Great family vacation spot

Guest: Casey (United States)
Date of Stay: 12/24/11 Review Submitted: 01/28/12

We visited Costa Rica during the Christmas and New Year holidays and absolutely loved it. We had 14 people (4 kids) and the house was a perfect accommodation for our entire crew. The beach is just steps from the house so swimming, walking, and bonfires were quick and easy. It was our first time in the area so it was great to Have Gary available to help book excursions, get tips on beaches, restaurants, shopping, etc. He really made my trip, since I was the "planner" it made my job much easier. We also rented his 2 suvs which again fit all of our party and was a much better deal than going with a airport rental company. We definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants to experience the real Costa Rica and not just a resort. It was great to shop, surf, eat, and hang with the locals to gain the real experience of what its like to be in Costa Rica. We will be back!!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with young children.

Greatest Vacation spot for family and kids

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/13/12 Review Submitted: 01/25/12

We just got back from 9 nights (Jan 13-22) in this wonderful vacation home. We had a large family group of 9 adults and 9 children from 2 months to 12 yrs old. The home was clean and all the ameneties were exactly as described.Having all the linens especially the beach towels was particularly helpful. We were surprised to see that a full size mac computer was available for our use as well. The view from the covered front porch was astounding and the water was very tame since it is somewhat of a bay the kids weren't overwhelmed by large waves. For the most part we had the beach to ourselves and could walk forever at low tide and never run into anyone. The most impressive feature is the thoughtfullness put in by gary (the owner) and his family in providing things for the family to use during the stay. the kayaks were great and since the water was so calm we could even let the smaller kids use the 4 Kayaks. They had a great time with the foosball and ping pong tables, loved the tire swing and the family volleyball game was a real highpoint. The Pool was clean and clear and they even had floats,swimmies and life jackets for the kids to use. We spent every night around the pool after coming back from building campfires right on the beach. The outside grill was another nice extra for cooking hamburger and hot dogs and chicken during our stay. Having a washer and a dryer and a maid everyday who cleaned the entire house made it easier to enjoy the whole day. Gary really was a pleasure to deal with. He picked 11 of us up at the airport and we then rented his 2 suv 7 passenger cars for our stay. He also made arrangements for the entire group to go to Manuel Antonio by van for a day. He is knowledgeable of the area and his resturant recommendations were fantastic. He also transported us back to the airport for our departure. Having satellite TV also allowed us to watch all the NFL playoff games along with other American channels. Gary has a small home on the property which is another plus for security as well as immediate attention to any problems or just general questions we had. I cannot say anything but thanks to Gary and Family for providing my Family with the vacation of a lifetime . We only hope we can go back again before too many people find out about this piece of Paradise.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, age 55+, girls getaway, families with young children, romantic getaway.

A cubic zirconiun in the rough

Guest: Chrispy (Tacoma Washington USA)
Date of Stay: 07/05/11 Review Submitted: 01/15/12

We had a great stay in Costa Rica in spite of the fact that our accommodations were not as expected. I think the pictures on the listing are a bit old. The house has great potential and is in a great setting, but need some attention and maintenance. There are 3 bedrooms inside the house, one with a double bed, one with a queen bed, and 1 with 2 sets of bunk beds. The kitchen and living room are open and bright. The refrigerator doesn’t stay closed without the added gate latch bolted to the outside of the fridge. There are 2 more bedrooms outside the house in an attached metal roof shed. Bugs are a problem in these rooms – sort of like sleeping in an open tent. These rooms are definitely meant for someone used to camping. The hot water for the showers is provided by electric shower heads. It was a bit un-nerving to use the shower heat because the wires for the shower heads are just taped to the pipes without shielding. On top of that, only 1 of the 3 showers actually had a working hot water head. We were a bit concerned about not having air conditioning, but actually the breeze coming off of the beach does cool the house down fairly well at night. Additionally, there are ceiling fans in each room which helped with the heat but didn’t help much with the humidity. The pool area has the potential to be nice but there were a lot of crawling bugs present during our stay which made for a lot of bug bites on your legs if you stood in one place for long. The owner, who lives onsite, says he normally treats the yard for bugs but hadn’t had the time lately. The cabana next to the pool was missing most of its roof, which made it hard to use due to frequent rains. The beach is very beautiful but because there is a river outlet very close to this beach, the water is dark brown and murky. I recommend a car for anyone that wants to spend any time away from the house. There is plenty to see within about 3 hours of the house in any direction you travel. Jaco, the closest town is about a 15 minute drive from the access road. Add another 10 minutes to get from the beach to the main road. We used a National Geographic Travel guide and it was very useful. The property owner had some good suggestions for a few restaurants and attractions but not much else. As far as rental cars go, the property owner had 2 cars he rents at the time we were staying. We had good luck with the Mitsubishi, but the LandRover had transmission trouble so we ended up renting

Owner response:I value every guest we have ever had, and want the best for them. I have apologized to this person that our accommodations were not up to her standards. I once had a Costa Rican visitor come to our property, who was really taken back with what he saw. He said, “this property is so nice it should belong to the president of the country.” Personally, I have not seen a nicer beach-front property in Costa Rica, and I have had others tell me the same thing. Some people go through life and see the beauty around them, while others seem to zero in on the flaws. The person who wrote this review above stayed here for two weeks. A short time after this she wrote a complaint about scratches in the plastic plates, and chips in the ceramic dishes. I went and found two ceramic dishes that did have a small chip in them, and yes there were a few plastic plates with scratches in them. This person demands perfection from me, but then makes several inaccurate and harmful false statements about the property here, that I hope other prior guests can make mention of and correct. Gary

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers.

