Villa Aurelia 3 BR -Ocean View Villa W/ Private Pool-

The house itself is very clean and comfortable. Three bedrooms each with full baths. The pool was a comfortable temperature and well kept. The pool deck was pretty but not equipped for larger groups of 6-8 people. Plenty of seats but only 2 reclining lounge chairs. The outdoor shower is a nice plus. The house is very close to the beautiful Playa Hermosa beach and many restaurants but agree that the hill to the property is quite steep for children, elderly and those not in shape. There is no caretaker on site anymore but really don't need one as the house manager is only a text away. While you can see the ocean and the sunsets, the foliage in front of the pool is beginning to block the view from the first level. Saw birds, iguanas and bats but no monkeys near the property. Costa Rica Guanacaste area is a very safe place to visit . Favorite restaurants Ginger, Abbocato, The Lookout and La Casita Del Marisco. A safe and upgraded router for wifi so you can use it on both levels would be helpful.

This is the perfect vacation home! This house is large with plenty of room to spread out (or hide from the kids when you need a breather). The pool is fantastic and very well kept. We spent many hours cooling off in the heat of the day. The ocean view from the pool deck is absolutely gorgeous and only topped by the view from the 2 second story patios, one off the master suite and the other at the top of the magnificent stairway. This house is built for entertaining, with large sets of French doors opening to the pool and patio with 2 grills for that necessary grilled meal. The bedrooms are very spacious with sheets so soft you will be tempted to wear them. The management company is like having your own concierge service and some of the most kind people I have ever met. We look forward to staying here again soon, maybe for an extended period. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PROPERTY TO ANYONE WHO ENJOYS LUXURY LIVING.

Great view! Nice large showers and comfy beds. The kitchen had everything you could possibly need. We enjoyed the hike up to the house from the beach but would not be good for anyone with difficulties walking up or down a steep stone covered hill.

My family and I had a great time at Villa Aurelia. The home is beautiful, the kitchen is great, and we all loved the pool. We spent our mornings at the beach and the afternoons at the pool - can't ask for a better vacation. The property managers were also great in helping us arrange for a personal chef to come to the house (who was wonderful!), book excursions, book our rental car and just navigate around the city. But there were a couple of things I wish we had known before we arrived. The home sits on a hill, which allows for a great view of Playa Hermosa. But the drive up to the house isn't ideal. Only the part right by the house is paved, and the rest is a steep, uneven dirt road. A rental car is a must, and you won't really be able to walk anywhere from the house because of the hill. Especially if you have young children, like we did. The other item we wished we had known about was the water. We were told about two days before our trip that there were severe water restrictions in place, but they shouldn't impact our vacation as long as we limited the length of our showers. Not a big deal. When we arrived the water tank was about 1/3 full, which was enough to last us a few days. But because of the above mentioned road, the water truck didn't fill the tank on Monday like they were supposed to. We went a day and a half without running water at the house, which was frustrating. The property managers were very helpful in fixing the pipe down to the road and getting trucks to come out as quickly as the could to refill the tank. Hopefully the pipe they installed prevents this from happening to anyone else, but just wanted to share our experience. And although it was frustrating, we still had a wonderful vacation.

The home is beautiful and very spacious for two families.

However, upon check-in things did not go well

and continued downhill for 4 of our 6 day stay. Less than ideal. The key lock to the front odor was finicky and did not consistently lock and unlock. The management company was quick to respond by providing us a manual key. Upon entering the home, it was quite stuffy and hot. One of the two upstairs bedrooms did not have a working AC. We were only advised that we had to only raise the thermostat one degree at a time until it reached a certain temperature or the pipes would freeze. We were not told this until after two days of deliberating with the unit and being without a functioning unit for 24-hours. In addition,The first floor bedroom did not have an AC unit and the main room AC return is non-functioning, According to the electrician that came to asses the situation after 2-days. My 15 year old daughter and I slept in the first floor bedroom which is off of the dining room, kitchen and living room. It was quite uncomfortable as we had to sleep with the door ajar to allow for air circulation. We slept almost dressed as we did not want the rest of our party to see us in pj's. Not to mention we could not go to sleep until our group retired for the evening due to noise levels. There is a ceiling fan in the room, however be advised that it rattles too loudly for restful sleep.

The culminating event for us was arriving at the rental, after one day of beach time, to a home without running water. We spent the next 36 hours running back and forth to the grocery store to buy potable drinking water to wash dishes by hand and for drinking. We utilized buckets to fill with pool water to flush the toilets. We were unable to shower for two days. Not to mention this was supposed to be our yearly vacation with our dear Tico college friends! The management company did absolutely everything possible however they did advise us that Playa Hemrosa was in a critical water shortage situation and had been for a few weeks. We should have been advised to rent and travel at our own risk. To date, we are still in constant communication with the owner to reimburse our stay for the length of time we where without water, for reimbursement of our potable water and eating out expenses. We have been unsuccessful at arriving at a mutual agreement. Lastly, the unit is advertised as ocean view, however a new development is in progress which blocks the "potential" ocean view