1,523 sq. feet of living area (141.49 sq. meters), 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, brand new carport, greenhouse, saltwater swimming pool on 3.3 acres (13,365 m2) with a lively creek, and lots of possibilities
For Sale by Owner Price = $350,000 USD
- Are you a birder or nature lover looking for a peaceful retreat that feels remote but also has high-speed fiber optic internet and is only a five-minute drive to a main road?
- Would you love to play host to all kinds of wildlife on your one-of-a-kind property, including spectacular birds and magical butterflies, Capuchin monkeys, agoutis, coatis, four-eyed opposums, kinkajous, variegated squirrels, anteaters, armadillos, grisons, tayras, jaguarundis and some very chill iguanas? All with the accompanying chorus of toucans in your yard and howler monkeys in the distance?
- Do you enjoy visiting the beach but prefer short drives to explore nearby birding hotspots — and then coming home to a refreshing dip in a saltwater swimming pool?
- Does savoring some fresh-picked fruit from your own backyard orchard while watching the sunset sound relaxing?
- Or maybe there is nothing better than simply starting the day with a cup of Costa Rican coffee, and then strolling your property with binoculars to experience all the birds, butterflies, and flowers?
If this all sounds intriguing, then we might have the perfect home or real estate investment property for you. Keep reading to learn more.
Details about the House, Carport, and Swimming Pool
- Costa Rican-style architecture with updates and additions, original structure built in 2007
- 1523+ sq. feet of living space
- Master bedroom with an en suite bathroom
- Two small additional bedrooms currently used as offices, with an additional bathroom between them
- A half bathroom down by the pool
- Soaring 12-foot high wood-and-beam ceilings throughout
- Ceramic tile floors
- Decorative iron security bars on all windows (typical of Costa Rican-style homes — you might decide to remove them, but we like the way they look)
- Spacious screened front porch for lots of fresh air and outdoor living
- Newly remodeled eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, soft-close cabinet doors and custom cabinetry made from responsibly harvested cedar wood grown just up the road in San Cristobal. Refrigerator and stove convey. (Bonus: gorgeous built-in bookcases facing out to make the best use of the other side of the pantry area)
- Additional drinking water faucet with triple filtration (Costa Rican municipal water is perfectly drinkable, but we prefer to remove chlorine)
- Living room with a sliding door leading to a back patio
- Screened laundry room with washer and dryer, and a clothesline where you can air dry your clothes if you prefer that option
- Small covered and enclosed greenhouse in the backyard with raised beds for herbs and veggies
- Large swimming pool completely retiled and updated to a saltwater system in 2022
- Money-saving solar hot water heater that provides plenty of hot water all year long
- Recently completed carport with a built-in 240v outlet for charging an electric vehicle (EV)
- Ceiling fans in every room
- One year old metal roof with a layer of sheet insulation between the roof and ceiling supports
- Two outdoor showers for rinsing sand from the beach or salt from the pool, and an outdoor sink
- Gravel path that meanders downhill to a relaxing creek right on the property
- Storage container for tools, gardening equipment, etc./ Rotoplas water tank for emergency water storage (we have never needed this)
- Municipal water (AyA)
- High-speed fiber optic internet
- Most furniture conveys with the house
Located just outside of Platanillo de Barú in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica, this house and one-of-a-kind property is at the end of a public road that is more like a private driveway. You do not need a 4×4 vehicle to get to the house, but in Costa Rica it always helps to have one. Taking a five-minute walk down the road/path that continues past the property leads to a point where two creeks merge into a small river. Five minutes more, and you’ll arrive at the neighborhood waterfall featuring a 40-foot fall and a not-too-deep pool to wade in.
Platanillo is known for having the same temperature range as Atenas, a city that boasts of having “the world’s best climate.” Due to the moderate temperatures and late afternoon rains typical of May through December that drop the temperatures a few degrees, the house has no HVAC system. Since the neighborhood is perfectly safe and quiet, we do what many people do — keep the windows open for fresh air and use the ceiling fans during the hottest parts of summer. Alternately, the pool does the trick for a quick cool-down.
Unlike some newer homes where the foundation site was created by digging a chunk out of a hill (which can mean water drainage problems and even potential landslide situations), this house is perfectly sited on a small rise where water drains away on all four sides. In Costa Rica, the rainy season is welcomed for bringing lots of life-giving water. On this property, it all goes to the two creeks that are each several meters down two steep hills, with no potential flooding issues, which is perfect. Even when the rain gauge reads several inches in a 12-hour period, the house and property still stays high and dry.
Many years ago, the land was used for cattle ranching and growing fruit. About 25 years ago, many Amarillon trees were planted to reforest a section that had been clearcut. Over the past four years, we have removed a few of the trees that were at end-of-life and replaced them with fruit trees while making space for “pioneer” native species like heliconia and cecropia to take hold. We also left some dead Amarillon trees standing since dead trees provide food and habitat for a variety of animals. After planting tropical milkweed and lantana, Monarch butterflies have reappeared — amazing! — as are the frequent Morpho butterflies that look like they are lit from within. We have strived to slowly make our property a haven for birds and other wildlife while keeping everything fresh and beautiful.
