13 Reviews of Property 213764 in Mal Pais, Costa Rica

J'y vais et j'y retourne. Impossible de se passer de l'Hacienda Pacacua quand on y a gouté ! J'aime tellement cet endroit que j'y ai emmené mes parents. Maintenant je peux dire qu'à tous les âges c'est un rêve. Mon fils de 5 ans adore, mes filles adolescentes adorent, mes parents (plus tous jeunes) sont tombés sous le charme de cette maison et de la paix merveilleuse qui s'en dégage. L'accueil est toujours attentif et chaleureux, la vie de Mal Pais est suffisamment près pour en profiter vraiment et suffisamment loin pour ne pas en subir le bruit et l'agitation.
Bref, c'est mon paradis...

We had an incredible stay at this fabulous house overlooking the pacific ocean. The house is spacious and delightful. I loved the decoration. The spot and the view are unique. No vis_a-vis. Just the green blue hills and the ocean. We really enjoye the privacy especially in the pool from which all we could see was nature. At night we heard the monkeys and being remote from the night life allowed us to enjoy the silence or the noises of birds and wildlife. The master suite is bigger than my first studio apartment. The two bedrooms downstairs are comfortable and super clean with their en suite bathrooms. I enjoyed the outside and the inside living areas. We had a lovely house cleaner who offered to do laundry. Not far from the beach not the numerous activities rhe region has to offer A heaven vacation.

We are in our late 50s and Villa Estralla surpassed our expectations! The upstairs master suite was the most memorable bedroom we've ever experienced. It was like sleeping in the jungle because of the melodic noises, but Tarzan never had such luxury. The downstairs bedrooms were perfect for sons in their 20s; we all had privacy. The kitchen was well designed and the pool adjacent to the outdoor living area provided a perfect complement to the busy, dusty town and bumpy roads. There was even maid service every other day! Villa Estalla was an ideal place to return to after great days of surfing at Mal Pais, which was a 10 minute drive away. We were sad to leave this great house after eight memorable days

Stephanie was responsive with our pre-visit planning questions and George was accessible and extremely helpful once we arrived. There is nothing we would change about this place.

Our family of 5 (3 young adult kids) spent Christmas week here. It was PERFECT. Really.

The location is simply incredible and remote. If you want to "get away" this is the place to do it. George and Stephanie were a fabulous resource. Made reservations for us at two amazing restaurants for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. They also made arrangements for deep sea fishing, zip lining, horseback riding and surfing lessons.

The villa itself is incredible. Three private bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The pool was perfect for cooling off in. We were awakened by howler monkeys every morning.....which prompted me to get up and look for birds (lots) and other wildlife. Even saw a deer one early morning!

You will need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Driving to and from town/beach is over pretty rough dirt roads. We ended up spending most of our time at the villa---no need to be anywhere else!

No television. Minimal internet. Great opportunity to just chill, relax and spend quality time with our family.

We stayed at the Villa in November with our 11 and 9 year old sons. It is a beautiful oasis set in the most peaceful spot, surrounded by forest, wonderful birds, monkeys and butterflies. The house is very spacious, clean and unusually decorated with a well stocked kitchen if you are cooking at home. There was enough space to hang and store our clothes on open shelves, baskets and hangers - I agree with the owner that it is best not to have closed cupboards with all the moisture and insects! (see previous review and response). I also did not have problems storing food - the kitchen and fridge are spacious and it was great to have a gas stove in case of power cuts! The house had lots of candles and a powerful torch so you are prepared!

You will need a good 4 wheel drive to get up the bumpy narrow road to the house, especially in rainy season when the road can flood, but the drive is worth it for the tranquility and views! Our sons loved having the separate bedrooms - they felt like kings and if you are sharing with other couples or families then it is nice to have the separation and privacy. It is true that it would not be ideal for smaller children, but they could sleep on the living room sofas quite comfortably if you wanted them inside the main house. The outside dining area is beautiful with a huge table - we ate outside all the time. The upstairs master room is palatial with lovely views and a comfortable bed. I would recommend this property for people who like to be off the beaten track and in search of peace. It is truly a magical place that will not disappoint!

My wife and I reserved this home after telling the owners we would be traveling with our 4-year old child. Upon arrival we discovered it is not a traditional 3-bedroom home. The one bedroom that can be accessed from the interior of the home is up a precarious spiral staircase (families with children and the elderly should be warned about this). The two other bedrooms have separate exterior entrances and cannot be accessed from the interior of the home. There is no interior dining area, just 4 barstools in the kitchen. There are no dressers in the home for storing clothes. The kitchen has no storage space for any groceries and does not include salt or pepper. The three of us were allotted four towels to use for one week. No hand towels are available and there is not a single towel bar to dry the allotted four towels. We asked for more towels but were denied because of ecological reasons. An extra towel is available only in case of "emergency" we were told. There are no laundry facilities. We were allotted one load of laundry per week. The large upper deck with an expansive view has just two wood dining chairs for relaxing in. Mal Pais is almost 20 minutes away and Montezuma is at least 25 minutes away. A solid 4 wheel drive vehicle with high clearance is required to be able to access the property. On the second day (Monday) of our stay we informed the owners the home was not for us because there was not an appropriate place for our son to sleep in their "3-bedroom" home. We were not comfortable leaving him in an exterior bedroom with no direct access to our bedroom. They offered us a fraction of what we paid to vacate the property the same day because supposedly they had to turn away rentals. Based on the amount of dust and bugs in the dishes and pots and pans it was apparent the home had not been occupied for quite a while and the next VRBO reservation was not until December. We submitted a very generous counter offer to leave the following morning (Tuesday). They never responded to our request. We left the home Thursday morning abandoning our last two nights. Some of the reviews are suspicious. It is a beautiful setting with a great pool and nice patio but the layout of the home is not appropriate for everybody. The care taker Isaac and cleaning woman Milena were both very friendly. We were provided a cell phone for local calls and a USB adapter for our laptop to access the internet.

I stayed in this property for a few days in March and did not want to leave. It is nestled up in the hills 7-10 minutes away from the beach which results in the most amazing views of Mal Pais and the surrounding areas. The salt water pool is a really nice touch, the master bedroom has an amazing view, and the other two bedrooms are spacious. This place is totally secluded but yet is very close to everything you need from groceries stores, restaurants, entertainment and anything else you can think of.

The people who you will be dealing with, Stephanie and George, are extremely friendly and went out of their way to make me feel at home.

I would highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for a place to totally relax and take in the raw nature that is Costa Rica.

Here is a panoramic shot I took of the downstairs dinning area and pool.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cesareperdomo/5615467082/in/set-72157626538568288

Thank you for the hospitality, I will be returning soon.
Cesar

This property is an ideal spot for relaxation. Our extended family group (ages 3yrs - 60yrs) were all equally delighted with the location/setting and the home and pool, which were (happily) EXACTLY as represented in the pictures. The house is gorgeous: well thought-out design, nicely furnished and equiped with what we needed.

All amenities are closeby - beach/surf, restaurants, grocery stores, nature reserves - but the house is an oasis, away from the dusty roads and bustling villages. We enjoyed the resident wildlife (toad, iguanas, bats and we heard the howler monkeys everyday), BUT no mosquitoes. Best of all were the sunsets and viewing the innumerable stars most nights.

Georges and Stephanie were welcoming and helpful hosts.

We hope to return.