Casa de las Tias is a charming two-storey cedarwood house, built by hand as the home of a former Minister of Labor. It is set off from the traffic and the bustling street noise, surrounded by gardens, yet very close to transport, restaurants, theaters and city happenings, shops, churches, doctors, hospitals, dentists...Our cozy rooms are each uniquely decorated with art and textiles from all over Latin America, with ceiling fans, en suite bathrooms, amenities and coffee-tea service, screened windows, extra firm mattresses, fine cotton towels and bedding, lots of books, a great terrace. In the morning, the smell of fresh-ground coffee beckons guests. We offer a full, varied and tasty breakfast in our garden patio when possible, under a huge umbrella, looking out to a great variety of fruit trees (mango, avocado, soursop, banana, orange, lemon, nispero), flowers and birds (clay-colored robins, mot-mots, blue-gray tanagers, rufus-tailed hummingbirds) and millions of butterflies...At 1000m (3,280 ft) above sea level, Escazú is warm during the day and pleasantly cool in the evening, making it easy to enjoy a restful sleep.

Xavier used to work in housing and international development, loves to walk everywhere, swims every other day, was a former runner, loves to read -- mysteries, politics, poetry -- and listen to music. Pilar is a translator and former speechwriter, loves to act in community theatre, writes poetry, loves dance and singing, was a literature student and her favorite meal is breakfast! We both enjoy bird watching and belong to the Costa Rican Birding Club. Whenever possible, we entertain friends and enjoy telling our guests about the many possibilities of travel in Costa Rica. One of the greatest joys of having Casa de las Tias is meeting such wonderful and interesting guests, many of whom have become our friends. Our breakfast conversations have ranged from genetic research in Costa Rica to the best way to cook beans. We really like people, especially those who share our curiosity about this and other countries and cultures.

We are in the foothills of Escazú, a little town once known for its witches and ghostly legends, nestled in the southern mountains that surround the Central Valley and San José. Our neighborhood, San Rafael de Escazú, is a walkable residential and shopping area with a bustling commercial street replete with clothing, furniture and souvenir shops as well as restaurants offering foods from Costa Rica to India, Italy, Greece or Argentina. The area is a curious combination of sophisticated art and architecture and traditional rural life. Nearby and in the town of Escazú are well-preserved adobe houses that date back a few hundred years (Escazú was first settled in the 1600´s). Some are now restaurants, coffee houses and artful design stores, while others are still family homes. Once a year, on the Day of the Boyero, ox-drawn carts come from San Antonio de Escazú, the mostly agricultural area of the canton, to San Rafael for the traditional blessing of the animals, a March feast that has been declared Heritage of Humanity by the UN. We love to walk these colorful streets with impressive mountain views to go enjoy a ceviche at Madfish or rice and beans at la Casona de Laly.