Who We Are
Jo Tomlinson’s life drastically changed direction when she met Crispin Freeman, a partner in a London law firm. 18 months later, they had married and sold their London Flat to purchase 165 acres on the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica near Pavones, a sleepy surfer town seven hours south of San Jose, brainchild of an infamous convicted drug smuggler. Crispin soon abandoned his lawyer background in favor of blissfully zipping around the jungle on his quad bike with his faithful machete by his side.
Since 2004 they have had three children (Estrella, 2004; Arturo, 2005; Ruby, 2007), 14 dogs, five horses, countless chickens, and have built a successful remote rental company with multiple homes on the Finca Estrella near Pavones.
Jo started writing their story after sending emails about their crazy life to friends and family – and receiving lots of replies insisting that she write a book.
After losing a horse to tetanus, unknowingly being involved in a wood smuggling operation, and having a disastrous time trying to get the new house ready for arriving friends, Jo realizes that maybe the grass is finally getting greener, but she has just been too wrapped up in all of the disasters to notice. Jo’s book is a thorough, sobering, and hilarious story about what happens when a young family follows their dream to escape the rat race by building a peaceful life in a foreign jungle.
Today, you can order ‘A Friend Laughs' on Amazon to read all about their first 18 months in Southern Costa Rica. Plus, you’ll learn a ton about how the Finca came to be, the Tico (Costa Rican) lifestyle, and meet Freddy, who is still the groundskeeper today and will be your daily contact while staying on Finca Estrella.
Meet Freddy
As all our guests have said, a highlight of staying on Finca Estrella is daily visits from our friend and groundskeeper Freddy. His family has lived atop the Pavones hills for generations, and your neighbors are his direct relatives. Freddy is kind, attentive, and knows the jungle like the back of his hand. Ask him anything, and maybe even practice some Spanish! And don’t be surprised if you find his friendly dogs roaming the Finca for leftover mango scraps.
