Vacation Rentals by Owner

A Great Introduction to Rural Panama

Guest: Ken & Kris (Anchorage, Alaska)
Date of Stay: 02/18/12 Review Submitted: 02/28/12

This was our first trip to Chiriqui and we are so glad we chose Las Plumas as our home base from which to explore the area. Besides a wonderful host, Dirk is an excellent mapmaker who helped us navigate the poorly marked surrounding road system. For this trip, Tanager was just the right size for the 2 of us. When we return, we plan to bring our friends and rent one of the larger homes.

Owner response:Hi Kris and Ken, Thanks for selecting Las Plumas Holiday Home Rentals as "your" home in the Chiriqui Highlands. Looking forward to see you again.

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

Three months at the Woodpecker

Guest: M&D (Costa Rica)
Date of Stay: 09/01/11 Review Submitted: 11/27/11

We enjoyed our three months stay at Woodpecker House in Las Plumas in late 2011. This is a rural setting near Volcan and was very relaxing, clean, comfortable and secure. Early mornings we put out fruit on the bird feeder in the garden. Then we would sit in the gazebo enjoying our coffee and see an amazing variety of birds. Dirk and his staff were very attentive and any issue (like running out of propane or locking myself out of the house) was addressed immediately. Although we had a car, the bus stop is only half a kilometer away where one can catch frequent buses to Cerro Punta, Volcan and David. We would recommend Las Plumas to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation in a quiet location near to many national parks, good birding, and also two hours to the Pacific Ocean beaches.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.

Six months at Tanager

Guest: AM (eastern North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 06/15/11 Review Submitted: 01/20/12

Each home at Las Plumas is named for one of the local birds. Very appropriate. You can see many birds no matter which home you are at. I was at the smallest home which was plenty adequate for one and would have been fine for two or three people. The yards are kept beautifully by the staff. Each home has plenty of linens, cookware, dishes and flatware. Attention from the owner and staff keeps all visitors feeling welcomed and safe. Any questions or needs are addressed immediately. Short walk to bus stop. Busses to Volcan or Cerro Punta come by every 15 minutes, 7 days/week. I recommend this location for anyone wanting a visit in the highlands of Chiriqui Province, Panama, away from the noise, congestion and traffic of busy cities.

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

Tanager Carnavales 2011

Guest: Maria (Ancon, Panama, Republica de Panama)
Date of Stay: 03/05/11 Review Submitted: 03/11/11

El area de la cabana es tranquila, limpia, nueva, pequena, simpatica, comoda en un area retirada pero muy segura. "Deje mis llaves dentro de la cabana por error, llame al Sr. Dirk y en corto tiempo conseguimos ayuda" La cocina estaba equipada muy completa. "Compramos una sandia en el camino y cuando llegamos a la casa encontramos cuchillo, tabla de cortar, vasijas plasticas con tapa para guardar los pedazos de sandia. Resolvio muy bien" "La estufa y el microondas trabajo muy bien, recalentamos comida, incluso habia hasta fosforos" "Encontramos suficientes vasos, tasas, platos, cubiertos para usar. Habia jabon y esponja para fregar los platos" La cabana contaba con TV y Cable. "Los ninos miraron sus comicas favoritas, mi esposo vio un juego de futbol y yo mire una pelicula, fue magnifico compartir en esa sala tan simpaticamente decorada" Lavadora y secadora disponible fue un extra. "Compramos ropa alla, lavamos, secamos, todo en perfecto uso como nuevo" El agua caliente fue confiable. "Mi hermanos se quedo en otra propiedad en Volcan, su agua caliente no trabajaba bien, se ponia muy caliente o muy frio en segundos, pero el agua de nuestra cabana Tanager las Pluma trabajo super bien durante toda la ducha o lavado de platos" Los jardines de la propiedad estaban bonitos. La vista de la ventanas de nuestras habitaciones era suprema, altas montanas, muchos pinos, la vegetacion rodeaba el lugar. "Un colibri entro nuestra casa el primer dia, fue muy lindo" "Observamos otros pajaros durante nuestra estadia" "Me sente en esa terraza y lei mi libro favorito" Clima muy placentero. "Abrimos la puerta principal de la casa y se sentia el aire fresco entrar a la casa" La comida en Volcan es buena, fresca y tiene precios bastante modicos. "Comimos en el restaurante Kid's world de Volcan, Hotel Cerro Punta, en la calle de Cerro Puntas encontramos brochetas de chorizo, carne con papas, fresas y otras delicias del lugar. Bajando Cerro Punta hacia Volcan, paramos en Alinas y comimos un delicioso helado Fresa Split, tiene 3 bolas de helado hecho en casa, pina, fresa, chocolate, con sus respectivos siropes y muchas fresas cortadas. Tambien recomiendo la panaderia de los Hermanos Ortega en Volcan, tienen buen pan, dulces y los tapaos de pepperoni fueron mis favoritos" Encontramos muchas actividades que realizar durante nuestra estadia. "Visitamos la granja de cafe de los Jansen, Las Lagunas, Barriles, Haras Cerro Punta, Supermercado Berard, San Benito,otras tiendas.