About the Neighborhood and Places Close By
Going up the road, your closest neighbor is Shankara Yoga Retreat, and the rest of the neighborhood is a mix of friendly Ticos (that’s how Costa Ricans refer to themselves) and expats from various countries.
From the house, it’s just a five-minute drive to Route 243 and nearby amenities and conveniences in the heart of Platanillo, including:
- Two well-stocked locally owned grocery stores (“mini supers”)
- A new pharmacy (just opening now)
- A farm/garden supply store (where we buy the salt for our swimming pool at significant savings compared to a specialty pool store)
- A hardware store
- A vegan restaurant/health food store
- A bakery featuring homemade pastries, bread, sandwiches, fruit smoothies, and good coffee
- A “tipico” restaurant that makes tasty family-style dishes–in Costa Rica, these are called “sodas”
- The Platanillo community center and soccer field
- The public elementary and secondary schools
About eight minutes up Route 243 is the village of Tinamastes, where you can find more restaurants and, on Tuesday mornings, the local farmer’s market with organic produce. Drive 25 minutes more and you’ll reach San Isidro de El General. Everything you need is there: hospitals and doctor’s offices, veterinarians, larger grocery stores, furniture stores, computer repair and sales, big box stores like Walmart, car dealerships and repair shops, and many local stores and restaurants.
If you go across 243 from the house, you’ll enter another neighborhood with La Ceiba Ecoadventures at the end of the road. La Ceiba Ecoadventures is known for its beautiful waterfalls and swimming holes.
Driving down 243 from the house towards Dominical, you’ll find more restaurants, the entrance to well-known Nauyaca waterfalls, Parque Reptilandia (fun for kids of all ages), and lots of beautiful scenery. Dominical is a tiny but mighty surfing village about 20–25 minutes from Platanillo. It’s a fun and quirky hotspot known for good waves, street vendors along the beach road, great microbrews, and many restaurant options including Thai fusion, vegan, excellent pizza, sushi, and much more.
Fruit Orchard in Progress
The backyard already has several producing fruit trees, with many more planted over the past four years. There is nothing like delicious, healthy sweet fruit picked fresh from trees on your very own property. A great idea is to eventually create a gently curved gravel path that goes past each tree on the property, providing opportunities for birdwatching or just enjoying the shade. In fact, both the back and side sections of the property have been planted with fruit trees. Here’s the list:
| 3 – Mandarin Orange (mature) | 3 – Mango (mature, fruiting soon) | 1 – Water apple (mature) |
| 10 – Cacao plants | 1 – Starfruit (mature) | 1 – Mangosteen |
| 1 – Breadfruit | 2 – Suriname Cherry | 1 – Jabuticaba Grape (needs ~ 3 more years to fruit) |
| 1 – Miracle Fruit (makes sour things taste sweet) | 1 – Black Sapote (chocolate pudding fruit) | Banana plants |
| Pineapple patch | 2 – Anonas (cherimoyas) | 1 – Navel Orange |
| 1 – Blood Orange (moro) | 1 – Grapefruit | 1 – Rambutan (mamon chino) |
2 – Wild grape trees (related to cecropia trees) | 1 – Jocote | 1 – Soursop (guanabana) |
Multiple guavas (ice cream bean) | 1 – Guava (called guayaba in Costa Rica) | Several unidentified Lime trees |
8 – young Coffee plants (variety bred for warmer regions) | 1 – Cinnamon tree | Others we have forgotten or yet to discover |
And About Those Birds
Platanillo is not listed as a birding hotspot on eBird, but this will surely change as more birders move here and to nearby communities. Because our personal list of birds is associated with a private residence, it doesn’t show up on eBird (Cornell does this to prevent people’s homes from being overrun when a rare or unusual species shows up). And, we are not the best birders, so there are likely some we have missed over the past four years. The following is our list of birds seen at the creek, in the trees or bushes, wandering in the grass, in the air over the house, and even occasionally *in* the pool taking a dip. Some species were identified by a Costa Rican naturalist when he visited the property. A few were identified by repeated hearing their distinctive calls or songs (sometimes with help from the Merlin app). Here is the list!