We had a great time!

Guest: Pete (Manhattan, Kansas)
Date of Stay: 05/29/11 Review Submitted: 06/09/11

This is a unique property, very private, clean, and safe. We weren't sure what to expect, and although it wasn't exactly as I had envisioned, it turned out to be a great place for our group. Gary has done a good job updating most things on the property, but it is still what I called a bit of a "Diamond-In-The-Rough", just a few more polishing touches here and there and it would be an exquisite place. However it is very functional and pratical with a great layout. The beach, the pool and BBQ area, and the back patio were all great places to relax and visit with our friends. The BBQ area (probably the part of the property that needs the most attention) was a wonderful place for us "wanna-be" pitmasters, everyone loved the cuisine we burned out on the grill- Ha! The nearby towns and villages were very accessible, we shopped, we zip-lined, deep-sea fished, rented motorcycles & A.T.V.'s, and ate at some very interesting restaurants all within a 5 to 20 minute drive from the house. All in all we were very pleased with our stay. If you're the one who needs a penthouse on 5th ave., or the suites at the Bellagio, this might not be the place for you, however if you can overlook minor imperfections, then put yourself in low gear and get ready to relax at a very "calming" spot that will give you a feel for the "Tico" lifestyle and culture. If I return to Costa Rica I'd definately return to this house for it's charm, character and soothing atmosphere. Gary was a great 'host' helpful with any of our needs, I fully recommend renting this place. Nature lovers will especially love this place!!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Great Place to Stay with Family

Guest: Jason (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 01/29/11 Review Submitted: 02/18/11

I have stayed many times at Gary's house and just returned from Costa Rica 10 days ago. The location is nice as you have the beach almost to yourself and are close enough to anything you may need (groceries, activities, dining, etc.). I fully recommend this house. Gary and his family are extremely nice!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, sightseeing, people with disabilities, families with young children.

Great place!

Guest: DMSR3121 (Norwalk, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 09/01/10

I came here not knowing what to expect. We drove into Playa Agujas on a dirt road leading us towards the beach area, although the surrounding beach was public, the vacation home is private and beautiful! Great place to have a family and a bunch of friends enjoying a vacation away from home. The house was placed beautifully overseeing the beach and the sound of the waves that you can hear all day and all night long was music to my ears! The pool was warm and a good size for friends and family. Gary, the owner, was warm and helpful!! He even gave us good advice of where to shop and where to go ziplining...I enjoyed staying in Playa Agujas and I wouldn't mind staying at this beachfront home again. Gary offers a cook and housekeeping. We didn't use the food service, but were able to cook up meals in the kitchen and even have a barbecue in the poolside area. The housekeeping service was awesome! She did her job VERY WELL and kept us super neat and clean! The vacation home was a great place!!! Pura Vida!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway.

What a great place!

Guest: Donna65 (Alabama)
Date of Stay: 06/30/10 Review Submitted: 07/14/10

We stayed here on a multi-family vacation in July 2010. We had a group of 11 with children ranging from 5 to 17 years. This house was perfect for us. The property was very well maintained and beautiful. The rooms were spacious as was the common areas of the house. There was so much to do here that everyone had a great time. The pool was very nice and well landscaped with a shower and bathroom facilities available. The house was beachfront with a beautiful view. We even saw some wildlife; iguanas, macaws and others. It was nice having the propery gated from the beach with very easy access. The owners are wonderful. They are onsite so that they are available for any help you may need. We had someone cook for us (for a fee) a few days. What an amazing cook she was! Well worth it! The only downfall was the distance from Jaco and other facilities. It was a little further than I thought. A car would be helpful if you plan to go to Jaco or do other trips away from the house. We will definitely be back here!!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with young children.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/01/09 Review Submitted: 01/28/09

Stay here in June of 2008. This house is awesome. The property is awesome. I can't say enough. Very reasonable rate too! Right on the beach and tons to do in the area. Zip lined twice and rode horses, shopping, etc. Nice! Will definitely come back.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/08 Review Submitted: 10/29/08

It has been 3 days back into the daily grind and I'm still unable to get last week's vacation out of my head. The accomodations were so great that I felt compelled to write this comment. Gary's place was spectacular. It truly was a slice of heaven within heaven. The place literally offered everything you could think of including some that I would never dream of. These were the slack line, zipline and rope swing. The view was straight out of a Conde Naste magazine. Gary and his family were exceptionally helpful. They promptly handled every request we had. I would highly recommend this rental to anyone in the neigborhood.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 03/01/08 Review Submitted: 03/18/08

We had such a lovely stay at Gary & Deanna's. Nine of uf us had plenty of room in the beautiful oceanfront home. We especially enjoyed the pool area, veranda's and fabulous views. Each of Gary's travel suggestions were great. Hazel, our maid, was wonderful- she even cooked dinner for us one night, Costa Rican style!! this was truely one of our groups' best trips yet!

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