WELCOME TO CASA PRIETA

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Shon Jennings
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1 WELCOME TO CASA PRIETA Hope you had a safe trip to Costa Rica and my home. By now, you have met with my property management company, Gold Coast Vacation Rentals and are comfortable with everything in the house. Of course, if you have any questions or problems, they are there to help you. The office phone number is Please note, their office hours are Monday through Saturday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM and closed on Sundays. If you have any problems after hours that can t wait until the office is open, please call Britta's cell phone, , or home, (please respect her privacy after hours) I ve put together several pages of information that I hope will be helpful for your vacation. If you have anything you want to share with future guests, please feel free to write it in the Guest Book. Also, if you see anything that needs attention, please inform the property management company. Please make yourself at home, enjoy your stay, come back soon and tell your friends! Things to know Maid, gardener and pool service; the care taking of Casa Prieta is provided by two special people, Roberto and Francis. They will make every effort to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Francis will provide maid service every 3 rd day, unless other prior arrangements have been made. She will perform general house cleaning, dish washing and laundry service. She will also cook for you, for a fee, which you can discuss with her directly. Roberto will perform gardening and pool servicing during the week. They will make every attempt not to disturb you. If you have any special requests, please let the property manager know. Also, if you see anything that needs attention, please let them know. Leaves and debris sometimes land in the pool between cleanings. There is a net in the pool room if you would like to clean it prior to the next service. Air conditioning and fans; each bedroom has its own air conditioner and fan. Please keep the windows closed when running the A/C. The living and dining rooms have large air conditioning units and 2 fans. In the heat of the summer, December to April, and during the mid day, it may be necessary to use both air conditioners to keep the house comfortable. Setting both on 20 degrees, will usually make the rooms comfortable. Once the house cools off, or the sun goes down, you can shut off one or both A/C units. Keeping the blinds closed at the height of the mid day sun will help greatly in cooling the house. If going out for the day, close the blinds before leaving. Electricity and phone; sometimes during a storm, the electricity and/or phone may go out. Give it some time to come back on, which it usually does rather quickly. There are candles and safety lights, if necessary. Please note, water is supplied to the house through a gravity/pump system. If the electricity goes out, the pump will not work. Of course, if it becomes a problem, call or visit the property managers office.

2 There is also a high powered flashlight located in the office area. If you use it, please recharge it for the next time. There are also emergency night lights that turn on if the lights go out. Bugs and animals; welcome to Costa Rica! There are all kinds of interesting bugs and animals here. Most are harmless, but be aware. Always check your shoes and clothing for bugs. If you leave the outside lights on, many bugs will be attracted to the lights. Don t leave the doors open! Coati's (racoon/anteater looking animals) are very friendly and have been known to walk right into the house. Listen for the Howler Monkeys, which are loudest at dawn and dusk. Outdoor lights; all low voltage lights go on at dusk and off at dawn automatically. There are also outdoor lights on the side of the house that can be turned on by the light switch near the pool-side house door. There is also a night light in the pool. The switch is mounted outside, on the pool room wall. Security gates/windows; the gates, windows and doors should always be closed and locked when leaving the house. As added security, leave the living room TV on, when leaving the house. A safe is provided for guests to use. It is located in the master bedroom closet. The key is on the key chain, with the house and gate keys. Television/DVD, etc; Television stations are supplied by satellite Direct TV, including HBO and Cinemax.. Select "Video 1" on the TV remote to watch television stations. Then use the Direct TV remote to change stations. Select "Video 2" for the DVD/VCR player. There is also a TV in the master bedroom. There is a silver remote that turns on the TV. This remote also selects TV/VIDEO, which should be on TV, channel 3 and also adjusts the volume. Use the black remote, Direct TV, to select channels. You need to point the black remote at the sensor, located on the bureau in the bedroom. This will enable you to watch Direct TV in the bedroom. Make sure the Direct TV box located in the living room, is also turned on. Sometimes, if a wrong button is pressed on the remotes, you may loose the picture and can t seem to get it back. To get back to the original settings...for the living room TV, make sure the silver LG remote is set to Video 1 (using the TV/VIDEO button). For the bedroom TV, make sure it is set to TV, channel 3. Again, the Direct TV box in the living room MUST be on for either TV to work. BBQ grill; Make sure you open the cover and turn on the tank. Press the red ignition button several times. If it does not light, use a match and place it at the hole, on the bottom right side of the grill. If the tank is low, or out, please contact the property manager.

