Encantada

 

(A shot of Encantada under the full moon)

Encantada means Enchanted,

and that is exactly what this little beach front hotel will leave you feeling.

Encantada/o is often used in Spanish to express joy in meeting someone.

In other contexts Encantada implies a sense of magic.

We hope that your stay with us will leave you Encantada/o

Bandera Azul Ecologico / Blue Flag

Here at Encantada we are working towards earning the Bandera Azul Ecologico, in Esterillos Este.

The Bandera Azul is awarded to beaches that meet certain ecological parameters.

We must clean our beach frequently, put in place trash cans for public use along the beach, have signage that indicates laws, and reqirements of beach use. We must also provide ecological educational opportunities to our community.

 Here we are having our first beach inspection by a representative of the ICT (Instituto Costariccense de Turismo) Together we walked the length of our beach, and he gave us reccomendations for improvements and goals for our next visit.

On the 26th of May we had our first beach clean up.

Many neighborhood children attended, as well as the young men involved in lifeguard training with the Cruz Roja. Some of our neighbors stopped by to contribute snacks and funds for our project as well.

(thank you to our generous negihbors)

This is half of our clean up crew that was responsible for the North End of the beach, and all of the trash that we collected along the way.

(We also found 4 tires!)

we will keep you posted on our project 

Harlequin Beetle

We recently ran across this Harlequin Beetle

They are sap eaters and range from Mexico to Brasil.

What a flamboyant pallet nature has in Costa Rica

The Family Room Cottage #5

A view of "The Family Room" from the front

The front porch is a great place to relax and enjoy the afternoon.

It is also a great place to watch the green parrots as they come in to roost for the night.

This is the master bedroom. It is quite spacious and also has a desk and chest of drawers.

The two washrooms are located just off of this room.

A simple and fully functional kitchen is part of this unit.

This is the second bedroom. This bed can be converted into two single beds, if that is your preference.

A tour of Encantada

A taste of Encantada

Sea horses

This beauty was found here on the beach, just a few weeks ago

Once in a blue moon a sea horse will be found here on the beach in Esterillos Este.

Here in Costa Rica, the people believe that it is a sign of good luck to find a sea horse.

Sea horses are found in shallow tropical waters, such as estuaries and mangroves, and are acutally a species of fish.

The female deposits her eggs in the males brood pouch and he carries them until they hatch as miniature sea horses.

They are poor swimmers and can usually be found clinging to sea grass with their tails.

They seem like amazing, and mysterious creatures.

Mango Season

Mango Season is in full swing here in Costa Rica.

My kitchen is stocked to the brim with juicy flavorful mangos.

It is hard to imagine a better fruit.

You can literally smell the mango trucks from across the street.

They carry a smell of sugar and the tropics. 

Yum!

Surf

We have a great beach break right here in front of the hotel, and tons of both famous and secret spots within a 20 minute drive.

 My friend Ben catching a wave right in front of the Hotel

 We have surf lessons available, for beginners or those who want to brush up on their skills

A very big day

Right here in front of Encantada 



Guanabana/Soursop

 This beauty was grown right here on our trees at Encantada.

The fruit is soft, white, gelatinous and fibrous, tangy and sweet. The flavor reminds me of childhood. It is quite an interesting fruit. Any fruit grown here on site will be available for tasting, or included at breakfasat.