Vacation Rentals by Owner

Elegant - Spacious Home on Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano [#331162] | View Property

La Fortuna
House, 3 Bedrooms + Other (See Description), 2.5 Baths (Sleeps 6)
from $125.00
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Traveler Reviews (19)

• Living with a volcano view

  Living with a volcano view

  • Guest Steve O.
  • Date of stay 02/05/13
  • Review Submitted 03/07/13
  Arsenal is no longer active but looks like a text book volcano and Walter's House looks directly out at it. The property is well equipped and very comfortable. It's location at the top of the hill above the Butterfly Sanctuary is up a very bumpy and steep road. However it does contribute to great views. To find it go past the Butterfly Sanctuary and it is the second house past the Essence Arenal (backpackers hostel) on the right hand side and on the corner of the road. There is no sign or name and Nancy also calls it the Hideaway which locals do not know. The house is spacious and well equipped. It does have great views in all directions. Nancy telephoned regularly to make sure all was in order and there is a local lady who is available to assist if there are any problems. There are numerous restaurants and shops in La Fortuna but it is about 30 minutes away along very rutted road. There is a small supermarket at the bottom of the hill hill for basics and an excellent German bakery 50 metres from the house - be aware that their bread is very good but very heavy and filling! A visit to John's Pizza house a little further along the lake road is very worth while. For day to day meals the Soda at the bottom of the hill opposite the school is great and friendly. There are great forest walks and zip wire trails nearby provided you are prepared to bump along the roads to get there. Riding is also good and it is possible to ride across to Monteverde. If you are not driving around the lake to Monteverde consider just a trip up to Nuevo Arenal past the Germanic/Swiss chalets. The road is sealed and good although typically winding.

  Owner response: Thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely and informative review. You were wonderful guests and I am so glad that you enjoyed your stay. I would like to mention, just so others know, I don't refer to this property as the Hideaway. Several years ago I had a property named the Hideaway, but it has since been sold and the property you stayed in does not have a name. Nancy

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• Wonderful!!

  Wonderful!!

  • Guest KL
  • Date of stay 07/12/12
  • Review Submitted 07/24/12
  Me, my wife, and two teenage kids stayed here four nights and were delighted. The house had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable and pleasant. Nancy could not have been more helpful. She did all of our planning and tour booking for us and all of her recommendations were superb. El Castillo is a quaint little Tico village that is very scenic and peaceful, and yet also close to many restaurants and all of the fabulous tours available in the area. The view of Arenal volcano from the house is spectacular. If we ever go back (and I hope we do!) we will definitely stay at this lovely home again.

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

  Owner response: Thank you so much for taking the time to write this beautiful review! You were marvelous guests and we enjoyed meeting you and sharing a piece of our paradise with you. I am thrilled that you had such a wonderful time and hope you will come back again someday! Nancy

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• Beautiful home

  Beautiful home

  • Guest Brenda H.
  • Date of stay 07/03/12
  • Review Submitted 07/10/12
  We stayed with our children and teen-age grandchildren for 3 days in this wonderful home. It was fantastic with everything we needed as we wanted to prepare our own meals as much as possible to save money. The home was actually a bargain for the 6 of us as well as luxurious and comfortable surroundings. We live in Costa Rica and wished to share our favorite places with our kids and this is definitely the way to go....we zipped at Sky Trek which I consider to be the safest canopy tour and our family was completely blown away by it. Their breaking system is the best - no displaced shoulders there. The kids all went hiking up Cerro Chatto a smaller volcano behind Arenal and we didn't even have time or energy to do much more - although Ecotermales hot springs is misty and mysterious at night and we really enjoyed that. Nancy and her husband were most helpful and were excellent hosts.

