HOUSE OF CONNECTIONS (aka the House of SELF EMPOWERMENT [formerly known as the Fountains]), Escazu, Costa Rica

Now CLOSED edit As of July 18, 2011, the House of CONNECTIONS in Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica is CLOSED. We thank EVERYONE who crossed through our doors - for ALL the GIFTS you brought to the house, each other & myself (Vicki)!! BUT, Need a place to stay in Escazu or around Costa Rica? Still e- me as I have LOTS of contacts & DETAILED information!!! I'm off to NEW ADVENTURES so check them out at - http://LovingYourPetHouseSitting.com
http://LivingLifeInCostaRica.blogspot.com - my Costa Rica information blog that gets over 28,000 Page Views a month!
http://YourCostaRicaConnector.com
as well as http://VickiSkinner.com Want to reach me, you can email me at LivingLifeInCostaRica@gmail.com HUGS to ALL!!! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ WHAT THE HOUSE OF CONNECTIONS (aka the Fountains) GUESTHOUSE WAS about: Welcome to the House of CONNECTIONS in Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica!! Come stay in our MAGICAL, TRANQUIL OASIS - located in THE BEST, MOST CONVENIENT and Safest area we’ve found in Costa Rica - San Rafael de ESCAZU!! The HOUSE OF CONNECTIONS (formerly known as the Fountains Guesthouse [we changed because CONNECTING is REALLY what the energy of the house/your hosts are about!]!) located ON THE main street on the South/West side of the Central Valley just 7 min. West of San Jose (depending on traffic of course) YET we’re set back 300' on nearly 2 acres of LUSH Tropical foliage with a CREEK running around part of the parameters!!! MANY refer to our area as the HEART of the "Beverly Hills of Costa Rica" - what many refer to as the "Gringo Area" because it has the MOST MODERN CONVENIENCES like OVER 50 restaurants within 15 blocks either direction (& MANY deliver!!!) - including Goddess forbid - McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Bagelmen's that even deliver. We have Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Organic/Healthy, International cuisine, Sushi, Subway, Kosher/Jewish and LOTS MORE! Check out Vicki’s in-process COSTA RICA EATS Restaurant Guide [with a STRONG emphasis on the Escazu area] – http://CostaRicaEatsGuide.com). On our corner is a Curves, a small but nice selection/priced “liquor store”. Our area also has everything from the best markets around, to Yoga Classes, shopping, spas (we even have Harmony Spa / Acupuncture Center NEXT DOOR!!), tanning salon, the BEST butcher, gyms (World Gym and ArenaTrek), Pilates, a local feria/Farmer’s Market on Sat. and an organic feria Wed. morning, dentists, medical doctors (many people come to CR to have procedures as they WAY cheaper than elsewhere! [usually around 40-60%]) and THE American-owned hospital - CIMA (U.S. owned). We're also ON the bus line that goes directly into San Jose (into the Coca-Cola Bus Terminal - THE MAIN bus terminal for Costa Rica!!)!! Need to go further? Just about whatever you desire, we have it nearby! Because of this, you don’t need to rent an expensive car – you can walk to many things or use one of the many English-speaking (of varying levels) LEGAL Taxi Drivers/Guides we associate with to assist you (including with translation [for a NICE tip &/or extra fee])! This saves you a LOT of money!! SJO Airport is just 20 minutes from us (you rarely get that noisy/sleep-wrecking airplane noise breaking your sleep throughout the night) and Pavas Airport (home to http://NatureAir.com - the ONLY airline we’d take for traveling within Costa Rica!!) is just 10 minutes from us!! Your hosts - Vicki Skinner & her Tico brother Frank Chicas KNOW what service is about!! One of most SPECIAL Feature are our BEDS!!! Most of are beds are 2 Twin beds that we hook up together (so they don’t separate) and put a Memory Foam Topper on top making our beds some of the MOST DELICIOUS most of our guests say they’ve slept in!! Like it hard? (MOST beds in Latin American countries are HARD as a rock [note – “orthopedic” usually means hard as a rock!!) We can remove the Topper!! One likes it hard and the other softer – we have Twin Memory Foam Toppers – whatever is best for your good night sleep, our intention is to accommodate it!! Our home is a real "me casa - es su casa" kinda feel where you have complete access to our FULL Kitchen that includes everything from all sorts of kitchen toys, Juicer, crock pot, ice cream maker, pop corn maker+!! You just get to clean up after yourself!! Go hang out in the livingroom watching tv, workin' on your laptop (no need to coup yourself up!!), hang out in one of the MANY hammocks located around the property, read a book - just BE!!!! PERSONAL RETREAT/PAMPERING DAY: The HOUSE OF CONNECTIONS is located less than 2-3 hours or less from most of the things you came to see in CR - making us PERFECT for those wanting the EASE of a base to explore CR without the hassles of packing and unpacking and moving around day-to-day. We have many wonderful tour guides/drivers that can help you have a MAGICAL vacation!!! Even faster – catch a flight on http://NatureAir.com to get you to the places that would normally be a grueling 3-5 hour drive (and what an AWESOME way to see the country!)!! The HOUSE OF CONNECTIONS is wonderful for those desiring an overall TRANQUIL getaway, or a place to connect. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT US: http://TripAdvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g309294-d660673-Reviews-Fountains_Guesthouse-San_Rafael_de_Escazu_Province_of_San_Jose.html Whether you're joining us just to get a minor medical/dental procedure or tests (ULTRA CHEAP in Costa Rica – 40-60% off. We can assist you with a connection to some of the wonderful medical professionals we share with others!!), as your base, your 1st or last night before venturing out and about CR, or coming to The House Of Self Empowerment for a retreat, seminar or celebration, need to create your own private retreat, want a Massage, Facial or other Wellness Therapies - we WELCOME YOU! GRACIAS COSTA RICA is a program we've starting to encourage tourists & non-nationals alike to gift back to the people of Costa Rica via donations, etc. (note, we sometimes have items for sale in one of our livingrooms but there's still space for you since it's a BIG room!) . WOW - When people's names come up these days, if I can't remember them offhand (not hard to do with this lack of memory) I go check out "See friendship" & then I check "Messages". One such person came up & I found a message she sent to me April 2011 when I had my guest house - "The House of Connections" - aka the "Fountains Guesthouse" (because I had fountains in almost all the rooms). This is the AWESOME MESSAGE she sent me that touched my heart (& part of the times I DO miss giving up the guesthouse: "Dear Vicki, Thank you for finding and connecting with me and Tim (still in Hospital CIMA). Lisa and Dusty were so comforted and relieved to find your healing home... and, of course, they highly recommended we come stay with you if we end up staying in Costa Rica after Tim is released. I just want you to know how grateful I am that you were able to give our Bodhisattva friends a warm, healing resting place while they were tending to my beloved husband. What an immense blessing you are! Also... there was a complete stranger, an acquaintance of a friend of mine in Colorado, who did my laundry when I was sitting here with my husband feeling really low, stuck, helpless, depleted and sad... This angel stranger's name is Lynn. She said, "when you and Tim leave the hospital, I can help you find a nice place to stay with some good people. There's one lady really close to the hospital who has a really amazing place where you have full access to the kitchen and laundry. Her name is Vicky and I'll send you her contact information." Of all the people and all the places in San Jose, Lisa and Lynn found and recommended the same exact one. No other options were given. I don't know if Tim and I will be sticking around at all after he's released from CIMA, but if so, we definitely plan to check out your place. Thank you for creating, holding and offering a powerful healing sanctuary. With deep gratitude, Sara R"