Bellavista

Here’s a little story on how Finca Bellavista came to be…

Once upon a time, Mateo went on a surfing trip to Costa Rica with friends in 2006. After falling in love with the beauty and serenity of the Southern Zone, he called his wife Erica to plan a trip down together. Both wanted to explore the option of finding a little getaway in the tropics to escape the doldrums of the Colorado ‘mud seasons’… maybe a fixer-upper surf shack or a bungalow in the rainforest. The idea was to create something simple… and certainly nothing too complicated.

After looking through hundreds of listings, they settled on a Top 10 list to explore. They had a good feeling about the last one on the list, and after a long day (Erica’s 29th birthday to be exact) of looking at the possibilities, they landed at what would later become Finca Bellavista. At the end of a steep gravel road in the middle of seemingly nowhere, they macheted a tunnel through a tangle of weeds to the edge of Rio Bellavista. They explored about 100 yards of the property’s river frontage before deciding that it was a most surreal setting… nearly like a national park in its grandeur.

That evening, celebrating their find over a celebratory birthday cocktail, they began to brainstorm ways they could afford the (then) 62-acre property. Recalling that the trees on the property were spectacular, Erica threw the idea of building a treehouse on the table for discussion. Both knew that the parcel was far bigger than what they needed or wanted, especially for something simple like a treehouse. Erica then wondered out loud if friends or other people might be interested in going in on the property cost to make it more financially feasible… and maybe they would like to build a treehouse too… And wouldn’t it be cool if the treehouses were connected with ziplines and bridges?

Kind of like the Ewok village in Return of the Jedi…

The idea sprouted from that small seed, and that’s what Finca Bellavista is becoming today – a fantastic yet real treetop paradise where people can live out their dreams.

The whole of the property is now over 300 acres, encompassing an entire peninsula of rainforest mountain, frontage on two whitewater rivers, countless big trees, and lots of cool critters like frogs, birds and monkeys. A handful of dedicated employees, owners and friends have all contributed their time, energy, and creativity to make ‘the finca’ what it is today.

It takes a village to make a village!

A story about Kimbo the prodigal bulldog