Life is at its tranquil best at Villas del Caribe. The days go something like this: You wake to the sound of cockerels, toucans and other birds and a view from your bed of silvery palms and clear blue sea. You throw open the french doors and take to the hammock on the balcony for a little rest.

Once the lure of the sea becomes too much, you wander through the landscaped gardens onto the beach path, where you face a decision between the long, deserted golden sand beach to the left or the long, deserted white sand beach to the right. You settle for one of the shallow, sandy natural lagoons formed by the coral reef right offshore, and watch tropical fish wiggle past your toes.

After a fresh water shower on your terrace, you take a bike and cycle down a sandy lane past fields, forest, a few thatched bars and rancho restaurants to Puerto Viejo for breakfast, the local gossip, and some good, fresh fish at the beachfront store.

You spend the afternoon alternating between the sea, the loungers on the terrace, and the hammocks on the balcony, watching hummingbirds dip into heliconia and hibiscus. After a shower in the skylit, plant-filled bathroom and a cocktail at your own blue-tiled bar, you set a bottle of wine on the terrace table, light your barbecue, watch the stars come out and listen to the sighs of the sea as that good, fresh fish sizzles on the grill.

 The two-story villas have fully-equipped kitchens and private terraces, accommodate up to six people comfortably and are bright, fresh and clean. They are tastefully designed and furnished for comfort with lamps, cushions, loungers and hammocks. Bunkbeds and cribs are available if needed.

Everything about the surrounding area is conducive to blissful inaction, but if action is what you're after, Villas del Caribe can provide that too. We'll provide snorkeling equipment, set up scuba diving trips or fishing trips with local fishermen, horseback riding tours and point surfers in the direction of the famous Salsa Brava tube. Nature lovers can wander the 100-acre private reserve. Or take a kayak or canoe and explore rivers and ocean

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