Beachfront mansion door

This is the front door to one of the beachfront mansions along Langosta Beach.  Most of the houses have names, and some of them are available for rental.  People sometimes will rent the house for groups attending a destination wedding, which has become a more popular trend among young people.

One of my sons had a destination wedding in the Caribbean in the middle of a cruise.  It was a good solution, as his wife and her family (and my son) live in Argentina, and our family is in the Arizona.  We all met in Florida for the cruise.

My son wanted to have his honeymoon in Tamarindo, but both of my condos were already rented long in advance for his time period.  My other son planned further in advance and was able to honeymoon in our Langosta condo last holiday season.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Langosta Beachfront House and Garden

This is one more of the the Langosta beachfront houses.  Tropical plants grow so well in our climate that many houses and condos have lush and colorful plants and flowers.

This week we have more photos of Julie's raft trip through the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Animal mouth gate

This is unique.  The gate is surrounded by the painted teeth, mouth, eyes, and nose of an animal.  I think it is a leopard.  I wonder what the owners came up with the concept of painting the area around their gate.

Driving into this gate would remind me of a ride an an amusement park or Disneyland, such as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  

This week we have more photos of Julie's raft trip through the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Langosta Beach Rental Mansion

This is a view of Casa Roca looking up from Langosta Beach.  This is the same house that I showed yesterday.

I would be afraid to have a large house that is rented out to large groups of people.  I think there would be too much partying going on in the house, including bachelor parties before weddings, etc.

Also, there is so much fewer maintenance issues having a condo compared to having a house.  It is much easier to take care of a condo than a house when we the condo is a vacation property and we are not there to look after it all the time.

Perhaps for those reasons, the price per square foot for houses is a fraction of the price per square foot for condos in Tamarindo.

Today is Sunday so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  We are showing another set of photos from Julie's recent rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.  I have not been there myself, other than a hike down and back up.  Floating the entire length of the Canyon for 10 days is a trip of a lifetime experience.

Langosta House Entrance

The Langosta beachfront has a few condos, such as ours, and a row of very nice beachfront mansions.  This is the entrance to one of them, called Casa Roca.  Most of these houses are rentals for people who want to come to Tamarindo with a large family or group.

Casa Roca is one of those rentals.  It has 5 bedrooms, a pool, and overlooks the same stretch of beach as our condo.   Usually the front gate is closed, but I took this photo while walking past when the gate was open.

This week we have more photos of Julie's raft trip through the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Chimneys

The worldwide Daily Photo Theme for June 1 is "Chimneys."  This was a challenge for me, as there are very few chimneys in Costa Rica.  There is never a time of year when the climate would justify having a fireplace.

This is the closest I could find to a chimney.  It is a tower on Casa Marrakech, a beachfront mansion a few doors down the beach from our condo.  I showed a series of photos of it a month or two ago.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  We are showing another set of pictures from Julie's recent raft trip through the Grand Canyon.  I have hiked to the bottom of the Canyon, but have never floated through it.  It is a unique place.

The normal link to the City Daily Photo site for all other participants, which I have included below, is temporarily not working.  In the meantime, here is a link to a temporary website that shows the Daily Photo bloggers' posts interpreting the theme day for chimneys.  also you can check our group on Facebook).


To see how other Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of chimneys:
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Beach front back yards

This photo shows a view of the backyards facing the beach of the three houses that I have shown during the last three days.  At the top left is the Moroccan house, then the more conventional house, then the glass wall of the very modern house.

The landscaping, with palm trees and other trees with leaves only up high up from the ground provides views to the beach.  There are a few houses set back from the beach with thick vegetation for greater privacy, but it seems to me that if you live close to the beach, part of the benefit is to have a good view of the ocean.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from our trip last month to Asia.  We began in Bangkok, which we are showing this week.  In the future we will post photos from Cambodia and Bhutan.

Modern beach front mansion

This photo shows a closer view of the beach front house that I have shown during the past two days.  This photo shows the challenge of having so much glass facing west towards the beach and ocean.

