This week marks my one-year anniversary of living here in beautiful Costa Rica. My very first week in the country was spent at La Terraza Guest House B&B here in Grecia, Costa Rica. I already had a house rented, but wanted to wait at least a week to make sure all the utilities had been turned on and were working before moving in. Before leaving the US, I had studied Trip Advisor’s website and found two places I was interested in staying in when I arrived. As soon as I saw this beautiful, bright yellow property surrounded by nature, I knew this was the place I want to stay.
My very first night at La Terraza, I was in my bungalow-apartment, getting pretty hungry. For some reason, I was craving pizza. I wasn’t sure if anyone in the main house could help me to order a pizza, so I called the phone number I had in my contacts. When Charles Owens answered, I explained my request. At that point, I wasn’t quite sure whether Charles was African American or not and didn’t want to embarrass myself by asking, so I didn’t. Charles told me his mother was there and she could help me. He said, “Just knock on the door.” When I did, a beautiful African American woman opened the door with a big smile and said, “Hello.” My intuition had been right. La Terraza Guest House B&B is black owned—what a surprise!
That first encounter with Jeanetta proved to be a little miracle for me. During that first week, she assisted me in getting a new Costa Rican cell phone number, signing up for Internet service, and purchasing an air mattress because my furniture had yet to arrive from the States. Jeanetta was a godsend. I truly don’t know what I would have done without her help. She is fluent in Spanish and acted as my interpreter. My first week in Costa Rica was delightful. I was only a guest, but I was treated like family.
Jeanetta and her late husband relocated to Grecia, Costa Rica, from the US more than eighteen years ago and decided to buy this gorgeous property. Today, she and her son Charles welcome and entertain guests from all over the world, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and many other countries.
One of the activities that I enjoyed the most was having a Costa Rican-styled breakfast on the open-air patio every morning along with the other guests. It was a great opportunity to meet other people from all over the world and make new friends.
When you visit Costa Rica, I encourage you to spend a few days at La Terraza Guest House B&B. You won’t be treated like a guest. You will be treated like family.
