Hotel Villa Casa Blanca

Where to eat and drink....

Father Rooster's - the perfect place  to experience your first "Tica Linda".  When you get here, we will be sure to tell you what that is.

Playa Ocotal is a small gated resort community with three public restaurants.  The "Rooster" as we lovingly call it is right on the beach.  You can enjoy the beach, the water, the sun and the great food as you listen to the great tunes that they always play to make sure you get in the vacation mode from your place on the porch or the sand.  Can you see yourself there.  We can.  Come join my friends, Linda, Carol, Gordy and Joann. 

Author:  Mo.  Take that short walk from Hotel Villa Casa Blanca to the Rooster.  You'll be glad you did.  The Staff.

Rafting - Whitewater.....or Not

Whether or not you like thrilling river rides or just floating along, the staff at Hotel Villa Casa Blanca will find the perfect river experience for you.  This is the Coribici River rafting tour during dry season when the river is not so rough.  This less than whitewater experience quickly changes during rainy season (June to October).  In any case, the river is beautiful, the rafting exhilarating and the Costa Rica landscape is breathtaking.

Author:  Mo.  Let our staff make your vacation memorable, your hosts, Modesta and the Staff.

Costa Rica Environmental Respect

This is "Solo Vino", one of Hotel Villa Casa Blanca's most unusual residents.  He comes by often to feed off the bougainvillea bushes in front of the hotel. 

Costa Rica is a flora and fauna friendly place ranking amongst the 5 countries that respect the most our environment.  This was revealed by a research conducted by an alliance of Yale and Columbia that evaluated 149 countries according to the following 6 criterion:  environmental health, air pollution, water resources, bodiversity and habitat, productive natural resources and weather changes. 

Results revealed at the Davos World Economic forum in Switzerland that Costa Rica was the best scored American country.

Author:  Mo  We want to help make your vacation in Costa Rica as rich as possible.  Please contact us with any questions or comments to help us provide you with a rich Costa Rica experience.  Your hosts, Modesta and the Staff.

Ocotal Beach

Ocotal Beach:  This gorgeous, tropical beach is just a short, easy 5 minute walk from Hotel Villa Casa Blanca. 

Early morning walks are great.  You have the beach all to yourself other than the occasional group going out to dive or to fish.  The distance from one end to the other is approximately  1 km.  Great for short jogs or  fast walks.  For added exercise, walk through the wet area of the  sand.  It makes your legs work twice as hard. 

Ocotal is not known for its shells.  Although you can find Limpet shells on a regular basis, there's not too much else other than pieces of shells.  Limpets come in a variety of colors and are characterized by a hole at the top.  I started out collecting them for a friend of mine who did her Marine Biology thesis on Limpets.  Now there is someone who could appreciate a Limpet (right, Allison!).

Early mornings you will find the locals doing their morning exercise or maybe just catching up on what's been going on.  It is a small friendly community with a great beach.  My neighbor Linda leads the way with her dogged dedication to walking.  She is an inspiration.

author:  Mo -- We want to make your vacation as fun as possible.  Please feel free to comment or ask a question.  Your hosts, Modesta & the Staff.

Walking Palms

On the way to the pool, you will go past a variegated Walking Palm.  These palms get their name from their unique habit of sending out roots on which to support themselves while they try to get out from under the canopy of surrounding trees in order to get sunlight. 

In the lower right hand corner of this picture you will see the roots of a taller Walking Palm.  The plain green variety grow much taller. 

Don't worry they don't walk too fast.  At least they won't chase you as you go past them to the heated jacuzzi or the pool. 

Come visit us, your hosts Modesta & the Staff, Hotel Villa Casa Blanca, Playa Ocotal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Our Lady of Ocotal

Can't you just see her there, arms extended, skirt blowing behind her as she reaches to embrace the next wave.  Ok, so maybe we have a wild imagination here at Hotel Villa Casa Blanca.   Nonetheless, just a few short minutes' walk away you will find this lovely "maiden" greeting the waves.  Come meet her.  She watches over our tranquil bay dotted with sail boats. 

Ocotal beach is a great place to enjoy the sun.  When you are done soaking up rays, take a walk to the north end of the beach and have a great Margarita at Father Rooster's.

Ocotal is a very private beach.  On the busiest of days, you will find plenty of room to stake your place in the sun. 

Come and see us.  Your hosts, Modesta & the Staff.

Climate

Guanacaste boasts a tropical climate with average annual temerpatures ranging from 31.7 C or 89F on the coastal plains and beaches (where Hotel Villa Casa Blanca is located) to a little cooler 16.7 C or 62F on the inland highlands.

This north west Pacific side of Costa Rica has two definite seasons - dry and somewhat wet (better known as the Green Season because everything does certainly turn green in Guanacaste).  It has been referred to as "so green, it hurts your eyes." 

Dry Season is typically from December to April.  Hot sunny days and warm star studded nights.  Once it stops raining in November, we typically do not get any rain until May.  Consequently, the hillsides of Ocotal Beach turn from the lush green to a golden brown in the last month of dry season. 

During the dry season we have the seasonal, offshore breezes that blow through Guanacaste.  They are known as the Papagayo winds.

Wet Season runs from May to November.  This time of the year, the vegetation becomes lush and gorgeous.  The mornings are fresh and the afternoons can have heavy rain showers, although usually not too long in duration.  Rain will rarely spoil your vacation on this north pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Author:  Mo

Please feel free to make comments or ask us any questions to help make
your vacation better, your hosts Modesta & the Staff.

Color in the Guanacaste landscape

Bougainvillea and Lantana help provide color in the dry season.  Typically, once it stops raining on Playa Ocotal in late November or early December, we won't get rain again until mid May.  In that dry spell, we look forward to the brilliant fuschia and purples of the Veranera as they call it here.  It seems the less water it gets, the stronger the color and the more abundant the flowers. 

In the background of this picture, behind the agave looking plants are the yellow and orange Lantana.  They also do well in dry season, especially if you add a little water.  That makes them flower more.  Butterflies just love all the color of the Lantana's. 

Both of these plants with their lively colors help us get through the North Pacific dry season when a lot of our green is gone (waiting for the rains to come back). 

Your comments/questions are welcome.  Author:  Modesta Rodriguez, your host at Hotel Villa Casa Blanca

Tucans

Tucans are not native to our part of Guanacaste.  However, that does not mean that you can't travel a little ways and not only see them, but come up close and personal.  From Hotel Villa Casa Blanca, the Miravalles Volcano is just about 2 hours away.  On the way there you can stop at one of our favorite tour stops and they will let you hold their pet Tucan.  Our staff can make all the arrangments for you. 

author:  Mo, owner Hotel Villa Casa Blanca, Playa Ocotal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Trees

The magnificent trees of the Guanacaste tropical dry forests are as varied as they are spectacular.  This lovely creature, and many more like him, line the dirt roads that take you through the Santa Rosa National Park.  Even in dry season we have some greenery.  But just let a little rain fall and this picture changes radically.  Dry Season is from December to April. 
The tree trunks are works of art.

Author:  Modesta Rodriguez, owner Hotel Villa Casa Blanca, & proud tree-hugger