Now with internet access!
You'll want to look at our web site for a more complete description and so many more pictures: the link is below. Meanwhile, here is a brief look at Villa Helena.
Villa Helena, a privacy-lover's dream home, is nestled on a lush hillside just a half mile inland and 1000 feet above the Pacific Ocean in the midst of amazing jungle wildlife: birds of every size and description, wandering troupes of howler and white faced monkeys, three toed sloths, brilliantly colored tree frogs, and a great variety of tropical butterflies.
This unique one bedroom home has over a thousand square feet of tropical luxury and features an tall and airy vaulted ceiling, terra cotta floor tiles, Costa Rican Indian artwork, the rich and brilliant textiles and crafts of nearby Guatemala and Panama, and locally crafted furniture and fixtures.
Just minutes from the villages of Dominical and Uvita are several lovely, nearly deserted beaches. Villa Helena offers the best of all worlds. Stay at home to enjoy the gardens which are full of fruit trees, flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies, walk through the forest alongside the creek, laze by the pool on one of two terraces, and cook to your heart's content in the fully-equipped kitchen. You might even arrange a private massage on the balcony: birdwatch at the same time!
Villa Helena is a bird-lover's paradise and not just in our gardens. The incredible nature reserve, Hacienda Baru, is just 15 minutes away and has a bird list of over 350 species. Of course, our home isn't anywhere near the size of Hacienda Baru which stretches from the sea to the mountains. We haven't had a formal survey done but we have seen over 125 types of birds from the balcony while casually birding. Hacienda Baru and other local reserves have many wonderful guided tours available.
Or you might choose to wander into one of the nearby towns to one of the great restaurants, do some craft shopping or stock up on locally caught fish and locally harvested tropical fruit. The beaches and beach activities are plentiful and uncrowded. Take a guided walk through one of the nearby private nature reserves, visit the stunning 215 foot tall Nauyaca Waterfalls by way of horseback, venture out to Caño Island for snorkeling or out for deep sea or inshore fishing. If you are an avid hiker you can take a trip through the mountain trails to one of two great waterfalls and swimming holes. It's always fun to drop into Dominical and watch the surfers: heck, you can take a lesson right there!
In this nook of Costa Rica, the temperatures are usually in the low 80s during the day and around 70 at night. The hillside location lets us take advantage of the gentle breezes which make Villa Helena so comfortable. While we love playing at the beach every day, we also love to come back to our cool paradise!
WHY CHOOSE VILLA HELENA OVER OTHER SIMILARLY SIZED HOMES IN THE AREA?? There are lots of choices in the area for places to rent but none of them has all the things that Villa Helena has to offer. The 'beachside' places are all crowded in with other rental units so you have no privacy and much of the wildlife is scared away. By law, nothing can be built right on the beaches so there is still a walk to the ocean and once you get there, these places almost always have rocky shores where it is is difficult to get into the water! There isn't much air circulation and with the nearby standing water, there are lots of bugs and humidity. We rarely even seen a mosquito up at Villa Helena. Also, almost all of the waterfront places are just feet off the main, noisy highway and the places have varying degrees of success with dealing with that noise. Up in our area or in other places above the coast, most of the houses are built right on the road so you contend with periodic car noises and the noise of people chatting while they walk by. Our driveway drops you well away from the road into privacy so complete, you could sunbathe or swim nude and not have any worries. We know of no other rental home that includes a seasonal stream through the property which further enhances the ambiance for both you, the guest, and provides another habitat for the birds and other wildlife. We regularly have a dunk into one of the little natural pools in the clear stream.
Keywords: Villa, Home, View, Pool, Garden, Private, Internet, Privacy, tropical, paradise, private, bird watching, monkeys close at hand
