Villa Tekla is a distinctive three-level Spanish-Moorish eco-friendly open hacienda designed for the tropics, on 5 acres of forest and landscaped grounds, quietly situated 200 meters off the main road. It has extensive patios and is fully furnished. It can easily accommodate three couples and is suitable for families traveling together. Features include a private swimming pool and high speed WI-FI.
The spacious lower pool level room has a library, bathroom with shower and a king-sized bed with a private entrance accessed by the patio staircases. It has a separate entrance and is totally screened.
The main floor is open-plan with living, dining, and kitchen areas surrounded by wide arched windows protected by artfully crafted Spanish grill work and wooden shutters.
The main-floor bedroom is netted and has a king canopy bed and ample storage. There is a net tent covering the entire bed for extra comfort.
The screened top floor has two single beds and the views from there are spectacular.
The large tiled patio has seating and a charcoal barbecue.
All linen is provided. Our maid has access to our washer-dryer and can do your clothes at a reasonable price. Otherwise, twice-a-week maid service and gardening services are provided at no cost to you. Cable TV, broadband internet, and wi-fi are all free.
The property is 1 1/2 miles from the thriving fishing town of Quepos and an easy walk or drive to the sweeping tourist beaches that continue into Manuel Antonio's National Park, which has become one of Central America's tourist meccas. Several smaller and more private beaches can be accessed, and we can provide directions to them. Though at nine degrees latitude, the climate is benign, with lovely breezes, the temperature ranging in Fahrenheit from the low 70s to the mid-80s, depending on the season.
Villa Tekla provides a chance to enjoy a unique tropical experience, available nowhere else in the Manuel Antonio area. Surrounded by five acres of forest, you will have complete privacy as you enjoy a sunset drink around our pool while gazing upon the distant mountains and the sea, while toucans, squirrel monkeys and kinkajoos cavort in the trees. Yet you are only minutes away to stores, fine restaurants, and the incredible beaches that have made Manuel Antonio world famous.
Forbes Magazine has just named Manuel Antonio as one of the world's 12 best national parks: "Here is a stunning combination of beaches and coral reefs, perfect for snorkeling and exploring the area’s famous tangle of mangroves. Rainforest jungles remain untouched habitats for Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths, iguanas, Central American squirrel monkeys and birds of extraordinary colors. One of Costa Rica’s smallest national parks, Manuel Antonio is nevertheless one of its most popular, with activities ranging from white-water rafting and sea kayaking to horseback riding on one of the park’s four beaches."
Unique to Villa Tekla are the reasonably priced guide services of our close friend Melvin who is thoroughly bilingual (he lived with us in Canada as a child), has 20 years experience leading rafting and hiking tours, and knows the region like no other.
The owner, novelist William Deverell and his family welcome you to their home.
Additional Information:
House Manager
Rebecca Wells is our villa manager in Manuel Antonio who lives only a few minutes down our road. Rebecca can be reached at the numbers in the contact link. She and her husband Jacob are completely bilingual and will help you with any problems, and will assist you with arrival arrangements.
Maid and Gardener
Our maid comes mornings twice a week for 3 or 4 hours. If you would like additional help, Rebecca can arrange for that at the maid's regularly hourly rate, and she can also be hired as well to do your personal laundry in the washer/dryer. Our gardener comes twice a week, early in the morning, for grounds maintenance. Someone also drops by once or twice a week to do pool maintenance.We hope you will treat our staff with trust and respect - they have ours.
Linens and Towels
We supply all essential household goods, including linens and towels, but please do not take our towels to the beach.
Communications
We have two TV sets for your use, with 66 cable channels, as well as DVD and VCR players, and a small library of movies. A high-speed Internet service will provide those who bring laptops or netbooks with a fast, reliable wi-fi service at our cost, for which Rebecca will provide a password. A 22-inch external monitor, USB keyboard and mouse are available at no cost. Our house telephone line does not permit international calls. There is Internet cafe nearby and more in Quepos.
