Vacation Rentals by Owner

Luxury Pool Apt. in Rainforest, Spectacular Beach, Monkeys & Toucans [#164069] | View Property

Manuel Antonio
Well appointed one bedroom apt. sleeping 2 and 3. Pool and Laundry
$70 - $165 per night (USD)
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Traveler Reviews (13)

• Loved It

  Loved It

  • Guest Allan N.
  • Date of stay 01/08/13
  • Review Submitted 03/28/13
  My wife and I spent eight weeks here in January and February 2013. We loved it. In 2012 we spent three months in Cabuya on the Nicoya Peninsula and as much as we enjoyed that, we found the Manuel Antonio area much more pleasant. The apartment building, El Paseo del Mar, is situated on the same road as the Hotel Mariposa. In fact it is just below the hotel which means that visitors don’t have a long walk to the top of the hill to the main road which runs between Quepos and the Manuel Antonio Park. It also means that a car is not necessary if one isn’t planning on doing a lot of day trips outside the immediate area of Manuel Antonio and Quepos. It is quite convenient for shopping, restaurants, and the bus. Many other places along this road are further down a fairly steep hill which makes for a long walk for those without a car. There are a lot of restaurants in the area. There are some which are inexpensive and many which are moderately priced. However, one need not spend a fortune to eat out. The only thing lacking was the inexpensive soda that can be found in most parts of Costa Rica. A well-equipped grocery store is about a kilometer away. On Saturday mornings we went to Quepos to get vegetables and fruit at the farmers’ market. The apartments are about 600 sq ft which is big enough since most of the time we were outdoors. One of the reasons we chose this place was that it had a pool and a nice patio surrounding it. On one side of the building a ridge rises up which is completely forested. The trees give easy access for monkeys. There was never a day that went by that we didn’t see large numbers of monkeys: Howlers, Squirrel and Capuchins. The Squirrel and Capuchins sometimes came to the pool area. We even saw sloths. The present owner of El Paseo del Mar, Chuck Quinlan, is more than helpful. Whenever we had any problem with the apartment he made sure that it was put right immediately. He also has lots of insight into life in Costa Rica because he has lived there for almost twenty years. His assistant Edith is ready to book any tours that visitors might have. What we really appreciated was the daily maid service. We highly recommned El Paseo del Mar. With its close proximity to a beautiful beaches and lots of services it is a great place to stay, especially those who are looking for a home away from home. However, even people looking to stay for a night or two will find El Paseo del Mar a great spot.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Perfect Place to Stay in Quepos/Manuel Antonio

  Perfect Place to Stay in Quepos/Manuel Antonio

  • Guest John N.
  • Date of stay 01/08/13
  • Review Submitted 01/11/13
  All the reviews of this great place are spot on. The room overlooking the jungle and pool are tastefully furnished by the artist/owner, who first moved to Costa Rica in 1995. He bought the land that the apartment is situated on when there was practically nothing else here. Now there are multi-million dollar houses and hotels surrounding El Paseo del Mar. The apartment has a well furnished kitchen, king-sized bed, beautiful bathroom, and a balcony over the rain forest. You can listen to a symphony of birds or the cacophony of the howler monkeys who visit regularly. The owner is very helpful and knowledgeable about the area. I highly recommend a stay here over a hotel.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• very satisfied

  very satisfied

  • Guest Chris and Cliff
  • Date of stay 01/12/11
  • Review Submitted 03/02/11
  This is the place to stay in the Manuel Antonio , Quepos area. Chuck and his staff will make your vacation wonderful. We liked not having to rent a car. Bus system is reliable and taxis are cheap. Any tours that you may want to take can be arranged by the staff. We took the extreme tour a waterfall rappelling adventure that you should not miss.Grocery store and many good restaurants are only a short walk.The apartment was excellent with a nice infinity pool and monkeys visiting almost every day. It is an adventure in itself talking to Chuck and his vast experiences in the rain forest.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Excellent emplacement

  Excellent emplacement

  • Guest louise t.
  • Date of stay 12/30/10
  • Review Submitted 02/20/11
  Appartement bien situé, près de la plage et des restaurants. Magnifique piscine avec vue sur la forêt. Tout est impeccable au point de vue propreté. Le complexe est tranquille. Excellent rapport qualité/prix. Le personnel ainsi que le propriétaire sont très gentils et nous vous conseillons fortement Manuel Antonio.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/5

