Entire home

The River Dream House

Photo gallery for The River Dream House

A tropical outdoor seating area with stone flooring, wicker chairs, and a small round table.
A rustic building with a stone staircase leading to a wooden deck, surrounded by lush greenery and a hammock.
A rustic kitchen with wooden walls, a refrigerator, and a dining area with a table set for two.
A bathroom with a wooden wall, a blue tiled wall, a white toilet, a sink, and a towel hanging on the wall.
A room with a bed, a nightstand, a table, and a window with a view of greenery.

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • Top rated beach location
    Discover paradise at this top rated beach location.
  • Barbecue grill
    A rare find - perfect for a relaxed, outdoor grilling experience.
  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Walk to Grand Beach

Popular amenities

  • Balcony or patio
  • Barbecue grill
  • Air conditioning
  • Free internet
  • Refrigerator

Explore the area

View in a map
Manzanillo, Limon Province
  • Place, Grand Beach
    ‪6 min walk‬
  • Place, Punta Uva Beach
    ‪7 min drive‬
  • Place, Playa Cocles
    ‪12 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 7)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 King Bed

Bedroom 3

1 King Bed

3 bathrooms

Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Garden

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About the neighborhood

Cahuita

Located in Cahuita, this vacation home is in a rural area. Punta Uva Beach and Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge reflect the area's natural beauty and area attractions include Talamanca Family Art and Finca La Isla Botanical Garden.
View more Vacation Homes in CahuitaOpens in a new window
Map
Manzanillo, Limon Province

What's nearby

  • Grand Beach - 6 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Punta Uva Beach - 7 min drive - 6.1 km
  • Playa Chiquita - 10 min drive - 8.9 km
  • Playa Cocles - 12 min drive - 11.0 km
  • Cahuita National Park - 33 min drive - 25.7 km

Getting around

  • Changuinola (CHX-Captain Manuel Nino Intl.) - 92 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Restaurante Selvin's - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Casa Río - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪Lill Cafe & Bakery - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Da Lime Beach Club & Restaurant - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪La Nena - ‬11 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is The River Dream House pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much does it cost to stay at The River Dream House?

As of Oct 25, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The River Dream House on Oct 26, 2026 start from $175, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

What time is check-in at The River Dream House?

Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.

What time is check-out at The River Dream House?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Where is The River Dream House located?

Situated in a rural location, this vacation home is 0.2 mi (0.4 km) from Grand Beach and within 3 mi (5 km) of Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge and Punta Uva Beach. Playa Chiquita and Playa Cocles are also within 6 mi (10 km).

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labeled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 21 out of 21 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 0 out of 21 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 21 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 21 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 21 reviews

10/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

8.0/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Congo Bongo's River Dream House

The River Dream House is in a beautiful setting right in the middle of the rainforest, with easy access to the beach and town. The staff were all so welcoming and answered any questions we had regarding the area. We would definitely stay again!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Perfect place to stay

Great place to stay on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Congo Bongo is a special way to experience the rainforest, see wildlife, and relax. Loved hearing and seeing the howler monkeys making their presence known while sitting in the open air accommodations.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Absolutely Amazing

Staff are wonderful, wildlife amazing. I have been coming to Costa Rica for over 18 years and will only stay at the Congo Bongo. If you love nature and wildlife, its the most amazing place to stay.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Amazing jungle immersion!

People that run this are amazing and went above and beyond to help us with our stay from the complimentary wines to the included laundry service to the the chasing me down to return my insulin I left in the fridge. Can't say enough about the attention to detail Nothing
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Amazing place

Highly recommend and would definitely stay here again. Sitting in the jungle at night in the open air, surrounded by birds and monkeys. An awesome trail to a very chill beautiful beach, not as crowded as in puerto viejo. Great service including laundry. Nothing!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Tranquility

The house was amazing and exactly as described. The property was very clean and all the trails were well manicured. We loved all the sculptures, pictures and art on all the trails. The staff were all incredible, friendly and very communicative. The laundry service was unexpected and greatly appreciated. We wished we would have booked longer.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

For the peaceful adventurer

You are IN the jungle. Loved the seclusion, path to the beach, daily laundry service (!!!), comfy beds, views, sounds, outdoor shower, recycled art, fans helped keep the mosquitoes at bay, ac was a lovely bonus… I could go on and on. Somehow it’s even better than the pictures. 10/10
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Second visit! I’m sure there will be a Third!