  Owner response: Thanks, so much for this beautiful review. I am so glad that you and your family liked our special spot here in Costa Rica. We really enjoyed getting to know you and hope that you will return soon. Nancy

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• Just a beautiful area and home

  Just a beautiful area and home

  • Guest Dan
  • Date of stay 06/18/12
  • Review Submitted 07/02/12
  Never had the chance to meet Nancy, but dealt with Dan her husband. The house is as described and very nice. We had zero problems and all the equipment worked well. House was clean and well stocked with the essentials. One word to the wise, you can get to the home by car, but it is a long way up.up..up on a road that is far from anything your prepared for. So that said, if you can swing a 4x4 in your travel budget, you will be glad you did. El Castillo is about 7 miles from any paved road, and the road condition can vary from a dusty stoney road to a bouncy pothole mess. This place is for those who like to be off the beaten path and have some adventure left in your soul. The views are unsurpassed and from the heights you can see the lake and volcano in one great shot. On hindsight, I would gladly do it all again and stay in "Walters" house. Always check Tripadvisor for great reviews on all the local resturants and activities, written by people like you. Pura Vida!!

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

  Owner response: Thanks, Dan, for the lovely review! We are so glad you enjoyed yourselves while you were here. The road is really bumpy right now, but it is not always like this. We just got through a rainy season, so it is at it's worst! They have a road crew working on it as we speak. It will soon be great again for about 4 or 5 months and then they will do it again. It is part of the charm here and we hope it never gets paved!! It would change everything here...and, after all, being off of the beaten path is why we came here! The nice thing is, with all of the restaurants and activities here, once you get here, you don't really have to leave! I hope you will be able to return, we will look forward to seeing you again!

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• great lodging outside of la fortuna

  great lodging outside of la fortuna

  • Guest Ted
  • Date of stay 05/26/12
  • Review Submitted 06/02/12
  This is a great place to stay with views from each of the three bedrooms. The master bedroom has the e best view but doesn't have an attached bathroom. The attached bathroom bedroom still has good views too. This house is in el castillo which is on a mostly dirt road and therefore takes longer to get to. Its definetly not touristy here but its farther away from la fortuna (30 min or so). Good for getting away from it all. Nancy was also very helpful in setting up tours and answering any questions about the area. Even though she was out of town, she was very accessible by phone. If you don't mind staying outside the tourist zone, this is a lovely place.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Ted, thanks so much for taking the time to write a 5 star review! We are so happy that you enjoyed yourselves here, as we enjoyed having you. If you ever come back to Costa Rica, we hope you will return to our special little village! Pura Vida!

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• Beautiful house, wonderful hosts!

  Beautiful house, wonderful hosts!

  • Guest Sara333w
  • Date of stay 04/16/12
  • Review Submitted 04/24/12
  We just returned from a wonderful trip in Costa Rica. We were fortunate enough to have found this beautiful home. It slept the six of us very comfortably, and the home arrangement was condusive to lounging on the deck or around the TV while using the wifi on our ipads. The home was very clean and well maintained. The best thing about staying here though was getting the chance to work with Nancy and her husband Z, the home owners. She was unbelievably helpful! She helped us set up our activities in La Fortuna as well as our transportation all over Costa Rica. She made our planning soooo much easier, and when we arrived, we had so much less to worry about. We did rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle in La Fortuna. A vehicle is 100% necessary to get to the house and other activities, but we were there when the roads were dry, and we would have been fine without 4 wheel drive. It would have been a more stressful trip without all of her help. She didn't even seem to mind my millions of emails and questions in the planning process. I have nothing but nice things to say about the rental and the owners. For activities, I would definitely recommend hiking to the waterfall near town and spending some time there to swim and lounge. We also LOVED Tabacon hotsprings despite its pricey entrance fee. The canyoneering through PureTrek was alright: it was a bit more like rappelling rather than canyoning, and there is not much time to enjoy the canyon as you're rushing through it in a rather large group of people. We probably would not recommend it to anyone that has been canyoneering before as they will be disappointed.