| White-crested Coquette | Bay-headed Tanager | Blue-throated Goldentail |
| Brown-hooded Parrot | King Vulture | Yellow-green Vireo |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Blue-headed Parrot | Band-tailed Barbthroat |
| Wedge-billed Woodcreeper | Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl | Stripe-throated Hermit |
| Prothonotary Warbler | Olivaceous Piculet | Riverside Wren |
| Black-hooded Antshrike | Ringed Kingfisher | Black-and-white Owl |
| Black Hawk-Eagle | Great Curassow | Blue-black Grosbeak |
| Rufous-breasted Wren | Collared Forest-Falcon | Morelet’s Seedeater |
| Gartered Trogon | Rufous-collared Sparrow | Orange-billed Sparrow |
| Swainson’s Thrush | Boat-billed Flycatcher | Northern Plain-Xenops |
| Red-lored Amazon | Long-billed Gnatwren | Common Tody-Flycatcher |
| Orange-chinned Parakeet | Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Chestnut-backed Antbird |
| Lesser Greenlet | Gray-headed Tanager | Snowy Egret |
| Melodious Blackbird | Eastern Wood-Pewee | Social Flycatcher |
| Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet | Spotted Woodcreeper | Scaled Pigeon |
| Scarlet Tanager | Red-eyed Vireo | Philadelphia Vireo |
| Mealy Amazon | Little Tinamou | Gray-capped Flycatcher |
| Double-toothed Kite | Northern Tropical Pewee | Yellow-bellied Elaenia |
| Mottled Owl | Yellow-crowned Euphonia | Black-crowned Tityra |
| Northern Barred-Woodcreeper | Bright-rumped Attila | Spot-crowned Euphonia |
| Velvety Manakin | Hoffmann’s Woodpecker | Blue Dacnis |
| Green Hermit | Ruddy Ground Dove | Great Crested Flycatcher |
| Northern Black-throated Trogon | Costa Rican Swift | Tropical Gnatcatcher |
| Summer Tanager | Tropical Mockingbird | Broad-winged Hawk |
| Great Tinamou | Bananaquit | Baltimore Oriole |
| Scarlet-rumped Cacique | Red-crowned Woodpecker | Golden-naped Woodpecker |
| Crowned Woodnymph | Bay-headed Tanager | White-browed Gnatcatcher |
| White-necked Jacobin | Swallow-tailed Kite | Gray-cowled Wood-Rail |
| Fiery-billed Aracari | Common Pauraque | Short-billed Pigeon |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Clay-colored Thrush | Lineated Woodpecker |
| Great Egret | Long-billed Hermit | Buff-throated Saltator |
| Variable Seedeater | Green Honeycreeper | Red-legged Honeycreeper |
| Shining Honeycreeper | Golden-hooded Tanager | Palm Tanager |
| Blue-gray Tanager | Scarlet-rumped Tanager | Chestnut-sided Warbler |
| Yellow Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | Black-and-white Warbler |
| Montezuma Oropendola | Thick-billed Euphonia | Southern House Wren |
| Brown Jay | Tropical Kingbird | Piratic Flycatcher |
| Streaked Flycatcher | Great Kiskadee | Dusky-capped Flycatcher |
| Eye-ringed Flatbill | Masked Tityra | Cocoa Woodcreeper |
| Crimson-fronted Parakeet | White-crowned Parrot | Yellow-headed Caracara |
| Laughing Falcon | Pale-billed Woodpecker | Yellow-throated Toucan |
| Lesson’s Motmot | Slaty-tailed Trogon | Spectacled Owl |
| Short-tailed Hawk | Roadside Hawk | Gray-headed Kite |
| Turkey Vulture | Black Vulture | Western Cattle-Egret |
| Fasciated Tiger-Heron | Rufous-tailed Hummingbird | Squirrel Cuckoo |
| White-tipped Dove | Red-billed Pigeon | Crested Guan |
| Gray-headed Chachalaca | Brewster’s Warbler (hybrid) | Magnificent Frigatebird |
| swallow sp. | swift sp. | parrot sp. |
| euphonia sp. | new world flycatcher sp. | woodcreeper sp. |
Note that the less-than-sharp pictures were taken through the screen on the front porch using a phone camera.
Unlimited Possibilities
We’ve enjoyed living here full-time for the past four years. The prior owners operated the property as an short-term rental and employed one of the neighbors as a caretaker. You might wish to rent this home and then construct another one on the flat area by the pool or on the gently sloped area across from the Water Apple tree. There is room to add to the original house or build a second house.
Finally, International Living magazine used an old picture of our swimming pool in its 2013 feature on Platanillo de Barú. They used this same old photo again in another feature in 2023. In 2022, we replaced the gray “conchita” for blue tile, added a sealed sandstone surround, replaced the stamped-concrete walking area with grippy ceramic tile, and ditched the chlorine system for salt. Looks better now than it did then, and the salt system saves money and feels better on your skin and doesn’t sting your eyes!
So, if you’re ready for a change of pace and looking for a more “Pura Vida” lifestyle, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place than Platanillo to do it in. And if you also are interested in tons of nature, great home amenities, a green and healthy lifestyle, and not having to give up all the modern conveniences to live your dream life, then get in touch with us today at info@costa-rica-birders-delight-home-in-platanillo.com! We can also communicate by US phone number or WhatsApp if you send your information to us via email.
We look forward to meeting you and getting you all settled in to your new home in paradise!
