Casa Candelitas is unlike any other house we have ever rented in Costa Rica. It is "quirky", unique, fun, and incredibly relaxing. It was a little bit of a stretch for us (2 middle-aged couples) to acclimate to the layout and features of the house, at first. But once we let ourselves "be in the moment" at Casa Candelitas - it turned out to a be a wonderful experience for all 4 of us.
The front of the living room opens up to the pool, and the four concrete seats that sit right at the edge of the pool. You literally step from the living room into the pool. And from the main master bedroom, as well.
The infinity pool was incredibly relaxing and refreshing and we congregated around it frequently. Morning, afternoon, and evening.
The "quirks" that we had to get used to:
1) There are no screens in the bedrooms - so you can't leave the windows open at night. But the AC worked really well. On the other hand, the entire front of the main bedroom is glass, and the sliding door telescopes in 3 sections to reveal the pool, forest, and Pacific Ocean far below.
2) We had NO trouble with bugs, even with the lights on and the 4-panel living room slider open in the evening. We were there in March - flying insects might be more of an issue earlier in the season. I don't think any of us got a mosquito bite the entire time. A hummingbird flew into the main bedroom, but we managed to usher it back out.
3) The walled outdoor showers are truly outdoors, and there can be some privacy issues through certain sight lines. We blocked those with towels or paper taped on windows. There is hot water, ya just gotta wait a little for the on-demand system to deliver it. Admittedly, the outdoor showers were refreshing and kinda relaxing and natural, but took some getting used to.
The view from the rooftop yoga hut, and the patios is astounding, all the way around. And we saw lots of wildlife, rather close-up. A troop of Howlers came through one day, for an hour-long exhibition. Birding was good: Trogans, Mot-Mots, Cuckoos, Kiskadees, Huffman's and Lineated woodpeckers, warblers, euphonia, hawks... Toads and frogs visited the pool in the evening. We saw a Coati, too.
We had a great, relaxing time. We would certainly come back to Casa Candelitas. Louise was great - very friendly and helpful. Deanne is very responsive. Samara is a wonderful, cozy, comfortable town, lots of Vegan options. Don't miss Playa Carillo, a shaded swimming beach..