The perfect house and vacation

Guest: Kathleen (Maryland)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 12/03/11

Our family of 6 (3 adults and 3 teenagers) had the most wonderful stay in this house in July 2011. The house description is very accurate, although we all thought the house was even better than described. The house works very well with the open areas and the private bedrooms. The kitchen was well-stocked for cooking and the rest of the house was very clean and well-equipped, including plenty of towels and beach equipment. This was our first trip to Costa Rica and we could not have picked a more lovely, comfortable and relaxing spot. The owners were very helpful in the booking process and we received our deposit back promptly. Gerardo was just lovely. He took great care of us, including arranging for the restaurant across the lane to stay open for us when we ran into a terrible traffic delay due to bridge construction and didn't arrive until after 9 pm our first night. He also gave us consistently good recommendations for everything that we tried, including restaurants, kayaking, surfing, and snorkeling. We especially liked the great fresh chicken and baked goods from the local vendors who drove down the lane and sold their wares from the back of their pickup trucks! We highly recommend this house.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers.

Perfect in every way

Guest: Joe (Denver)
Date of Stay: 04/14/10 Review Submitted: 09/24/11

We all felt so confortable here. It is central to everything. Eat in eat out its all here for you. Clean, relaxing, the days are slow and secluded at the pool.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, people with disabilities, sightseeing, families with young children.

"oh yeah, the house we stayed in we stayed in was awesome," (as declared by a 13 year old)

Guest: nativesanfranjo (Portland, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 07/28/11

July, 2011-Green season the best time to visit!! We could have not been happier with Casa Ventana del Mar, in Playa Carrillo...but it didn’t start that way. Cruising in our 4x4 proved a challenge from the monsoon rain forests of Arenal. We learned the standard phrase “two hours” was not an accurate forecast of the time it would take to arrive in Playa Carrillo. It was well worth the “viaje largo” when we arrived in Playa Carrillo guided by internet cafes, Skype telephone, and the very helpful Ventana del Mar, host, Gerardo. As a mother of overindulged teenagers, I panicked upon entry into this spectacular house in the dark of night, noticing the lack of TV?! No worries however, with the break of dawn, I emerged from the comfy master bedroom to...more rain. Okay, now I would have to do a rain dance! I did it on the the infinity pool deck which honed in on the jungle sounds around us, which were rampant with a chorus of monkeys, tropical birds, and the dancing iguanas on the roof. Within the hour, the sun radiated upon us and stayed by our side for the entire five days. Casa Ventana del Mar proved to be worth its weight in Costa Rican gold. A short walk down the hill, will familiarize you with Playa Carrillo which is the secret (and please don’t tell anyone) jewel among all the “playas”. It is “blue flagged” by the Costa Rican government which means: no bacteria, no garbage and freedom to park and explore-basically a five star beach. On your walk back to the Ventana del Mar, look for the little blue, yellow, and red crabs that crawl among the flora and fauna. Ventana del Mar has a fully equipped kitchen, a gas grill, and a fabulous quincho... if you are inclined to partake in a culinary evening. However, I-a haggard soccer mom-suggest you walk (1 minute) to the delightful “El Colibri” restaurant where host Roxanna and Fernando Carre will indulge you in perfect Argentinean BBQ. Need a suggestion for lunch, try the Guanamar Hotel ( a 4 minute walk) for an instant transportation to Tahiti...via Costa Rica. Other good stuff nearby is a “Trader Joe-esque licoreria”, which has tasty local groceries as well as an ample supply of Euro staples. Now back to Gerardo, the VDM guru of all things “muy bueno”. Ask Gerardo to cut you some young coconut off the trees, its pulp will melt in your mouth, and ask him to take you on a trip to the waterfall with private beach nearby. All and all, my teenagers and the rest of us had a sublime “visita”. We will return muy pronto.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Magnificent House, Magnificent Location

Guest: Brad (Steamboat Springs)
Date of Stay: 04/16/11 Review Submitted: 04/29/11

A truly spectacular property. Everything is within walking distance: world class beach is a two minute walk down the road; spectacular restaurant across the way and the local market is no more than 5 minutes down the road. We had two families - 4 adults/4 kids and the set up worked great. We really enjoyed the open air setting of the house and of course the kids enjoyed the pool. Gerrardo, the house guy and true local, helped us organize everything - fishing, kayaking and surfing. Would go back in a heartbeat - just need to find the time.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, families with young children.

TRULY A FIVE STAR!

Guest: Joan (Grand Lake, CO)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/14/11

Can a property really be rated a 5-star by everyone that rents it? That was my first thought after reading all 11 reviews for the Carrillo Bay Hideaway. The answer, after experiencing a wonderful 7 day vacation in Costa Rica is, YES!! Everything that was written about the home, the people, the beaches, and the surrounding area were all accurately described. We had five teenagers between our two families and everyday was an adventure for all of us. Such a variety of activities to experience!! From early morning jogs on the beach to beautiful sunsets at night, we enjoyed every single minute at Carrillo. An added bonus for us was the perfect surfing at Samara which was an enjoyable 10 minute bus ride from our house. We did rent a car for the day (in Samara) and headed up to Nosara. FUN time on the beach, but was ready to return "home" to our hideaway by the end of the day! We wouldn't change anything about our first visit to Costa Rica and look forward to a return trip in the near future.

