Vacation Rentals by Owner

Absolutely Perfect!

Guest: Brittneykh (Lake Oswego, OR)
Date of Stay: 08/02/11 Review Submitted: 08/22/11

We are three weeks into our 4 week stay here at this house and are loving it! We are so happy that we chose this particular house to rent - it has everything we could want. Super close to the beautiful beach (just a quick walk down the road about 50 meters and you can see the waves from the bedrooms), walking distance to many stores and fabulous restaurants (we didn't rent a car and have enjoyed walking around town very much), and so comfortable! The house is beautifully and simply furnished. Juan Carlo, the groundskeeper is awesome. Paula, the caretaker is very helpful, and a cleaning lady comes every other day or so! There is yoga just a few feet down the beach at Hotel Tropico Latino - Maria is a great instructor and also does wonderful massages! The people who live here are very friendly and it is an amazing town! So sad to leave in a week and can't wait to come back! Melanie has been great to work with. Thanks!

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

Not Safe

Guest: Alexa (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/15/11 Review Submitted: 08/23/11

We came to Casa Buena Vida with high hopes... but less than 36 hours after our arrival we got robbed. While we were out for dinner someone broke the lock to a sliding glass window and entered the house. Upon our arrival we discovered that the safe, which we were advised to entrust with all of our expensive belongings and cash had been broken into and everything was gone! The plastic knob was no deterrent for the criminals as is expected of a "safe".. We were not only robbed on the second night of our stay here, but were also terrorized on the last night when two men came up and tried to break into the front gate at 3am, possibly trying to sell us back some of our stolen items. Unfortunately, no one had told us that Costa Rica, and specifically Santa Teresa, is so unsafe. After the robbery we spoke with locals who shared with us that these kinds of crimes were commonplace and that we should be grateful that we were not violently accosted. In retrospect, we should have checked the US State Department's website where there is a travel warning for Americans traveling to Costa Rica. Provided that everyone is aware of such danger, we were surprised that the owners were negligent in taking safety precautions against said crime.. Specifically there is no ground security stationed at night. While all of the surrounding hotels and similar properties have security guards armed with guns and machetes, Casa Buena Vida provides no such protection for its residents. The owners will have you believe that the alarm is enough to keep you safe – it is not. The alarm is obsolete and though it calls an alarm company, no one comes to check on the house if the alarm is triggered. In addition, the locks on all of the doors and windows are low grade and do not protect against the high crime rate in the area. The imposingly massive gate will add to your false sense of security while the fencing surrounding the property is made of nothing but thin wire and provides no protection, as you would expect. The fact that there is no police station in town is in itself enough to leave any guest of this property feeling unsafe and discontent. Obviously there is a good reason that similar properties in the area employ ground security. Keep this in mind as you research vacation rentals in Santa Teresa. Renting a property without ground security like Casa Buena Vida will make you an easy target.

Owner response:We are always more than happy to answer specific questions from future guests stemming from a review like this. There is much more to this story than these guests have shared here, including many half truths and gross exaggerations about the area of Santa Teresa and the property itself.  Please feel free to contact us directly and read the many other unsolicited reviews on our website and others in the area.  We take the safety of our property and that of our guests very seriously and we have always informed all guests, as part of our rental packet, of the petty crime in the area and Costa Rica in general.  We have never had a situation such as this one occur with guests who take the time to follow our safety recommendations, including the usage of the fully reliable and up to date Adt alarm system - which these guests chose not to arm when leaving the property at night.  We do not believe in guns or other weapons on our property and choose to take other security measures that work when followed.  We hope that any travelers reading this would take this review with a grain of salt and not ruin a potentially wonderful vacation to the area.  We've been coming here for many years and the most that has ever gone missing from us is a pair of flip flops on the beach...Santa Teresa and Costa Rica, in general, is one of the most lovely places to visit, as thousands of visitors each year, and dozens to our property alone, can attest. Pura Vida.

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We'll be back!

Guest: Warren T. (Georgia)
Date of Stay: 06/20/11 Review Submitted: 09/19/11

My family had a great time staying here. We have two children, ages 6 and 10, and we all had a great time. The area was great for beach play - LOVED the tide pools all along the beach towards the north - and spent a lot of time playing under the palms and other trees down at the end of the beach access road with the other kids in the area. The family friendly town was perfect for our trip. Took them zip lining, horseback riding, and "surfing" on some foam boards we got from Alex's Surf Shop. We also spent a lot of time at the house and in the pool, which was great. Pool/grounds guy kept the pool very clean, AC worked great to keep us cool, and all of the fans on the porch were awesome to sit outside too. Definitely recommend and we hope to be back.

