Reviews for Dominical Vacation Rental - VRBO 364934ha - 3 BR Puntarenas Villa in Costa Rica, Casa Manana

Costa Rican Paradise

Guest Robin C.
Date of stay 02/19/13
Review Submitted 03/11/13

Casa Manana was an amazing house and ideal for three couples. We loved everything about this house. The decor in the house was beautiful and so welcoming. Our very first day there Joyce (the homeowner) greeted us with warm banana nut bread. The mornings were wonderful, we would sit around the pool with a cup of costa rican coffee and watch the jungle come alive. We saw macaws, toucans, monkeys, green parrots and sloths. Laying poolside was a favorite of ours and the pool was perfect. We would definitely come back and stay at Casa Manana. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have met Joyce and to stay in her lovely rental home. She takes great pride in Casa Manana and truly appreciates her guests. Thanks for a great experience.

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Tropical Outdoor Living at Its Best

Guest Andrea T.
Date of stay 02/04/13
Review Submitted 02/10/13

We were delighted with our stay at Casa Manana for five nights and enjoyed the open air living of this lovely Balinese decorated house. The flower arrangements were spectacular and we swam in the warm water pool several times a day. (There is great privacy if you want to skinny dip.) The property is fenced, has a locked gate, and an on-site caretaker with two dogs, so we always felt very secure in the evenings. And to top it off, there's good internet speed. The property is just a short drive to local beaches in either direction. A diversely stocked grocery store is only five minutes away in Uvita if you plan on cooking in the well equipped kitchen. Joyce is a wonderful hostess and even provides breakfast fixings for your first morning, as well as her fabulous banana bread. She's an excellent source for information on all local activities. Go and enjoy her unique rental.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

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Amazing!!

Guest Alessio B.
Date of stay 01/02/13
Review Submitted 02/05/13

I agree with previous comments, great place! Thanks to Joyce.

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Vacations 2012. Wonderful!

Guest Silvia N.
Date of stay 12/26/12
Review Submitted 01/08/13

We stayed six days at Casa Manana and enjoyed a lot. We simply loved the house: its location in the middle of a jungle-beach place, its architectural design with a wide space for recreation, its beautiful decoration, and completeness of its furniture and equipment...All these factors made it possible to have a pleasant stay. The location of the house can’t be better. Surrounded by trees and nature, is situated in a very private area, but at just a few minutes from the beaches and grocery stores. This makes your stay more enjoyable as you have all the facilities and amenities that you can possibly need, but in a very peaceful and quiet place. Finally, but actually one of the best things we found here is the wonderful care of Joyce. She was an excellent hostess. She waited until we got to the house and received us with the delicious banana bread she made. The remaining days of our stay, she was always there to help with anything we needed. In summary, our days at Casa Manana were wonderful. Therefore, if you are planning to spend your holidays in a quiet place where you can enjoy the best of nature that Costa Rica has to offer, we recommend Casa Manana. You can be sure that you will love it!

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Great place!

Guest Avid traveller
Date of stay 12/21/12
Review Submitted 12/31/12

This property is very well maintained and close to Uvita, beaches, whale tail beach and grocery stores. It is within driving distance to Manuel Antonio and Sierpe (starting point for some of the Corcovado tours) We loved our stay there and Joyce is a very accommodating host and worked with us since we had a last minute issue with our travel plans. The house has a open plan for living spaces opening to a pool and patio area and has a fully equipped kitchen, each of the three bedroom has its own spacious attached bath. Joyce was always there to help us when we needed something - make tour reservations, loaning us things we needed if they weren't available like a cooler, rice cooker etc. She is a great hostess and made our stay very enjoyable!

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

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Gorgeous RELAXING place of natural solitude!!!

