Location: San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, Central America (Walk to Surf Beaches North of San Juan Del Sur)
Accommodations: House, 2 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 2.25 Baths (Sleeps 4-6)
Keywords: Stand alone house with pool
Have you ever felt you want to get away from it all? Go to a place where time seems to stand still and nature is unspoiled and teeming with life and beauty? Casa La Serena is the place for you. Wake up to the sound of birds, listen to the howler monkeys calling in the afternoon, sleep lulled by the din of the ocean. This beautiful house is an architectural wonder. Privacy is created by three levels clustered around a shared living space with kitchen and pool. Enjoy sweeping ocean views from every vantage point and take in the lush foliage of the jungle at your feet. At a 10 minute walk or a short drive you can go down to the best surfing and swimming beaches in Nicaragua: Playa Maderas and Playa Majagual. Casa La Serena is the ideal place to think, relax, read, fall in love again or just be by yourself. If you are the active type you can surf, hike, rent a boat in San Juan del Sur and go fishing, eat at local restaurants or take yoga or Spanish classes. You can also mingle with the international crowd who visits this enchanting Nicaraguan town all year round.
Visiting Nicaragua and staying at Casa La Serena will be an unforgettable adventure. You will have to rent a 4 wheel drive to cruise to and from the house. The road is a bit rough but you will go by some amazing woods and unspoilt lands.
At the house you will have all the comforts you need: beautifully crafted wood furniture, stone showers with picture windows looking out on the ocean and jungle, fully equipped kitchen, linens and towels, large closets and unique design touches.
Take advantage of the tropical spring, experience the lush vegetation and hear the ocassional downpour which after a short while dries up and leaves the air clear and fresh. Come and stay at Casa La Serena. We are now offering special prices for weekly or monthly stays.
Main building
* living room with couch, coffee table and chairs
* fully equipped kitchen with stainless steel appliances and breakfast bar
* sliding walls in living rooom open to covered dining porch, stone dining table overlooking the pool and the ocean
*Unique master bedroom, wooden floor, with DVD player and flat screen, double sinks in the bathroom, large closet and safe deposit box
Bedroom/Office building
* exotic hardwood furniture: futon couch usable as single bed
* desk looking out into the ocean
* walk in shower with stone floor
Balcones de Majagual is 30 miles from the Costa Rican border,and 12 km north of San Juan Del Sur. WIFI is available at the house as well as cell phone communication through a land line. Solar hot water and battery backup system keep lights on and refrigerator cold when local power is disrupted. House includes concierge service, maid service and 24 hour security.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Washer : Overnight laundry service available from maids.
- Dryer : Available at office
- Linens Provided
- Off Street Parking
- Beds
- King Bed
- Queen Bed : We have put a new queen bed in the second bedroom
- Convertible Bed : The living room contains a futon, which converts to a double bed.
- Entertainment
- TV (No Cable/Satellite) : Flat-screen monitor for viewing DVD's is wall-mounted in master bedroom. No TV reception.
- DVD
- Private Pool : Enjoy your own pool, steps from master bedroom, dining porch and living room.
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Catering Available : You can hire a cook or reserve at Morgan's Rock, the most exclusive resort in San Juan del Sur, five minutes away from Balcones.
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill
- Deck/Patio
- Balcony
- Lanai
- View/Location
- Ocean View : Sweeping sunset views.
- Communications
- Telephone : Fixed cellular phone in the house
- WiFi (Wireless Internet)
- Other Amenities
- Guide books of Nicaragua, guide books of bird species, novels to read
- Suitability
- Pet Friendly : A small dog or cat wouldn't be a problem
- No Pets Allowed
- Kid Friendly : It's kid friendly for children who know how to swim and are older than 7
- Not Suitable for Children : Not suitable for toddlers: swimming pool has no cover and balconies are high with open railings
- Smoking Allowed : in the open areas, not in the bedrooms
- Activities
- Shopping
- Kayaking
- Sailing
- Boating
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Windsurfing
- Biking
- Mountain Biking
- Wildlife Viewing
- Fishing
- Horseback Riding
- Shelling
- Hiking
- Restaurants
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Low Season: May 15-Oct 31, $150/night, $900/7 day week, ask for monthly rate
High Season: Nov 01-May 14, except holidays $175/night, $1225/week, ask x monthly
Holidays: Christmas, New Year's and Easter weeks $250/night, $1,5750/week
3.5% fee is added to paypal charges: 5% is added to credit card charges
Longer stay rates are negotiable on a case by case basis
We use Paypal.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
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Credit Cards Accepted:
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Owner's Profile
Owner Description
Year Purchased: 2007
We are a couple of writers who love nature and Nicaragua. We fell in love with Balcones and Casa La Serena for its unique architecture and the feeling of being in our own private paradise.
