Marcella Vernon runs a small homestay in San Jose. Her house is fenced in and has an intercom to ring when visitors come. When we arrived, she met us at the gate and showed us her large front yard with peacocks. She has a beautiful two story home decorated in traditional Costa Rican motif including a brightly painted cart. She houses individuals as well as groups; some people stay with her and others with people in the neighborhood. She also books tours. Dinner is available for $10 each. We still had fruit left over from the market, so we passed on dinner. Later that evening, she took us to the market across the street. It was comparable to any grocery store in the US. She bought a few things to pack for breakfast for our trip to the airport. She also arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 4:00 AM the next morning and told us it would be 15,000 colones (about $28.00 US). We had to consolidate our bags so we only had the 2 carry ons. We went to sleep at 9:00 PM so that we could be up at 3:30 AM. Homestay is a good option if you are not interested in a pool. It is a good way to get immersed into the culture and to learn a little Spanish. I highly recommend it. If you want more information about Marcella's Homestay, please contact me at [email protected].
