Las Olas Beach House

My family just spent 6 amazing days at Las Olas Beach House. The house is located in one of the most beautiful places in the world - just steps to the beach, surrounded by tress filled with monkeys and scarlet macaws. The property is beautiful and well kept. Our 3 kids loved playing on the swings and zipline as well as using the pingpong table and basketball hoop. We turned off electronics and watched our family relax into the jungle rhythm - waking up with the howler monkeys first thing in the morning and going to bed shortly after it got dark at night. We ran around barefoot most of the time. The house is open air so you can hear the roar of the ocean, the sounds of the jungle and the tropical rain as you fall asleep. There are mosquito nets on the beds and small fans to blow the bugs away. We found the house, beds, kitchen and bathrooms to be clean and comfortable. This is not like staying at a hotel - no air conditioning and the lights are slightly dim but it is charming and if you are looking for an amazing experience in nature you will love this place. We are not surfers but we loved watching the awesome surfers catching waves in the afternoon as the sun set. The road to Matapalo is rough compared to what we are used to - narrow, lots of pot holes, small rivers to cross...I found this to be part of the charm and adventure but it's hard if you want to go back and forth to Puerto Jimenez a lot. If you plan to stay around Matapalo you will be fine. There are several beaches and hiking trails within walking distance to the house. We drove to a couple of local restaurants for dinner and had food delivered one night. Andy was a great host - he lives on the property and was available to help us when needed. The house is situated in a way that feels very private but it was reassuring knowing that Andy was close if we needed anything. He had great recommendations for local tours and guides. Be sure to take his tree climbing or waterfall repelling tour - you won't be disappointed!

This stay was a disappointment and a hassle from the beginning. The 2 stars are for location and the building itself. The low rating overall is due to poor upkeep, lack of cleanliness, and owner's lack of willingness to compromise.

When we arrived, we learned that Andy was away for several weeks. He had not mentioned to us that he wouldn't be there. Two friends were housesitting for him. One of them pointed us to our cabin. He didn't give us any explanation as to how anything worked, and didn't indicate where we could find him if we needed anything.

Shortly after we arrived the sun set. There was one dim, flickering fluorescent bulb to light the kitchen area. We could barely see as we tried to cook our dinner. We discovered that the small stove was hooked to a propane tank with a kinked hose, and that if you unkinked the hose propane leaked out. The ignitor on the stove didn't work. We looked around and found a cigarette lighter, which also didn't work, and a soggy box of matches. Luckily we had a waterproof box of matches with us. I took a cup down from the shelf to get a drink of water, and discovered that the cup was caked with dirt inside and out. I sat in a rocking chair and fell through it, bruising my tailbone. Mice in the cupboards ate our food every night. The compost was an open bucket that smelled in the heat. All of the dishes are worn plastic. The few pots and pans are super scratched. There are not sufficient cooking implements, and no food storage containers to organize the chest freezer being used as a refrigerator.

The VRBO listing advertises a BBQ, so in the morning we found the housesitters and asked them where it was. They wheeled over a rusty old BBQ literally falling apart (one leg falling off bc of a rusted screw). They said we would have to use the propane tank from the stove to use the BBQ, which makes no sense because we would have had to unkink the leaky hose to do so.

This was just the beginning of the hassles we experienced. Not enough characters to list them all. We were prepaid for 2 weeks. On day 2 we reached out to Andy and politely explained that the property was not quite what we expected, and that we would prefer to spend our vacation elsewhere. We suggested a compromise: that we would stay for the first week, and ask for a refund for the second. He replied but never acknowledged our actual request. We're creative, and good campers, and we made it work. But it was certainly challenging.

We had a terrific stay at Las Olas beach house. It's very comfortable and relaxing. The owner, Andy, is extremely hospitable and friendly. He's got lots of fun activities available on his property, including a huge swing, a zip line, and a basketball hoop. You can also rent surf boards from him. The beach is gorgeous, though the surf is rough for all but advanced swimmers/surfers most of the time. There are other great beaches within walking distance. There is lots of wildlife right on the property, and Andy's jungle adventure tours are spectacular.

My family just spent 3 weeks at Las Olas Beach House. We had a amazing stay. The place was exactly how the pictures look except for a new additional deck with table and chairs and a huge sun canvas that gave us shade throughout the day. The house is very kid friendly. We had our 16 month old cruising around the whole time and she loved it. The swimming in front of the house is pretty rough from the surf however there are these amazing tide pools at low tide that our daughter swam and played in everyday. The oceanfront zone in front of the house is the perfect spot to chill out in one of the many hammocks and chairs. The surfing around this area in Matapalo is amazing. The wildlife is too. Scarlet Macaws and monkeys often visited us on the property. The kitchen is equipped with most everything you would need. We loaded up in Puerto Jiminez on food and had a taxi bring us out. Andy is next door to help out with anything you would need. He is a really fun energetic guy with almost 20 years of experience living in the area. He is kind of like the Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) of Matapalo in regards to his passion for animals. We really enjoyed Andy and the house. I am sure we will be back to the Las Olas Beach House.

Our family spent awesome 5 nights here, (kids 8 & 11). Beaches were beautiful and fun, great access from house. Animals were absolutely amazing! We loved the tree climbing excursion, as well as giant swing, outdoor ping pong and exploring waterfalls. Open-air showers, new large deck and comfortable layout were fantastic!