Paradise

Guest: Jen and Rick (East Greenwich, RI)
Date of Stay: 07/29/11 Review Submitted: 08/09/11

Thank you Tracy for welcoming us into your home. This was our first trip to Costa Rica and I can say with certainty that we picked a wonderful spot. Everything about our vacation was smooth and organized, thanks to both you and Amy, the fantastic concierge. We were whisked away upon arrival to San Jose and treated to a lovely ride with Ariel our driver. We even stopped and had lunch near the 'crocodile bridge' - our first encounter with the wildlife in CR. The Casa is beautiful and the pictures provide only a sample of the luxurious accomodations and view. We enjoyed fantastic sunsets, comfy beds, and refreshing outdoor showers. In the evening after the daily rain, we would relax in the outdoor hot tub with a glass of wine - and were treated to a friendly monkey visitor more than once. The staff at Tulemar was also fantastic, the shuttles were timely and we often spent days at the beach. The Casa is well within walking distance to the front of Tulemar, allowing us a short stroll for our morning coffee at Cafe Milagro - fantastic! We also had dinner at L'Avion, Aqua Azur, and SalsiPuedas, meeting many friendly people along the way. As previously mentioned, Amy the concierge was wonderfully accomodating. She arranged for several excursions prior to our arrival based on our preferences. Our favorite was a day trip to Isle de Cano, a short ride by car, and then a longer boat ride to the biological preserve where we enjoyed fantastic snorkeling. Amy also helped to arrange a suprise birthday dinner for us with Ernesto - who treated us to a tasty gourmet dinner of RedSnapper and other traditional favorites. I would absolutely recommend your Casa for couple, families, relaxation or adventure...there is something for everyone, the people are friendly and accomodating, and the coordination with Tracy was seamless. THANK YOU!!

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

Amazing Vacation! Beautiful Home!

Guest: active family (missouri)
Date of Stay: 07/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Words can not describe the amazing time we had at Casa Gema de Bali. The house is beautiful and clean. Probably one of main things that sets this house apart from the rest is its location! It is close to everything! We could walk to restaurants, beach, pool, and grocery store...and still view the ocean and monkeys from our deck. It was the best! The concierge, Amy, made our vacation complete. She scheduled rafting, ziplining, massages, park tour, surf lessons, and a chef. We just told her the activities we wanted to do and she scheduled them with the best guides (she knows them all:) and arranged all activity transportation, which arrived at our door at the appointed times. Our only hope is to be able to return to this paradise again SOON!!My husband and I traveled with 5 kids (ages 16-24). Sometimes kids that age are hard to please. My kids were in absolute awe the entire time and never complained once about anything!

Owner response:Dear Julie, Thank you for your review,and for choosing Casa Gema de Bali. We are happy that your entire family loved staying in our casa, and even more so that you would like to return SOON! Hasta luego, Tracy and Michael

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

Jungle Paradise

Guest: Jodi (Encinitas, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/10/11 Review Submitted: 05/30/11

There is just nothing quite like waking up to the sounds of the jungle! This was a wonderful adventure for our family. The condo was beautiful, clean and secure. I would say it's situated on one of the best lots in the development. The view was phenomenal and it was easy to walk to restaurants, bars and the grocery. Staff was so helpful and kind. We really enjoyed our stay.

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

Adventure seekers

Guest: beckham (Pittsburgh, PA)
Date of Stay: 12/12/10 Review Submitted: 01/07/11

Our first trip to Costa Rica was extra special due to the first class villa and service that we received while we were here! You can see that the place is spectacular and the pictures on this sight do not exagerate. The view from every room in the villa is breathtaking. We are a family of four, two adults a 21 year old son and 18 year old daughter. Tracy and amy worked with us when my husband had a glitch in the states with his passport and we had to travel without him while he was rerouted to the nearest passport office!! The transportation from the San Jose airport was clear and professional and got us to the villa safely after an emotionally draining day. Amy greeted us (as well as the fantastic private chef Chelsea...highly recommend!) with news about my husband's progress as well as an amended schedule for the week! (He arrived the next night with amy's help) Oh, did I mention a chilled glass of wine too!?! Amy was a fanrastic conceirge, private five star hotel service. She booked all of our excursions and they were spot on. She was there whenever we needed anything. The staff at the villas were fantastic. We loved the guys at the beach...David, Javier and Roberto (Mikyll) They were so friendly and helpful, pointing out wildlife and always willing to accomodate. The first day there we had a monkey show from our balcony! The next day we saw a sloth in a tree at the beach as well as spider monkeys stealing fruit from Javier at the bar. We were not sure about transportation as we are suburbanites used to having a car. You can walk to the bank, grocery as well as many good restaurants and our fave..Cafe Milagro..The office will call you a cab to anywhere else and they are reliable and inexpensive. The excursions all pick you up at your hotel/ villa. So we did fine without a car.. This was a truly delightful vacation. Thanks to Tracy and amy for your hospitality. We highly recomend this place!!!

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

Casa Gema de Bali is Incredible

Guest: Teri & Bob (Silver Spring, Maryland)
Date of Stay: 09/12/10 Review Submitted: 10/09/10

We spent our honeymoon at Casa Gema de Bali and it was the most incredible trip we have ever taken. The casa was the best at the resort, best location, best view, best everything. It was luxurious and had all the comforts of home while still possessing the beautiful and unique flavor the Costa Rican rainforest. Tracy was a superb hostess and made all the arrangements we needed to make the trip all we wanted it to be. The area is breathtaking, the people wonderful, and the activities great. The beach, the pools and the easy access to town and great restaurants made this a great location to visit. While every day was full of activities or enjoying the pools or beach, sitting on the veranda with coffee every morning watching the beautiful birds, tucans, and of course the monkeys was the highlight!

