How Casa Fofo GuestHouse was born
How Casa Fofo GuestHouse was born
Sometimes big life changes start out extremely simple.
In our case, it all began… with fresh fish. 🐟
In October 2022, as I was on my way to Playa Ensenada in San Carlos to buy fish directly from the fishermen, something caught my eye.
About 200 meters from the beach, there was a house with a “Se vende” sign.
For sale.
I contacted the estate agency and arranged a viewing.
And then… I liked what I saw.
There was something.
A potential to do what we had planned.
When my husband Jack returned from Switzerland, we took another tour together.
Then we decided to buy this house.
🏡 The keys… the day before my birthday
We received the keys on Sunday, April 2, 2023.
On April 3, we began renovating the house.
And then… things got really complicated.
🔨 The work… and the cold shower
We had entrusted the renovations to a construction company whose boss was a so-called friend.
On paper, this seemed reassuring.
In reality… much less so.
The work was extremely poorly done, and we had to face the facts: we’d been completely ripped off. Both financially and amicably. And that hurts.
It was a really difficult time:
* frustration,
* anger,
* fatigue,
* misunderstandings,
* and a lot of stress.
We were very unhappy with the result and parted angry.
With hindsight, that’s part of the adventure too.
When you change your life completely and build a project in another country, everything can’t be perfect.
And sometimes you have to learn… very quickly.
🌿 Despite everything, the project continues
Even if everything wasn’t as we’d imagined, the house was still viable.
So we moved in as planned at the end of August 2023, into our new home in San Carlos.
🏠 Casitas: the project finally takes shape
Then we launched the second major stage of the project:
the construction of the casitas and our living project: “La GuestHouse”.
And this time, the story was totally different.
We worked with a Panamanian construction company run by an absolutely adorable, competent gentleman who is passionate about his work.(We’ll be calling on him again in the future for other jobs).
Work began in November 2023.
And, for the first time in a long time, we really felt that our project was coming to life exactly as we had imagined it.
Little by little, the casitas emerged from the ground.
And they were exactly as we wanted them:
* simple,
* warm,
* comfortable,
* and designed to make people feel really good.
Work was completed in April 2024.
🎨 Decoration, details… and short nights
From there, a new phase began.
The details (but also the administration, but I’ll skip the details).
And honestly… sometimes they’re the ones that take the longest 😄
We started:
* decorating,
* furnishing,
* purchasing,
* the first photos,
* advertising,
* advertising on platforms,
* technical settings,
* and everything else you don’t necessarily see behind the opening of a guest house.
Little by little, Casa Fofo became real.
🌴 The opening
Then the big day arrived.
On October 18, 2024, we officially opened the doors to Casa Fofo.
And on that same day, I also opened the doors to my massage and wellness practice, now known as Jo-Well Center.
(Incidentally, around this approach to massage and touch, I’m also developing my online training project: Masser avec Sens 🌿).
💛 A new life
From that day on, our new life really began here at Casa Fofo, San Carlos.
Of course, not everything is perfect.
There are:
* unforeseen events,
* tiring periods,
* work that sometimes goes on,
* things to learn and put in place,
* and times when we still wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into 😄
But there are also:
* the encounters,
* the travelers,
* the sunsets over the palm trees,
* the reflections of the full moon in the pool,
* the poolside discussions,
* the cats wandering between the casitas,
* and that very strange but beautiful feeling…
to have finally built a life that truly resembles us. 🌴
