Casa de los Suenos

Guest: Martin (Nashville, TN, USA)
Date of Stay: 12/22/11 Review Submitted: 01/08/12

Our family of five stayed at Casa de los Sueños DEC 22-29. This home is located in a beautifully remote area about 6 km from the Costa Rica border. The house features loads of space, nice grounds and pool, with friendly and very helpful staff. Veronica and her helpers do an amazing job. Alberto (Jose and Veronica’s nephew) keeps the pool spotless twice per day. The road to the house is steep, bumpy and rutted- kind of fun in a 4WD, but time consuming. Even though we stayed at the casa during the "dry" season, we had rain on 6 of 7 nights (unusual for the area), making the road slick and difficult even with a 4WD vehicle. A high-clearance (you cross two streams to get to the casa) 4 wheel drive vehicle was a must. The location was lovely and peaceful. The views of Costa Rica across the Bahia de Salinas are amazing. If you head towards the village of El Pochote, one can catch nice views of volcanoes Orosi and Rincon de la Vieja in Costa Rica. Bath towels were fluffy and abundant. The bed linens were also very good quality. The kitchen was disappointing. Though billed as fully equipped, it wasn’t. The twin ovens were not working, so for Christmas dinner we made do with a toaster oven for cooking. There was no microwave, no dishwasher,no garbage disposal. The clothes washer and dryer were not operating properly. For short periods we had no bathing water in the house. Be aware that you will probably experience electricity outages. Be prepared by buying matches and making sure you know where the electric lanterns / flashlights are at night. There were candles in the house, but no matches. There is no DVD player in the house, but there was a nice selection of DVDs. Access to the nice private crescent-shaped beach below and just north of the house was both hazardous and inconvenient. A non-stainless steel (!) stairway to the beach is completely rusted through and impassable. This necessitates one having to take the path to the south, invading the privacy of the residents of the adjacent house. Be aware that several of the wooden steps on that path are loose and hazardous. Fun activities were plentiful- horseback trip to CR (Alberto expertly guided), fishing with Joey, surfing, turtle hatches at Playa La Flor. Try baked goods at "Pan de Vida" in SJDS! Puesta del Sol restaurant in Coco excellent.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Amazing Trip

Guest: Camille, Boston, MA (-)
Date of Stay: 01/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/23/11

Hi Julie, We had an absolutely amazing trip. Veronica was amazing and we had a great time fishing and riding. We've been to a lot of places but your house was without a doubt the coolest. I hope we make it back at some point. good luck with the development! Camille

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Fantastic Spring Break

Guest: Melissa, Houston TX (-)
Date of Stay: 03/10/11 Review Submitted: 08/23/11

We had a fantastic Spring Break trip to Nicaragua. We all miss Veronica and the slower pace of life. Veronica and the entire staff made our adventure very relaxing and enjoyable. Your house is lovely and we hope to return at some point. Our biggest disappointment was the Tsunami impacted fishing trip. We did not see one fish or even get a nibble for the four hours we were out on Sancho. Thanks again for everything and keep us posted on updates or specials you have at Costa Paraiso. All the best, Melissa

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Truly paradise... I can't wait to go back

Guest: T.Y. (Austin, TX)
Date of Stay: 05/05/09 Review Submitted: 12/15/09

This property is incredible and the strip of oceanfront like no other place in the world! The photos don't do it justice. The view of the ocean and the northern coast of Costa Rica is breathtaking and this villa takes advantage of the view throughout the house. The staff took care of our every need... I am still dreaming about the fresh lobster dinners and pina coladas by the pool. The fishing was great too. They picked us up right in front of the house... we brought home dinner and the staff cooked it up for us. The owners have really thought of everything and the house is well appointed. The home is extremely child friendly too. Our only regret was that we didn't bring more friends to share this place with. The property has several houses and would be fun to go with more families. Next time!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guest: Natalie Angel (Austin, TX)
Date of Stay: 10/19/09 Review Submitted: 10/19/09

We had the most amazing experience. The most incredible views, outstanding accommodations, superior hospitality, and the food, top notch! We were in hog heaven and it was hard to leave, however we left fat and happy. Thank you!