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

  Owner response: Sara, I really appreciate your beautiful review! I am so glad that you decided to come to El Castillo and stay at our home. It was lovely meeting you and your friends and lots of fun setting up all of your tours! We hope that you will be back someday soon! Take care, Nancy

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• Absolutely Wonderful!!

  Absolutely Wonderful!!

  • Guest Klara V.
  • Date of stay 03/29/12
  • Review Submitted 07/05/12
  This house is absolutely amazing! You don’t expect such perfection in the rainforest of Costa Rica, but perfect it is. The house was clean and fully equipped with everything you could possibly need! New state of the art appliances, granite countertops, new furniture, satellite t.v., dvd player, internet and it was impeccably clean and comfortable…we couldn’t have asked for more! The views of the Lake and Volcano are spectacular and sitting on the decks off of the bedroom was like heaven. You wake to the sounds of the howler monkeys and hundreds of singing birds…paradise. We didn’t think the road was any worse than any other dirt road in Costa Rica. I agree that it adds to the charm and the drive to the village was breathtaking! It was like being in a movie. We even got to see a sloth crossing the road!! The village is quaint, friendly and very safe and the restaurants are plentiful. We didn’t venture out to La Fortuna but once as we wanted to enjoy the local vibe of the village. Nancy and Z were so helpful in booking all of our activities and guiding us to the best restaurants which saved a lot of time and money! Lilander’s horseback tour to the waterfall there is a fantastic experience and I highly recommend it! Thanks Nancy and Z for making our vacation one we will never forget! We will definitely be back again! Thanks Again, Klara

  Owner response: Thanks so much for the beautiful review!! I am so glad that you enjoyed your time here! I knew that you would love it! You were amazing guests and it is good to know that so many people appreciate our special part of the world. It is definately a magical place and for those who have the Pura Vida in their hearts, this place sweeps them away!! I am looking forward to your return! Nan

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• An experience we will never forget!

  Guest comment entered by owner

  An experience we will never forget!

  • Guest Bill
  • Date of stay 03/25/12
  • Review Submitted 07/13/12
  Hi Nancy, We just wanted you to know that we thought you were perfectly wonderful! Mom and I loved it in CR and she truly thrived. I guess we have learned here to take each day as a gift and pray for the next one. Regardless, the CR trip was certainly cathartic and we were blessed with a lifetime of memories--you were integral in that. Please tell Lilander how highly we think of him as well. He is a gentle man and showed such pride in his family, work and respect for the land. Keep me informed of when you come back to the States to visit family. I will drag you out! Bill

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• Nice retreat in tiny town

  Nice retreat in tiny town

  • Guest Holly M.
  • Date of stay 01/15/12
  • Review Submitted 04/25/12
  My husband and I along with two grown children enjoyed our three-night stay here. The architecture made great use of space, and the basic kitchen equipment was good for cooking most of our meals. The volcano wasn’t much of an attraction through the clouds when we were there, but the area is lovely for those seeking a spot away from crowds. Nancy gave us a great approach to the weather - don’t plan around the rain, as it won’t keep you from enjoying all of the fun activities. We loved the rafting trip she helped arrange, and the nearby zip line tours. The two speed-bump community of El Castillo is very friendly, from shop owners to local workers riding their horses past the little school house. A tip to finding the home is to search for the Butterfly Conservatory on your GPS, then locating Essence Arenal a bit further up the road from there. The house is just two doors past Essence on the right. Plan to arrive before dark (late afternoon in January), even if your first night in Costa Rica is spent at a hotel by the airport.

