Casa Karolita, San Blas

If you're looking to experience and live an authentic Guanacaste lifestyle, Casa Karlita, located in the tiny village of San Blas (Saint Blaze), is the perfect fit! Step back in time in this quiet little gridded community surrounded by farms as far as the eye can see. You'll love relaxing on a bench under a shade tree in its perfectly manicured "parque central" with its namesake Catholic church right across the street. "Tranquilo" (Tranquil) doesn't do justice to this little jewel having the perfect location 25 minutes from the beaches and from Guanacaste International Airport (LIR).

Casa Karlolita is a modest "Tico-style" house with a surprising feel of spaciousness and sold unfurnished with kitchen appliances. There are 4 BR's and 2BA's under roof with a screened porch out back complete with a fogón and pot-belly stove for cooking your meals in cast iron over an open fire. That's the REAL Guanacaste!

The walled-in 615m2 / 6,619ft2 lot accommodates the house with plenty of garden space left for growing fruits and vegetables. An open rancho on the back wall provides another 50m2 / 538ft2 under roof in the shade and out of the rain where you can grow shade-loving plants and stack some wood for the fogón. The current owners have installed an above-ground pool in back for their kids too to cool off in the hot Guanacaste sun. A rolling metal gate in front allows access for your motor vehicles to be parked off the road and in security and privacy.

San Blas has two supermarkets, park, bakery, Catholic church, fútbol (soccer) field, grade school, campgrounds, a bar, and a couple of sodas where you can eat typical Guanacaste meals like casado and huevos con gallo pinto and wash them down with a cold maracuyá (Costa Rican passion fruit) fresco.

For someone looking for the REAL Guanacaste, Casa Karolita offers them a nice slice of paradise at a super affordable price. You're on the edge of it all in the middle of nowhere here. Beaches, clinics, hospitals, Walmart, PriceSmart, and the International airport are all within a 15 to 30 minute drive. But you'd never know it when you're in San Blas. It's truly a magical little spot where everyone smiles and waves and takes the time to chat in real life - not on a smart phone.

That's San Blas. That's Guanacaste. That's Casa Karolita.