Guest Linda R.
Date of stay 10/08/12
Review Submitted 11/20/12

This place was awesome for our "girl's getaway"!! Joyce was there to meet us and we rambled up the driveway in our rental car. You will want a rental car as it is out of town but close to grocery stores & bank. Being there in green-season we knew we'd have rain so we brought lots of books & games along. It was so relaxing to sit there and watch the rain -- usually only part of the day -- it was not a cool damp rain like in Canada -- we never once needed a sweater or long sleeves!! The frogs crooned us to sleep (well not quite but almost) and at 5 a.m. or so the forest came alive with light and sounds - distant howlers. Every day the toucans flew by and one day we counted 13 in a nearby dead tree. We could see them very well with binoculars. We learned to recognize their unique call! Our house was kept clean by the maid that lives adjacent to the house. We always felt safe as were behind a locked gate and car was secure in the garage. The house is also completely within wrought-iron barred fence (ie around the pool, etc) which I wasn't aware of before. You can trust Joyce completely when she advises it is secure -- we gals felt safe. We were REALLY glad though for the caretaker & her 2 sons living very close -- just in case. After all you are in the rainforest and there are weird sounds!! I was hesitant before going about the open concept and whether there would be bugs and snakes, and reptiles crawling around!! Ha! No - it is kept so clean they would feel out of their element there! We kept the bedroom doors closed all the time, to keep out anything you're afraid might enter, and at night there are locks on the bedroom doors too. I think there was rarely even a gecko on the bedroom ceiling! Joyce is a very gracious host just like everyone says. I have NO COMPLAINTS at all and I hope to come back and bring more friends!!

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Amazing Vacation Home

Guest Ellen
Date of stay 07/26/12
Review Submitted 08/03/12

My family spent a wonderful 4 days at Casa Mañana and I am already missing it. This house is such a great value. Joyce has planned for everything you could possibly want. It was a good thing we had already seen so much of the country when we got there because we didn't want to leave. This area of the Pacific coast offers everything that you might want to see or do and Casa Mañana is very conveniently located. I highly recommend this house to anyone coming to the southern Pacific area of Costa Rica. My husband and I are already planning our next trip to Casa Mañana. I miss the dogs, Amber and Daisy.

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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GREAT!!

Guest andrea q.
Date of stay 04/13/12
Review Submitted 04/26/12

From the first contact we had with Joyce, the owner of this beautiful house everything was great! She sounded like a very nice person; but when we got there she confirmed it...She is great, the house was great, the layout, the appliances, the pool, everything! Paradise in Dominical. To top it off we ate a delicious banana bread cake courtesy of Joyce...! House FULLY recommended!! Basically has everything that makes your life easier in a city home, but in a jungle-beach-beautiful surrounding!

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Perfect!!!

Guest catherine P.
Date of stay 03/31/12
Review Submitted 04/27/12

The house is amazing, perfect for the kids, the pool is great and you can watch your kids while your cooking or just relaxing. The house is perfectly maintained and has every amenity you could possibly need.The bathrooms are very big, and there is plenty of room in the closets. The owner is very kind and she makes a delicious banana bread. We really want to come back.

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Amazing!

Guest Patrick P.
Date of stay 03/09/12
Review Submitted 03/26/12

Casa Manana was amazing! The house itself is perfect (the pictures don't do it justice and it is even roomier than it looks on the web site), especially if you are looking for sun and relaxation. We probably spent much more time in the pool, enjoying the rainforest and all of its life, than we should have on a four day trip to Costa Rica. The house is perfectly maintained and has every amenity you could possibly need (our baggage didn’t make it from our connecting flight until a day later, but we were able to get along fine). The small town of Uvita has anything else you might want. Joyce did a great job ensuring we had everything we needed, from food at the house ready for us after our late arrival to tours set up through a local guide or a rental car delivered to us. She was very available before our trip and during our stay at Casa Manana if we needed her. This was one of the most relaxing vacations we have ever taken and we would highly recommend it to anyone looking to get away. There is so much to explore near Uvita, but I wouldn’t mind going back and splitting time between Casa Manana and the beautiful, nearby beach Playa Hermosa. Definitely and highly recommend Casa Manana!