  Recommended for: Pet owners

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• Nice house, bad location

  Nice house, bad location

  • Guest lmunoz
  • Date of stay 01/02/12
  • Review Submitted 01/17/12
  This house is very nice, there is no doubt about that; however, the location is terrible. The home is a definite standout in the small community that surrounds it. The house was nicely decorated, the beds were comfortable, there was a good view of the lake, (when we could see it) and a definite benefit was the washer and dryer, especially since it rained the whole time we were at the home. We enjoyed playing board games and cards, watching DVDs (satelitte was not yet working), and cooking in the nice kitchen. There is a supermarket located a little down the hill, but they are quite limited. The closest town is La Fortuna, which is beautiful, but it is 30 minutes away. While in town we found an amazing restaurant--Don Rufino's. We wanted to eat there our last night but decided against it because we didn't want to drive down the 15 minute bumpy road and then the uphill hike to the house itself. We did eat at Rancho Margot one night, but it was way overpriced. We really enjoyed our time at The Springs, which Nancy set up for us. It was definitely worth the money. All in all, we did enjoy our time, but we would chose a location closer to the main road if we were to visit again. All of the hotels with springs and La Fortuna with supermarkets and a bank are on the main road. 30 minutes is just too far to go for those things.

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

  Owner response: Debbie, thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. These reviews help us so much and let the people know just what they are getting. I am glad that you enjoyed the house, but the fact that it rained terribly every day that you were here didn't help the road at all! This place is not for everyone, but is a true Costa Rican experience...tucked away from the busy tourist area of La Fortuna! You came in January which is just after the rainiest month of the year, December! They always wait until the rain stops to fix the road and usually it is done well about 3 times a year with weekly maintenance the rest of the year, so you had it the worst, but even at it's worst, I hope they never pave it! It adds to the charm of this special place and I don't ever want it to change. It also allows for the cows and horses to roam freely and children to play in the road...we love it here! This place is not for everyone, but it is very safe and has everything we need..grocery stores, ATM's, and most of the attractions are here, including Zip line, kayaking on the lake, the Eco Zoo, The Butterfly Conservatory, Rancho Margot. Most people who stay in Fortuna say, they wish they had known that they would be driving here everyday and they they should have stayed here where they could relax and get away from it all! For the other people that may be reading your review, I would like to clarify that there is NO uphill hike to the house. The house is on a mountain road, but you drive into the driveway and to the front door. Yes, 4 wheel drive is nice, but not necessary. Pura Vida!

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• Beautiful home off the beaten path

  Beautiful home off the beaten path

  • Guest John and Danielle
  • Date of stay 11/28/11
  • Review Submitted 12/12/11
  This house was a great find. Located off the beaten path (4WD recommended and possibly required) this home was conveniently located near a few of the attractions in the area including Sky Trek (highly recommended) ziplining, kayaking on the lake, and hiking through the hanging bridges. Also next door is the Essence Arenal hostel, which serves great food. Definitely make some time to join the welcoming hosts to help cook your own dinner (vegetarian) and enjoy the 3-course meal for less than $15. Also down the street is a good little food spot aka "soda" that serves meals throughout the day. The house itself was clean and spacious. We woke up early each day to the sounds of roosters. Unfortunately some of the amenities didn't quite work while were there including the washer & dryer (though the property manager offered to get our clothes washed), the cable on the TV, and wi-fi. We were able to connect the laptop directly. We also didn't spend much time in the house as we were off each day looking for adventure. We highly recommend the white water rafting that was reserved for us by the property manager. The property manager was very helpful in arranging and recommending activities and places to check out. We enjoyed our meal and the company at Rancho Margot, which she recommended. Our only regret was the Hot Springs were only ok - and to be honest a little too pricey. I did hear that there were others in the area to check out incl. Eco Thermales. Directions to get to this house were a bit challenging (as is with most places in Costa Rica). Beware of stray animals as you drive at night. The roads are rough leading in and out of this area as well. Overall, the stay was good and the home was comfortable for the 5 of us. For the price it's a great deal.

