Rick Hardy (pictured above with a curious house guest), spent more than a decade visiting Mexico for his sand and surf fix, but after some prodding from a Costa Rican college friend he decided to visit Costa Rica. One visit and it was no more Mexico for him! He had found paradise and promptly bought beautiful Casa Dulce in 1991.

Since that time, Rick and his family have enjoyed escaping the hustle and bustle of the States by retreating to Casa Dulce twice a year.

"When we come down here life just seems to slow down and we realize how little we need to get by and still be happy. In fact, we're happier here than we are in the States with all of the trappings of the modern world.

One of the things we love the most about coming down here is 'family time'. When we are in the States, everyone is so busy, we hardly ever see each other, much less take the time to sit down together to work on a puzzle, play a board game, or just talk with one another. That's probably my favorite reason for coming to Casa Dulce."
-- Rick Hardy