Using natural products and custom furniture with all amenities helps make a eco-friendly home.
The beauty of Eco-friendly architecture is that you are tapping into and amplifying the peace and exhilaration of nature.
Since graduating from Santa Clara University with a double major in environmental studies and anthropology I have remodeled and landscaped our family vacation home into a luxury villa which is now available to rent by night, week or month. When I first walked the hill above the Sarapiqui River I could feel how peaceful that area was. The goal of remodeling the villa was to combine luxury in the jungle with a peace beyond imagination.
Arriving from the Juan Santamaría airport you will experience a scenic 2 hour drive passing through the pristine forests of the national park Braulio Carrillo. We are 20 minutes from the world famous La Selva Biological Station (OTS), with its 400 bird species and just 2 minutes from the Tirimbina Rainforest Center.
Eco-friendly activities surrounding us include many one-day tours like bird watching, day and nighttime jungle tours, whitewater rafting, kayaking, canopy zip lines, rappelling, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking,
There are number of restaurants in the area with a variety of traditional Costa Rican, gourmet and fast foods. My favorite is Pozo Azul which is 5 minutes away at the bridge over the Sarapiquí.
As part of the Costa Rican Bird Route and a member of the The Sarapiquí Chamber of Tourism we believe that by protecting and providing additional habitat to the wildlife we can do our part to increase their populations and sustainability.
For comfort I designed oversize custom furniture, added soft décor, ceiling fans and all amenities including a gourmet kitchen, entertainment system and Wi-Fi. 38 huge wrap-around windows were installed to minimize the need for artificial lighting and provide a 360° view. I also raised the roof of the foyer to 35 feet to create a natural convection system that draws the cool river breezes through the villa.
A balcony running the length of the back of the house optimizes the views of the river island and thousands of acres of rainforest reserve on the far shore. Sipping delicious Costa Rican coffee on the cushioned furniture or resting in a hammock overlooking the rainforest canopy is surreal. You find yourself sharing one continuous moment with the multicolored humming birds, toucans, and flocks of green parrots flying by at eye level.
Eco is fun. There is a 100 foot tall stand of bamboo fifty yards from the villa. The clicking sounds it makes as it sways in the wind are incredible. To maximize the experience of the bamboo and the view of the river I built a 600 sq. ft. outdoor entertainment area complete with BBQ, bathrooms, tables, chairs, hammocks and a dance floor for gatherings and parties.
In the Costa Rican rainforest Eco is easy, stay close to nature and follow these simple steps:
Want birds?
Planting fruit trees increases the wildlife populations and provides us with the delicious fruits we enjoy. Bananas and papaya are favorites of the humming birds, toucans and parrots, mamón chino (rambutan), shaped like a small green plum with rubbery red spines succulent and sweet, draws in hundreds of golden tailed oropendolas.
Want butterflies?
Plant bougainvillea, hibiscus, bird of paradise and dozens of other varieties of native heliconias with intense colors and shapes you may never have seen before. Blue morphos and a variety of species of butterflies with brilliant orange, red and green flutter throughout the property.
Want longevity?
Set aside as much land as possible for rainforest reserve.
Want community?
Hire artisans, landscapers and staff from the local community. They become friends who share in the satisfaction of creative ways to help the environment.
Want motivation?
Helping the habitat helps ourselves. Costa Rica is fast becoming the first country in the world to reach carbon neutrality.
Article by David Lando Ramírez
Owner of Casa De Tranquilidad
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