3 Phone numbers House phone; Local calls are free. Please note; International calls made from the house phone, on average, cost about $2.00 per minute. You will be billed for all calls made from the house phone. If you plan on making International calls, it is best to buy phone cards at the local markets. Ask for 199 Tarjeta Telefonica, tres mil. They cost 3000 Colones and will allow you to call to the United States for about 13 minutes. Medical emergency; Emergencias 2000: and P&E Emergencias: They are located in Huacas, which is about minutes away. Gold Coast Vacation Rentals; (office) (cell). Internet access; Internet cafes are located in Flamingo, Brasilito and Tamarindo. A good connection is at the Costa Rica Dive Shop, on the main road towards Brasilito. Grocery stores There are several grocery stores close to the house. The nearest stores are Super Cymie and Super Potrero at the soccer field, at the bottom of the hill. They both sell most everything you need, except fresh meats/seafood. Most have frozen meats/fish. Another one is Super Wendy, on the road towards Flamingo, that has everything and great prices too. There is also Surfside, further down the road. Lots of stuff there too. Flamingo has a new store, Super Massai, with everything you need, including meats. It is located on the left side of the main road going towards Brasilito Fresh seafood is available at the stand across the street from the gas station in Brasilito. Great fish there! Call ahead, , sometimes they have no fish! Beaches There are several beaches to choose from. The closest beaches are Playa Prieta and Playa Penca, which are right below the house. Playa Penca; follow the road down to the bottom of the hill. Bear left, then take your first right, before the soccer field. A white sand beach with calm surf (usually), great for swimming, picnics, etc. Playa Prieta; follow the road down to the bottom of the hill. Bear right and take your first left. Same as Penca, but with more trees! Sugar Beach (Azucar); looking out over the ocean, this is the next beach to the right, after Prieta. follow the road down the hill, bear right, past entrance to Prieta, stay straight. You follow the road around the mountain and you will come to Hotel Sugar Beach. The next dirt road on the left past the hotel will bring you to Sugar Beach. A beautiful, calm beach.

4 Playa Zopatol; follow road to Sugar beach, but don t take road to Sugar, go straight to next dirt road on left. This road requires a 4 wheel drive car. Another beautiful beach, except this one is VERY secluded. Playa Flamingo; follow road through Potrero, to the intersection at the paved road. Take a right and follow like you are going to House of Rentals. Past House of Rentals, you will find Flamingo Beach. ANOTHER beautiful beach, but the surf here is a little rougher. Playa Potrero; follow road down the hill, bear left, past soccer field. Stay straight, next to Las Brisas bar/restaurant. Very calm surf. Playa Conchal; hard to find, but worth it! Follow road out of town, towards Brasilito. Go over all 3 speed bumps, then turn right, towards Hotel Brasilito. Road turns left. Follow ocean and go straight on dirt road. You actually drive on the sand. Keep going straight until you come to a hill (need a 4 wheel drive, or park there and walk) go over hill and down on other side is Conchal. A gorgeous shell beach and great for snorkeling! Playa Tamarindo; follow road out of town towards Brasilito. Stay straight after 3 speed bumps and follow towards Huacas. Follow signs to Tamarindo. Great surfing beach. Playa Grande; like Tamarindo, just follow signs after Huacas. Another great surfing beach. Probably the biggest waves around! Restaurants There are so many good restaurants around. You won t want to cook at home! Try them all. Las Brisas; on Potrero beach, past soccer field. Great bar/restaurant on the beach. Very casual, great sunsets, snacks, ceviche, etc. Every Wednesday night is ladies night, were all the locals go to party. Hotel Sugar Beach; very nice restaurant overlooking the ocean. Great food, nice atmosphere. Follow directions to Sugar Beach. A must! La Penca; typical Costa Rican food, on road to Playa Penca. Great casados. Marco Polo; great pizza, Italian food, seafood. (watch out for their $26 buffet, but everything else is cheap!) Follow road past Potrero soccer field, over little bridge, stay straight past Bahia Esmeralda. Follow signs to restaurant. Bahia Esmeralda; past soccer field, over little bridge, on left. Good seafood, pastas.