We live in Los Angeles but travel to Nicaragua frequently.
Why the Owner Chose San Juan Del Sur
We fell in love with the house and the access to several of the most amazing beaches in the area.
The Unique Benefits of this House
Casa La Serena is an oasis, a place of quiet and lush beauty. It is open to the sea breeze and built in such a way that one can have both privacy and community. The bathrooms are beautifully made with unique features and the entire house is a showcase for the magnificence of Nicaraguan wood. Balconies open to the dazzling ocean view, a pool to watch the sunset from are some of the joys this house has to offer.
Property Photos
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- Poolside dining on open air terrace - San Juan Del Sur Ocean View Vacation Home
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- Living Room with sliding walls that open to poolside terrace and ocean views - San Juan Del Sur Ocean View Vacation Home
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- Poolside living with dramatic ocean views from every room in our home - San Juan Del Sur Ocean View Vacation Home
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- Amazing view from your outdoor dining area and the pool
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- Well designed, comfortable bathrooms
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- Walk to the best surf breaks in Nicaragua
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- Wake up to a new day
Traveler Reviews (13)
We loved all of Nicaragua!
Guest: Barbara J.
(-)
Date of Stay: 11/25/11
Review Submitted: 12/17/11
We absolutely loved the house! We loved all of Nicaragua! Everything was better than I imagined from the friendly people to the beaches, to the food and the accommodations. We were both so sad to leave. There is no way to capture how beautiful it is looking down into the jungle and across to the ocean from the pool deck. I tried to take pictures but they really didn’t do it justice. We felt absolutely safe at all times. The security at the house was great but really, I just felt safe in the country. We gave people rides to and from town and my broken Spanish was sufficient to meet a number of new friends. We stayed a couple days at Jicaro as well and it was very nice but didn’t have the same authentic feeling as your house. We will definitely go back to Casa Serena next year, hopefully at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home with us!
Recommended for:
"We had the best time"
Guest: Matt and Joy, New York
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Date of Stay: 10/22/11
Review Submitted: 11/27/11
By: Matt I Wow we had the best time here at Casa La Serena. My wife and I spent one month here for our honeymoon and had the most amazing time. The house is a really special place and definitely makes you feel like you are visiting the home of the animals of which there are a plenty. It is a bit of a drive from San Juan Del Sur and you definitely need a 4x4 in the rainy season. If you are looking for somewhere to get away from everything, this is the place as it is amazingly peaceful with a beautiful view of the ocean and surrounding jungle. There are quite a few insects around as it is in the middle of the jungle but that is part of the charm and the cleaning staff are very good at keeping the place clean. There is a great kitchen and bbq for cooking and if you are looking to cook then you can buy groceries in town at the Pali (grocery store), Pan De Vida ( an amazing earth fired bakery in town) and buy your fish at the port which is all the way to the left when you face the ocean in San Juan Del Sur. If you want to eat out, then you can call ahead to Morgans Rock, which is the fancy resort near Balcones- they accept reservations for dinner (though it helps to speak spanish) and the food is great and reasonably priced. Go there and catch the sunset before dinner. There is also a very simple local restuaraunt down the right near balcones, if you take a left out of the exit its on the left after about a 3 min drive. The staff at Balcones are extremely helpful, though it really makes a difference if you speak spanish. If you have time take spanish lessons at the Latin American Spanish School in San Juan Del Sur- they are great. We had the best time in Nicaragua and loved the people and the culture dearly. We are in Costa Rica now and missing Nicaragua alot. Gioconda was an absolutely pleasure to deal with and was very helpful and the house is absolutely gorgeous. Definitely stay here if you can. We will be back as soon as we can for sure. !! Recommendations
Recommended for:
Paradise at Casa La Sirena
Guest: Sachi C.
