Newly remodeled, two-story, two-bedroom, two-bath house w/ private beach access.
Location: Punta Uva, Limon, Costa Rica, Central America (4.5 Hours from San Jose and 15 Min. from Puerto Viejo) View Map
Accommodations: House, 2 Bedrooms + No additional sleeping rooms avail, 2 Baths (Sleeps 6)
Keywords: House
We hope you feel inspired while staying in our newly-renovated beachfront home, Casa de la Musa (House of the Muse), directly on the spectacular beach of Punta Uva. This is the home where famous Costa Rican author, Anacristina Rossi, lived for nearly 15 years and wrote stories about the life and beauty of the Caribbean coast. Her works include "La Loca de Gandoca,” which, after its release in 1992, helped save the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge from development (her books are available to read in English and Spanish at the house). While sitting in the home’s breezy deck and looking through the magnificent jungle gardens towards the gorgeous Punta Uva beach, you can easily imagine how Rossi felt inspired to write about this Costa Rican paradise.
Casa de la Musa is a clean, newly-restored Caribbean-style cabin with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, screened porch, open deck, and many modern amenities, including wi-fi, air-conditioned bedrooms, and digital music players. Though the house was substantially upgraded during the spring and summer of 2011, it still maintains much of its Caribbean charm, including its original wood floors, traditional balcony seat, and solid, locally-built furniture.
Surrounded by lush natural gardens full of exotic plants and wildlife, Casa de la Musa is one of only a handful of houses directly on Punta Uva beach, the most swimmable beach in the Puerto Viejo area (the house sits 50 meters from the water line, the closest Costa Rican homes can legally be to the ocean). Outside Magazine and other travel publications have rated Punta Uva one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. The house is also near some of the area’s most wonderful restaurants, dive centers, surf spots, massage studios, yoga classes and all of the fun activities of Puerto Viejo. You can reach the trails of the Manzanillo-Gandoca refuge by a quick bike ride or even quicker car ride, explore the various beaches by foot or bicycle, or just relax in a hammock looking out onto the jungle and the Caribbean.
The home has a clean indoor kitchen with large windows opening towards the beach, garden, and patio areas. The kitchen has a new refrigerator/freezer, new gas stove and oven, new tiles, new appliances (coffee maker, toaster, mixer), dishware and utensils. An open dining area has seating for up to 8. House has 2 full bathrooms with a shower downstairs and shower/bathtub upstairs. Hot water (not standard in Caribbean homes) is available in both showers, in the upstairs sink, and in the kitchen sink. Drinking water jugs and water dispenser are provided so you do not need to buy water frequently. Linens, house towels, beach towels, and beach mats are included. There is a safe box large enough to store a laptop and other important personal belongings. Cleaning is included every 3 days for stays of 5 nights or more. Additional cleaning can be arranged for a fee. Laundry service is provided on the property for a fee of $8 per load (1 load = 4-5kg or 9-11lbs).
We will try our best to make your stay at Casa de la Musa a great one! Evi is our friendly and experienced property manager who will help make your stay comfortable, safe, and fun. Please feel free to talk to her about any questions, suggestions, or concerns you may have about your visit. She speaks Spanish, English, and German. Our gardener and security assistant, Juan, has lived on the premises of Casa de la Musa for 18 years. He has a newly-built casita separate from the main house, and in the unlikely event you have concerns during the night, he is always available.
We believe travelers looking for a true Caribbean beach and jungle experience will love spending a vacation in this charming, comfortable home. We hope you enjoy your time in Punta Uva as much as we have!
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning : In both bedrooms.
- Linens Provided : Beach towels and beach mats also included.
- Washer : Washing and drying service available on the property for $12 per load (1 load = 4-5kg or 9-11lbs).
- Dryer
- Off Street Parking : Driveway parking for 2 cars.
- Wood Fireplace : BBQ available
- Beds
- Double Bed (2)
- Convertible Bed : draw under the doble bed sleeps 2
- Murphy Bed
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen : Kitchen has new gas stove and oven, new refrigerator, hot water, coffee maker, mixer, toaster, wine glasses, silverware, cups, bowls, salt/pepper, corkscrew, and other useful items. Opens up to ocean, back garden, and eating deck.
- Cooking Utensils Provided
- Refrigerator : New in summer 2011.
- Outdoor Features
- Charcoal BBQ Grill : Small BBQ grill
- Deck/Patio : Most of the first floor is open patio.