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Fantastic house in great area

Guest Phil M.
Date of stay 02/24/12
Review Submitted 02/29/12

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Casa Mañana. The pool was idyllic and having the kitchen and living area right next to it was wonderful, especially during the day. Joyce was incredibly helpful and responsive and even baked us a delicious banana bread on our son's birthday using bananas from Casa mañana. We really enjoyed the Uvita area and would highly recommend Hacienda Baru and a guided trip to the Corcovado National park via Sierpe (we saw monkeys from the boat on the river). We intend to return to the area in the future and would definitely seek to book this property again.

Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway.

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Casa Mañana - a slice of paradise 2-18-12

Guest alane r.
Date of stay 02/13/12
Review Submitted 02/19/12

We arrived early to Casa Mañana and were glad we did. The location is easy to find and perfect for travelers who aren't comfortable driving high into the rainforest. The casa is a short drive off 34 and up a moderate (for Costa Rica) incline. The pictures are exactly what the casa looks like. Open format which was great to view the humming birds, toucans, yellow parrots, frogs and Jesus lizards. The flora on the property is outstanding and there were beautiful flower arrangements from the grounds in every room. Joyce was a wealth of information regarding the area and a joy to talk to. Casa Mañana was clean and very well maintained. Our party utilized the pool every afternoon/evening after touring the surrounding beaches, waterfalls and sodas. We would definitely recommend Casa Mañana and are working on our return trip.

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It was a Blast

Guest nathalie F.
Date of stay 01/21/12
Review Submitted 03/21/12

Since it was our first time in Costa Rica we did not really know what to expect and were a little bit anxious as to how it would end up, but as soon as we arrived at the Casa Manana all the anxiety and stress from a long journey just fell off and we knew we had made the right choice. The House itself could not thave a better location, spotting different sorts of Monkeys right from your bedroom window cannot be topped, even though the road is a little bit rocky to get up to the property, the destination is definitely worth it and gives you the feeling of an everyday adventure ( we even made a liitle film of it), midst of a wonderful canopy, open living space and swimming pool right to your breakfast table...it was legen...wait for it...dary. As to the hospitality of our host Joyce, nobody could expect more, never had we anyone who was so concerned about our well-being, checking in regularly if everything was okay, always eager to make us feel comfortable....like having a caretaker in Heaven, fabulous. Located in the village of Cahuita, this property brings you the "Pura Vida" feeling right to the doorstep.... We (our little traveling party) could not agree more on the fact that choosing the Casa Manana from Joyce for our stay in Costa Rica was the best we could do and sincerely it was never that hard to end a vacation....would we go back to Costa Rica? YES, but definitely to Casa Manana again. in a few words: It was a BLAST Thanks again for the wonderful experience .... we still miss it. Danny & Nathalie

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Great place to relax

Guest Carla M.
Date of stay 01/13/12
Review Submitted 01/21/12

We like to go to a different beach every summer, and this place and this house was the best. The house is beautifully decorated, very clean and well equipped. It is a great place to relax. You can even see toucans from the pool. There are several beautiful beaches close to the property. Joyce, the owner was incredible. It really exceeded our expectations, so I would highly recomend this house to anyone who loves nature and comfort. Carla (Costa Rica)

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Casa Manana: Life withOUT walls and barriers

Guest Julie R.
Date of stay 07/15/11
Review Submitted 11/20/11

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to stay at Casa Manana for several weeks. Costa Rica's Southern Pacific Zone is rich with unbelievable flora, fauna and wildlife and this house's unique design marries the amazing outdoors with all the comforts of indoor living, just without the walls. Between watching the monkeys in the trees over the breakfast patio in the morning, or listening to the toucans and parrots calling from the trees over the pool in the afternoon, or discovering all the rare and exotic flowers in the breathtaking flower gardens surrounding the house, it was hard to find a reason to ever go out. But when we needed to go out, grocery stores, restaurants, beaches and every other amenity we needed were all literally within a couple minutes drive, making it extremely comfortable. And no 4 wheel drive was needed... We gladly recommend Casa Manana to all!

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Casa Mañana a modern hideaway where the natural beauty outside decorates the inside.