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

A perfect house for HOT weather!

Guest: Diana Eric Hanna and Elena (Minneapolis, MN)
Date of Stay: 02/17/11 Review Submitted: 03/04/11

We were drawn to this house by the open air great room, and it was as wonderful as we'd hoped! The space provides a great opportunity to feel the warm breezes of Costa Rican high season without being out in the blazing sun. And of course, the pool is a great place to be too! The best pool we've ever had the pleasure to enjoy, between the slide on one end and the palapa bar on the other. If you stay here, don't walk, RUN up the lane to arrange an expedition (or two or three) with Popo (Tad). Not only does he lead a fantastic trip accessible to all ages (we had our 8 and 5 year old daughters with us on our river kayak trip) but he also is wonderfully gregarious and eager to share what he knows and loves about Carrillo and the surrounding area. We felt we gained a friend and a glimmer of insider's insight into Costa Rica that one cannot easily access on a brief visit to another country. We also greatly enjoyed the Argentine grill restaurant across the street--can't get more convenient than that! Carrillo Beach was not quite as pristine and deserted as we had expected, probably because we came there from Playa Pan de Azucar in Potrero, which truly is a most magnificent and deserted beach. But it is very picturesque and has other great features, like 4:30 yoga on the beach M-Th and a 10-foot crocodile who waits at the mouth of the estuary to catch incoming fish as the tide rushes in. An impressive spectacle!! Also, the trees have grown up since the photo on the listing and there is not much of a view out--the upside is that one has a sense of utter privacy. The caucaphony of noises around 5:00 am is amusing--howler monkeys mixed with parrots and other exotic birds, mixed with roosters and geese from the neighbors! We don't wake up to that combo in Minnesota... All in all, a very comfortable and exciting place to stay! Thanks to the owners for making it available to others!

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

Fabulous

Guest: Molly (Texas)
Date of Stay: 01/02/11 Review Submitted: 03/02/11

Best vacation with our 6 adult children that we have ever had. Enjoyed the beach during the day, beautiful sunset and wonderful family cooked meals at night followed by games and lots of wine. Perfect!!!

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Perfect!

Guest: Family from Chicago (Chicago)
Date of Stay: 01/29/11 Review Submitted: 02/13/11

Our family had an excellent time. The home is absolutely beautiful, the pool is amazing, and Carrillo beach couldn't be any better. We felt like we were living in a treehouse and enjoyed the birds in the treetops around us as we relaxed and played in the pool. Our daughters (OK all of us) loved the slide too. We were surprised how quiet and remote the location is while still being walking distance to groceries and restaurants. And Samara town/beach is such a close drive too. Lots of fun activities and action there. Gerardo, Tad, and the locals were all very friendly. We absolutely loved it and would definitely stay again!

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

Spacious, Tropical, Comfy and Loved The Pool!!

Guest: Stacy S. and friends (Boulder, CO)
Date of Stay: 04/25/10 Review Submitted: 05/03/10

My six girlfriends and I just spent a great time at this wonderfully furnished and spacious house. The home and backyard were so comfortable- a great place to relax and get away from it all!! The pool is immaculate and Gerardo, the caretaker who lives next door, was there every morning sweeping and tidying up the main living area. The kitchen is completely stocked with everything for us to make great meals (including a blender for those tropical drinks). The living room is very open, so you really feel a part of the nature. The local art that decorates the home is beautiful. One of our highlights was when Gerardo arranged for us to embark on a morning horseback ride; it was so fun and convenient to literally have the horses arrive and depart from our driveway. We rode to a different small beach and along dirt roads to above Carrillo Bay area and it was really lovely. The walk from the house to the larger swim beach, Carrillo Bay, is only about 5 minutes and the ocean had perfect waves for body surfing and the water was so warm!! Be sure to look up in the trees while walking to the beach because we saw monkeys - my first time seeing "wild" monkeys! :) The house is awesome and working with Linda was awesome too! Thanks for all!!! We had such a great, relaxing and memorable time!!! PS: It was very convenient having the washer/dryer at the house, especially because we arrived following a multi-day Pacuare River rafting trip.

Recommended for:Girls getaway.

Guest: Beth & Brent (Mountain View, CA USA)
Date of Stay: 03/03/10 Review Submitted: 03/03/10

This is a lovely home in gorgeous Carrillo Bay. Carrillo is so much nicer than Samara and this house is perfectly situated to enjoy everything - the beach, the local restaurants, the animal refuge, the views. We walked everywhere except when we went once to Samara (and never returned...) The house is private, open air, beautifully appointed, and fun (the kids loved the slide and the swim up bar!) and the Woods and the caretaker are great to work with. We'll definitely stay here again. We can't recommend this property highly enough....

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