Beaches Turtles, Swimming, Snorkeling, Surfing, Fishing, Jungle, Horseback Riding, Massage.

At The Beach !

Turtles

Nearby Playa Ostional is a famous and protected nesting site of the Olive Ridley sea turtle. Here, unlike anywhere else in the world, we witness “The Arribada” (arrival) of hundreds, or sometimes thousands of nesting turtles. These mass arrivals occur every three or four weeks and last about a week, usually on the dark nights preceding a new moon. You can walk among the turtles as they slowly make their way onto the beach and laboriously dig the holes in which to lay their eggs. This natural phenomena can be an incredible site to see and it’s not unusual to meet other tourists from all over the world.

According to information provided by The Refuge: Association for the Integrated Development of Ostional (ADIO). “Sea turtles arrive at Ostional to lay eggs almost every night. However, the number of arrivals is cyclical peaking at the “arribada” and dropping off to almost nothing on the days midway between arribadas. Arribadas occur each month, and are more predictable in the green season. In the summer months they generally last 3 days and in the winter up to 8 days, where you can observe over 1,000 turtles laying eggs, each turtle laying an average of 100 eggs ! The hatching of sometimes millions of baby turtles happens approximately 40-55 days after nesting and is equally exciting to witness.

In The Water . . .

Swimming & Snorkeling

Playa San Juanillo is actually a series of small, mostly protected coves. The primary cove is a classic picture of colorful local fishing boats (pangas) protected by a rim of rocks and reef. Here the water is more calm than most other beaches on the entire peninsula. This makes for very pleasant swimming and much better snorkeling than many places on The Pacific Coast.

Surfing

Variety is the name of the game here ! From the secret break just down from the house. . .to 5 kilometers north or south. . .to short drives in either direction, we’ve got a lot to surf in the immediate area. Here’s a brief breakdown:

The nearest large beach, Playa Ostional has some of the smoothest, most consistent waves in the immediate area. Averaging about head-high, with periodic swells bringing the expectant larger waves, it's an excellent place to learn and yet interesting enough to attract surfers from literally all over the world.

Marbella, just a few kilometers north of San Juanillo, is almost always slightly bigger than anywhere within 50 kilometers ! So, if it’s small everywhere else, you’ll see surfers congregate here.

Playa Guiones (Nosara) has “some of the most consistent waves in all of Costa Rica”. Unfortunately this quote has been widely read and the housing market thoroughly developed. But Nosara can be a fun place to spend a day.

The area around Playa Negra (Junquillal) on the other hand, is another of the quiet, preferred sites nearby. Almost to Tamarindo, (where little waves are big with tourists), you can find great surf at three different beaches: Avellanas, Negra and Junquillal. Avellanas is a long stretch of white sand, with about 5 different good reef/sand breaks with semi-hollow lefts and rights, located on a 2 mile stretch of beach. Negra, a few kilometers farther south, is a darker beach broken up by rocky outcrops that offer exciting surfing above rock bottom with perfect right-hand barrels and well defined channel for paddling out. Junquillal is a wide and wild beach, with high surf, strong rip currents, and few people. Within walking distance are numerous other breaks, including some off-shore reefs for the more adventurous.

Fishing

In the protected cove of San Juanillo await the boats of the local fishermen for generations. Add to the small, resident “pangas” (basic fishing boat) a few newer rigs run by professional captains and owners, and you’ve got quite a little community of sea-worthy travel . . . and fishing opportunities. Just let us know your interest and we can check the conditions and “hook” you up for a half-day or full-day fishing trip . . . Or, if you just want to “get on the water”, we can arrange for a local to take you out !

In The Jungle:

Bird Watching

Ever see a “Mot-Mot”? A what-what? It's one of the more unique birds you can see quite often in our little wildlife neighborhood. While you probably won't see a Scarlet Macaw on the Nicoya Peninsula , and we all continue our never-ending search for The Resplendent Quetzal, there are many fascinating and colorful species right here in this quiet and tranquil jungle. Parrots, toucans and others mingle with the monkeys, armadillos, coatis and other creatures all around us here.

Hiking

Sometimes the best part of being in this particular paradise is simply the day-to-day, moment-by-moment adventure of it all. Just by going for a leisurely walk around Haciendas del Mar, or taking one of the nearby paths down to the beach to stroll and discover aimlessly.

Horseback Riding

Of course, you can always let the horses do the walking while you cover more ground and possibly go places that you couldn't otherwise. Take a sunset ride along the beach or up into the mountains in the cool morning air or just around the immediate area. There are a number of fine horses available, again with guides or on your own.

At the Hacienda . . .

“Tranquilo!”

This is what WE came here for. . .a relaxed, comfortable, stress-free environment to revitalize our lives. And that’s what we’ve created here at Hacienda del Cielo

Massage

You can even schedule a professional therapeutic massage from our resident LMT,(Licensed Massage Therapist) ! Try a short, but very effective “Chair Massage” (10 - 30 minutes, fully clothed) or request your own special treatment for an hour to hour and a half full-body massage, on the table.