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

  Owner response: I am so glad that I had the pleasure of meeting you and your family, and that you enjoyed your visit to El Castillo. I apologize for the glitch with the washing machine and the wifi, but having new electronic machines in the rainforest can be a challenge! All are working well now! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your kind words with others in writing this review. I really appreciate it and hope that you will come back and visit us again. Nancy

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• The village life

  The village life

  • Guest Teri
  • Date of stay 09/24/11
  • Review Submitted 10/02/11
  There were 6 of us who stayed in this very spacious house, everyone had enough room to have privacy especially after a very long drive from san jose in pouring rain and windy hilly two lane roads. We enjoyed the location being very scenic view of arenal volcano and lake arenal. Sitting on the balcony on rainy thunderstorm nights watching fireflies and the volcano being illuminated by the lighting was very peaceful and relaxing accompanied with a cacique drink. The location was very convenient to sky trek zip line, sky tram, hanging bridge tour, and arenal volcano lodge observatory deck as well as the many hot springs in the area. We never did any cooking during our stay due to the convenience of many restaurants in the area but the kitchen is fully equiped to host a dinner party. However, we mainly ate at the essence of arenal hostel two houses down the road, the food was great and vegetarian. You definitely need a 4wheel drive vehicle to make the travel time faster on the dirt/rocky road to the village of castillo where the house is located. We came during the rainy season so we experienced lights/electicity flicker on and off and the water outage for a few hours due to the storm.The faucet water comes from a spring in the jungle and you can drink it. The washer and drier definitely helped us have dry clothes because on most days we arrived back to the house soaking wet from our daily activities (definitely should have brought umbrellas...). We would be happy to stay here again and it was the best location throughout our Costa Rica adventures. Thanks Nancy for organizing our daily excursions she was awesome!!!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: I am so glad that you enjoyed your visit. It was a pleasure to have you stay at our place. Thanks so much for taking the time to write such nice words, I really appreciate it! Hope you come back again someday!

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• Off the Beaten Path - A True Hidden Gem

  Off the Beaten Path - A True Hidden Gem

  • Guest Coker Travel
  • Date of stay 09/10/11
  • Review Submitted 09/21/11
  My wife and I stayed here two weeks ago with 6 other friends and LOVED the place! Admittedly, we wondered if we'd ever make it, but when we finally did it was well worth the trip! The house is big, comfortable, cozy, well furnished, and the views are spectacular! The neighbors are really nice and have some sweet dogs that welcome you as you arrive. Nancy and "Z" are extremely nice and helpful; they were great communicators and bent over backwards to make our stay a pleasant one. There aren't tons of food choices nearby, but the ones they do have are delicious and convenient. One in particular is the restaurant at Las Cabanitas...awesome! Nancy even called the restaurant and had them prepare a table for us without us knowing! Make sure you don't miss the horse tour up to the waterfall (recommend being in pretty good shape because of the hike) and the zip lines / sky trek. We've done horse tours and zip lines many times before but these were by far the best we had ever experienced! Nancy set up a Monteverde tour for a couple of us and did all of the leg-work for the other activities while we were there. The road is a bit rocky/rough getting there, but you can make it without a 4x4. Just down the hill there's a nice grocery store where you can find anything that you're looking for and even a tasty 'soda.' I would stay here again and deal with Nancy / Z again in a heartbeat! Our only regret is not having more time to spend there!

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

  Owner response: Thanks so much for such a beautiful review! It was a pleasure meeting you and your freinds and we hope that you will return to Costa Rica and visit us again!

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• Gorgeous home with everything you need

  Gorgeous home with everything you need

  • Guest Terry
  • Date of stay 09/01/11
  • Review Submitted 09/15/11
  We stayed the last week of August. Nancy provided us with someone to pick us up at the airport for a reasonable price, and he ended up giving us many rides while we stayed there. The house was very clean when we arrived and had everything you could possibly need, from towels to tupperware. It's just a small walk down the hill to the butterfly gardens and a bit further on is a small market and a small restaurant that is locally owned with delicious food. Nancy was very helpful offering us activities in the area and helping with transportation. The property is way up a mountain road in a small village..so if you want nightlife or anything..it's a long winding road to get there. We enjoyed our time at the house.

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

  Owner response: I appreciate you taking the time to comment on our place. I am glad that you enjoyed it and it was certainly a pleasure to meet you.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Gorgeous house with great views!

