Vacation Rentals by Owner

Ok stay

Guest: Barbara & Lee (Amarillo, Texas)
Date of Stay: 11/27/11 Review Submitted: 12/10/11

Location of the house was good and the view is outstanding. House was not very clean, had a neglected feel to it, sort of like it is not being well maintained. Wi-Fi is actually in the owners house next door so to get a decent connection you have to stand outside between the houses. Some decent pots and pans would also be a plus as the ones there are pretty old. Don't mean this review to sound too negative, we just feel that the house needs to be cleaned and maintained better.

Owner response:We appreciate this review and after our inspection the cleaning staff has been replaced and the wi-fi updated. Also all the exposed wood has been sanded and treated.

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Beautiful Central Valley Paradise with the BEST Weather in the World

Guest: Mike (Mishawaka, Indiana / USA)
Date of Stay: 07/10/11 Review Submitted: 09/16/11

We stayed in three different locations (Atenas, Manuel Antonio, and Playa Junquillal) during our first Costa Rica vacation and I'd have to say that this home and the Atenas area were the highlight. This Bali-Style home is absolutely beautiful with incredible views, a wrap around infinity pool, and your own lime tree where we picked fresh limes daily. The town of Atenas is centrally located which allowed us to visit 3 volcanos, the highly recommended Lapaz Waterfall Gardens, San Jose, and a wonderful nearby zoo. The local restaurants in town were about half the price compared to other areas we stayed and the food was excellent. Make sure to try the garlic sea bass at La Trilla. The town of Atenas was extremely friendly and safe for our family. I highly recommend this home and area as a getaway close to many of the central valley attractions.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Pura Vida!

Guest: Janet (Sequim washington)
Date of Stay: 03/25/11 Review Submitted: 05/11/11

Stayed at this gorgeous place recently, and have only great comments. The pictures will captivate you and make you want to go. When you are lucky enough to make that happen, you will find a true paradise just as expected from the photos. You wake up, spend your day, and fall asleep to pure beauty, peace, tranquility, and nature. Ahhhhh..... The rate is very reasonable and worth what you get from this perfectly located home. The view is spectacular and at times will take your breath away. Atenas is centrally located and great to base your site seeing from, but if you don't venture out, you will be perfectly happy swimming, bird watching, hammock swinging, or eating and walking in town from this Bali-style mountain paradise!

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Pura Vida!!!!!

Guest: Michele l. (Olympia, Washington U.S.A.)
Date of Stay: 02/05/11 Review Submitted: 02/24/11

I, my husband and two friends spent a week during the beginning of February, 2011 at the Mountain House. The view from the house was spectular!! It was so peaceful. During the early morning hours, we saw a Tucan in one of the trees and lots of other birds. Our entertainment for the evenings was watching the geckos on the front porch ceiling with the lights on. There were five of them racing around to catch bugs and nipping at each other for territory. The sounds these little guys make are so cute and loud considering how small they are. The pool was very soothing during the hot afternoons and I loved the open showers off of the bedrooms. Aside from the creepy crawlies that entered the bedrooms and the main portion of the house, the house was relatively clean. Our friends found a momma Scorpion and her 30+ babies in their shower one evening. They escorted the momma out of the room and attempted to wash the babies down the drain but one got away and ended up on their bedspread a few nights later. We did ask the Property Manager to "do something about the bugs" and he said he fumigated the next day. The restaurants were fantastic!!! We recommend La Trilla for great Costa Rican food and Alida's for some of the best Italian food we've ever had. Actually, they make the best home made thin crusted pizza I have ever had anywhere and I've travelled a lot. I would recommend going to Amigos de Aves, a family run Macaw Sanctuary and to the Butterfly Farm. Both are relatively close. I would definitely recommend this property to a friend or relative.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Paradise is Right!

Guest: Sharon (Jacksonville, Fl.)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 09/24/10

The pictures make the villa look like a little corner of paradise. And it is! It was really a pleasure to wake up every morning to birds, perfect weather and an idyllic setting. The villa has all the amenities of a very comfortable, kind of exotic, home and a good central location. We enjoyed breakfast on one of the decks every morning. My husband loved the picture ops with the birds, but I'm the one who got our shot of the toucans right in the bird tree behind the pool! The owners were wonderful help with advice for touring (Walter is a treasure) and good restaurant suggestions. I have recommended Costa Rico, Atenas and, especially this villa, to all our friends and family.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Family w/ 2 teens Visiting Friends

Guest: NJFamw/Teens (New Jersey/USA)
Date of Stay: 04/09/10 Review Submitted: 05/31/10

