Accommodations

Volare was built with love and a sense of whimsy. The warm wood interior and lush green outside create a powerful connection to both the earth and the sky. Volare is a bird perched to soar.

Dinner on the deck - with the city sparkling below you..
The fireplace opens inside or on the deck. It makes chilly evenings so cozy.
The deck is super comfortable in the day, too. Only late afternoon sun reaches under the roof.
The living room, with plenty of comfortable places to sit.
Railings on all decks are extra wide and comfortable to sit on, and the adventurous feel secure there.
Indoor dining seats 8 comfortably, and lets everyone tell the chef how to do it.
Volare and clouds rising from valley seen from the hot tub. Note the suspension bridge.
Master bedroom, 2nd floor, with queen size bed, balcony
Silk fans for wall which can be raised. From the balcony you can descend on the fire pole.
Upstairs bedroom # 2 - king bed or twin beds, private balcony. Fans can be raised.
View of Volare and Turrialba valley
Volare's hot tub is accessed by suspension bridge. Take along a bar of soap and shampoo -- this is really a bathtub for 6. Getting clean and happy at the same time.
If you want to read, watch TV, talk on phone, work at your computer from your bed...
Downstairs bedroom with queen bed, auxiliary table (optional) and direct access to the deck
Upstairs bathroom, with extra long bath tub and big shower.
Downstairs bathroom, also with extra long bath tub and shower.
We built Volare to have a lot of fun here, so the fire pole was a natural thing to include.

Luxury Options – massage on your private deck overlooking the valley, soak after dark in your private spectacular hot tub, lounge with a book in front of your fireplace, stretch out or practice yoga on your large covered deck. And in all places at all times, absorb the magnificent vista below you – the tops of clouds, the top of the rain forest, coffee fields and roaring river canyon, city lights sparkling across the valley and below you. Eat dinner on the deck, watching the clouds form beneath you. Steam in the hot tub, lay back in the water and drink Spanish wine.

The upstairs bedrooms have (1) a queen bed in the master bedroom and (2) either a king bed or two twin beds in the second bedroom. Both upstairs bedrooms have balconies.

We can add a single bed in the office open area between the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom. It's OK for sleeping, especially for a kid, but does not have privacy or doors.

The downstairs bedroom on the ground floor has a queen size bed. You can use a separate private entrance.

The downstairs bathroom also has a full extra long tub and separate shower.

Volare's kitchen is well equipped, with refrigerator, oven, 5 burner stove, pots and pans, microwave, toaster oven, 4 slice toaster, and spices and teas and coffee maker and coffee grinder -- anything a gourmet would need.

The living room, dining area and kitchen form a large social area with emphasis on sharing the joys of food. Music system works throughout the house and on the deck, and you can plug in your cel phone or MP3 player.

The deck is breathtaking. In almost all weather this is super comfortable, with hammocks, lounge chairs, and dining table and chairs. The music system plays on outdoor speakers. At night the deck is warmed by the fireplace, giving a chilly evening a warm glow, and softened by the lamps reflecting light off the ceiling.

Upstairs there is an office area, wired or wireless printer, FAX and scanner/copier, general office supplies (stapler, pens, file folders, etc.), loads of books (borrow any you like - and leave us something in return) and CD's (obsolete but we're too sentimental to get rid of them), a small selection of DVD's - mainly little known films.

The outdoor hot tub is really a giant bathtub. Each use requires filling the tub with fresh water. While you are soaking in the tub you can constantly reheat the water by leaving the "hot" tap open... when the tub overfills the water will fall off the edge and down onto the roof of the room below -- it sounds like a real waterfall. Comfortable for up to 6 people.

High Speed Internet service is throughout the house but not on the hot tub tower. Free telephone service within Costa Rica.

Laundry - washer and dryer are below the main floor. Yami will do your laundry for you (very finicky machines, and only speak Spanish). If more than one batch per day, please pay Yami $10 for each additional batch.

Bed Linens and Towels: When you are staying at Volare you have lots of beautiful towels and super soft sheets, and beds have a down comforter (or synthetic down, if you are allergic to feathers). The beds have memory foam mattress pads, so unusually comfortable for sleeping.

Temperatures: Because of our altitude (4,800 feet MSL) and because we're on the gentler Caribbean slope (the Pacific slope is more extreme in heat, rain, and wind) you'll sleep in temperatures close to 60 F. Normal day temperatures are between 72° and 82° F. These are year round temperatures. It gets cooler when it is raining - and hopefully it rains several times a week, usually after dark when the air simply drops the day's moisture on the valley. During frontal passages (normally 4 to 6 times a year) it may rain for 3 to 6 days and it gets very chilly --- enough to wear a light jacket in the evenings. Volare has no air conditioning, but we do have auxiliary propane heaters so ask Yami to get it out and light it up if it's cold.

Insects - Volare has perpetually open glass doors. The house does not have screens on the doors. Why? The altitude (above sea level) and the altitude (above ground level) means insects are not interested in arriving, except after dark when moths and beetles are attracted to the lights. We always close the big doors before sunset (it gets pretty chilly now as well) to prevent flying critters from entering. Mosquitoes rarely make it this high... our insects tend to be big slow-flying beetles that are exquisitely colored -- Indigenous people make buttons and necklaces from their shells. They are harmless, but they are big -- bigger than a bumblebee.

Daylight: Costa Rica has 12 hours (plus/minus 30 minutes) of daylight each day year round (we're 10 degrees above the equator, remember). This gives you long beautiful night vistas to enjoy the view, the food, and your privacy. Every bedroom has black-out curtains in case you want to sleep all day.