Villa Playa Vista@Canto Del Mar Private Pool - Surf/Ocean View 2 Master Bedrooms

My husband and I (in our 40's) and my in-laws (in their 80's) stayed at Villa Playa Vista for 6 days and loved it. This was my husband's and my second time staying in this villa as we loved the views so much the first time, we had to come back for more. A typical day was waking to the sounds of the ocean early in the morning and then going for a walk up the jungle road to see if the white-faced monkeys were out (saw them most days). We also looked for sloths and toucans. We would then head back to the villa for breakfast with wonderful Costa Rican coffee and fresh fruit. If we didn't have an excursion planned, we'd sit on the patio with the view of Playa Dominicalito (bring your binoculars) and sip on margaritas or take a dip in the pool. There are so many wonderful restaurants in the area, we only ate in a couple of times (would buy fish at La Marcha just up the road). Domilocos, Azul, Jolly Roger's and Chappy's are some places we ate. There are wonderful beaches for walking (Playa Baru is our favourite) and plenty of activities. Manuel Antonio Park makes for a great day trip. We didn't get out to Corcovado this time around, but had found it an interesting tour the last time we were here.

The house is clean, air conditioned with a fully functioning kitchen with access to the patio. This is a great place for both couples and families (especially with each bedroom having its own bathroom). The hills are quite steep, so we didn't walk around too much (except on the roads behind the villa and on the beaches). We would recommend taking in the view from Azul (Dave gave us great directions as it's not that well marked from the main road). The people were extremely friendly everywhere we went and we've always found this area very safe and comfortable. One day, we had stopped at an artisan's stand on the mountain road near Perez Zeledon (about 10 minutes from Dominical) when our truck wouldn't start back up. The artisan, Francisco was amazingly helpful. He and his wife, Carmen, and daughter, Maria Del Mar, were very hospitable offering us coffee and shade while we waited for our truck to get fixed. His place is on the right-hand side of the road if driving to San Isidro and he has some great pieces at reasonable prices. Muchos gracias!

My wife and I spent an amazing 10 days in Costa Rica with our daughter during her Christmas university break. We flew from Ottawa via Newark on Continental Airlines and arrived San Jose/Alajuela at noon on 20 Dec. After checking into a local hotel for the night, we took our rented Toyota Rav 4 for a tour the Doka Estates Coffee Plantation. The next day we had a great tour of the Poas Volcano before heading to Dominical and Canto Del Mar (we left our luggage at our hotel during the tours; don't leave any personal items in your rental car, unless someone stays in the car with them). Using the Toucan map of CR we bought at the hotel and our Garmin GPS (with EZfind map we bought on-line) we never got lost. The roads in the Alajuela area and to the tour sites are decent, with some pot holes you need to be careful of.
The drive to Dominical was smooth and took about 3 1/2 hours. We stopped in Jaco for a few groceries (I stayed in car), but you can get pretty much everything you will need in Uvita, a short drive south of Canto del Mar.
Dave and Deb's villa was just perfect, and the view of the Pacific was out of this world. The pool was a great place to cool down after a hot day at the beach; Playa Hermosa and Playa Ventanas were our favourites. Dave was a great host in helping us organize our reservations for the zip-line tour at Hacienda Baru, the horseback ride to Nauyaca Waterfalls, a tour of the Manual Antonio Park and a kayak tour of the Damas mangrove. When you add in the great beach time our vacation went by way to fast!
We had rain every night, generally just after sunset at 6 pm. We lost power a couple of times but not for long periods of time. We had a sloth visit us that was perched high up on the top of a tree; he seemed to be enjoying the view of the ocean just as much as we were. The occasional Toucan flew by as well.
If you are planning a trip to CR and you're not looking for a "resort experience", look no further. Villa Playa Vista is in a great location, an easy drive to the beaches or any of the many available activities. You of course could also walk to Playa Dominicalito or to the Poza Azul waterfall.
We left the villa on 29 Dec and stayed at La Riviera Hotel. The directions given by Dave were almost perfect. We had to rely on our GPS to make the proper turn off the main road to the Marriott Hotel.
We'll be back, Dave. You have a wonderful property. Thanks for all your help with our first Costa Rican vacation!

We (my husband and me) stayed in Villa Playa Vista for a week in January and the property was everything we dreamed it would be and more.
The location and accessibility are as described in the listing. We drove a 4x4 rental from San Jose on good roads and made it in about 3 hours. The pictures in the listing are accurate but in reality the views are the best. What a great place, the villa is very comfortable, open and large; it is much bigger than the pictures show. This place is the most beautiful, peaceful place we have ever been. The patio and pool area is the perfect place to relax and enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean. We highly recommend this place for a couple or two couples of friends who want to get away. The way the villa is thought out is perfect as it allows everyone to be together and also gives everyone privacy of their own rooms and balconies.
Dave and Debbie were there to answer any questions we had and offer up great recommendations. Best hosts ever! They welcomed us and provided excellent information regarding the activities and navigation of the area.
If you are interested in the Dominical general area - we highly recommend this property and working with Dave and Debbie. You will be delighted! Don't miss the sunset from the veranda! Watch for monkeys and all the colourful birds in the morning! We had a wonderful, relaxed family vacation. It was a great way to start the New Year together in paradise at Villa Playa Vista! Thanks Dave and Debbie! Best wishes in 2011! Pura Vida!