  Gorgeous house with great views!

  • Guest Terry
  • Date of stay 05/01/11
  • Review Submitted 05/26/11
  My family and I stayed at this really lovely home. Very comfortable, spacious and sparkling clean, everything was new and fresh. The beds are extra comfortable, with excellent mattresses and lots of pillows, something really important for me, a good bed! Situated in a cute and peaceful Tico village, we were very close to the lake, volcano and all the tours we wanted to do. Nancy, the manager, was just delightful and helped us organize all the tours, zip line (biggest in the country, talk about an adrenaline rush!), a beautiful ride on horses up into the rainforest and to the waterfuls with Lelander, best horse tour guide that we had in the country. His horses are strong and in great shape, well taken care of, easy to ride and handle. An afternoon at the hotsprings with a massage, great after the long horse ride! The house is very close to a small grocery shop ,a 2 minute walk and a bigger one down the hill. La Fortuna is not far away to find even more supplies. This is a great place, we definitely recommend it and will be back next year!

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Luxury in a beautiful remote area with plenty to do

  Luxury in a beautiful remote area with plenty to do

  • Guest Katrina
  • Date of stay 02/21/11
  • Review Submitted 05/04/11
  We loved la Fortuna and "Walt's House". The place is amazing and really showcases the area with it's beautiful windows. It has plenty of room and appliances so nice I wished I had them in the states. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony outside the room and watching the fireflies at night and volcano during the day. It was quite an adventure getting there in an old Nisan Sentra (I highly recommend 4 wheel drive) but in the end it added to the fun. It was further on those roads then we anticipated and we found ourselves wanting to stay local just to avoid them. The town is small but offers a lot. Nancy set us up with some wonderful local guides. Since we enjoyed an experience away from the crowds of tourists and that type of attraction this was perfect. We highly recommend the horseback ride. The guide comes right to your door and takes you up through the mountains. It was breathtaking and my husband's favorite part! I didn't even think he liked horses. We also enjoyed breakfast at the backpackers hotel a door down. For $3 you can't beat their vegetarian breakfast. We recommend is the local guide for the hanging bridges- they wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable without him. The house is a number of kilometers on rough roads, so come prepared. Bring lots of "twenty's" which is also a local metaphor for doing well. The water is from the well and drinkable even for the Gringos. There are not many options for local shopping but the fireflies cafe is excellent! We also loved hanging out with pizza John. Sitting on his balcony was so zen and he's a lot of fun to talk to. Make sure to go there if you stay here. The last thing we did and enjoyed was the white water rafting. It was the only place we actually saw monkeys and sloths. Perhaps the best part of that was the "Typical" lunch served afterwards. Don't miss that part - the food is great, and the setting is wonderful. Perfect place for our honeymoon! Thanks Nancy! PS. VERY CLEAN. I'm not sure what that other reviewer was talking about but the house was immaculate.

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

  Owner response: You are so very welcome!! I am so glad you enjoyed your stay here. We certainly enjoyed meeting you as well. Meeting people like you are why we enjoy renting this home so much! I hope you will return and visit us again. Take care, Nancy

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• Hope to come back many more times

