because we're both multi-generational Texans.) It's not like a vast wheat field in Kansas, or the corn fields of Iowa. No, it’s not that kind of farm. Maybe you should think more about Old MacDonald’s place. But put it in a river valley. At 3800 feet. In Costa Rica. Now you’re getting the idea.

We consider ourselves to be gentlemen farmers—that means we don’t have to farm, but we like to tinker as a hobby. Of course, we also have our good-natured pups. And yes, we have a few chickens…and geese…and turkeys. They strut around striking the most delightful poses. We have the sweetest dairy goats you’ve ever seen. So you’ll get to meet our “girls”—the 5 dairy goats that we milk every morning so we can make all kinds of artisan cheeses and homemade ice creams. My favorite ice cream flavor is Pineapple Habanero with Macadamia Nut Brittle. Yum! You can try your hand at milking if you’d like—it’s free. You can also take a cheese making class if you’d like—it’s not free. Ha!



We don’t provide breakfast, but we do provide you with delicious farm-fresh eggs, milk, and cheese—all made right here--so you can whip up whatever your heart desires in your fully-equipped kitchen. We have a rotating crop of vegetables in the garden. If you smile real pretty and ask real nice, I'll bet we'll let you pick some of them to use in your meal preparations.

We say living in Costa Rica is lot like a return to the 50s and 60s—things are slower paced, everyone knows everyone, and there’s time to enjoy simpler things. It’s the Pura Vida attitude you’ve heard tell of. It really is great. But that relaxed Pura Vida attitude has it’s flip side—things get done when they get done. What does that mean? Well, after the rainy season (oops, the tourist board says I’m supposed to call it the “green season”) the road that leads to the house can be a bit bumpy. Just do what all the Ticos do: Smile, wave at the neighbors, hang on, and just keep driving.

Speaking of neighbors, we do have some, but since we live at the end of the road and we have 3 1/2 acres you’ll never hear or see them. Well except maybe during coffee-picking season when they head up into the nearby fields in the early morning.

As long as we’re being completely open with each other, let’s talk about all that nature you came to see. You will be surrounded by it as we are living in the midst of primary rainforests. So you won’t have to look very hard to see it. We basically live outdoors most of the time because the climate is so perfect year-round. But that also means that “nature” comes right up to meet you. It is so cool to see a toucan so close you could touch it. However, while we strive to keep everything spic and span, you should know that you may find the occasional creepy-crawler come to pay his respects also.

Seriously, we love our life here. And we fully expect that you will love your time here as well.