Sitting on 2 Acres with Incredible Ocean View

Just stayed at Vila Buena Vista and the house was fantastic - Our group consisted of 3 adults and 3 children and we had lots of room and privacy for everyone. The views are amazing and several beaches are within walking distance.

Ernesto and Anna Marie were great and so nice. Jorge was helpful in meeting us and they couldn't have been nicer. We enjoyed all of the dogs as well. We didn't want to leave at the end of the trip. Costa Rica is a great place to visit.

The bedroom downstairs was almost like a separate apartment which is great when traveling with a group - although the house is great we were rarely inside - we spent most of the time on the deck or by the pool enjoying the weather and all the birds that would flock to the yard every evening.

We (family of 5 w/teenage/college-age kids) spent a wonderful week at this lovely property, enjoying the beautiful beach and exploring the Guanacaste region. House is immaculate, and the staff and property manager are exceptionally welcoming, helpful and kind. Ocean views from the terrace are spectacular -- sunset with a glass of wine or the local beer was a daily treat. If you like dogs, the resident canines are so cute and really added to the fun. The owner provided wonderful recommendations for restaurants (don't miss Las Brisas beach bar for ceviche and fresh fish, and "killer margaritas") and activities, and the property manager assisted us with everything from tour bookings to rental car reservations. We tried zip lining, surfing lessons, ATV tour, all within 45 minutes of the house. Do keep in mind that the main living area (living room, kitchen, dining room) is not air-conditioned, and it does get very hot during the day. This bothered some of us more than others, and an afternoon nap in the air-conditioned bedrooms isn't a bad way to spend the hottest couple of hours (1-3 pm). A rental car is essential for getting around.

This was a perfect balance between being located near restaurants and stores and not being in traffic. Adding to that was the beautiful view, well outfitted house and the immaculate grounds. I went there with some old college friends and everything was better than advertised. Plenty of room and everything worked. The property manager, grounds keeper, and housekeeper were great. They were there when you needed them and not when you didn't. Jorge, the property manager, was friendly and very informative - a highly underused resource. Ernesto, the grounds keeper, tolerated my attempts at his language but was still able to provide the services as requested. Anna Marie, the housekeeper, was always charming and very industrious. Kanga, Misty, Skye, and Jack, the dogs, were a special treat. Hint: Don't take the dogs to the beach unless you intend to walk on the beach. I walked down to the beach with three of them on leashes just to take a look at the surroundings. When I turned to walk back to the house without going onto the beach, the three dogs turned to stone and wouldn't budge until we took the walk ON the beach. They were smarter than me. The house and very large yard was enclosed by a high fence. Ernesto and Anna Marie were always around so locking the door to the house didn't seem necessary.
A few items that were noticeable but not necessarily detractors: The Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs were going to fight over this land but they saw the TV at this house and left. Big enough but ancient. Hey - who comes to Costa Rica to watch TV. Plenty of channels and DVDs to watch if needed. The provided Wifi was quick and continuous.
The house is located on a dirt road, like 80% of the houses here. Fortunately, Ernesto was available to wash the car as needed.
There were the obligatory tropical critters that were more vocal than visible.
Bring your Spanish/English dictionary. While many of the locals speak some English, many in this area don't and you can't survive without a number of basic phrases and the ability to understand the responses to those phrases. To me, this added to the local color. I learned the word "despacio" which means slow.
We flew into San Jose and drove from there. Do yourself a favor and fly into Liberia. The added expense to fly to Liberia is worth it. The drive from San Jose was 6.5 hours. Liberia is about 1 hour. The drive back was only 4 hours because we drove at night when the radar carrying police were in bed.