Top 10 Costa Rica

There’s another way to experience Costa Rica, and it doesn’t involve going to the heavily touristed attractions of that popular nation.

The number of Americans who have chosen Costa Rica for retirement and visits is currently so great as to cause some concern.

If you honestly want to learn about the nontouristic life of a vibrant Central American nation, you will dispense with all the standard tours and itineraries. For you, there will be no meaningless zip-lines over trees of a rain forest, no heavily escorted, endlessly duplicated mule rides up the Arenal volcano, no fenced-in, resort all-inclusives on the Guanacaste coast.

Instead, you’ll stay in the heart of a residential suburb of San Jose, Costa Rica, interacting with the hosts of a private home and other Costa Ricans of the vicinity.

You’ll use public transportation to reach the downtown sights, and on those occasions when you wish to visit other towns, beaches and natural wonders of Costa Rica, you’ll simply board a public bus.

Bells’ Home Hospitality was founded in 1990 by Marcela and Vernon Bell, two pioneers in Costa Rican tourism, to provide Costa Rican homestays for American visitors. The Bells devote personal attention to the needs of their clients.

The hosts of their homestays are carefully chosen people who are willing to share the life of their household with their guests, exactly as if the latter were members of the family.

Visitors, according to the Bells, “participate in family activities, meet relatives and friends, involve themselves to the extent they choose and get a native’s view of ‘Costaricana.’”

Customers can call the Bells (who answer the phone at any time of the day or evening) for tips on places to go and things to see, shopping and transportation, and for ways to experience Costa Rica as they never would in any other way.

The rates are breathtaking: For a single room (occupied by one person), $30 a night. For a double or twin room shared by two people, $45 a night. And the rates always include breakfast for everyone in your party.

For a room with private bath, add $5. To be picked up at the airport on arrival, add $15 for the first person, $5 for each additional person.

And you can arrange to have dinner with the family for an extra $7 a meal, paid directly to your hosts.

The Bells are among those occasional treasures you find in travel, whose services are priceless. They have dramatically transformed the nature of the Costa Rica travel experience for thousands of Americans.

You reach them at Bells’ Home Hospitality, P.O. Box 185, 1000 San Jose, Costa Rica. You can call them (from the U.S.) at 011-506-225-4752; or e-mail them at homestayracsa.co.cr. They have a Web site, too: www.homestay.thebells.org.