5 Club Bahia Potrero; follow road out of town towards Flamingo. At junction in front of entrance to Potrero beach, you will see this restaurant and also Monte Carlo, another good restaurant. Mariner Inn; in Flamingo. Great breakfast and lunch. Right past the marina. Marie s; in Flamingo. Right next to House of Rentals. Great chicken! Marina Resort Hotel; in Flamingo. Great drinks at the Monkey bar. Also, excellent restaurant next to the bar. Happy Snapper Restaurant; at the sharp turn in Brasilito. Excellent seafood restaurant! Usually live music and lots of people. Camaron Dorado; in Brasilito. Follow road to Brasilito. When road takes a sharp left, go right instead of left were the speed bumps are. Right on the ocean. Very nice atmosphere. A little expensive for Costa Rica! Il Forno; in Brasilito. Past speed bumps, over little bridge, on the left. One of my favorites. Great food, pizza, pastas. Try there lobster taglatelli or grilled squid! La Casita Pescado; in Brasilito. Past speed bumps, go right towards Hotel Brasilito, next to beach. Great little outside seafood restaurant, right on the beach. Say hi to Kevin! Fresh seafood; if you would like to buy fresh seafood and cook at home, try the fish store, across the street from the gas station in Brasilito. Well, that s all I can think of now. Please write about any restaurants that you enjoyed! Things to do and see Canopy tours; , the closet one is the Congo Trail Canopy Tours, which is located on the monkey trail. Post cards are on the desk. Follow the road down the hill, past the soccer field. Go straight past Bahia Esmeralda and Marco Pollo restaurant. At the fork, bear left, and follow for about minutes. Most cars will make it in the dry season, but during the wet season, a 4X4 will be needed. A lot of fun! Horseback riding; Bomar, located right on the road to the house. Marvin will take you on the beaches, in the hills and on trails around here. Scuba diving; Costa Rica Diving, , located in Flamingo. Dive trips, certifications, snorkel trips, sailing and kayaks. Sportfishing/sunset cruises; Marina Flamingo, , has everything you need for fun on the ocean, like charter boats for deep sea fishing, sailing, sunset cruises and day

6 cruises. The Edge, , across from the marina, has snorkeling trips, mountain bikes, boogie boards, kayaks, PADI instructions, etc. Casinos; Amberes, located in Flamingo has a casino, restaurant and a disco. The disco is hoppin on Saturday nights. There is also a casino in the Flamingo Beach Resort. Championship Golf; the best course around is located at the Melia Conchal Resort, just past Brasilito. It is a beautiful eco-friendly golf course right at the beach. Quads and dirt bikes; located on the right of main road leaving Flamingo towards Brasilito. Tours available too. Good, common sense stuff Gas; Always fill up your tank when you can. You never know when you might run low and not find any gas stations. As of this writing, the gas station in Brasilito has NO GAS, because of a problem!! The nearest station to the house is in Huacas, about 25 minutes away. Valuables; Always keep your valuables out of site in your car. When leaving the house, lock all doors and windows and shut the gate. Leave the TV on, as an added security. Use the safe provided. Exchanging money; The best rates are at the banks. The worst rates are at the new exchange booth, on the way out of the airport. There is a bank at the airport, but you must go out of the airport, cross the street, then up the stairs and back into the airport. It is located near where you pay your exit tax. You can also exchange money at the Super Cymie, in Potrero. They give you bank rates! Driving; There are many speed traps in Costa Rica, so drive carefully and watch your speed! Also, be aware of some serious pot holes. At night and in the rain, they are very difficult to see. Credit Cards; Many stores or restaurants take credit cards, but VISA seems to be the one of choice here. Travelers checks are also widely excepted, as well as Dollars. Sunburn; Since Costa Rica is almost on the Equator, the sun is very strong here. Use caution, especially your first few days. I hope this information helps. Have a great trip and come back soon! Please remember to write in the Guest Book located in the home and online at

COSTA RICA ALL INCLUSIVE ALLEGRO. 7 Days / 6 Nights A great vacation with all included even the fun!

COSTA RICA ALL INCLUSIVE ALLEGRO 7 Days / 6 Nights A great vacation with all included even the fun! Introduction This Vacation Package has been designed for travelers that are looking forward to spend