The views of the ocean must be great, but the afternoon sun pouring through all that glass must be brutal on the furnishings and on the need for air conditioning.

You can see that in this photo the curtains are closed, which of course blocks the view of the ocean.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Modern breachfront mansion

In contrast to the intricate details of the Moroccan themed house that I showed this past week, here are the clean lines of the modern house two doors away.  This is the view from the beach of the same house that what behind the gate that I showed yesterday.

One of the first questions that people wonder about houses is, understandably, "How much does it cost?"  Three years ago this house was for sale and I posted a photo of it with a link to a real estate listing when the house was up for sale.  It was listed for $1.8 million, which impressed me as a very reasonable price for a beachfront mansion with 10,233 sq. ft (931 sq. m.).

The house has 3 guest quarters, 2 with kitchens, in addition to a main house with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.  The building at the lower level closest to the beach (where I was standing when I took this photo) is an exercise room, and there is an infinity edge swimming pool.

On our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Modern gate

This photo shows a modern, imposing gate of a neighboring house to the Moroccan gate that I showed yesterday.  It is quite a contrast.  In fact, it is hard to imagine two more contrasting architectural styles -- the intricate details and patterns of Islamic art or the minimalist, clean lines of today's modern style.

We have decorated the interior of both of our Tamarindo condos in a modern style, which is very different than our Scottsdale home.  It is also different than the tropical or beach decor that is more common in Costa Rica.  We like the contrast. A modern style is also clean and has been well received by guests who rent our condos.

This house is quite dramatic, as I will show during the next few days.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Casa Marrakech Front Gate

This is a photo of the front gate of  Casa Marrakech, which I have shown during the past week or so.  Like houses in Morocco, behind the front gates there are often charming courtyards, although in Marrakech the courtyards are typically in the center of the houses, not  in the front of the houses.  In a mansion on the beach in Tamarindo, however, it would make no sense to orient a house towards an interior courtyard, as the house should take advantage of the beachfront location exposure, as this house does.

I received an email from a reader in the United Kingdom who said that she attended a wedding here.  The wedding party and guests rented both Casa Marrakech and another of the beachfront mansions.

She added, however, that they no longer allow wedding on the grounds of Casa Marrakech.  Maybe some people got a little careless during wedding reception parties.

I received a phone call yesterday from a Florida gentleman who attended a wedding years ago at one of the beachfront row of houses where Casa Marrakech is located.  He will be returning with his family for his children's first trip out of the USA and rented my Langosta condo for 2 weeks in July.  The children are now ages 9 and 11.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Ceramic tiles

This is photo of some of the ceramic tile alongside the swimming pool at Casa Marrakech.  I would think that it would be hard to find building materials for Islamic architecture in Costa Rica.  The design features of this house are done very well.

I saw a real estate listing for this house a while back.  It was offered for sale for a little less than $5 million.    I don't know how much the maintenance and upkeep are for this property.  I think it is one of those situations that if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

There is a row of beachfront mansions from this house down to our condo building.  Local real estate listings for properties along this part of Langosta Beach call it "Millionaires' Row."  Naturally, being near to very expensive homes helps the property values for condos such as ours, as it helps make Kangosta such a desirable location.

If people have enjoyed my series on this house, I may show some more photos of some of the beachfront houses, if you would like to meet more of the neighbors.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos of on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  It is a coastal community very different than Tamarindo.

Casa Marrakech bank yard pool pavilion

I kept a respectful distance when I took photos of Casa Marrakech.  It stayed on the public property of the beach, as all beaches in Costa Rica are public property.

I was able to use my telephoto lens to take a few photos through the trees of some of the architectural features of the house, such as this little pavilion at the end of the swimming pool.

We have photos of the Islamic architecture of Egypt posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Back door of Casa Marrakech

I think it is remarkable that a beachfront home in Costa Rica, designed by a Costa Rican architect, would be constructed with Middle Eastern or North African ambiance.  It looks authentic to me, and the palm trees are native to both climates.  This house looks like it belongs in a desert oasis, however, rather than the lush green vegetation of a Costa Rican beach.

