A MUST EXPERIENCE!

Guest: jeff & barri (venice, fl)
Date of Stay: 09/18/11 Review Submitted: 09/27/11

What a quaint, charming, personal, private jungle retreat should be. Alone with nature, atop of the tree canopy, above a dense jungle. Paths and trails to experience up close encounters with every species of monkey Costa Rica has to offer. The howlers are your alarm clock as you awaken to a soft cool breeze. We drink our morning coffee and listen and watch the forest come alive with countless toucans, hummingbirds, hawks, an owl, butterflies and a few vultures. View as many insects as you'd like to search for, spiders, poisonous dart frogs, bullet ants and more. Never once were we bothered by an insect. The stars in the evening sky are unbelievable. It's really amazing to soak "it" all in. Dinners close by were tremendous, Plenty of top notch places. We even cooked a nice romantic dinner at the Villa. And the various soda's along the road offer great authentic cr/carib food at reasonable prices. The snorkeling in Manzanillo was super, even saw a moray eel, bring your own gear or rent some. Can't wait to return for a longer stay. A 4x4 is a must, rent from a reputable dealer, do your homework, I suggest a GPS and a cell phone. If you drive from San Jose allow 4-5 hrs and it gets dark, I mean DARK at 5:30 sharp. Plan accordingly, it's rather intimidating after dark on those roads. Overall, we couldn't have had a better more relaxing time. Never felt unsafe or unwelcomed. Thanks Pinto family, you guys are awesome. I miss the dogs already... Jeff and Barri (Venice, Fl)

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

Absolutely Amazing!

Guest: ash (parker, co)
Date of Stay: 04/09/11 Review Submitted: 04/19/11

Wonderful experience in the jungle. Villa toucan is truly a home away from home. My husband, 2 children and I had a vacation of a lifetime and the owners go above and beyond to make you feel at home and comfortable. Perfect location surrounded by Costa Rica's supreme wildlife and jungle and only a short distance by car to several pristine beaches, wonderful restaurants, shops and bars. Will definitely return soon!

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

Great place for seclusion and the view!!

Guest: Duina (Florida, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/22/10 Review Submitted: 06/08/10

We liked Villa Toucan very much, we traveled to CR the last week of May/2010 and it was really nice weather. The only thing we missed a lot was the a/c we were traveling with our 2 1/2 year old toddler and that was a little challenging sometimes during afternoon naps. They installed a safety net in the balcony to protect our baby!!.The washer/dryer are not on the property as advertised so it was challenging also as we were trying to travel as light as possible you have to go to the owner’s house for laundry. The bathrooms wer quite an unforgettable experience, they are open to your own private piece of jungle; I saw a monkey on the tree while taking a shower! If you are into bird watching this is the place to stay. The house is up a two very steep hills and the view is amazing, very close to all the beaches and restaurants of the area. Puerto Viejo is very close you will need a 4x4 def. if you want to stay here. We recommend playa Chiquita for the clean and tranquil atmosphere; however we fell in love with the Manzanillo beach for the snorkeling. The owner let us park our car in their office parking lot which is like 100 meters walk from the entrance to playa Chiquita. The kitchen/dining area has all your needs it is fully equipped as we needed to cook for our picky little one, so that was really nice. We made fresh frozen pina coladas in the kitchen everyday!! It has a small fridge enough room to store main foods. The kitchen/dining is open so there is no wall between you and all the little bugs at sunset, we did not spend much time after sunset in this area. We maintained the bedrooms doors/windows closed at night for the bugs even though they are screened it gets little hot in there sometimes but not terrible since there fans. Hot water was available. The second day we arrived rained all night so the house lost power so there was no water either since it is supplied to the house by an electric pump we had to spend the entire day out in the beach cooling off, the owner contacted the power company and it was quickly restored in the afternoon. The owners were nice and made recommendations best things to do and eat in the area. Not intrusive at all since they live in the other hill in front of the house. Our house was cleaned and got cleaned bath and beach towels and bedding twice during the one week we stayed. Nice touch! Overall, this house is great place to stay and be close to fauna and all amenities the area has to offer we felt safe at villa touca.