  Hope to come back many more times

  • Guest shellyandpete2004
  • Date of stay 02/03/11
  • Review Submitted 04/01/11
  This home is stunning and very clean by local standards. Our stay here was so comfortable that our prearranged one week turned into two. Upon our arrival in El Castillo I thought, "we must have taken a wrong turn as this cannot be a town". It is quite small as you can see from the description. But after a couple of days we realized that it was quite a lovely & bustling little town, complete with a cafe & soda, both with incredibly good food, elementary school, tourist sites such as the Snake House and Butterfly Conservatory. Oh yes, you can dine at the Snake House too. When clear, Arenal volcano can be seen from the master balcony. I read a previous review about the road...yup it is bad but it is typical for Costa Rica and adds to the charm of being off the beaten path. We stayed down the road from El Castillo on our first trip to Costa Rica. On that trip there were no bridges over the rivers. Now, on our 8th trip here, there are 5 bridges, so we saw a huge imporovement. Also, regarding a previous review about clean sheets. I have never been to a hotel or house in this county which did not have a stray Tica hair clinging to the clean sheets. They can linger even after I washed the sheets. Nancy, our "landlady" could not have been more friendly and helpful. She accomodated our every request, and even came over one afternoon to see if she could help fix a program on my computer with which I was struggling. The home is very much as conveyed on the website. We found compared to others that we have stayed at, that this was quite upscale for the area. There is a lot to do within 30 minutes of the home - 2 hanging bridge walks in the jungle, bird watching (the oropendulas are plentiful), but we found it so tranquil that we just stayed in El Castillo most days and enjoyed being away from the tourists. We hope to stay here again and again on our trips to Costa Rica.

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

  Owner response: We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay. We enjoyed meeting you as well and hope that you do come back time and again!! Nancy and Z

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• Nothing to Write Home About

  Nothing to Write Home About

  • Guest TheShizz
  • Date of stay 12/30/10
  • Review Submitted 01/08/11
  The Bad: We arrived to find soiled bedsheets on both beds which we immediately had to throw in the washer...not the best way to kick off the stay. On top of this, the contract we signed specifically stated "for your convenience all properties are equipped with a starter package of standard toiletries and consumables". This was not true as there wasn't even so much as handsoap at any of the sinks throughout the house! Cows in the neighborhood can be a little loud at times as well. The Good: The balcony was a pleasant place to spend the morning reading a book and listening to the sounds of nature. Nancy was friendly and helpful over the phone although we never actually had the chance to meet her in person. Other Notes: Be aware that even though it says this place is only 15 miles outside of La Fortuna, 3-4 of those miles are an incredibly bumpy dirt road that takes at least 15 minutes to drive.

  Owner response: I am so sorry to hear that you were not completely satisfied. I wish I had known about this while you were here so that I could have checked out the situation. I would like you to know that I was at the house with the staff that was cleaning before you came and I personally put the sheets in the washer as to show the girls how to use the new digital washer and dryer. For this reason, I know that the sheets were clean. Maybe a hair from someone dressing the bed was on the sheet and for that I apologize to you. Also, as it states in the information at the house, there are back up supplies of all toiletries in the pantry for emergencies. After reading your review, I checked the house only to find toiletries and 3 sets of clean sheets/blankets in the closet. I would also like to address the road. Everywhere in Costa the roads are good at times and bad at times. When you were here it never stopped raining, therefore, the road was in it's worst condition. January is the end of the rainy season in our region. Each year at the end of the season, they grade the road and it lasts for about 6 to 8 months, making the trip to Fortuna only 20 minutes! I know it can be uncomfortable for some people when it is bad, but we find that it is part of the charm of our village...no speeding cars and trucks! :) Also, the cows are not normally anywhere near this part of the village, but again, in a rural area, you will see them stray occassionally and you will hear them, as well as monkeys and loud parrots! The nature here is part of what attracts most to this area, but it is not for everyone! Lastly, I would like to say that I am sorry that I did not get to meet you when you were here, as I am very busy in December, being our busiest time of year, but my husband and daughter said it was a pleasure to meet you and I am always just a phone call away.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/2

• Beautiful House in Great Area for Adventures

  Beautiful House in Great Area for Adventures

  • Guest The Swamp 4
  • Date of stay 12/23/10
  • Review Submitted 01/03/11
  We had a wonderful time in La Fortuna. The house was huge and very nice. Nancy recommended Sky Trek, and Lee to take us on a horseback trip through the rain forest to a waterfall. Both were excellent and reasonably priced. The hostel a few houses down had a great breakfast. We would definitely stay there again!

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

  Owner response: Thank you for your kind words. We are glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and hope that you will return for another visit!!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0