Heaven on Earth

Guest: beaubalarosin (riverwoods, IL midwest)
Date of Stay: 03/26/11 Review Submitted: 07/19/11

In April my family rented Villa Kisskadee for spring break. From the moment Dave contacted me, I knew my vacation would be perfect. He explained everything from our travel plans, the area, the attractions and the house. Everything he said was accurate. He helped me plan our vacation and was able to answer all my questions. Having a family of boys (15,12 and 7) I needed a certain amount of adventure and my husband and I needed a certain amount of luxury and relaxation....Villa Kisskadee is the answer. Set on the grounds of Tulemar made our trips to the beach easy. The house is private and beautiful. The pictures dont really capture the beauty of the house. Mauricio makes sure everything "happens". Each day we would tell him what we wanted to do and he arranged everything. I did not have to plan anything ahead of time because Mauricio planned our activities each day. We did a wide range of activities...zip lines, rafting, waterfall repelling, national park tours, jet skiing, grocery store trips, private chefs....the list goes on and Mauricio was our expert guide. One day we wanted a banana leaf to cook some fish in and within minutes he was at our door showing us how to do it. Our trip was the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation (massages on the patio), great food and beautiful immaculate accommodations. I would highly recommend this property or anything else where Dave and Mauricio are involved. I hope I have another chance to visit!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, families with teenagers.

World Class

Guest: mako (-)
Date of Stay: 01/01/11 Review Submitted: 01/14/11

Our 1st trip to Costa Rica. Looked for luxurious, & romantic location for our honeymoon. After much research, we were rewarded for picking: - One of the best areas : Manuel antonio Beach - The best gated communities in Manuel antonio : Tulemar Gardens (only one with private beach) - One of the most secluded & luxurious homes w/ magnificent unobstructed ocean views : Villa Kiskadee (VK)! Here, you'll appreciate glorious sunrises & sunsets, visits by monkeys & admire many exotic birds. Plus, there are 2 resident sloths in the trees @ VK. Plenty of photo ops for shutterbugs! Besides the visual treats, the home is spacious, spectacular, & lovely. Friendly housekeeping & property maintenance by Luz & Wiston was pristine. Free shuttle service to those not wanting to take the short steep hike to the private beach or to the main entrance. Make sure to have breakfast at the private beach and then work it off using the free kayaks to make it out to a great snorkeling point in the bay. Accommodations are outstanding - service & attention offered by the staff is superb. We were pleasantly greeted by Dave & Mauricio upon our arrival. Even though we were delayed a few hours, they were still on the property to warmly welcome us with cool refreshments and gifts. Mauricio is an ambassador of Manuel antonio. He and the staff at here, know all of the best places to dine or have a drink, many are w/in walking distance of Tulemar. Mauricio & staff happily arranged the best tours and activities of our liking. Call on Mauricio for any need you have, from arranging cabs - to a ride to the nearby market. He is a star at this place and you will greatly appreciate his knowledge, services, and hospitality. Even though it was our honeymoon and we felt spoiled by the staff by their gestures, I'm confident they treat all of their guests this way. We highly recommend this community and the villas managed by Dave and Mauricio.

Recommended for:

"Fantastic villa, great staff"

Guest: kclpyeatt (-)
Date of Stay: 12/23/10 Review Submitted: 01/06/11

"Fantastic villa, great staff" We just returned from a family trip to Costa Rica. Villa Kiskadee was beautiful. The views were outstanding and the villa was perfect for our 8 family members ranging in age from 7 - 80 years old. We had daily visits from monkeys, iguana, tucans and spied several sloths on the grounds of Tulemar. What made this place special was having the privacy of your own place (and Kiskadee is really private) along with the amenities of having the Tulemar Beach Resort on site. Just call and a shuttle will take you to and from the beach - and it was a great beach for swimming, kayaking, boggey boarding and watching sunsets. (Plus my 7 year old was preoccupied with finding shells - minimal, but still enough to keep her excited). Mauricio was the house manager and I can not say enough about him. Always there with a smile and able to easily fulfill all our requests. We ate out at many of the local restaurants (Cafe agua azul was our favorite) and had a private chef for a few nights at the Villa. Mauricio even arranged a private dinner for us on the beach our final night and it was spectacular. We did a lot of the tours and were especially pleased with the Whitewater rafting, canopy tour and sailing tour (spied a humpback whale and a pod of 10 spotted dolphins played with our boat). Everything was arranged by Mauricio and made our job of having a good time really easy. This was a great family trip in a beautiful country with warm people and truly amazing accomodations.

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Unforgetable

Guest: Kristen B (-)
Date of Stay: 05/20/10 Review Submitted: 12/04/10

This house was amazing...beyond our expectations! The views, the monkeys, the private beach were all incredible. The personalized attention and service provided by Dave and Mauricio was awesome. I cannot even think about going or staying anywhere else!

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Fantastic

Guest: AG Hersing (-)
Date of Stay: 06/08/10 Review Submitted: 12/03/10

Tulemar Gardens is the only place to stay in Costa Rica. The property and grounds are exquisite, the private beach is splendid, and the service exceeds expectations on a daily basis. If you are going to Costa Rica for the first time, or have been several times before, the staff at Villa Kiskadee will guarantee a most wonderful and memorable vacation.

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Fit for King's

Guest: Ocho Loco (NY, USA)
Date of Stay: 06/20/10 Review Submitted: 06/29/10

Our stay at Villa Kiskadee was nothing less than spectacular! The villa is located in a private gated community called Tulemar Gardens. The house and the views were amazing and enjoyed the daily visits of the local wildlife (Howlier, Titi & Cappuchin monkeys, tucans, sloths, etc). When we arrived at the villa, we were greeted by Dave, Mauricio and the staff. Dave and Mauricio made every effort to make our vacation a memorable one. Mauricio's recommendations on restaurants, activities and in-house chef were all spot on. He also arranged all of our transportation and grocery needs. We would definitely recommend this to families or a group of friends and hope to return soon.

Owner response:We are very proud of our Villa and the service we provide our guests. Its always nice to read that our guests feel the same as we do. Thanks Ed-Dave & Mauricio

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

Guest: Alina2 (McLean, VA)
Date of Stay: 08/17/09 Review Submitted: 08/17/09

We rented Villa Kiskadee with some friends in August. The house sits at the end of a private driveway surrounded by lush tropical gardens, in the rain forest, in walking distance to a nice private beach. The house is specatcular with one of the most beautiful views that we have ever seen. We saw monkeys, sloths and toucans everyday. Our children were were very happy and had a great time. Mauricio handled all of our tours and activities reservations. We loved the house and we plan to go back!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/09 Review Submitted: 04/10/09

My family rented Villa Kiskadee in April of 2009....you enter via your own private, curving driveway...very exclusive....the house sits at the end surrounded by lush tropical gardens.....when you enter, the entire back side of the house opens to the pool and the ocean views. Each bedroom suite has ocean views and balconies, so everyone was happy. Mauricio handled all of our needs, from tours, activities and restaurant reservations. Very professional and he made it easy for us. We saw monkeys, sloths and toucans everyday. We loved the house and we will be back!

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