Casa Isabel is Yelapa’s  longest operating, most divinely located guesthouse.   We are located on “The Point,” away from town, and bordered by the ocean, a creek with two waterfalls, and unpopulated jungle.  A visiting concert cellist compared the sound environment to like being inside a crystal bowl.  Instead of motors, CD tuba tunes, loud Saturday night music and next-door roosters, we have birdsongs and insect choirs, waves and running water.


Our accommodations are all open-walled, with lockboxes for valuables and dropdown curtains for rare dry-season storms.  Humans are natural beings, and at Casa Isabel, our co-creatures are thriving.  Extra-species guest possibilities include raccoons, tejons (coatis), armadillos, opossums, squirrels, bats, skunks, landcrabs, and giant toads.  These creatures are entertaining and harmless, but if you don’t want to share your avocados and bananas - stash them away. 

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Casa Isabel


For four decades Isabel Jordan lived and loved in this stunning location.  She was spry, vital, gracious and tons of fun.  Izamamma had a Big Life because she cared for others as much or more than she cared for herself.  She lived 81 years, all juice and sparkle.  She had mastered the sowing/reaping circle and brought out the best in people.   Isabel had a high capacity for being present, and made friends with most of her guests.  A mutual admiration society flourished in her presence.


In January 2009 Isabel made a sudden and shocking celestial transfer.  Waves of grief washed over her very large circle.  A rocky-to-impossible transition began.  Somehow, somehow, with dogged persistence and a few miracles, the workers are still working, and we survive.  Isabel’s spiritual and physical legacy is huge.  We are making good progress converting rustic to rustic elegance, and icing the cake on this tropical Eden.

Black iguanas abound on the cliffs (and create havoc in the vegetable garden).  Many smaller lizards are common.  A variety of snakes may pass through, but we have never had an incident.  Scorpions are present, but your alertness is your safety - you’ll get the full drill on arrival.  Birdwatchers get pretty excited here, and all houses have binoculars.  Gardeners thrill to the range of colors and variety.  Whales and dolphins frolic in the bay.  Snorkeling off the beach is as good as it gets on the Pacific coast.  You can even stand on the rocks with fishing line wrapped around a bleach bottle and oftentimes land yourself supper.

Thanks to Isabel’s foresight and green thumb, our productive orchard includes passion fruit vines, pineapples, bananas, limes, guanabano, jackfruit, oranges, mandarins, papaya, avocado, mango, gondo berry, pomegranates and yacca.  The fledgling vegetable garden is a reliable herb producer and we are still experimenting to see which vegetables endure the jungle’s onslaught of multi-phyla plague.  So far it’s about 50-50.