Guest Family of 3 plus Lou
Date of stay 05/06/11
Review Submitted 05/27/11

Casa Manana exceeded our expectations! It is breathtaking and really an artful creation where the natural beauty of the outdoors and the tastefully decorated interior become one. We loved the openess of the main living area and were surprised that there were very little insects. From the beginning of our selection of Casa Mañana, Joyce was very helpful, knowledgeable and gracious in answering questions, providing information on tours, shopping and restaurants etc... She even went out and purchased groceries for the first dinner and breakfast. Another pleasant addition to our stay, was befriending Coco, the caretaker of The Casa,. His ceviche, is spectacular and missed now that we are back home. As far as activities we had the privilege of using Bahia Adventures for our excursion to Corcovada which was well worth the boat ride on the ocean from Uvita to there, and the jungle hike and lunch provided by our guides Pineapple, Raymar and Ronald. Another great place is Hacienda Baru, where you spend the night in the jungle with meals provided. Dominical is great for souvenir shopping, has lots of nightlife, restaurants and great for surfing. Ojochal is unusual and wonderful in that it offers a variety of international restaurants tucked away into the jungle landscape. Two good restaurants there are Exotica and Citrus. Overall the photos and descriptions of the listings while accurate really cannot convey the beauty of Casa Manana, you really need to experience it in person!

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

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Pura Vida above Marina Ballena!

Guest tcblue
Date of stay 03/29/11
Review Submitted 04/05/11

A wonderful home in a great settting. All the modern conveniences one could hope for, extremely comfortable beds, great pool, easy access to beaches, rain forest and local communities. Joyce, CoCo and his family will take great care of you and answer any questions you may have. Easy to deal with and extremely helpful. We highly recommend this property for families or a couple or couples who are looking for a relaxing getaway in the midst of a spectacular, friendly, unspoiled paradise. Visit Uvita and Casa Manana NOW before everyone finds out about this great part of Costa Rica!

Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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Spoil Yourself

Guest Beth and Fred
Date of stay 01/04/11
Review Submitted 01/22/11

Casa Manana is a fully equiped, private, modern home in a jungle setting. I have never seen a rental home with more attention paid to comfort. You will share your holiday with view of jungle trees full of birds, butterflies, whitefaced and howler monkeys and if your lucky the neighbourhood sloth will drop by. Joyce and Chan[owners] are available from booking date on if you need advice on car rentals and tours, directions, currency exchange, and where the best chicken breast can be bought. They have an onsite property manager, Coco and family. They and their dogs are there for your securtiy. Coco made sure we always had fresh bouquets of tropical flowers adorning each bathroom, kitchen and living area. The private pool was lovely. We thank all of them for our wonderful vacation time spent in Uvita [Jan 2011]

Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

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Great house, good location

Guest JT
Date of stay 11/13/10
Review Submitted 11/24/10

We stayed at Casa Manana in mid November and it exceeded our expectations. Joyce, the owner, was very helpful and friendly as were the caretaker and his family. The house is very private but not far from the main road with access to beaches, shops and restaurants. The whole set up (the merging of the inside and outside spaces) is really well done and being able to see monkeys and toucans from the house a real bonus.

Recommended for: Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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Great place!!!

Guest David656
Date of stay 07/08/10
Review Submitted 07/17/10

Not only it´s a beutiful but also they take good care of you, rooms are really comfortable and really you got everything you need to have an amazing time, really recomend anyone who love the beach but also likes to have a nearly luxury place to sleep to try this house, its an experiencie worth having

Recommended for: Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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Amazing

Guest alemg99
Date of stay 07/08/10
Review Submitted 07/17/10

I stayed in Casa Manana for a week with friends and it was absolutely perfect, the house, the hostess, the location. The place was so fully equiped that it made me feel right at home. Also, it´s very close to the beach. It surpassed my expectaions, and my friends and I definitely plan to come back! Thank you very much!