• Monkeys, Sloths and Huskies...oh my

  Monkeys, Sloths and Huskies...oh my

  • Guest RuneReader
  • Date of stay 06/22/10
  • Review Submitted 06/30/10
  Our apartment at El Paseo del Mar Apartments was exactly as described. The apartment was definitely well appointed, modern, clean and comfortable. Chuck, the owner, was pleasant and helpful during our stay. It's all about location and this place certainly was well located to the beach, Manuel Antonio National Park and the town of Quepos. There was a small market just up the road where you could buy just about anything you might need during your stay.. One improvement that I would make in the description, however, is to provide better directions on how to find it. Since it is not located on the main road heading to the park out of Quepos, you have to know that your need to turn right at the sign for the Hotel Parador and then proceed down the small road to find the apartment. It took us about 45 minutes to figure out where it was. The beach is about a five minute walk-however, it is down a rather steep road which could be a challenge walking back up. I'd recommend driving down instead-you can literally drive up to the beach. It is true-monkeys will come right to your balcony and do like to hang out near the pool-we have some great photos of a cute Titi literally right next to us. The serenade of the howler monkeys reminds you that you are in a rainforest that is still unsullied by development. At one of the many restaurants that are close by,Salsipuedes, you can see sloths in the trees right next to your table (great food as well). The Anaconda, the restaurant at Costa Verde, has a great Tapas bar that we enjoyed our last night there. Oh, and the Husky? His name is Goofy and he likes to sleep in the garage. Give him a pat when you see him.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 7/7

• well satisfied

  well satisfied

  • Guest traveler to Costa Rica
  • Date of stay 04/20/10
  • Review Submitted 05/06/10
  We stayed at this property in April of 2010. The apartment was wonderful. The description and photos accurately depicted the property. It was clean and everything was in good shape. I thought it was a great value. We had a full kitchen, living area, bedroom with king bed, bathroom, and balcony. The owner quickly responded to pre-trip questions via email and the on-site personnel were nice. The pool was beautiful and the infinity edge fronted the rainforest. The wireless internet was handy. There were nice touches such as a gel pack in the freezer, an umbrella near the door, and a tour book and a couple of novels in the living area. It was a short drive to Manuel Antonio National Park. This was the first time that we'd used VRBO and I will definitely consider doing it again.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 9/9

• April 2010

  April 2010

  • Guest ilovevacation
  • Date of stay 04/03/10
  • Review Submitted 02/16/11
  I wouldn't say this is the ideal place to stay with a bunch of your girlfriends, as I did. However, the pool was amazing, it was a nice walk to the beach, and the living area was comfortable. There was a flood in our kitchen at one point, and the air conditioning didn't work for one night. If you're accustomed to A/C as I am, then this would be a bother to you! Staff was friendly, until they realized their guests were in Manuel to party and get away from the city. This was NOT okay with them. And...no night swimming! What?! Also, no outside guests. This was a bother since I have friends in the area. Overall, I would still say I had a fantastic vacation. Oh, and the staff was very helpful when my friends got stuck at the airport, and I was all alone for a night!

  Recommended for: Age 55+, tourists without a car.

  Owner response: Our place is small and quaint, and most people who come here , come for the natural beauty of the rainforest and wish to enjoy a quiet restful vacation. This is why we don't allow outside guest and late night pool parties that disturb our quest. So, if your looking to party, stay in the city . We enjoy our monkeys and privacy and hope the the guest who come here feel the same way.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• great experience

  great experience

  • Guest ruxtonwriter
  • Date of stay 02/01/10
  • Review Submitted 04/25/11
  A lovely place, wonderful manager and great service. Many restaurants around the corner if you don't feel like cooking in the well equipped kitchen. For a few quarters the bus take you to the beautiful beaches or the national park. A car rental is not essential (and very expensive) Everyone is most ind and helpful. A great place to hide from the American winter!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Mark and Barbara
  • Date of stay 12/04/09
  • Review Submitted 03/24/10
  We couldn't have imagined our vacation would be so wonderful. The stay at El Paseo del Mar was so comfortable, living in the rainforest with all the ammenities and conveniences and seeing the monkeys play by the pool evryday. The staff was so helpful and they took care of our needs as far as any tours we requested. We have already made plans to return next year. We named the monkeys so we have to return to see how they are doing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• Best vacation for nature and wonderful people