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

Tanager Carnavales 2011

Guest: Maria (Ancon, Panama, Republica de Panama)
Date of Stay: 03/05/11 Review Submitted: 03/11/11

The cabin area is quiet, clean, new, nice, petit, cute, comfortable in a secluded but very safe area. "I left my keys inside the cabin by mistake, I called Mr Dirk and in a short time we got helped" The kitchen was fully furnished. "We got watermelon in our way to the property and when we got there we found knive, cutting board and plastic vases with lids to store the watermelon pieces. It was all very handy" "The stove and microwave worked well, we had some leftovers and reheat them, they even had matches" "We have plenty glasses, mugs, dishes, silverware to use for eating. They had soap and a clean sponge to wash the dishes" The cabin had a TV and Cable. "Kids watched their favorie cartoons, my husband watched a football match, I watched a movie, it was awesome to sit in that cozy living room" Washer and dryer available was a plus. "We got new clothes there, washer and dryer was in perfect use as new " The hot water was reliable. "My brother was staying in other property down at Volcan his hot water was not working properly, it was hot and cold too soon, but ours at Tanager Las Plumas worked fine through the whole shower or washing dishes" The gardens of the property were pretty. The view out of the windows are breathtaking, high mountains and lots of pine trees among the green vegetation that surrounds the place. "A Hummingbird entered our house the first day, it was a good treat" "We watched other birds during our stay there" "I sat at the terrace and read my favorite book" Pleasant weather. "We had our main door open and it was nice to feel the fresh air enter the house" Food at Volcan is good, fresh and unexpensive. "We ate at Kid's world restaurant at Volcan, Cerro Punta Hotel, other places by the street of Cerro Punta, downhill from Cerro Punta to Volcan we stopped at several places on our way down, Hermanos Ortega bakery" We found lots of activities to do during our stay. "We visited Jansen's coffee farm, Las Lagunas, Barriles, Haras Cerro Punta, Berard supermarket, San Benito, Local shops

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

Las Plumas. Beoordeling van "Woodpecker"

Guest: Bob (The Netherlands)
Date of Stay: 02/11/11 Review Submitted: 04/18/11

Beoordeling Las Plumas Woodpecker Las Plumas is voor ons een topper. De accommodatie ligt prachtig midden in de natuur met mooie uitzichten. Ondanks dat het midden in de Tropen ligt, is het 's nachts koel en overdag niet te heet, maar aangenaam Je hebt er veel privacy. Je naaste buren kun je niet zien. De woning is comfortabel en voorzien van alles wat je nodig hebt en ruim genoeg voor 2 personen.. Ook een internetaansluiting, wasmachine en wasdroger zijn aanwezig. Kortom een goede prijs-kwaliteitverhouding Dirk de eigenaar is vriendelijk en erg behulpzaam. In de omgeving zijn er voldoende supermarkten, in Volcán zelfs een die 24 uur open is. Vanuit Paso Ancho hebben wij leuke uitstapjes gemaakt naar o.a. Boquete, Cerro Punta, Playa Barqueta, Cuesta de Piedra en Rio Sereno. Ook hebben we veel mooie wandelingen gemaakt vanuit huis. Uit eten gaan is absoluut goedkoop. Er is een ruime keuze in lekkere restaurantjes. Van ons krijgt de accommodatie een dikke 8,5