We love the outside sitting area, having coffee with the monkeys was a highlight! The rooms have everything you need including the kitchen! The staff was amazing, attentive to every need. Full size frig was perfect for our fruit and beverages. Love the blender and used the panini press for avocado toast. It was perfect. The walk to the beach is easy. Definitely felt secluded even though there are other units! We will be back! Definitely worth the drive! Small beach chairs we could carry to the beach! We used the noodles!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

River dream house

Beautiful location. We loved everything about it, except there is no hot water for showers that wasn’t mentioned and the place needs a new refrigerator as it hardly kept drinks cold nor ice frozen. As far as cleanliness, ambience, decorating, the entire ecovillage is amazing. Other than the air co ditioned rooms you are living outside which we loved! We only stayed in the air conditioned room one night because it was so comfortable sleeping in the bed with the mosquito netting. And there were no mosquitoes at all, anywhere!!
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Oct 6, 2023
Hi Steve! Thank you for choosing Congo Bongo EcoVillages and for the kind words about our property. We are so happy that you enjoyed the nature and environment that we work so hard to protect so people can continue to enjoy. All of our houses are equipped with hot water, and if there was an issue we would have been glad to fix it but we were never notified. Again, thank you for letting us know the areas where we can improve so we can keep providing excellent service to all our guests. Safe travels!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

The perfect Costa Rican eco-experience

This was our second time staying at the River Dream House and we enjoyed it just as much, if not more, the second time. I think it helped us to relax a bit knowing what to expect, this definitely isn't a resort atmosphere with pools and swim-up bars, which is exactly what we love about spending a portion of our trip here. We love that the River Dream House has the gorgeous open living area upstairs, and has the 2 bedrooms with AC for more comfortable nights. The property and walk to the beach are gorgeous, and we love walking to Manzanillo for food. Manzanillo is the end of the road in the Caribe Sur region and we love the vibes of the area. We plan to always include a stay at the Congo Bongo River Dream House when we visit Costa Rica. Thanks for adding so much to our experience visiting Costa Rica! We initially wanted to try a different house at the Congo Bongo, but we are wimps and strongly prefer having AC in at least 2 rooms so we can sleep and dry out a bit. Not really something to improve per se, but if there were other options with multiple rooms with AC we would welcome trying another house, though we really love the River Dream House.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Highly recommend!

So glad we stayed here. The house is beautiful, the location is perfect. Walking through the jungle to come out to a deserted beach each morning was amazing. Everyone was very nice and helpful from doing our laundry to arranging a last minute jungle hike. About a 15 minute walk into the small town of Manzanillo. Congo Bongo is by far the best place to stay!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

We had an amazing time

Warm welcome from Marisol. House very clean. Perfect location in the jungle. Monkeys, Aras and Sloths directly at our house. Wonderful way to the beach. Nothing
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Precioso!

Las casas rodeadas de naturaleza. Me encanta cómo sus dueños respetan y armonizan con la naturaleza. Es un lugar para desconectarse de lo negativo, se respira mucha paz y armonía.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Phenomenal Place

The grounds of this place are pure magic. It was stunningly beautiful, and gave you a true sense of the Costa Rican jungle. We loved it! Not a thing.
Response from VrboOwner on May 25, 2022
Hi Juliet, greetings againg from Costa Rica, thank you so much for your feedback we are very happy to know how much you like Congo Bongo. We would love to have you back on your next visit to Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Amazing experience

My 4 best friends and I stayed in the River Dream House for 4 nights. We had an incredible time! Big thank you to Ernesto and Marisol for welcoming us to property and assisting when needed. Laundry is included as well as all things necessary to cook. Woken up by monkeys every morning and a quick walk to a beautiful quiet beach. We would definitely return to Congo Bongo Bug nets over all the beds
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Welcome to the jungle....