- Lanai : 2nd story with a view of the Caribbean through a short stretch of jungle. Screened in so you can enjoy the breeze without the bugs.
- View/Location
- Beachfront : On the 50 meter line, as close as a house can legally be to the ocean in Costa Rica. Punta Uva beach is accessible via a short, private pathway.
- Oceanfront : View the ocean through a short stretch of jungle.
- Communications
- Cell Phone : A cell phone is available for you to use while staying at the house. We provide a card with 30 minutes of talk time -- you can buy additional minutes at any local store. If you want your own phone, we recommend buying a SIM card from ICE (Costa Rica's national carrier) when you arrive in Costa Rica, or you can rent a phone and card in advance through Costa Rica Cellular Connection (866-353-6492 or 8876-1776).
- WiFi (Wireless Internet) : not the fastest - but it works
- Other Amenities
- Outdoor shower and foot wash, private path to beach, 2 iHomes plus a CD player with a USB connection, drinking water dispenser, massage services available in-home.
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed
- Kid Friendly
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities
- Zoo/Wildlife Park
- Restaurants
- Shopping
- Kayaking
- Boating
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Biking
- Wildlife Viewing
- Fishing
- Health/Beauty Spa
- Basketball Court
- Horseback Riding
- Rafting
- Shelling
- Hiking
- Museums
- Other Activities
- Snorkeling, Scuba diving, Dolphin watching, Animal reserves, Chocolate Tours
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Rates for April 2012 - March 2013
1-2 people = $140/night or $840/week
3-4 people = $165/night or $990/week
5-6 people = $185/night or $1110/week
1250/1400/1550 U$ per week Christmas/New Year and Easter weeks.
Children under 12 stay free.
Payments can be made via cash or PayPal or wire transfer.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
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Credit Cards Accepted:
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Map & Owner's Profile
Beachfront Punta Uva: Storied Location in Caribbean Paradise
Year Purchased: 2008
Why the Owner Chose Punta Uva
To make a long story short, we stumbled upon this property after a chance encounter with a real estate agent one night at a restaurant. We were already drawn to the rich blend of cultures -- Tico, Afro-Caribbean, and many others -- in the area, as well as to the natural beauty of the beaches and jungle. When the agent showed us this property, we realized this was a dream location for us. While we never expected to buy a home, we had a Costa Rican friend who joined us and encouraged us to take the plunge. We hope this will be a source of joy for us and many others in the years to come.
The Unique Benefits at this House
We love the location on the beach between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. The original house was a solid, traditional, open-air Caribbean cabin. While we maintained most of the original design features, we made significant renovations in spring/summer 2011 so that the home now has many of the comforts and amenities that we and many other travelers around the world appreciate.
Modern, newly-renovated, Caribbean-style cabin directly on Punta Uva Beach. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Sleeps up to 6.
Owner's Map of Punta Uva
We are Jeff and Carrie, a young couple that fell in love with the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica while traveling in the summer 2008. We were engaged in the area later that year, and we now live in San Francisco, California, USA with our baby (shown here in her own rainforest :-) and another one on the way. While we can't go down to Punta Uva as much as we would like right now, as the kids grow up we expect to spend lots of wonderful time here. In the meantime, please enjoy the house, the Caribbean, the jungle, and the unique culture of the Puerto Viejo area as much as we do!
Property Photos
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- Newly remodeled, two-story, two-bedroom, two-bath house w/ private beach access. - Beachfront Punta Uva House with Screened In Wrap-Around Deck - near Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
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- Lush tropical gardens and stone paths surround the house. Ocean beyond trees. - Beachfront Punta Uva House with Screened In Wrap-Around Deck - near Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
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- View of Punta Uva from the beach in front of Casa de la Musa. - Beachfront Punta Uva House with Screened In Wrap-Around Deck - near Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
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- View from the kitchen towards the eating area. Beach is to the right.
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- Kitchen with new refrigerator, stove, tiles, and appliances.
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- View out the kitchen window towards Punta Uva beach.
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- Bedrooms with tall ceilings and newly-restored original hard wood floors.
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- Bedrooms have quiet air conditioning, iPod players and safes for valuables.
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- Bedrooms look over porch towards ocean. Plenty of storage space and good light.
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- Upstairs bathroom: 2 sinks, shower/tub, & hot water (not typical in the area).