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Glenn and Chris / US
Date of Stay: 04/30/10 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

My husband, Glenn and I, were planning our first trip to Panama and a friend forwarded the link to Las Plumas to us. We read it and it was just want we were looking for. We were able to make all the arrangements with Dirk over the internet. And when we arrived, it was better than we thought. The house itself, we were in Woodpecker, was beautifully landscaped as was the whole compound. The interior was nicely furnished; clean and comfortable, and it had everything that we needed for our month long stay. This area is an agricultural one so we were able to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Right on the corner in Volcan is a grocery store that caters to Americans with many familiar products and signs in English. There were plenty of activities to do in the area including hikes right from the house. A short drive from the house will take you to hiking trails and several birding sites. Dirk has the contact information for birding guides in the house. We used Carlos and enjoyed our outings with him. In addition to other birds, we saw the Quetzal which was my goal. Also only a short drive away are good restaurants and even a day spa for manicures and pedicures. But you don't have to leave the house to see natural beauty or birds. Look out the window and you can see the mountains and birds at the feeders that are provided. But all of this we sort of expected from Dirk's web site. What we didn't expect was what a great place this was to come home to. We took several overnight trips during the month and it was so nice to come back to Las Plumas to rest and regroup. We would sit outside on the covered patio, look at the flowers and the mountain and the clouds and the birds and unwind and relax. It is just such a comfortable place made more so by the hospitality of Dirk and his staff. I can't say enough about Las Plumas and we highly recommend it.

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Guest: Clelia and Mat / UK
Date of Stay: 02/28/10 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

My family and I spent a year searching the area of Volcan to find the ideal place for a long term rental. Just when we had given up and came to the realisation that we would have to settle for Panamanian standards, my wife discovered Las Plumas, a peaceful retreat bordering a national park with an amazing river and rain forest as our neighbour. We swiftly moved in and stayed for two years in a clean, modern and newly decorated large home. The house we chose was perfect and our three year old daughter particularly loved the beautiful extensive gardens and the open fires we enjoyed of an evening. Our landlord, Dirk, soon became a good friend to us both and he often went beyond the call of duty to help us with all sorts of issues. His years of experience in Panama proved invaluable to us. The home was secure, very comfortable, flawless and complete - including an extensive inventory of luxury items. Any inevitable problems that arose were always dealt with immediately and to our complete satisfaction. We can highly recommend Dirk & Las Plumas to anyone that is looking for European quality and standards in Volcan.

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Guest: Johanna, John and Colt / US
Date of Stay: 12/31/09 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

Las Plumas was a wonderful retreat spot for our family. Great atmosphere, helpful and pleasant staff, clean comfortable housing, all a vacationer could ask for. Las Plumas far exceeded our expectations in all ways. Highly recommended for all !

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Guest: Laurie / US
Date of Stay: 12/31/09 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

Las Plumas is a fabulous destination in the Chriqui Highlands. It is private and quiet. The grounds are beautiful, surrounding by the Chiriqui river and rolling hills of local coffee plantations. The staff is friendly, efficient and respectful of your privacy. Its a great location because its just far enough out of town, yet, a central location for visiting all the hot spots in the Highlands. I enjoyed the easy access to hiking, the perfect weather and the amazing birds that visit Las Plumas everyday. Dirk is a fountain of information about Panama and helpful in guiding you to the best places to visit, dine and explore.

