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Insect protection:
We are in the tropics, and so yes, we do have the occasional insects buzzing
arround. For those of you who are not entomologist and/or otherwise overly
fascinated by this part of the animal kingdom, be reassured that most
insects you will encounter are harmless. Although we are thankfully not
plagued with an over-abundance of mosquitoes, they will be around now
and then. Sandflies, also known as "no see hums" can be pesky
on especially calm days. A good breeze usually disperses them about, as
they are very weak flyers. Our beds have mosquito nets, but if you are
allergic or simply wish to totally avoid insect bites, you may want to
bring along your favorite insect repellent.
Food:
We are 4 miles away from town, and do not have any grocery stores nearby.
If you are planning to cook, we encourage you to make a food stop before
driving up to Bluff. If you arrive through Changuinola, be aware that
the food selection there is much larger, and also at times quite cheaper
than on the island. Having said that, the main supermarket on the island "super Isla Colon", on the main drag, is well stocked, and the "Super Gourmet" has a nice selection of deli and organic food. As of December 2008, we now
have a "charming French Chef" to quote one of our guest, who can prepare all 3 daily meals for you. Our menu is small, but everyone has raved about the food so far.
The cabinas and rooms are equipped with large coolers. These were sold
as "5-day" cooler. In order to maximise the use of your cooler,
do not buy a bag of ice cubes, but buy an ice BLOCK. Two large
pieces are sold as one block (sold as one package @ $4.00 at the time
of this writing) will last 3-5 days if you are careful to not open the
cooler too much and/or leave it open too long.
For your food choice, try to focus on items that do not need refrigeration.
Meat in general does not keep more than one day.
Long shelf-life milk is available, but must be refridgerated once
opened. We suggest bringing powered milk instead, unless you will be able
to drink your quart of milk in a couple of days.
Because we are on solar power, we cannot have any high-energy use items
such as electric coffee makers. We do however, provide two types
of stove top coffee makers. One is a french-made coffee "plunger".
Coffee is put in a glass jar, then you add boiling water to it, and after
the desired amount of time, you push a filter-disk through the jar. The
coffeegrounds stays at the bottom, and the coffee is poured from the jar.
We also provide an italian-made espresso maker, stove-top type. And there
is always the "instant coffee" option....
Water:
Our water is filtered rain water. We regularly use it to cook, wash and
brush our teeth. To drink, we use pitcher BRITA and PUR water filters.
Although the cabinas and communal kitchens are equipped with PUR or Brita pitchers, it is difficult to find the filters here. So If you are planning an extended stay, you may consider investing in pitcher filters to cover the length of your
stay. The main kitchen has a pitcher PUR filter but we have found that they are interchangeable (PUR and Brita). If you plan on purchasing
water, PLEASE do not purchase water in 1-gallon jugs or sizes smaller.
One of our biggest ecological problem on the island is the disposition
of plastic. We suggest you purchase a 5-gallon container, which actually
will be cheaper than buying separate smaller bottles. The store will charge
you anywhere between $5 and $10 for the deposit. REQUEST A DEPOSIT
RECEIPT. Then we will reimburse you for the deposit, keep the bottle
and return it for you. Usually the deposit is $5, but we have had instances
where our guests are charged much more, and then the store refuses to
reimburse more because there is no receipt....
Other items:
Flashlights:As mentioned above, we are on solar power, including
the night lights. If you plan to go out at night, please bring a flashlight
with you, especially if you will be staying in the cabinas or 3rd floor.
If you bring a flashlight powered with AA batteries, if you can, bring
rechargeable batteries, and we can recharge them for you. If you plan
on doing some night-time turtle watching, please bring the type of flashlight
that has a red lens cover available (available in most sports/fishing
supplies department stores). Our light bulbs are the energy saving kinds, and admittedly not the brightest bulbs on the planet. If you want to do some reading at night, we suggest you bring of of those great head lamp, and one of the owne (she knows who she is)r, retracts the comment that "she would not be caught dead with one of those.". They DO make great reading lights.
Rain gear: Regardless of the time of year you will come, it is
likely you might experience at least one good tropical rain. Although
it will always be "warm rain", you may want to bring some rain
gear with you.
Books: Rains are very unpredictable. If somehow you arrive and
have to experience a stretch of heavy rain, you will be happy to have
brought a good book with you. Incidentally, many of our guests have enjoyed
some good reading material, on a hammock, during perfectly good sunny
days! We do have quite a collection of books at Casa Azul, but most are
in english.
Children "stuff": Along the same line, if you are bringing
some young children, plan on bringing at least one of their favorite book
or rainy-day game. Although we do not have TV's available at Tesoro Escondido,
if cabin fever has set in, we might be able to make available our laptop
to watch an occasional video in the main house. So if your child
has a favorite DVD, bring that along too! As a last resort, we have a
few children-friendly pets, who will happy to play all day long if they
are engaged! We also have a small collection of games such as checkers,
chess, backgammon, scrabble, etc.
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