Casa Tropical

Guest: kenga (Jackson, WY USA)
Date of Stay: 03/22/09 Review Submitted: 05/02/09

Wonderful artist's house,secluded yet 5 minutes walk to bus stop on main road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio. Very helpful caretakers who are available to cook fresh local seafood dinners. Very reasonable taxi service. Very clean and comfortable. Monkeys and iguanas in nearby trees; magnificent flowers and foliage everywhere. Many local restaurants ranging from fancy to cafes. Local Costa Rican people are genuinely friendly, engaging and helpful. Beautiful local beaches, whitewater rafting, horseback riding and zip lining recommended. Lots of fishing and jungle tours available. Short,scenic flight to San Jose. We would highly recommend this property as a great alternative to a traditional hotel or "luxury villa".

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

Great house, great view.... BUT....

Guest: Sven (Alexandria)
Date of Stay: 12/03/11 Review Submitted: 12/06/11

The house is very nice and open, great view and wonderful plants surrounding the house itself. Clean and very well kept however the construction of the next door house is really putting a dent in an otherwise nice vacation... Drilling, hammering you name it starting even before 7 am and not ending at 5 pm for sure.... I wish we would have known about the noise!! Also the washer for the house translates into the services by the care takers....

Owner response:We have had neighbors building a house down the hill next door to us, which is beyond our control. We have asked them to keep the noise down as much as possible and in the 9 months of construction we have only had a couple of complaints from the more than 20 guests who have rented from us. Construction is due to be completed next month in Jan. of 2012 and we will all be relieved to get back to tranquility.

Recommended for:

Amazing Place!!

Guest: jlynn1123 (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/16/10 Review Submitted: 08/23/10

We just returned from our stay at Casa Tropical (Aug 16-21) and could not have been more pleased! There were 6 adults (3 couples) in our group, approximately 30 yrs old. The grounds are beautiful, the house set up is so bright and airy; I thought it was much more spacious than the pictures showed. The caretakers were a blessing! Andres was really helpful in spotting wildlife for us as well as booking tours and general area info. Andres showed us monkeys the first morning we were there and he also pointed out a sloth, different types of frogs and much more. He has very keen senses! Ania made the best meals we had on our trip, so delicious! We loved the patios, roofdeck, privacy, views, plants, pool, I could go on and on. Everyone in my group kept commenting on how we could have not selected a better rental for our stay and I agree!! We had a rental car so it was easy to get around (def get a 4x4!) but it seemed as though the bus system was fairly accessible, taxis were abundant and Andres arranged for tours to pick us up at the property. I would love to stay here again in the future and definitely recommend to anyone going to the area!

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

Great Home Base for Family Vacation

Guest: Carrie (Woodland Hills, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/18/10 Review Submitted: 08/23/10

Our family has wanted to go to Costa Rica for many years and had a difficult time picking a base area with only 7 nights to spend. We chose Manuel Antonio because of the ease of getting there from the airport as well as it's reputation for beautiful beaches and plentiful wildlife, but were very concerned because it was rainy season. Once we found this great house on-line, Steve assured us the weather would be great - and he was right! The house (and it's caretakers) are everything promised in other posts and we made life-long memories there. Each of us had our favorite - my daughter ziplining, my son white water rafting, my husband the public beach complete with chairs, umbrellas and drink service. My favorite however was undoubtedly sitting on our home's rooftop deck in the evening watching the jungle fade to dark.

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

Casa Tropical

Guest: John, Marta, Joseph and Caroline (Atlanta, GA)
Date of Stay: 03/06/10 Review Submitted: 04/27/10

We loved the house! So beautiful and relaxing that we had to tear ourselves away to see the sights in Manuel Antonio and Quepos. There are so many lovely outdoor areas and the inside space is so open and airy that we were content to hang out in hammocks or at the pool. The jungle sounds were a treat as was seeing monkeys and sloths in the yard. Annia and Andres were exceptional hosts. After they learned that most of our luggage went to San Juan, PR instead of San Jose, CR, Andres drove us into town our first night to shop for clothes. His advice on the tours was was totally accurate. By all means, you should let him help you arrange some outings. Annia is a wonderful cook. The best food we had in Quepos was what Annia prepared for us. We tried a few restaurants, but wished we had eaten all our meals at the house. On our last night Annia and Andres took us into Quepos to see the night market. Highly recommended - buy your food fresh and see exotic fruit and vegetables you probably won't recognize. After making our purchases, Annia cooked us another fantastic meal. Our last day Andres drove us to the airport, with stops at "Alligator Bridge" and a wonderful "Tico" restuarant for lunch. Wonderful house and wonderful hosts. Great for a family vacation!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 02/02/10 Review Submitted: 02/02/10

My husband, Rick, and I (and our family) LOVED your house. The screened windows opening to the comfortable porches and the beautiful garden and trees, the comfortable beds, the extra sink outside the downstairs bathroom(and always hot water!), the artwork and décor, the industrial blender (to make fruit drinks to sip by the pristine pool), even the excellent indoor lighting all worked together to make a great experience. Thank you for sharing your creation, it far exceeded our hopes and expectations for a vacation house.We also were very pleased with Annia and Andres’ assistance. Andres was so helpful in setting up actvities, and we had Annia cook 3 dinners and 2 breakfasts for us, all delicious. This house and the caretakers really added to our enjoyment of Costa Rica.Sincerely,Laura Cioppa

Recommended for:

A wonderful home to stay in!