We have photos of the Islamic architecture of Egypt posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Casa Marrakech

Here is a photo of the building that I have shown glimpses of in my posts during the last few days.  This is a view from the beach.

This is a private home called Casa Marrakech.  It is 10,000 sq. ft. (929 sq. m.), with 5 bedrooms and 5  1/2 bathrooms.

It was designed by Abraham Valenzuela, the same architect who designed both of our condo buildings. He is also an accomplished rock musician, and lead singer and lead guitarist of the band Las Tortugas.  Here is the band's website.

I think this house is remarkable enough to warrant a few more photos in the days ahead.  This house is available to rent,, and celebrities have stayed here.

We have photos of the Islamic architecture of Egypt posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Mystery photo

OK. Today's photo is a tease.  We are showing photos of the architecture of Egypt this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, but this photo is not from Egypt.

Yes, this is Costa Rica.  In fact, this is a photo from Playa Langosta in Tamarindo, just a block from our Langosta condo.  What is it?

I will continue to unveil this little mystery tomorrow, as I continue this series.

The House Next Door (Is Not Mel Gibson's House)

This is the beachfront house next door to our condo in Playa Langosta, an upscale residential area of Tamarindo.  Why to I make a reference to Mel Gibson in the title of this post, you might wonder?

There has just been an article reporting that Mel Gibson has put his Costa Rica beach house up for sale.  It is located near Samara, about an hour south of Tamarindo.

Good news if you are in the market to buy a home.  Mel Gibson has lowered the price from when he tried to sell the house in 2010.  It is now listed for only $28.75 million USD instead of $35 million.  It has 500 acres of land, with three houses on the property, each on hilltops with views of the jungle and ocean.  The real estate listing agent described it as an ideal family compound.   I do not know if the price includes Mel Gibson's helicopter.

I don't follow Hollywood news or go to movie theaters.  I knew that Mel Gibson has a house down the coast only because a Costa Rican newspaper carried an article a few years ago about Britney Spears vacationing there.  

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on  our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the architecture of Egypt.

Crystal Sands condo entrance

If you owned a ground floor condo at Crystal Sands, your front door would be either on the left or right of this walkway, with the beach right beyond the trees visible through this atrium.

The smaller condos on the lower floors of this building go for about $800,000, with penthouse units on the top two floor approaching $2 million. The condo has underground reserved parking, which is nice.

There are a lot of nice architectural touches to the exterior common areas as well as the interior of the condos, as one would expect with top of the market condos.

This week we are showing some close up photos of plants and animals of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

The house next door

It is time to head back home. I hope you have found this little walk along Langosta beach of interest. Today's photo shows the house next door to our condo.

I took this photo from the beach, looking up at the house. This house has a commanding view of the beach and the ocean. The lot between this house and our condo is the last beachfront lot on Langosta Beach that does not have a house already built on it. I wonder when the woman who owns it will decide to build a house.

A comment about September 11: Today is the 10th anniversary of the horror of the 9/11 attack. Costa Rica has a 9/11 Memorial Park with a 9/11 monument on the outskirts of San Jose, where there will be a ceremony today. There were two Costa Ricans who worked in the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. One was on the way to work when the tragedy struck. The second was on the 11th floor, and she managed to escape before the buildings collapsed.

Costa Rica has many ties to the USA, of course. The reduction in travel in the aftermath of 9/11 hurt Costa Rica. In the last 15 years tourism in Costa Rica has increased every year except two, a very small drop off in 2006 and a reduction four times larger in 2002, right after 9/11. We still grieve for the losses suffered on 9/11 and lament the upheaval in the world in the decade that has followed. We should all hope, pray and actively work for peace throughout the world in whatever ways we can.

Costa Rica tries to do its part for peace by having abolished its military more than 60 years ago despite the fact that it is located in a troubled area of the world in which its neighbors have had major problems with violence, etc.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.