  Best vacation for nature and wonderful people

  • Guest M0
  • Date of stay 02/07/09
  • Review Submitted 02/28/09
  Our 2 weeks was absolutely the best! Anything you needed or wanted, the staff took care of you or they would assist you with getting to the right people, such as tours or excursions. The area was convenient to most you would want to do, and the best was having nature so close, you could just about touch them. The monkeys at the pool and grounds were amazing, including the other menagerie of other wild life. Plenty of restaurants were close, or you could cook. Fresh treats were easy to be had. We would go back in a heartbeat. You couldn't ask for a more exciting and comfortable place to stay. The little cat that is part of the "family" is also a great addition.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

• My Vacation Getaway

  My Vacation Getaway

  • Guest Eva Yvonne
  • Date of stay 04/30/08
  • Review Submitted 05/18/08
  I had the great pleasure of staying at the El Paseo Del Mar in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. The rooms were magnificent and the stay was friendly and courteous. While at the hotel, we had the opportunity to relax beside a tranquil pool while drinking in the sights and sounds of the rainforest that surrounded the hotel. We watched as the monkeys who live in the rainforest swung through the trees and even dared to come close enough for us to get some incredible photos of them in their natural habitat. From the balcony outside our room, we could see the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean and when visiting the beach the water is so warm and inviting that you simply can't wait to get your feet wet. While in town, there are quaint outdoor restaurants where you can sample some of the local specialties or find incredible foods that are prepared to delight even the most difficult of people to please. If you want to do any shopping, you can stroll along the beach and visit the little shops that border it. If peace and relaxation is what you are seeking for your next vacation, I would highly recommend visiting the El Paseo Del Mar. The owner and staff are top notch and go above and beyond to see to your needs and comfort. They are extremely informative and helpful and can answer any questions that you may have. I will definitely return to this hotel when I visit Costa Rica again. I wouldn't dream of staying anywhere else.

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 18/18

• Sounds too good to be true, but its Great

  Sounds too good to be true, but its Great

  • Guest jungle jim
  • Date of stay 04/07/08
  • Review Submitted 04/27/08
  Right from the beginning when the manager was up late waiting for me to the final taxi ride back to the airport we did not have a complaint, but only compliments. The room was clean and well looked after, no bugs and everthing worked including the Ac. If and when we build a pool for ourselves it will be modeled after this one. The size and location and depth was well thought out. Watching monkeys, sloths and birds from in the pool is something we will remember for a long time to come. Its location (once a short steep walk is done) is reallly perfect. A word of warning though there are steep hills in Manuel Antonio and if you dont like exersize a car is a must and quite reasonable (40 + 15 insurance)just up the hill next to the bank and close to a food store. I would go back without any hesitation and dont mind answering any questions.

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

  Owner response: Thanks for the review Jim. Hope to see you back soon. Chuck

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 9/9

• Beautiful El Paseo Del Mar

  Beautiful El Paseo Del Mar

  • Guest LittleOne
  • Date of stay 02/20/08
  • Review Submitted 05/12/08
  We couldn't have asked for a more gracious, and informative host than Chuck. His artwork displayed in the art gallery in Quepos gives you some idea of the beautiful scenery and wildlife that surround his apartments. The property is very clean and well-maintained by a wonderful and friendly staff. The location was perfect for us...so close to the beach, close to town, restaurants, and shopping. Chuck's knowledge and love for the area was extremely informative and helpful to us. We would highly recommend El Paseo Del Mar to all our friends and hope to go back again some day. One of my most enjoyable experiences was sitting by the beautiful pool and watching the monkeys play in the trees and also listening (and seeing) the rare and colorful birds in the Rain Forest that surrounds the apartments. We also enjoyed going to the market place on Saturday. All the merchants and farmers come to sell their goods and the most delicious fruits and vegetables. We ate at several different restaurants and always found the service and food to be excellent. We had the most beautiful vacation ! Thank you to Chuck and staff........

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 17/17