Recommended for: Families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

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Better than the pictures look

Guest PA
Date of stay 06/19/10
Review Submitted 07/19/10

The ambiance of this home is not accurately conveyed in the pictures. It is so tranquilo that we hardly ever left! No traffic noise, no neighbor noise - only the sounds of wildlife. The decor is definitely upscale, but casual, and the jungle views are just what the doctor ordered. Stores with everything we needed were about 5 minutes away, as were several good restaurants. The American owners live about a mile away, and were available by phone and in person (not needed) to answer questions. We had lots of fun in the pool, enjoyed the regular visits by the howler monkeys, and hope to return in the future.

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

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school vacation

Guest maggie(*#)
Date of stay 03/22/10
Review Submitted 03/28/10

We have just returned from a stay at Casa Manana with our 2 adult daughters and two teenage grandchildren on their school vacation. Living in Costa Rica six months of the year we spend a lot of time in rentals around the country, and we found this one to be the best we have in 5 years.The place is big enough to allow everyone all the privacy they need, but is laid out so everyone can gather together. The layout, plus the fantastic furnishings gives you the feeling that you are in the most expensive resort in the country and it is all yours. Joyce, the owner, is more than just a hostess, she is a tour guide, food guide, and and life coach. A once in a lifetime experience!

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

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Costa Rica Jewel

Guest Ken & Vicki
Date of stay 02/08/10
Review Submitted 04/04/10

Wow, we spent a week here in February 2010 and our stay was wonderful. This property is first class. The owner places fresh tropical flowers in each bedroom/bathroom and living areas. You will also find some surprises in the refrigerator. There is an on-site caretaker who is extremely helpful. The property is fenced and gated with a two car garage. The pool is an integral part of the living space. We found it very well equipped. You are vertually in the rain forrest with the toucans and monkeys. The owner takes great pride in this home and you will find original art pieces displayed. It is as good as it gets!!!

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

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Guest sandrine
Date of stay 12/22/09
Review Submitted 12/22/09

What a wonderful place, we stayed 4 nights in this house with our kids and everyone had a wonderful time, very well equipped nothing is missing, Joyce has thought of everything, I am used to rent houses in Costa Rica and this one is a 10 when it comes to he way it is done and thought, it is like a home away from home. Joyce is a very nice person she is very helpful and wants her guest to have the best moment. The man who lives there and who takes care of the house is very nice and helpful as well. Beautiful setting in the "rainforest" with tucans coming on the trees in front of the house.I highly recommend this little piece of paradise.

Owner response: Thank you for your wonderful comments Sandrine. You are such a lovely family it was a pleasure. Joyce

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Vacation Rentals by Owner

Casa Manana - a Rainforest Hideaway Above Ballena Bay [#274027] | View Property

Traveler Reviews (25)

Costa Rican Paradise

Costa Rican Paradise

Tropical Outdoor Living at Its Best

Tropical Outdoor Living at Its Best

Amazing!!

Amazing!!

Vacations 2012. Wonderful!

Vacations 2012. Wonderful!

Great place!

Great place!

Gorgeous RELAXING place of natural solitude!!!

Gorgeous RELAXING place of natural solitude!!!

Amazing Vacation Home

Amazing Vacation Home

GREAT!!

GREAT!!

Perfect!!!

Perfect!!!

Amazing!

Amazing!

Fantastic house in great area

Fantastic house in great area

Casa Mañana - a slice of paradise 2-18-12

Casa Mañana - a slice of paradise 2-18-12

It was a Blast

It was a Blast

Great place to relax

Great place to relax

Casa Manana: Life withOUT walls and barriers

Casa Manana: Life withOUT walls and barriers

Casa Mañana a modern hideaway where the natural beauty outside decorates the inside.

Casa Mañana a modern hideaway where the natural beauty outside decorates the inside.

Pura Vida above Marina Ballena!

Pura Vida above Marina Ballena!

Spoil Yourself

Spoil Yourself

Great house, good location

Great house, good location

Great place!!!

Great place!!!

Amazing

Amazing

Better than the pictures look

Better than the pictures look

school vacation

school vacation

Costa Rica Jewel

Costa Rica Jewel