Very nice house on the property of Congo Bongo with nice terraces to spend the evenings outside which we really enjoyed. Everything was clean and the beach, which is about 500m away from the property very nice and great to relax and not crowded at all. The surroundings and garden were also in good shape and it is just a short drive / bike tour to Puerto Viejo... Great stay and very recommendable !
Archival

10/10 Excellent

A week for 6 yrs. with a group

My wife & I have stayed w/students at Congo Bongo one week for the past 6 years. For us it is the perfect place--walking distance from town, easy access to a beautiful beach, in the jungle, custom built cottages with mini kitchens, porches and patios, flower-filled garden/grounds, complete privacy, personal/profession service. Daan will help you with any problem/need. There are many fine hotel in the area, but for us Congo Bongo is more than special. For us and our student staying there is alway a highlight of our time on the Caribbean coast. Dan and Rose Fairleigh Dickinson U. Madison, NJ
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Total freedom, total adventure!

We'd never been to Costa Rica before but had heard many wonderful things. We chose the Caribbean coast for the laid-back vibe & multicultural food, and it was a great choice. Daan is very helpful, and the caretakers live in a house nearby and they were great as well. They brought us another tank of water before we even asked! We stayed in the Long House. The house is beautiful and clean and even more spacious than it looks. If you go, be prepared for dragonflies or lizards to be on your walls. We thought that was a cool bonus. We sat on the hammocks and watched hummingbirds and listened to the howlers.We had grandparents and a toddler and young adults in our party, and everyone had a great time. Don't rent a car, because the roads are really bumpy and most people drive like a New York taxi driver! You should rent a bike in Puerto Viejo or Manzanillo, or ask Daan to call a taxi for you, or you can walk to Manzanillo too. But you don't need to go anywhere, because the beach and the jungle are beautiful. Only other piece of advice? Bring a good flashlight because it gets dark early, and there are no streetlights - only beautiful bright stars...
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Loved it once again!

Just returned from our 9 day stay at Congo Bongo's Root House. We have a 5 year old and 1 year old. Daan has made the homes very comfortable and equipped them with everything you need. Plenty of fresh, clean towels, cooking utensils, hot shower, comfortable beds. We have now stayed there twice and it is perfect for kids as well as adults. You can lounge at the house and feel completely isolated in the jungle and feel very safe. From the wrap around porch you can sit and observe humming birds, howler monkeys, lizards, parrots & much more. Walking down the pathway Daan has built to he beach is an adventure in itself. Once you arrive at the beach- it is heaven: warm blue waters and soft sand. Back from the beach, the charming outdoor shower refreshes or a hot indoor shower hits the spot. Just a short distance away are great places to eat & explore other amazing beaches- such as our favorite- Punta Uva. We hope to return again very soon. It is a true jungle vacation with the bonus of being on the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Paradise

Congo-Bongo is the place to go if you want to change the way you view your life. The houses are located among beautiful gardens just a short stroll to the beach. On the beach you will find yourself quite often the only person there. The sand and waters are the most beautiful I have seen anywhere. The owner of Congo-Bongo will help you find whatever you may be looking for in the area. The small town is filled with very friendly people and lots of music and food. I highly recommend Congo-Bongo for your escape to Paradise.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Magic Jungle Hideout

Hey, if you like to experience the good vibes of the caribbean jungle in Costa Rica and value the tranquility of a secluded place to be, here is a great option. Just don't tell it to too many people!
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