The home was as beautiful as it was on the website, with a wonderful view and fantastic bird watching! There was wi-fi but the signal was low and we had trouble accessing. There is no TV (so our teens went through withdrawal) but all of us arose early to see the toucans, mot mots, hummingbirds etc (make sure that you clean the feeder and put in new sugar water at the start of your stay - you'll see lots of birds!) and the kitchen was well stocked with necesseties. The local, reasonably priced internet cafe took care of that. Property manager was very helpful and happy to set us up with breakfast items for the first morning so we didn't have to rush out first thing. The town of Atenas is great and easy to navigate/shop/etc. and was reasonably close enough to our friends in Palmares. House is in gated area with other houses so we felt safe although bedrooms have separate/non connecting/outdoor facing rooms, so families with young children may not be comfortable. Teens sharing one double bed were a little tight. Recommendation book with restaurants, beach recommendations, etc. was great and right on point. House can be used as home base to go visit Arenal and Monteverde for a night or two.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Beautiful home with an incredible view

Guest: shastinajulie (Weed, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/27/10 Review Submitted: 03/27/10

This was truly a beautiful home. The description was very accurate and both the property managers and the owners themselves were very helpful. We could have had some real problems the first day because of issues with our car rental and the property managers bent over backwards to help us. All around, a fantastic stay in this home. David and Julie

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway.

A wonderful vacation

Guest: Gabriela G. (Switzerland)
Date of Stay: 02/13/10 Review Submitted: 04/07/10

This is definitely a place we recommended to everyone after we have stayed here 2 weeks in February 2010. The view is fantastic, the size is perfect, a private swimming pool, the terraces, the privacy, the climate, the nature surrounding the property and the friendliness of the owners and managers - these are just a few of the features that will make us visit this place again. And again. Gabriela and Ruedi

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Bob Evans (Cumberland, Rhode Island)
Date of Stay: 07/17/09 Review Submitted: 07/16/09

The Cerro Perezoso villa in Atenas was a veritable dream for us. It is so hard to say what was the best highlight of this haven. It could have been the total peace, resting in the early morning cool over looking the verdant valley with cafe listening to the delightful songs of the many birds, or watching the hummingbirds battle over the sweet nectar, or seeing my wife truly rest (she deserves it so) rocking in the peaceful sun-drenched hammock, or enjoying watching my 14yr old son eagerly search for the best photo op for birds and butterflys around the villa. My words can not express the joy I and my family had in Costa Rica and the Pura Vida of Cerro Perezoso. I want my whole family to enjoy the beauty of this place. Bob and Donna Evans

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An awesome place to stay

Guest: Matt (Houston, TX)
Date of Stay: 06/14/09 Review Submitted: 07/02/10

My wife and I stayed here in June of 2009. It was the most amazing, beautiful house possible to stay in Costa Rica. We were greeted by the property managers once we got into town. They showed us around the house, gave some recommendations for places to eat, things around town to see, and even a number for a lady who could come to the house to give massages. The house far exceeded our expectations. From the slide open glass walls to the magnificent views and infinity pool....we couldn't have imagined a more perfect place to stay for a week. The property managers were readily available but certainly unobtrusive. We used this house as our base to explore Costa Rica, and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much for our great week.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: CRlover (Thorold, Ont. Canada)
Date of Stay: 03/16/09 Review Submitted: 03/16/09

My husband and I along with our cousins stayed here for a week in Feb. 2009. This was our last leg of a 2 week trip.(not long enough) The weather was awesome, the house was awesome and so too were Alison and Chris. We received a very warm and down to earth reception on our arrival with some cold beers waiting for us in the fridge. We spent some time chatting with the two of them on our first evening and disappointed that they were leaving on their own little trip early the next morning. We would have enjoyed spending more time with them. The house was stunning in its Bali design and was decorated with very complimentary souvenirs from Alison and Chris's own adventures. We had all the comforts of home including fresh linens and a well stocked kitchen. There was also a collection of information books on Costa Rica as well as books to curl up in the hammock with. The pool was very refreshing when the afternoon began to heat up. The town centre is close and has everything you would need. There is an excellent outdoor market on Fridays and some excellent local restaurants that Alison and Chris have noted in the local information book that is left at the house for you. I hope to get back to this area very soon. You will enjoy staying here and having your morning coffee with birds. Pura Vida!!!!

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Guest: Beth & John Schutz (Eden Prairie, MN)
Date of Stay: 02/08/09 Review Submitted: 02/08/09

This home is a true find. It exceeded our very high expectations. We loved its open Bali-style which allowed for total relaxation! The location was perfect and the town was friendly and quaint. We look forward to returning to what felt like a true home away from home!

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