We had a great three week stay at Casa Caracola. The bungalow is exactly how it is pictured on VRBO. It is 100 feet from the beach, and indeed we were visited by sloths and howler monkeys on a regular basis.

The bungalow is about 2 miles from Puerto Viejo. We rented bikes for the entire stay ($5/day), and rode into town on a regular basis to shop, grab coffee or lunch, or get to one of two ATMs in town. PV has a definite surfer vibe. Lots of young people hitting the beach and bars around town.

Our favorite coffee spot was Caribeans, about half way between Casa Caracola and PV. Great coffee, great people, and great chocolate. Both Caribeans and Chocorart offer chocolate tours, and they're worth the small investment. So is a visit to the Jaguar Rescue Center (where you will likely see lots of cool animals, but not jaguars). Our favorite restaurant was La Pecora Nera, a great Italian restaurant less than a mile from the bungalow.

Puerto Viejo is in a rain forest. It rains, a lot. That's part of the deal, and why it's so green. We had rain almost every day, but it rarely rained continuously, and didn't prevent us from getting out and about.

We thought we would be doing a lot of swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and SCUBA diving. Wrong! The photos you see of tranquil Caribbean waters apparently does exist, in October or November. Certainly not in February. The water was warm enough, but definitely too rough for any water activities (including fishing) other than surfing.

There is a house on the front part of the property. Three different groups came through while we were there. They are your neighbors, and although you have a lot of privacy, you will see them regularly as you go in and out. We got along great with our neighbors, and joined them for drinks and dinner.

Thomas stopped by a few times to check on us, but otherwise left us alone. Discuss with Sophie or Thomas what the rules are on their washer and dryer. If you're there for more than a week, you need to do wash, and while the website at one point indicated a washer was available (with no mention of any cost), Thomas asked that we pay $20/load.

All in all, a great spot and fun vacation.