Many people ask Liz and I how we came to build a second home in Costa Rica so far from our apartment in Hoboken, NJ. Our story starts back in 2005 when we were traveling to the Osa Peninsula in the southern part of CR. We had a six hour layover so we decided to visit property outside of Atenas. A French Canadian named Marcel was developing Bali style villas on a mountain ridge with gorgeous panoramic views. We also discovered that we are surround by a environmentally protected zone and that there will be no future building He showed us several lots but we fell in love with the property we finally purchased because of the amazing trees and the wonderful privacy it provided. Somehow we new we had found the perfect piece of property and the architecture that suited our personal aesthetics. With the guidance of a local architect we started construction less than a year later. Liz and I followed the progress of our home during 2006 by traveling to Costa Rica many times and through constant contact. Although I had renovated several homes before this home was totally new territory for us and we had to trust our instincts and take some risks. We are thrilled with the results. The good news was we didn’t have to concern ourselves with heating or cooling the house year round. The climate is consistently warm during the day and cool nights make fore comfortable sleeping.
We’ve posted several pictures of the house in various stages of construction. After the house was finished slightly over a year later we needed to furnish and plant our gardens, both tasks were much harder than we ever expected. As far as the garden was concerned the house was literally built on a rock and there was very little top soil surrounding the house. We love to garden when we are at the house and we have many projects in mind for the future.With the help of some the locals we found furniture stores in Santa and Escuzu or we discovered we could have custom furniture built in the town of Sarchi famed for it’s many carpenters. Over the years we have watched all of the properties owners in Pica Flora complete there homes and we finally became a little community of neighbors. Each one of our homes is unique and custom built in the Bali style we all love. We have really enjoyed living in Athenas, a rural village surrounded by ranches, farms and coffee plantations. The farmer’s market in town (Friday 7-12am) Is a great social and cultural event that we rarely miss.
Leticia Oberholzen, Property Manager
Leticia is our home’s wonderful property manager. You will meet her in town when you arrive in Atenas and take you to the house. She will orient you with your surroundings, can help you arrange meals made at the house or even a massage by the pool. It is important that everyone who stays at our home be in touch with Leticia regarding itineraries so she can properly coordinate your arrival time in town.
Leticia is from Switzerland, and has lived on Grand Bahama Island for 11 years before coming to Costa Rica in 1999. Her mother tongue is Swiss German (a dialect), but she also speaks German, English, Spanish , and some French. She absolutely loves living in Atenas and would not move anywhere else because of the wonderful climate, the friendly people, the vicinity of San Jose, the beach and so many other attractive destinations. See you in Atenas!
Villa Passiflora 