Epic Front Row Whale's Tail views with Elevated Cooler Climate

View of the pacific, and “Whales Tail” over the jungle canopy was hard to put in words. Could have spent the week just gazing at the view. Very private and relaxing. Need a good 4X4 to get up and down, but no issue. Actually added to the adventure and fun. Enjoyed the area. Went on several tours. Much to see and do, or just relax on the mountain.

Doug and John the property manager had great suggestions and accessible when needed.

Would recommend and plan to come back again!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the Dream Suite.

- The view is amazing.

- The drive to the cabin was a novel adventure. The first time up the mountain was slightly intimidating but we soon got used to it over our six day stay and after a few times up and down the mountain, it was no big deal at all. A four wheel drive is required but it was no problem to rent one (we used Adobe). I would strongly suggest your first time arriving at the property be during the daylight hours to save yourself unnecessary stress during your vacation (the property owner strongly encourages this a well). But please don’t let the mountain drive discourage you from considering this property. The drive is super cool and our experience of such is one of our most memorable during our stay in Costa Rica.

- The structure itself was so unique. I loved the wrap around deck and the shower with a view!

- It’s extremely private, peaceful, and romantic.

- Great outdoor cooking cart.

- The glass front of the cabin provided a safe place for endless wildlife entertainment after dark. We got to see some really cool bugs that landed on the glass and on the deck. We had several visits from coatis that came to eat the cicadas on the deck.

- We saw a troop of white face monkeys pass by one morning and enjoyed several visits from toucans as we sat on the deck enjoying the view.

- There is no air conditioning but we didn’t feel a/c was necessary. By opening windows and using the ceiling fans to cool the suite down, we were able to sleep quite comfortably.

- The Jolly Roger (you pass by it during the drive up the mountain) is a great place to gather and make new friends in the area.

- During our stay, we enjoyed several restaurants and tours in the area. We did a fantastic ATV tour and a couple of great stand up paddle board tours.

- The location is part way between Uvita and Dominical which is handy for enjoying both areas during your stay at the suite.

I didn't want to give three stars, but you can't give 3.5. Short summary is that it loses a star for the drive up to it, and another half for saying that it has air conditioning in the listing when it doesn't.

The view is nothing short of breathtaking, as you can see from the pictures. The main problem is that it's so much trouble to get up there (between 15-20 minutes of fairly intense uphill or downhill driving; and I mean the sort of uphill where you are pressed into your seat as you go up, and you can't see the road over the hood of your car when you turn onto Isla road), that once we got up, we didn't really want to come back down. So that means that we weren't willing to run back to the condo very easily for a shower or to change clothes...we would go out in the morning, do activities, and then come back for good in the late afternoon. I'm not saying it was impossible to go back out at night, it just wasn't worth it to us to do so, even when we kind of wanted to. I was trying to keep the wife happy, ya know.

We had a stressful time finding the condo in the dark the first day in, and neither the owner or property manager were there to answer our calls. To assist others in the same situation, use Google Maps and navigate to the "Bar Jolly Roger Puntarenas"); that will save you a lot of grief trying to find where to turn off of the main highway in the dark, where all turnoffs just look like a small driveway; trust me, it's hard to see. Also, we didn't know the right thing to say to the person manning the gate (into Costa Verde Estates); we weren't told. And he didn't speak English, we didn't speak Spanish. For others, the right thing to do is to give the owner's name and lot number. At least, that's what got us in.

The stress of the drive itself in the dark, getting semi-lost, not knowing how to get in, and finding out that there was no A/C and we had to leave the doors open while we slept to stay cool, lead to a very unhappy wife (that first night, anyway). She was nervous about bugs, snakes, or whatever else her imagination could conjure that might live in the jungle. I like the adventure and enjoy a little uncertainty, but she definitely does not. So my best advice is that if *both* of you are adventurous, this place is for you. The view is outstanding. If not, maybe not. The price is certainly right, which was appreciated.

The condo was clean and had no problems in that arena. A small microwave would have been great.

Our time in Costa Rica was FABULOUS and the mountain side retreat was amazing. We had perfect weather- cool breezy mornings, occasional rain to refresh the afternoon and all sorts of birds coming and going all day.

I am out of superlatives for the view out the front glass wall. We enjoyed the unique design of this retreat, the kitchenette was perfect for our needs and everything was clean and well supplied and even the 4x4 drive made the whole adventure both memorable and exciting.

Can’t beat the view of Whales Tail. Property manager John was accessible and great resource to us. Perfect for couples.