Our family stayed at Villa La Colina for 9 nights in Dec. We absolutely loved it and are already planning to go back next year. It is conveniently located near playa Ocotal and a short jaunt from the town of Coco, where you will find plenty of amenities (groceries, restaurants, yoga studios, dive shops, bars, banks, etc). Playa Ocotal is the nicer of the two beaches...clean, sheltered, tidal pools for the kids, and has a great beach front restaurant--Papa Roosters where you can sip drinks in hammocks.
We had a rental car but there are lots of taxis in Coco. Without a car, you can walk to playa Ocotal in 10 min but Coco a little further. My sister and her kids often biked to visit from Coco. There were also bike rentals in town.
The condo at La Colina is located in the hills, with the most spectacular view. For this reason, it is peaceful and quiet. My sister lives closer to town and has to put up with constant noise (roosters, dogs, firecrackers). Not so with this property. We enjoyed quiet nights and peaceful mornings watching the sun rise. With 2 kids, we also appreciated having a pool on site, with beautifully landscaped gardens and plenty of lounge chairs.
Inside the condo it was meticulously clean and tastefully decorated with all the amenities you would require. We especially appreciated the washing machine as we have a baby. Sleeping is comfortable. We didn't use the air conditioning at night but nice to know it's there if you need it...I think it gets much hotter in March, April. We had the good fortune of having perfect weather so we rarely stayed in, but the television, DVD player, and WiFi are big bonuses.
Lastly, the condo had a friendly and amenable staff who make guests feel safe and secure. There is always someone on duty. We had the misfortune of losing luggage, and they were very helpful coordinating the delivery of our bag from the airport.
A big thank you to our host, Steven. Everything was perfect. Great communication and we felt well prepared without the least apprehension. Can't wait for next year!