Rancho De Moncho

Mayra and her family make Rancho de Moncho special with their amazing hospitality. Don’t miss her traditional Costa Rican breakfast. It’s delicious, reasonably priced, and she’ll even show you how to make tortillas. The location has sweeping valley and mountain views, with birds all around. Bijagua is a lovely Costa Rican mountain town, with traditional dining and great day trips and wildlife tours within an hour. I’ve stayed at Rancho de Moncho every time I’ve visited Costa Rica, and I’ll be back.

I stepped onto the porch and immediately wished I could stay for the whole month. The flowers, plants, views, hummingbirds, and other birds were incredible. I even saw and heard a toucan, and we heard monkeys. Everyone in the family agreed this was our favorite Airbnb. Look up Mayra’s other listing, the “cottage.” Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic stay! The homes are much nicer than the photos, and both the “cabin” and “cottage” feel very private. Mayra’s house is set back from the rentals, so she wasn’t intrusive at all. We paid ten USD each for breakfast and got more delicious food than we could finish, including fruit and excellent coffee. We joined her in the kitchen on the patio, where she cooks on a wood-burning stove, and she taught us to make tortillas. It was such a great experience.

The cabin was comfortable and the location was nice, but we were disappointed by the host’s attitude. We brought our blue heeler, and the AirBnB listing said pets were welcome. As soon as we arrived, we felt unwelcome because of her size. The host said our dog was too big and that we’d have to keep her tied up outside. It was a really disappointing, rude welcome to the area. If the owner doesn’t want pets, she should remove the pet-friendly option from the listings. She should also take a class or two in customer service.

We felt like part of the family. The hosts showed real warmth, and the cabin is rustic in a lovely countryside setting. They were so helpful with laundry and very accommodating about our unpredictable comings and goings all week. We’re grateful. See you again! n y jorge