My first destination was the Costa Rican surf outpost (fast becoming a town) Santa Teresa, just down the Nicoya Coast from famed Mal Pais. There, a friendly Spaniard named Juan Carlos Lascaray has opened a cool and totally relaxing bed and breakfast named Canaima Chill House. Inspired by Spain’s Balearic Islands – in fact Juan Carlos admits he originally wanted to open his place on the island of Formentera, but then became seduced by Costa Rica’s surf – the smooth white building of eight attached “apartments” exudes a Mediterranean style and vibe, even though it’s ensconced in a jungle hillside above the beach complete with resident monkeys, sloths, boas, and toucans. The place is really so much more than a typical bed and breakfast – it is a home away from home, with each room feeling much more like a your own residence, with kitchen and a spacious outdoor living area.