Date of Stay: 10/12/11
Review Submitted: 11/16/11
We arrived to Casa La Sirena during a brief respite in a several day downpour and couldn't have been happier with our accommodations. What a perfectly lovely place to hole up during the the wet season. We woke each morning to the bellow of howler monkey—sometimes they sounded as if they were in the room with us. The architecture of the house—with its screens and shutters in place of solid walls—allows you to fully enjoy the setting even when you're making coffee in the morning or laying in bed. You always feel immersed in the setting. We took walks down to the beach where we explored the craggy point up the coast and even surfed the one day the weather calmed a bit. Maderas, the beach just a five minute walk to the south has some of the best surf in the San Juan Del Sur zone. When the sun poked through we'd plunge into the pool and fix ourselves a Flor de Cana on ice and just watch the clouds float by. The views of the rainforest tapering down to the ocean are breathtaking. The kitchen has everything you could need, right down to a lime squeezer and we cooked all our own meals. Despite the storms, we were never left without power, and the onsite guard was always very responsive with any request. Casa La Sirena is the perfect spot for a couple (or two) looking to get away from it all.
Recommended for:
Views are amazing!
Guest: Jereme
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Date of Stay: 08/12/11
Review Submitted: 08/30/11
"What an amazing property! The architecture is iconic yet fits within the surroundings perfectly and the views are amazing! Everything has a purpose, the louvers open/close depending on the amount of sun or breeze you want to let in, screens throughout to allow the nature experience in but keep the bugs out, to the thoughtfully selected building materials (reclaimed wood, natural stone, etc). My wife and I spent 5 nights of our honeymoon at Casa la Serena and every day was a new adventure. The beach was a short walk away, the first time we drove but much preferred the walk after that since it passed through little farms and woods full of monkeys (also heard tons from the porch). The property is definitely private as well with a secluded infinity edge pool that opens up to wonderful views over the Pacific ocean. The wifi enabled us to get work done while away which was also a nice feature. This is definitely an exotic retreat and the 30 minute drive makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, yet close enough to San Juan Del Sur to get supplies and rent surfboards." -Jereme
Recommended for:
Unreal!
Guest: Jeff and the Amped Team
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Date of Stay: 06/29/11
Review Submitted: 07/18/11
Place was unreal! Came to Nicaragua to do work for my NGO. I took a few days off here. It was above all expectations. Go check out Playa Maders if possible. We'll deinitely be back!
Recommended for:
We had a lovely time!
Guest: Vogel, Morris
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Date of Stay: 06/19/11
Review Submitted: 07/18/11
We had a lovely time.Playa Pitahaya was our favorite! The house is so lovely and the people were too. Thanks for a wonderful stay!
Recommended for:
BEAUTIFUL HOUSE
Guest: John and Emily
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Date of Stay: 05/27/11
Review Submitted: 07/18/11
Beautiful house, so quiet and tucked away! The bugs were gargantuan (rainy season). Everything we needed was here. Thanks so much! We had fun exploring local beaches. Good beginner surfing at El Remanso and fun at Playa Coco (beware of stingrays, shuffle when entering the water) Can't wait to return. We so enjoyed your lovely retreat! Best wishes. John and Emily
Recommended for:
Beautiful view, peaceful, secluded
Guest: Sophi M.
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Date of Stay: 04/16/11
Review Submitted: 06/23/11
The house was great. It was very peaceful, secluded and had everything we needed. The views from the house were beautifuI. The concierge service that came with the rental made getting settled in extremely easy. I would definitely rent Casa la Serena again if I were returning to San Juan del Sur with 1-3 other people. I actually recommended it to someone who went with a friend and their two young boys. They also had a really nice time there and also found the setting idyllic and hassle-free.
Recommended for:
Lovely house
Guest: Emily H.
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Date of Stay: 05/27/11
Review Submitted: 06/22/11
Dear Gioconda I am just dropping a note to say how lovely we found your casa at Balcones - we had such a lovely weekend relaxing there a few weeks ago. Can't wait to come back to Nicaragua! best wishes, Emily
Recommended for:
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #219216
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