We spent two weeks at Casa Bambu, located in a beautiful setting, facing the Golfo Dulce on the Osa Peninsula. A large lawn, flowering shrubs, tall fruit trees border the property and invite the presence of macaws, white face and spider monkeys and all kinds of birds.
The dark, volcanic sand beach is pretty rocky which made it a bit challenging for swimming,
but there were a few times when the surf was calm and if one walked to the left on the beach, water access looked easier. Dirt roads near the property lead to other near by beaches.
Casa Bambu was built, according to the owner, 27 years ago and it is showing wear. We loved the owner's concept of a bamboo house - off grid, open air, a sense of living among the trees and shrubs surrounding the house. The kitchen was easy to use and clean up; the beds were pretty comfortable; the on demand water heater for the shower has seen better days and was difficult to adjust to luke warm which meant one had cold or very hot water to choose from when showering with nothing in between. The cushions on the sitting area furniture are pretty well broken down from wear and weren't the most comfortable for sitting and reading.
The owner, Kirk, and his caretaker, William, were very responsive when something wasn't working. There when we needed them but otherwise gave us space. William took us on a wonderful hike into Corcovado.
In some ways it was sad seeing the house just going down hill - of course this is in the "outback" of Costa Rica and I imagine up keep is difficult. However, I could not stop imagining how lovely Casa Bambu might once again be with just a little bit of routine maintenance - replacing the rusted window hardware, redoing the heavily patched mosquito netting on the beds, adding another wall fan on the upstairs sitting area to augment the ceiling fan which barely turns, and also another small wall fan on the downstairs sitting area would be very welcomed. The information in the house binder was dated and could use refreshing along with a new binder.
William and Leda, the housekeeper, cleaned the house and changed the linens every 4 days, which was very appreciated especially when the weather warmed and the rains began. Kirk was extremely helpful before we arrived, sending abundant information, maps, even a grocery list.
Staying at Casa Bambu allowed us to experience the surrounding natural world fully and up close. It was a memorable two weeks.