Owner response:Glad to know that you enjoyed your stay a villa Toucan. It is true that we do not have air conditioning as 90% of the people down here but it is really not needed, but you had a very hot week. As we live up a hill we have a constant breeze and much less humidity than at sea level, at night you have the fresh air from the Talamanca chain coming down and we sleep with a comforter. the laundry is a service than we offer: leave it in your bedroom and you will have it clean,dry and fold in the evening [week days as in the weekend : no housekeeper]

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

Guest: Anna and Pete (Melbourne, FL)
Date of Stay: 09/15/09 Review Submitted: 09/15/09

Our stay at Villa Toucan was unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries and have seen many beautiful places, Costa Rica and particularly our stay at Villa Toucan is one of those beautiful places that we will never forget. Manuel and Emmanuelle (hosts) provided us with a comfortable, pleasant and unique environment. If you ever wanted to completely relax and isolate yourself from busy life- Villa Toucan is the best place to do so. It is only you and the nature. Thank you Manuel and Emmanuelle. P.S. We miss our Lucy. Have you seen her?

Owner response:Thank you Pete and Anne! And it was a pleasure meeting the 2 of you. We hope to see you again in the near future. PURA VIDA....Lucy says hi!

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Guest: Jonathan9 (Phoenix, AZ)
Date of Stay: 07/06/09 Review Submitted: 07/06/09

Wow, great place and even greater hosts! We stayed a week and had a great time. The jungle is dense and rain storms impressive. The beach is close but we typically drove. This house is off the beaten path and a great place to see toucans, monkeys, poison arrow frogs, and...

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Guest: Hillary Rusk (Phoenix, AZ)
Date of Stay: 06/17/09 Review Submitted: 06/17/09

Villa Toucan was a lovely home in a beautiful setting. We enjoyed our stay and the hospitality of the owners. Relaxing on the porch of the house or on the beach down the road were our favorite things to do. We were always amazed by the sights and sounds that the rainforest had to offer.

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Guest: James & Kristin Behrens (Cottage Grove, MN)
Date of Stay: 03/24/09 Review Submitted: 03/24/09

We just got back from a wonderful stay in Villa Toucan! The house and grounds are even more beautiful than the pictures show and are private and peaceful. We saw so many beautiful birds, butterflies, and other interesting creatures during our stay. Emmanuel & Manuel and their daughters are delightful hosts who never bother you but are always ready to help out with whatever you need. The only thing you do need is a 4x4 vehicle as the driveway is very steep - but this also keeps the house very private with no worries about having any folks wandering by. We absolutely LOVED our stay in this house and are already looking forward to coming back again for a future visit. Many thanks to our hosts for creating such a special "paradise" for us to enjoy!! Pura vida!!

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Guest: Nicole & Patrick (Ottawa, Canada)
Date of Stay: 11/30/08 Review Submitted: 11/30/08

Un grand merci a la famille Pinto pour un acceuil si chaleureux au coeur d'une jungle rassurante. Villa toucan porte bien son nom car des toucans il y en a partout des petits et des grands. La maison est absolument magnifique et tres confortable.Nous avons fait la rencontre de plusieurs insectes qui sont venus se presenter dans toute leur beaute mais sans jamais nous deranger. Merci beaucoup!

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Guest: Eugene and Diana Davidson (Louisville, TN)
Date of Stay: 12/04/06 Review Submitted: 12/04/06

We had such a wonderful experience at Villa Toucan. We were awakened by the sounds of the howler monkeys as well as the toucans.Manual and Emmanuelle were there when we needed them, otherwise it was very private. The wildlife was amazing---we definately want to return year after year!

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Guest: Corinne and Pat (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Date of Stay: 02/15/06 Review Submitted: 02/15/06

We had the pleasure of staying at Villa Toucan for 4 days at the end of January 2006. The location, in the heart of the rainforest, is magical. The guesthouse is charming, tastefully decorated and almost spa-like. And a real treat in Costa Rica, the towels were plentiful, large and fluffy. We were woken by howlers and went to bed serenaded by frogs. A large sloth called a tree right next to the guest house home. We also had visits from a scorpion (no worries, only outside), lots of pretty toucans, and bats at dusk. Showering in the fresh air while looking out into the jungle was an especially wonderful experience. Manuel, Emmanuel and their young daughter Maya were pleasant, helpful hosts, especially Maya who quickly introduced herself and began sharing her knowledge of the local flora and fauna. The location is a little isolated, about 20 minutes over very rough roads to Puerto Viejo or 5 minutes from Manzanillo over good roads. But the isolation was what made the place special. We'd definately go back!

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