When looking for accommodations, consider renting a house for your stay. Several homes are available in Central America. A vacation rental villa provides you with privacy you might not have at hotels while still providing you with services you desire, such as daily maid service and tour booking services. You also have use of a kitchen, common areas for socializing and your own private pool. Vacation rental homes are priced competitively when compared to local luxury hotel prices. For a three- or four-bedroom home, expect to pay a price comparable to two rooms in a local luxury hotel.
Géminis del Pacífico, located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, offers great ocean views and privacy for a group of two-eight persons. They were featured on the cable TV station Fine living, on the show Around the World in 80 Homes this past March and April.
The villa offers four bedrooms, daily maid service, tour assistance and a private pool. A computer with internet access is included, as well as TV, cable, and VHS and DVD players (in the unthinkable chance that you'll get bored watching the monkeys and sloths play on the trees surrounding the home). Nestled in the jungle, it is a perfect location for an intimate group of friends to gather. Visit their Web site at www.itsmycasa.com for more photos and information.
Manuel Antonio is the gay center of Central America. It offers two gay bars, three gay-friendly discos, and a gay beach—you know, across the rocks at the far end of the beach (aren't they all?).
Manuel Antonio is the smallest, yet most visited of the National Parks in Costa Rica because of the concentration of biodiversity and because of the very swimmable, surfable beaches—water is 84°F year round. There is no lack of activities here: Kayaking, Rafting, Sailing, Sport-Fishing, Canopy Tours (swinging through the tree tops), and a full-service spa (just meters away from the villa.)
Géminis del Pacífico is a vacation villa owned by Terry Childers and Pete Thelen, a Chicago gay couple who believe in supporting their local communities in Chicago and in Costa Rica. They support Bonaventure House and have donated vacation time in their home for fundraisers for the LCCP, a Chicago-area Rotary club, and the Illinois Theatre Center. In Costa Rica, Géminis del Pacífico is a member of ASCOMOTI, an environmental group to help save the endangered squirrel monkeys; supports Kids Saving the Rainforest, and they are a supporter of local gay community groups.