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- Shower / bathtub with hot water in upstairs bathroom.
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- Screened-in upstairs porch (ocean to right). Relax & listen to waves and jungle.
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- Upstairs porch and hallways outside of bedrooms. Ocean is to the right.
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- Private path from the house to Punta Uva beach.
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- View of Punta Uva beach from the house's private path.
Traveler Reviews (3)
Wonderful
Guest: Babs
(Oakland, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/20/11
Review Submitted: 09/04/11
This year I celebrated my 30th birthday - a big one, so expectations were high. We stayed here at Casa de la Musa and it was absolutely perfect. The house was breathtaking, as was the surrounding area. Plus, we met the friendliest people (locals, transplants, and fellow travelers) and we even attended two birthday parties (in addition my own)! We felt really lucky to have discovered this place and enjoyed every moment of our beautiful, off-the-beaten-path Costa Rican adventure. To paint a better picture, our days at Casa de la Musa went something like this: - Breakfast in the downstairs patio area, relax and take in the jungle surroundings - Stroll 20 feet down the path to enjoy a morning on the beaches (there are many within walking distance) - Hop on bikes and explore one of the nearby villages or national parks all afternoon - Return to the house for happy hour and reading in hammocks on the upstairs deck - Head out for dinner and spirits (there are many great restaurants in either direction) OR stay in for a quiet evening The house is in a wonderful location – it’s really up to you to decide how much socializing/seclusion or adventure/relaxation you prefer. We hope to be back soon!
Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.
Relaxing Vacation Where The Jungle Meets The Ocean
Guest: Eliz
(Boston, MA USA)
Date of Stay: 01/22/11
Review Submitted: 08/25/11
If you are looking to get away from it all, this property is fantastic, and definitely a bargain for the location and amenities. The house is in a remote area on Punta Uva just feet from a beach that is essentially your own. Yet you are in the jungle amidst howling monkeys, colorful birds and enormous trees that shade the home, keeping it naturally cool. The house is partially outdoors and partially indoors, which is a perfect balance. My husband and I enjoyed eating our meals outside and swinging on the hammock while listening to the monkeys, reading a book or checking email (yes, this house has wi-fi.) The internet was helpful to Skype and book taxis to get into town, although it wasn't a very far bike ride and we rented bikes just up the street. If you want to explore a different beach, there are two National Parks, Cahuita and Manzanillo, which are both worth the trip. One of them is just about 20 minutes down the road by bike. After a hike and a swim, head the other direction for a sweet chocolate massage at Pure Spa - well worth it for the chocolate lover! There are restaurants near both parks, in Puerto Viejo and some are within walking distance from the house. There was surfing, but we didn't try it. Like most of Costa Rica there was probably a zip line tour and snorkeling in the area for adventure seekers, but we opted to relax instead. At the house, everything appears to be newly renovated, with a stunning bathroom, AC, and sizeable bedrooms for a Costa Rican home. The bedrooms are basic, but the beds are really comfortable. I thought the photos honestly portrayed this property and the owner was great to work with. He answered all of our questions in advance, gave us some fantastic suggestions for restaurants, spas, hikes, beaches and tours. He also set us up with a local who picked us up from the bus station to bring us to the house and check up on us throughout our week stay. Unfortunately we had some rain on our trip, but we had no problem relaxing at this home. It is remote and not in the heart of the downtown, so make sure this style of travel is for you! Stock up at the supermarket in Puerto Viejo when your bus arrives. (We took the public bus from San Jose, which was fine. There are micro buses too that will take you right to the house.) Unlike other areas of Costa Rica, Punta Uva is not touristy. A lot of the restaurants are owned by ex-Pats, but you won't be with a heard of tourists. We would definitely go back and stay at this home!
Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children.
Costa Rican Paradise
Guest: Mattie
(California)
Date of Stay: 01/21/11
Review Submitted: 08/22/11
Thanks for sharing your wonderful home with us! My girlfriend and I had an amazing time at your little slice of paradise. Everything was so nice - we especially loved the kitchen and open eating area down stairs, and also the big screened-in porch up stairs. Both areas would have been perfect for a small party... the entire house had a very warm and relaxing feel. I also loved the ever changing beaches that were just outside the door down that beautiful (short) jungle path. Great tide pools, calm sandy stretches, and some nice little surf spots (Cocles, just a ten minute bike ride). We will definitely be back.
Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #264538
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