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Non-Reciprocal exchange
10 nights
JD
Verified
If you ever go to a vacation home and find yourself dreamily Googling real estate listings in the area, you will understand how we felt at Alison’s. It is shockingly close to the ocean, probably the closest we have ever stayed, and the only thing separating you from the water is a pool! Alison’s home is beautiful, well-stocked and super comfortable. But it was hard to spend much time in it with all that there was to do outside. There is a terrace where you have a great sunset view or you can walk out for your morning coffee. A surf school is a one minute walk.
But what made this exchange even more special was Alison herself and her property manager (and friend) Melisa.
They were so incredibly welcoming, hospitable, and seemed to truly care about us having a wonderful time there. If I had anything to ask or wonder about whether it was first thing in the morning or evening, both of them replied nearly instantly. Way more than I would ever expect. They were both willing to help when we had an issue with a sick kid while there, and just both felt like instant friends. This is what home exchange is all about, and we loved it from start to finish.
One thing I want to add about the area. Jaco has a bit of a reputation for being a seedy town with prostitutes. There is really only one strip that has a bit of a wild party feel. Perhaps being from amsterdam we are a little more aware of whether this is safe or not, but we did not feel in any way unsafe or compromised in the town. Actually, Alison’s place is in South Jaco, which is a bit further from the strip and has a lot of families. We went into town for the supermarket and a restaurant or two and it was fine. Beyond that, we have found this area to have the best beaches of anywhere we have been. And we adored restaurant El Punto Jacobeno near Alison’s. We had dinner there twice.
Thank you Alison and family for the great exchange!