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

Great Place, so-so Town

Guest: Jen W. (Chicago, IL)
Date of Stay: 04/01/11 Review Submitted: 09/15/11

We had an overall great time. The house was great - beds are WAY better than the other places we stayed around Costa Rica on this trip, and the owners and people who work at the property were really helpful. The town is a little small and limited to surfing, swimming and just chilling out. That's fine if that is the kind of trip you are looking for, but we were hoping for a little more to see and do. We did the canopy/zipline tour, which was GREAT, and horseback rode on the beach one day at sunset, but other than that, definitely more of a place for surfers or people looking to hang out at the beach or the house. You can tell that the house was built with a big pool to make people comfortable enough not to want to leave. I would recommend.

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

Great location and home

Guest: Artsage (Manhattan Beach, CA)
Date of Stay: 03/18/11 Review Submitted: 03/26/11

We just arrived home from a week long stay at this beautiful and private property located beachside. The contemporary house is very spacious, beach friendly, comfortable, etc. Plenty of fans inside and outside the house to keep the air flowing and AC in the bedrooms absolutely kept us content during a very hot week in Santa Teresa/Playa Carmen. The private pool was wonderful to take dips in throughout the day and particularly after a surf session; and fun to chill on the hammocks with umbrellas. Great surfing is a 2 min walk from the house and up and down the beach, pick your spot! Location to restaurants & shops was spot on. Housekeeping did a great job. Full kitchen was nice to be able to utilize. Vin, the groundskeeper, is wonderful (he comes each day in the afternoon to keep the grounds clean). Property manager/concierge is also available to help during your stay. The owner was responsive from my initial inquiries and throughout the trip planning, patiently and positively answering any questions I had. You can trust them 100% as what they state they completely deliver on. A few of our recs: Best Smoothie: Zula's (and delish falafel and hummus!), Best Pizza: El Pulpo, Best coffee/pastries/cafe: The Bakery, BBQ: Las Piedras, Surf Shop: Alex's or Kina. Best Mojito: Marys in Malpais. Gorgeous sunsets are waiting you :) We would absolutely stay here again and thank the owners for building this beautiful home to share.

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

Great Weather, Great Decision on Place to Stay

Guest: Chris (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/12/11 Review Submitted: 09/15/11

We stayed at this property while in town for a friends wedding, and we were so happy to have chosen it among the others that were recommended. It is so hard to judge off of a website, but the owners went out of their way to answer all of our questions, send additional photographs and explain exactly where to place was located. We wound up barely using our rental car except to explore up and down the coast on day surf trips, and our wives loved just lounging by the pool, taking yoga classes next door and of course the in home masseuse that the owners arranged for us. The property manager was lovely, and the house was beautifully decorated with flowers upon our arrival, very clean, and much more than we imagined for a 'beach rental' in Costa Rica. We followed all of the owners recs on restaurants, etc, and they didn't steer us wrong. The town was amazing, full of awesome expats living the dream. We will definitely be back and recommend to friends looking for a place to get away.

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

This place is Awesome.

Guest: Ellen (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/14/10 Review Submitted: 09/20/10

If you're looking to splurge on a great place, you cannot do better than Casa Buenavida. The house is beautiful. Spacious and open with great furnishings. If you want surf, a great break is only steps away. Or if you just want to cool off the pool is awesome. My favorite part is the beds though. The owners have obviously gone the extra mile here. Great quality king sized mattresses you don't often find in these parts, as well as fine bedding and high thread count sheets. It's truly the only place I've ever stayed in Costa Rica where I can sleep in a comfortable bed, in an air conditioned room, and thanks to the screens on every window, not worry all night I'm being eaten by mosquitos. Thank you, Thank you Thank you.

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

An amazing house and experience!

