This soft-centred chocolate cake recipe was inspired by our visit to the Villa Vanilla Spice Farm. Seeing fresh vanilla and cocoa beans was a real treat. Seeing the flowers that lead to the formation of a cacao pod and seeing the cocoa beans out drying in the sun was amazing. It was so inspirational that … Read more
It doesn’t take long after starting our sweet spice tour of the Villa Vanilla Spice Plantation, just 10 miles east of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, before we see spices hanging out to dry and we’re inhaling the heady aromas of vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa. Aaahhh. These two food lovers are in spice heaven. Our lovely … Read more
When you stay at a five-star hotel or luxury resort you expect a certain level of comfort, services and amenities to be available, such as in-room dining or room service and spa facilities or at the very least in-room massages. But an in-villa spa break? Yes please! We never expected a holiday rental property to … Read more
Manuel Antonio National Park is virtually in the backyard of the Costa Rica holiday rental we’ve settled into for the second week of a two-week stay. The sandy beach and Pacific Ocean are in our front yard. While Terence is keen to hire a board and get in the surf, I’m eager to discover our … Read more
Nowhere on this trip has staying in a holiday rental instead of a hotel and cooking in made more sense to us than in Costa Rica and specifically our latest ‘home’, Manuel Antonio. Aside from the fact that very few of the dozens of hotels here claiming to be on the beach (and have ‘beach’ … Read more