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Guest: Richard / UK
Date of Stay: 05/31/09 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

We first stayed in the house "Motmot" in Dirksville, as I like to call it (it's actually Las Plumas, Paso Ancho) in February 2008 for 10 days - a large, lovely house in an unmatched setting, cool, clean and well furnished, and friendly, helpful staff keeping the house and the garden immaculate - and we enjoyed ourselves so much that we then decided to rent it again in August 2008, this time for one year, in order to have a great base from which to properly explore Panama. I said to Dirk shortly before I left that it had the most spectacular views (of the river, and mountain directly opposite) of any property I had ever rented, and that is the literal truth: we witnessed the river flooding spectacularly, saw Capuchin monkeys and Motmots (a splendid bird) in the trees opposite, beautiful sunsets and awesome thunderstorms, all from the comfort of our sheltered viewpoint on the balcony. Dirk runs the whole place efficiently and we also enjoyed many pleasant conversations with our host over a glass of wine ... To put it succinctly - there is nowhere else in/around Volcan that even comes close.

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Las Plumas - House Hawk

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 03/30/09 Review Submitted: 08/15/11

In 2007, my husband and I visited Panama for the first time. We were intrigued by stories depicting the year round spring-like weather of the Western Chiriqui highlands. We found Las Plumas on the internet, liked what we read, and booked the Motmot house. When we arrived, we felt at home immediately. Las Plumas is a beautifully manicured 6 acre compound with stunning views of the beautiful volcano, Volcan Baru and La Amistad National Park. All five homes are sited to provide privacy and to enjoy the cloud forest, the Rio Chiriqui Viejo River and the mountains. Dirk was friendly, helpful and very efficient – we liked him immediately. The Motmot house is very private and sits directly on the river. The house was very clean and well appointed with an impressively stocked kitchen. Dirk thought of everything! We were so impressed with Dirk’s genuine hospitality, the magnificent natural beauty of the area and the refreshingly cool year round climate of 55-75 degrees that we returned to visit twice more the following year. Dirk mentioned he was considering adding a fifth house, House Hawk, and we ended up renting House Hawk for over two years. Dirk has become a trusted friend and the best landlord one could wish for, along with his dedicated staff that maintains the homes and grounds, it is a perfect place to enjoy the area and all it has to offer, from fabulous hiking, birding and unlimited photography opportunities to great local fruits and vegetables offered in the bread basket of Panama. House Hawk is tranquil and beautifully decorated and sits high above the Rio Chiriqui Viejo River, looking across to pristine cloud forest. If you love photography and enjoying nature, then you will have a wonderful array of wildlife, from monkeys to all types of gorgeous birds to enjoy. We were so glad we found this relaxing respite in the mountains of Panama. When planning a trip to Panama, be sure to book one of the homes in Las Plumas – you will be very glad you did!

Owner response:Thanks David and Karen for beeing with us for so long. It is a pitty that you had to leave due to family reasons. Your frienship and company is/was highly appreciated by me and Prince and Guapo are still missing you. Hope to see you soon again, Un abrazo fuerte Dirk

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

Guest: Brain and Valerie
Date of Stay: 02/28/09 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

Las Plumas in Paso Ancho, about 5 kms above Volcan on the road to Cerro Punta, is a collection of five houses on an exceptional piece of riverside property. Each house has its own personality, individual location, and name (for various birds found nearby, and sometimes on, the property itself). We stayed for two months in one of the smaller houses called Woodpecker . It was exceptionally clean, well-cared for and well-supplied. We had Sky cable television and Internet connection, were within walking distance of a general store for basic supplies, and always felt secure inside an enclosed and gated area. We had the opportunity to visit several of Dirk's larger houses and were very impressed with their settings, spaciousness and furnishings. The situation of Las Plumas is ideal for anyone who wants to explore the national parks, climb the volcano, orchid-gaze or be bedazzled by the countless birding sites nearby. Dirk De Veer, the owner and manager, could not have been more welcoming. He kept the park-like grounds manicured, the flowers and lawns watered, and the needs of his guests supplied with attention and interest. It was evident that Dirk wanted his guests to love his place as much as he does - and it worked. If (and I hope it will be when) we return to Chiriqui, we will be writing Dirk for accommodation.

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