Villa Clavellinas - Jungle Meets Beach Paradise

Not only is the property in one of the most beautiful locations, the staff is amazing!! Our three generation family was well cared for. The food was incredible. Everything was kept clean and orderly. The view from the pool took my breath away.

Would give ZERO stars if I could. We reserved this home in April 2016 for a 7 night stay in December over Christmas. Since this was for Christimas, we were paying a premium for the home and made a 50% deposit to reserve the home - we had 11 people coming from Canada and US. We contacted Howard (owner) several times in the following months to confirm final payment, logistics, and home amenities so that we could prepare for our visit. We even confirmed with him that we were reserved because we noticed that the VRBO calendar showed the dates as available. Each time, Howard was extremely slow to respond and we had to follow-up multiple times; his responses were often short, vague or incomplete. Then in December, one week prior to our arrival (when we were arranging with the house staff for our airport pick-up), we received an email from Howard saying that he double booked the home and that we could no longer stay (even though we reserved first). He made a superficial attempt to find another home for us and after a few days of being stringed along and poor communication from him, we asked for a refund (with interest). After another several days of more follow-up (and lots of excuses), he finally paid us (but without interest). We suspect that another group came and offered more money - otherwise, Howard's reasons for not giving us the reservation made absolutely no sense since we had reserved the home first. I'm posting this review to make others aware that the owner is disorganized and does not communicate well - I wish we had known of the risks before we booked. And just as an FYI, VRBO does not provide any coverage to guests in situations like this (0 stars for them too).

I can't really add too much more to what has already been written. We had an unbelievably relaxing vacation staying at Villa Clavellinas. Our extended family group ranged in age from 22 to 90. My mother-in-law was the eldest and had no problems scampering up and down the stairway from the house to the beach. During our stay we surfed, fished, kayaked, hiked, ran, and went sightseeing. There was also plenty of time to relax on the premises to read, write, and look over the ocean. We hired cooks for our entire visit and feasted like royalty. The food was incredible from shrimp rellenos, chicken enchiladas, huevos rancheros, fresh salsas, mariscos, margaritas, guacamole, and chips. The cocineras were fun and a pleasure to be with. San Pancho is roughly 30 minutes away, Sayulita perhaps an additional 10 minutes. It was nice to head into town periodically to shop and experience the culture but it was nice driving back through the jungle to have the seclusion of the Villa. As I mentioned before, our stay was very relaxing. I slept like a rock, lulled to sleep every evening by crashing waves. I would return to Villa Clavellinas in a heartbeat.

Our extended family was looking for a place in Mexico near Sayulita for a week between Christmas and New Years. There are 12 of us ranging from 24 to 90 years old (my 90 year old mother is very youthful and always up for something new) We came upon Villa Clavellinas on VRBO and decided to give it a go. We couldn't have been happier and were so glad to be away from the crowds in Sayulita. The Villa is more incredible even than it looks in pictures (I know that doesn't seem possible, given the photos, but this place is amazing) There are private balconies off of every bedroom with views to the jungle and the ocean. There is a huge patio with an ocean view for dining alfresco or plenty of room to sit at a table inside if preferred, also with ocean views. We decided to have our meals cooked for us and enjoyed not only eating really well, but practicing our spanish and learning by watching how to cook some local dishes. There is an infinity pool right on the cliff overlooking the ocean and two lovely beaches one just down the steps of the villa and one a short hike through the jungle. We swam, kayaked, hiked, surfed, shopped in San Pancho and Sayulita, enjoyed eating and reading and just hanging out together. It was a great place for our group as there were generous communal areas, and also little hideaways for down time. I would highly recommend Villa Calvallinas and speaking for our whole group can't wait to go back!

A close group of 9 of my dear friends had the pleasure of experiencing Villa Clavellinas in March of 2015. We made the trip to celebrate a beautiful lady's 40th birthday. It was the trip of a lifetime. We all are making plans to return. It is the perfect place for a large group. The views are incredible. Very private and relaxing. Plenty of room for several guests. I highly recommend requesting the service for meal preparation. We had the immense pleasure of having a wonderful cook prepare us one meal daily and it was worth it!! Incredible addition to the whole experience!! The only obstacle would be for someone with any physical handicaps or small children-any under 10. The stairs are many and steep and the property is not for small children. Also, rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle for the jungle road from the villa. It is not for small vehicles. Other than that, prepare yourself for pure magic and sweetness. This a gem in the jungle!!