Casa Iguana Mar y Sol

Native wood runs through every door, window, bed and table here, cut and joined by hand rather than shipped in. The house stands 100 metres from the water on San Cristóbal, the balconies looking out over breaking surf and the marina below. It is a small operation. Five suites, each with its own entrance and bathroom, open onto a shared covered walkway with balcony seating that faces the ocean; the Flamingo Suite, set alone on the top floor, gets the widest view of the group. Ceiling fans turn over beds dressed in proper linen, changed twice weekly, and screened windows let the sea breeze move through without needing air conditioning running all night. Mornings start with coffee grown on the family's own San Cristóbal farm and eggs from their chickens, taken in a ground-floor sitting room before the day's heat sets in. Patricia, who owns the house, speaks English and Spanish; when Luis is on duty, it is Spanish only. Wi-Fi reaches the first-floor sitting area, though on this island it can be patchy.