Guest: Thatch (Brooklyn, New York)
Date of Stay: 12/26/09 Review Submitted: 01/12/10

We absolutely loved our Christmas week in Casa Tropical! The house is airy, comfortable, beautifully landscaped, well designed and decorated with wonderful paintings, carvings and handicrafts. It feels like a home and not a rental property at all. The pool was a gem, large enough to swim short laps in if you were determined, surrounded by flowering hibiscus and bougainvillea, and set just beneath the trees where we could watch monkeys and an iguana in the branches above us. We spent lots of time with binoculars on the roof deck watching amazing birds, more monkeys, and one morning a black and white anteater circle the house in the treetops. The roof deck and the other outdoor terrace/porch spaces on every level of the house provided endless places to sit in sun or shade, alone or together, as we wished. We were a family of 5 adults who fit easily and comfortably into the 3 bedrooms. The house was immaculately cared for by Annia, Steve's caretaker, who turned out to be a wonderful person and an absolutely exquisite cook. After she made one dinner for us, we signed her on to cook for us every night, including New Year's Eve when she prepared an amazing barbecue. Despite our initial resistance in attempts to be self-sufficient, she also collected our laundry every morning and returned it clean and sun-dried the next day. Her son Andres, who speaks good English, was full of suggestions for tour leaders and expeditions and we took full advantage of his help in arranging trips to canopy ziplines, white water rafting on the Savegre, and into Manuel Antonio park with a naturalist guide. My husband, 1 daughter, and son-in-law also spent a day at sea fly fishing, catching a sailfish and 3 dorado, one of which Annia cooked for us that night. We drove down to Dominical one day on the newly opened road south and loved that trip too. We had a spectacular time and loved staying in this house!

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

Guest: Kristin Wimberg (Bozeman, Montana)
Date of Stay: 01/02/10 Review Submitted: 01/02/10

Casa Tropical is a beautiful hilltop oasis, complete with resident sloths, passing troupes of monkeys and hummingbirds of all sizes. Annia and Andres clearly love their jobs, helping visitors discover the sites and flavors of the Quepos/ Manuel Antonio area. Andres guided us to a range of elevations and ecosystems, from mountain waterfalls to night reptile tours. Their enthusiasm for the area is very contagious. Annia cooked two fabulous meals for our group of six, although she is available to cook as much as a group would like. And after a day of exploring the countryside and beaches, we looked forward to returning to the relaxing home, floating in the pool and waiting to see what wildlife would pass by. Much eye candy to behold! Great trip!

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Casa Tropical/Manuel Antonio Area

Guest: Lynne&Burke (Austin, TX)
Date of Stay: 06/22/09 Review Submitted: 07/02/09

We agonized over the details of planning our family Costa Rica vacation knowing little about the country. What area to see on a first time visit!! I was trying to make sure our vacation worked for our 22 and 20 yr olds. I would highly recommend Casa Tropical in all respects (description was accurate):Gorgeous house, surrounding community interesting and convenient, variety of local restaurants to suit all, caretakers who will cook and do laundry (was unique for us!! loved this, especially the meals!), variety and location of excursions (horseback riding at Nayucaya Waterfalls, white water rafting, zip line adventure), cost, location, amenities, monkeys, sloth, iguanas and botanicals in yard, national park location.....etc.Do bring binoculars. We loved the quiet!! If you need to hear of our experience in detail or have questions, I can be contacted via the owner (promise that I did not know these folks personally; I just lucked out!!!). The most valuable asset was all the information given to me by the owner. He was direct and honest as were the caretaker, Ania and her son, Andreas. Recommended many things and told me if an idea was not as good for the area or season. The owner recommended accommodations for our stay in the San Jose area which was also just perfect, Finca Rosa Blanca. We loved our Costa Rica vacation and hope you will also!! Definitely Casa Tropical would make it perfect if you have a group or family!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Paradise and Privacy

Guest: Montana Mom (Bozeman, MT, United States)
Date of Stay: 03/08/08 Review Submitted: 05/31/09

Booking this vacation home was the best decision we made when planning our Costa Rica trip for our family of five. Having such a beautiful and relaxing space all to ourselves was truly paradise!! We thoroughly enjoyed the pool, gardens, and the multiple outdoor decks and lounge areas! Seeing monkeys leap from tree to tree and getting up close and personal with iguanas were priceless experiences for the kids (ages 9, 6, and 4)! The entire home and grounds were spotless and the caretakers were very friendly and helpful. They even assisted us in planning safe and convenient day trips for the entire family. The nearby beaches at Manuel Antonio Nat'l Park are wonderful! This home is large enough that a couple of families could share it and enjoy a very special Costa Rica vacation. I highly recommend this unique home.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.