Your Hosts, Michael, Margarita and Sally
We first visited Costa Rica in 1995, when our older kids were in their teens. We loved our first summer vacation there so much (having visited Arenal, Monteverde and Playa Tambor) that we decided to return the following summer as well.
It was during that visit, while staying at the now legendary Iguanazul hotel in Playa Junquillal, that we were introduced to Ray Beise, the visionary who created the Pura Jungla eco-preserve just a few miles from our hotel. We were so impressed with the way Ray had restored 250 acres of pastureland back into dry tropical forest (aka jungle) that we decided then and there to buy a lot at the top of one of the two hills for our future vacation and retirement home.
In 2005 we began construction on Casa Margarita, with our then-toddler daughter in tow. Designed by the late Edgar Cruz and built by a team led by Ray, the house rose from the jungle floor, soaring 50 feet above the ground to yield amazing Pacific ocean views while allowing the trade winds to provide natural cooling for the house every day.
Now, we spend most of our time in the California wine country just north of San Francisco, home of our beloved Giants, and visit Casa Margarita every chance we can.
We’d love to hear from you and are always happy to chat about our decades of experience visiting Guanacaste and Costa Rica. Drop us a note or call anytime!
Pura Vida,
Michael, Margarita & Sally
+1 415.806.4321