Guest comments::
Looking forward to a much needed R&R, I found Bella Sirena on the Internet and booked 2 weeks. The pictures were beautiful but pale considerably with the real thing!
The house was FANTASTIC!!! Plenty of room and drop-dead gorgeous, my wife's vocabulary was reduced to a single syllable, 'WOW', which she repeated for 2 days. The boys were just giddy when they saw a three-toed sloth climbing a tree less than 20' from the house. After following the path to the beach, which in itself is wonderful treat for any nature lover and photographer, we stepped out of the jungle and my wife promptly started repeating 'the word of the week.' The beach made us feel that we were the only souls around for miles, almost our own private beach! The caretaker, Bibo, was more than helpful and arranged almost all of our excursions for us; zip-lining, dolphin spotting, resturants, and even gave us a tour to Bocas del Toros, Panama. want to thank you Mary, and Bibo, for making my vacation a wonderful break.
More guest comments::
Each day while enjoying early morning coffee on the upstairs deck, we watched howler monkeys swing through the trees and flocks of parrots fly over. From the downstairs living area, we had close-up views of hummingbirds, our first ever sighting of chestnut-colored woodpecker (spotted by one of my granddaughters) in the banana tree at the bottom of the
steps, and scarlet-rumped tanagers, among many others.
Preparing meals or washing dishes in such surroundings was pure pleasure. A sloth hung out in a cecropia tree along the path to the beach. The close-in reefs in nearby Manzanillo drew us back each day for snorkeling; even the 5-year-old donned her mask to enjoy the fish in tide pools. The water was calm and clear in June, tropical fish abundant and the coral amazing.
Ceiling fans kept the bedrooms cool at night, and we draped the beds with the mosquito netting more for the romance of it than necessity, because the bedrooms are screened.
more guest comments:
A group of us spent a week at La Bella Sirena in January and loved it! The incredible natural beauty of Costa Rica was perfectly enhanced by our comfortable and elegant lodgings. We had everything we needed and then some, yet we never felt out of place in the wildness of the rainforest. Howler monkeys, sloths, toucans - they're all right there in the yard. The nearby communities of Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo are both welcoming and relaxed, offering anything a traveler might need: restaurants, markets, shops, and gorgeous Caribbean beaches! We enjoyed the great restaurants, and also had a fabulous time cooking in the all-inclusive kitchen. For a little extra fun we created a different 'drink of the day' every day to take advantage of the abundance of exotic fruits (and tasty Costa Rican rum). We slept soundly in the comfortable bug-free bedrooms, the gentle sounds of the rainforest providing a relaxing sonic background. I can't think of a better way to have had our first Costa Rican
Guest Book:
We loved, loved, loved everything about our week's stay at Bella Sirena. The setting was amazing--howler monkeys waking us up in the morning and parrots coming in later in the day. Toucans, over 50 species of birds seen--completely amazing. The caretaker was friendly, helpful, warm, and welcoming. The setting was perfect. We definitely would go back.
Yvonne Perret, Cumberland, MD
We had an AMAZING time! I can't even begin to say thank you for renting us that absolute paradise property. The house took our breath away as soon as we stepped out of the car. It was quite dark and the porch was lit up just like in the photos we'd seen The grounds keeper was great! He arranged tours for the other couple we were staying with and was always able to answer any questions we had for him. I also wanted to mention that we had the housekeeper cook for us one night (on the suggestion of the greeting card on the coffee table)
and we were thrilled with the meal.
Other Activities:
Shopping, Kayaking, Boating, Wildlife viewing