Guest: Sundantz (Los Angeles, CA USA)
Date of Stay: 09/08/10 Review Submitted: 09/22/10

Returning to Costa Rica for the second summer in a row, we had extremely high expectations and this place surpassed them all. We had not been this far south on the Nicoya peninsula but had heard really good things about Santa Teresa so we decided to check it out. We found Casa Buena Vida on VRBO and loved the pictures and location so decided to go with it. We were extremely pleased to find that the property was even more beautiful in person than in the pictures. The house, cabina, and pool were all immaculate, clean, and well maintained. The landscaping was completely gorgeous and really helped the property feel private and secluded. The property is also well lit with a privacy style fence which added a level of comfort and safety. Inside, we found that everything was found as listed, complete with all of the amenities we had been promised In particular, the wireless internet access was a comfort as we could check emails and keep up with the world without having to use our phones. The kitchen was gorgeous and modern and made for an easy way to prepare meals. The living room was large and could easily accommodate fun gatherings with friends. We loved that the beach was so close which made it easy to surf in the morning and return for sunsets in the evenings! The pool made for an ideal place to escape the humidity or relax with a book when we wanted to get away from the salt water and sand of the beach. Santa Teresa is a cozy little surfing village with a surprising amount of great restaurants to enjoy (the owners even provided a list of great places that were all spectacular - so ask) . We did a couple of day excursions down to Mal Pais and up the coast to check out the surrounding areas, but mainly we just enjoyed the peacefulness of Santa Teresa, the beach, and Casa Buena Vida. We would highly recommend this place to anyone considering the area. We will definitely be returning to Casa Buena Vida in the coming summers!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

AMAZING!

Guest: Andrea (Asheville, NC)
Date of Stay: 04/10/10 Review Submitted: 05/27/11

One of the most beautiful, modern and comfortable homes away from home you could ever find! The pictures of this property don't do it justice. If you've ever wanted to visit Costa Rica, this is the place to stay! We spent a glorious week here with our 4 1/2 year old daughter last year and couldn't have been more pleased. Gorgeous pool, short walk to a beautiful beach and amazing food in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais. Amazing smoothies at Zula's, incredible sushi bar in town and do not miss Brisas del Mar Restaurant - superb food accompanied by even more superb views. Oh - and make sure you have room in your suitcase for rocks...yes, rocks. Came home with the most beautiful shell and rock collection you could imagine. Our daughter still talks about our trip to CR with high hopes of returning some day soon :-) Her mom and dad feel the same way.

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

Unbelievable Place!

Guest: Kwjuno (Houston, TX)
Date of Stay: 03/23/10 Review Submitted: 05/07/10

This house is one of the nicest in Santa Teresa. It's conveniently located in the center of everything, and you can easily walk to both the beach and bars/restaurants from here. Brand new place with a great design and layout. The casita is nice for people who need to be separate from the main house. I would highly recommend this place to anyone and would gladly stay here again!

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

Guest: Kevin J.
Date of Stay: 03/23/10 Review Submitted: 04/27/10

Melanie- The house was awesome! What a great experience! The weather was very hot, but walking around half naked counteracted the heat. :) Again, I had a great time, and thank you so much for letting me rent your place. I look forward to returning! -Kevin

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Great Location, Clean and Friendly Owner

Guest: habs00 (Atlanta, GA)
Date of Stay: 03/08/10 Review Submitted: 04/21/10

Very pleased with this rental home! We rented the house and cabina for a week as I was there with family. We couldn't have picked a better rental. The property was large, private, clean and modern. The pool was fantastic...we couldn't have had more relaxing evenings than we enjoyed sitting in the pool on the warm Costa Rica nights. From the house you can actually see the surf through the trees. You can walk to all the restaurants, stores, etc. in the Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area from this property. The owner provided a great deal of information on the area prior to our visit and also had a property manager in town in case we had any questions about the area. They put our mind at ease as it was the first time we visited Costa Rica and their recommendations were spot on. Can't say enough about this rental. I would stay here again without hesitation. If you are looking for a comfortable, clean, relaxing house to rent look no further than Casa Buena Vida. You won't regret it.

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

Guest: Wendy W.
Date of Stay: 01/01/10 Review Submitted: 04/27/10

Hi Melanie - Hope you are doing well. Thought I would drop you a note. Your house is beautiful and was outstanding! My friends own the Pura Vida Surf School located on the grounds of Tropico Latino. I didn't even know they had moved!! Several of the instructors have family that visit them in Costa Rica and I told them about VRBO and how to find your house. I may be going back to CR by myself in March for approximately 2 weeks and was wondering if you wanted to rent out the Cabina. Thank you again. Your place made the vacation!

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