We have a long list of amenities on our website. Here is a sampling
of a few of them; hot water!, TV, VHS & DVD, a video library of over
240 Movies!, cable TV (98 channels), High-Speed Wireless Internet,
fully equipped kitchen, Stereo, Cd players, New Washer
& Dryer and MUCH MORE !!!

La Carpintera de Tres Rios is a peaceful established pueblo; a
suburb of Tres Rios. Genova is a new development (urbanizacion) in
La Carpintera de Tres Rios. This peaceful area affords the best of
both worlds. On the one hand, you are living in the mountains, so
you have the fresh air and scenery associated with this. One the
other hand, you will have very friendly Costa Rican neighbors and
the convenience of living in a neighborhood. For example, the public
bus can stop on the main street (if you wave at the driver--
seriously), literally next to the villa (for only 180+/-
colones .34¢ US cents). You can ride this bus all of the way to the
center of San Jose if you want--12 feet or 12km--is the same price.
Also, there are many conveniences quite nearby. For instance, less
than 100 meters from the villa, there is a small hardware store. So
you might be thinking, why would I need a hardware store?. Well,
this is Costa Rica, you can buy eggs, drinks, ice cream, various
foods and cleaning supplies there--even bananas
(pronounced "bananos" by locals). It is a real convenience! Up the
mountain a short walk, there are a few more pulperias (convenience
stores). If it is a local flavor you are after, La Carpintera is
about as local as it comes.

If it's nature you're after, we have that too... in abundance! If
you walk up the mountain from the house on the main street, in less
than ten minutes (by foot) you are in the forest, by farms and
amazing scenery. Another ten minutes or so by foot will take you to
Itzaru Park. Technically this is a scout park (as in boyscouts and
girlscouts), but it is always open to guests (500 colones - .34¢ US
cents). The park occupies the top of the Mountain, and is really
quite beautiful and peaceful. On the weekends, bicyclists can be
seen heading up the mountain, as well as many people with backpacks
to go camping, or simply to picnic.

Need civilization? Just across the highway (a short walk) is the
center of Tres Rios. This is a fine example of a small latin town.
There are many restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors and stores of
all types here. Don't miss the local fruit and vegetable mercado in
Tres Rios on weekends--they have wonderful fresh Costa Rican produce
at amazing prices. There is a very tranquil central park in the
town, as is typical with most latin cities and towns. If you are
feeling lazy, a taxi is usually less than $1 USD to the villa from
the center.

Need an escape to modern life? No problem! Within just a few
kilometers from the villa, you can visit the Terramall. A super-
modern shopping mall that even has a large modern grocery store.
Actually, the Terramall is the largest mall in Central America. All
modern conveniences are available here: the mall offers Banks and
ATMs (cajeros automaticos), a high-speed Internet Cafe and wireless
Internet, in addition to the 125 shops including Guess, Kenneth
Cole, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Payless and the mega department store
Alyss. Fifteen movie theaters and a VIP viewing lounge offer the
latest Hollywood blockbusters. Parking is available for 1500
vehicles and a large food court includes a variety of local and
international fast-food chains such as Spoon, Rostipollos, Oliva
Verde, Inka Grill, Quiznos, Subway, McDonalds, Hooligans and Pops
ice cream--and the mall is open everyday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Oh, the average cab ride is only 600-1000 +/- colones ($1.25-2.00
USD)

Of course the real convenience of this location is that you are only
7.5 miles (12 kilometers) from the center of the nation's capital,
San Jose. This is significant in Costa Rica because the nation's
transportation network works on a hub system. That is, here, all
roads lead to Rome San Jose. Excuse our levity, but it really is
true here. To Travel from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean, for
example, it is virtually impossible to avoid passing through San
Jose. All public buses (very safe and incredibly cheap--just watch
your belongings) depart from San Jose or transfer in San Jose. Thus
the villa is just minutes away from transportation to anywhere in
Costa Rica-or Nicaragua, Panama and beyond for that matter.

About the Villa...

Our villa is brand new; completed in August. We have
incorporated all of the modern conveniences you would expect from
any quality international lodging. The construction is concrete and
steel, and all of the wiring in the villa is a grounded 3-wire
system, to protect your computers, and fine electronic products. The
voltage in Costa Rica is 110 volts (same as the U.S. and Canadian
standards). We have Hot water too! Seriously, most houses are still
built with only cold water here, but we have hot and cold running
city water (generally considered to be safe to drink). In the yard
we have planted fruit trees and flowers, and there is almost always
a breeze to cool the house with fresh mountain air.

See our website for more information about the villa and the area.