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Guest: April Lee (-)
Date of Stay: 07/21/08 Review Submitted: 07/21/08

We had a great time. The house is beautiful. The staff and food were wonderful. We love them all. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the monkeys in the wild. We had a great time surfing, on the zip line, and visiting Coco Beach...fishing and riding left a little to be desired, but that's how I feel about both of those activities here at home. We were definitely ready to get back to our spoiled ways and off the bumpy dirt road, but it was an experience I don't think any of us will forget...Thanks again for everything.

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Guest: Dawn Orr (-)
Date of Stay: 05/17/08 Review Submitted: 05/17/08

We had an unbelievable time in Nicaragua. I so enjoyed getting to know your staff. The houses are out of this world nice ..not to mention their beautiful setting. We had a great guide for our scuba trip. I do think Scuba Shack is a good recommendation for scuba lovers. The trip was run very professionally. We had an excellent time on our Sancho fishing trip. You certainly have done a great job of connecting with good people in Nica to provide your services. I am sure that is a challenge. Very impressed!! We have been busy spreading the word hear at home. I know Shannon's parents/ Bryan's parents are now interested in a voyage. We have all sorts of friends and co-workers coming out of the woodwork asking about the trip. We are excited to give them literature we snagged at the office in San Juan Del Sur. We are ready to book our next trip now!!!! Fun was had by all. You should both be so proud of your accomplishments there. It is truly amazing what you have been able to implement.

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Guest: Shannon Sherfick (-)
Date of Stay: 05/17/08 Review Submitted: 05/17/08

We had the best vacation of our lives!! It is always hard to find a perfect balance for my husband and I b/c he is a busy body and I like to relax by the pool. This trip was the perfect mix of both. Great house, beautiful country, fun excursions, fabulous food, and especially wonderful staff. They were all so great. I cannot tell you enough how much we loved all the girls, and our personal driver, Manuel. We were all trying to figure out a way to pack them and bring them home with us. I have no complaints!! I also enjoyed the adventurous ride from Managua to San Juan. Manuel did an awesome job!! By the way, we did bring back a few Nicaragian hermit crabs. They loved the ride home in a Pringles can. They are all living happily now, with my 3 kids that cannot get enough of them. :) We will most definatly book another trip. Possibly with our kids????

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Guest: Kathryn Hohenrieder (Ross, CA)
Date of Stay: 03/09/08 Review Submitted: 03/09/08

We enjoyed every minute of our stay here. The house was beautifully decorated and the views from the property were stunning. (We’ve never seen such beautiful sunsets!) It was the perfect spot for our family. We relaxed by the pool, searched for seashells on the private beach, kayaked, and hiked around the property. The staff was fantastic. We didn’t lift a finger the entire time we were there – they did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and even helped with our three small children. It was a unique and wonderful vacation!

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Guest: Susan52 (Hawthorne, California)
Date of Stay: 03/07/08 Review Submitted: 03/07/08

I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful vacation! The house was beautiful yet very comfortable and the views were amazing. A big “thank you” to your staff too. They took care of everything and we didn’t lift a finger the whole week. Not to mention that the meals Veronica cooked were super. I’m still dreaming about the fresh lobster we ate at sunset on the upstairs veranda! And the Wahoo we caught on the boat one day she prepared wonderfully. The fishing was great of course. Your boat captains’ Vladimir and Jonathan knew all the right spots and in one afternoon we reeled in way more than we could ever eat between the Wahoo, Dorados, Jacks and Bonitas. The best part for me was watching the whales breach and the dolphins swim alongside the boat doing tricks for us, jumping and flipping—I have never seen anything like it! Another nice surprise was the quiet waters and going for hours without seeing another boat. We also had a great time riding horseback through the hills and walking down the beach to a nearby fishing village and simply doing nothing but floating in the infinity pool and watching the ocean. We will absolutely be coming back again this year!

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