Owner response:Dear Teri and Bob, Michael and I thank you for choosing our casa to celebrate your new lives together. We are very happy that we were able to fulfill a dream for the two of you. It will be wonderful to have you come back to celebrate an anniversary some day soon! Best of wishes. Tracy and Michael

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

Casa Gema de Bali in Buena Vista

Guest: Debbie (Houston, Texas )
Date of Stay: 08/26/10 Review Submitted: 09/30/10

Four very good friends were fortunate enough to spend 8 wonderful nights at Casa Gema de Bali in August. We had stayed at another Buena Vista "casa" two years ago and had an unforgettable time and so we decided to return to this piece of heaven in Manuel Antonio. We did some research and were surprised when we found that we could stay in Casa Gema de Bali within Buena Vista for much less. We hoped that we would not be disappointed, but as soon as we entered Casa Gema de Bali, we knew that we had hit the jack-pot. We were blown away by this luxurious experience! The endless ocean and dramatic mountain views from every room were beyond description. The villa was beautifully decorated and very, very clean. We were so comfortable that our favorite thing was coming back "home" in the afternoon to lounge around the villa and take in the beautiful views with a good glass of wine. The owners Tracey and Michael have added items beyond and above what the other villas/casas have to make sure that guests feel very pampered and well taken care of (much appreciated; thank you for the lighted make-up mirror for one!). We loved being on the top of the hill because it was easy to reach the road in the evening to go to dinner without working up a sweat. All in all, our vacation at Casa Gema de Bali could not have been better. We know where we will be staying when we return yet again to "heaven".

Owner response:Hola Debbie, Thank you for your kind words about our beloved Casa Gema de Bali. Michael and I are happy that we were able to contribute towards your memorable vacation. Till your next visit....Pura Vida! Tracy and Michael

Recommended for:

Awesome Stay

Guest: BobbyGriff (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 08/30/10

We had an awesome time. The weather was great - rained after 4 on a couple days - and on our last full day we were visited by a group of capuchin monkeys who hung out on the deck for a while. We loved the private beach and we all enjoyed great boggie boarding in some pretty good size waves. The condo was beautiful. Lots of room for the 5 of us. Great kitchen and we loved the deck and the views of the ocean and the nightly cocktails and sunsets were spectacular. Costa Rica is amazing. Don't even hesitate - go !

Owner response:Thank you Bobby for choosing to stay at Casa Gema de Bali. Hope to have you and your family again! Saludos, Tracy and Michael

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

Casa Gema de Bali

Guest: BettyVI (Jackson, WY)
Date of Stay: 04/02/10 Review Submitted: 04/28/10

My husband, 2 children (ages 8 & 10) & I spent a week at this fabulous property. We all loved it! The villa is very tastefully decorated & has a large balcony which has an unbeatable view of the pacific coastline. We saw more wildlife on the property than we did in the national park (we saw monkeys from the villa every morning & sloths on our way down to the beach). We spent hours boogie boarding at the private beach, which provides chairs, towel service, boogie boards & kayaks at no charge. The beach & pools have restauarants (great ceviche & margaritas). There are countless restaurants located within a 5 minute walk. We did not rent a car & never needed one. Tracy was a wonderful concierge & arranged multiple activities for us. The house staff was also very helpful & pleasant. We have already highly recommend this property & location to our friends.

Owner response:Hola Betty, Thank you very much for your review, and for your recommendations to your friends. It was a pleasure having you and your family at our home. Saludos, Tracy and Michael

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

great family vacation

Guest: costaricareview (DC)
Date of Stay: 03/22/10 Review Submitted: 04/06/10

Beautiful villa -- very comfortable beds, luxurious bathrooms, breathtaking views, daily visits from monkeys and songbirds. We enjoyed the location -- easy walk to restaurants and market, tough walk to the beach, but good exercise and nice opportunity to spot monkeys and toucans along the way. Great spot for families. We'd go back in a heartbeat.

Owner response:Thank you for your review of Casa Gema de Bali. We are happy that your family and you had a terrific time and enjoyed our casa and its location. It is great to be able to walk to one of the restaurants in the evening without navigating a steep hill. The 10-15 minute walk to and from our exclusive beach will get your heart rate up. Although some of our guests prefer to either take the free shuttle service or to drive themselves, many (Michael and I included) prefer to walk the paved road for both the exercise and the breathtaking scenery.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Amazing!!!

Guest: TravelbugVA (Leesburg, VA)
Date of Stay: 03/28/10 Review Submitted: 04/04/10

Casa Gema de Bali is a destination in itself! As we walked through the front door we were instantly immersed in the lush vegetation and beautiful views. The staff were there to greet us with a welcome smile and a tour of the house and grounds, answering any questions we had. Tracy, the owner, has done a wonderful job of anticipating her guests needs/wants and far exceeds all expectations in making your vacation what you could only hope it would be. The house is beautiful! It is filled with all of the comforts of home, plus also provides the luxuries of a fine hotel...daily maid service, outdoor rain shower and the jacuzzi on the terrace were just some of my favorites. We loved Tulemar beach and the variety of pools on the property. The poolside bar and food service is excellent. You can also enjoy lunch at the beach as there is a small outdoor restaurant there as well. Casa Gema de Bali is in a perfect location, walking distance to many excellent restaurants, a grocery store and an ATM. If you want to forgo walking, taxis are readily available and very reasonable. What I Liked Best: beautiful views off the terrace, comfortable amenities inside the house, the beach, monkey visits, so many delicious restaurants What I Liked Least: having to leave! I would return to Manuel Antonio and Casa Gema de Bali again and again!

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