Waste disposal
Please follow basic ecologically sound practices. There's a recycling container in the kitchen which the gardener will sort and empty from time to time. The maid will dispose of garbage, but if you need to do so yourself, you may place bagged garbage into a neighbourhood bin just down the road which is emptied regularly by the municipal service.
Garden
Enjoy any fruit that ripens in the orchard. Bananas, papayas, pineapples, grapefruit, lemons, limes, sour and sweet oranges, mangos, coconuts, avocados and guayabana grow in front of and below the house. Many of these are seasonal, however, and our gardener will offer fruit as it comes available - or ask him to pick for you. Please don't pick fruit yourselves.
Water
The water, as in most of Costa Rica is potable, though many locals and visitors prefer to buy bottled. We are on a septic system, so please do not flush non-biodegradable items (dental floss, tampons, condoms etc.) which clog the septic tank.
Power
We are on the same voltage system as North America, and will run your hair dryer and all our power devices. The refrigerator should not be kept open, as that risks motor burnout.
Keys
Rebecca will give you all necessary keys, and explain their use and the security rules. No one else but she and you will have access to the dehumidified storage unit.
Groceries
An eight-minute walk toward the beach brings you to a supermarket named Super Josette, which has everything you need: fresh meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and a wide selection of juices, beer, wine, and liquors and an excellent juice and wine selection. Fresh-baked bread and pastries are available at a bakery only several minutes away. There's a wide range of stores in Quepos to suit every need. However, the freshest produce is available Friday evenings and Saturdays, five a.m. till noon, at the Farmers' Market on the Quepos seawall. For simple items (milk, sodas, soap, toilet paper) turn right or left from our gate, and there are pulperias two minutes walk in either direction.
Money
U.S. dollars can be changed at any of several banks in Quepos and Manuel Antonio. The closest are the Promerica Bank and Banco de Costa Rica, both a 15-minute walk toward the beach. There are ATMs there and in Quepos that take bank cards. All businesses and restaurants accept U.S. dollars, and almost all accept major credit cards.
Restaurants
There are many simple-to-high-end restaurants within easy walking distance of the villa, several of which offer the best dining experiences available in the Quepos-Manuel Antonio area. Don't hesitate to ask Rebecca to recommend any of them and give information about quality and pricing.
Traveling
We know this area well (we've been coming here since 1980) but for newcomers we strongly recommend a good travel book such as Lonely Planet or the New Key to Costa Rica (house copies of these should not be removed). It is a good idea to look at www.quepolandia.com (click on "visitor resources") before arriving, for current information about restaurants, transportation, and local events. The free monthly print version is available at many stores.
From San Jose's international airport, Quepos is a twenty-minute flight away, or you may enjoy bus ride of a few hours or rent a car, or hire a taxi. Rebecca can assist you with local travel arrangements, including current taxi rates. All taxis become collectivos, charging a flat price per person when they return from the beach toward Quepos. The Quepos-Manuel Antonio bus runs every half hour, more often at busy times. The nearest bus stop (5 minutes away) is in front of Manuel Antonio's soccer field.
Insect tips
Nature is in balance here, and because of the bountiful bird life, insects are rarely a problem. We are rarely bothered by mosquitoes, but for those who react to them, we recommend lotions and the use of our mosquito nets at night. For those who prefer not to use the nets, the pool-level bedroom and bathroom are entirely screened off. The larger bugs are totally harmless and some, like scarab beetles, are a marvel to watch. The fireflies are a delight.
We tend not to use non-organic insect sprays, though we keep organic ones handy: bugs simply don't like white walls and yellow lights, they don't like not having hidden spaces to crawl into, and they are bored by people who put food away and keep the dishes clean.
A well-trimmed lawn keeps bugs away from the house. The nightjars and the flycatchers and the swallows and the blue-grey tanagers and house wrens do the rest. Tiny ants, however, will sometimes mysteriously appear, and they do an efficient job of cleaning up - if you haven't - but disappear if there's no work available.
Corona Virus note: Villa Tekla is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between visits. The open nature of the house is excellent insurance against the spread of any airborne disease.
