29 Reviews of Property 243635 in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Our family just spent the most amazing 12 days at Bali House. We enjoyed the comfortable beds, the fabulous meals prepared by Fernando and his wife, the beautiful beach just steps from the house,and all that surrounds this fabulous home. We went out only a few different times because the experience of sharing meals with the family prepared by this amazing couple could not be replicated. Thank you to Javier for joining us on the Atv and off shore fishing tours and the tour of the park. We really did feel like you were apart of our family. The house is clean and laundry done by Andrea made this a very relaxing experience. Every morning the monkeys would come in and bring a big smile to all our faces. The grand kids will never forget it as will we. It was the perfect place to accommodate the 12 of us. Costa Rica will get in your blood and will bring you back. Thank you Fernando...miss you already.

Just returned from a week long trip to the Bali House. A fantastic private residence with the best of staff and services. We had 5 couples and all enjoyed their time. The house and property is large enough to find quiet time. With 50 acres of property and entrance to the beach (100 yards) it can not be beat. Fernando cook a couple of dinners for us (wonderful) and we cooked ourselves or went out for dinner. Best place to eat is Kapi Kapi...wonderful steak and seafood. Enjoy!

We stayed with 5 couples from 1/14/2012 - 1/21/2012. The Bali House (known by most locals and taxis as "Casa Akira") was unbelievable. The pictures on this site do not do it justice.

The accommodations are perfect for 5 couples and those with children can squeeze more in if needed.

This is the total package for those looking to go first class. The accommodations are breathtaking, the location is unbeatable and the grounds and staff are unsurpassed.

We had them cook several breakfasts and dinners for us. The meals were great and a far better value than eating out.

The maid staff was very friendly and accommodating.

The Bali House met everyone's expectations. For those who wanted to stay at the house they enjoyed the pool, the deck, the view and the visits by the monkeys.

Those who loved the beach were only steps away from the surf.

Shopping is only a short 10 minute walk along the shore for the shoppers and Manuel Antonio Reserve was only 15-30 minutes away by foot as well.

Taxi rides to restaurants, shopping and to the dive shop were quick and cheap ($5-$10 US each way).

We are already planning to stay 1-2 weeks next year.

Keep in mind there is no TV (a plus in my book) and wifi is really only available in the main house.

Leave your worries behind and plan to never want to leave.

Our extended family of 10 (ages 11-71) stayed at Casa Akira from Dec 10-Dec 17th, 2011.

We wanted a house close to the beach as many of the house in Manuel Antonio are up in the hills so beach access is not convenient and this was the main reason we went the MA area. The property is wonderful for beach access as you have a private walkway from the house to the beach with chairs, hammocks and boogie boards. The beach was clean, safe to swim in and very wide so there was never a crowd. The kids loved to boogie board all week. Although it was the dry season we caught some rain. Even when it rained it never stayed too long and we always got beach time in each day.

We were visted at least 7 or 8 times on three different days by Capuchin Monkeys who put on quite a show for us as there were about 15 monkeys in the troop that visited. We also saw snakes and birds of all kinds (toucans included). I am sure there were sloths also but they are very hard to see if you dont know how to spot them as they blend in really well.

In terms of activities you can do pretty much whatever you want. We did a tour of MA park that was excellent and highly recommend a guide as we saw may more wildlife than we would have on our own (including monkeys, raccons, multiple sloths, lizards, colorful crabs, hawks, bats..). It was only $20 per person and this included the $10 per person entry fee. Ask for Wilberth (aka Mapacho) for your park guide as he is in town by the beach and everyone at the restaurants knows him. You can also use Fernando (Casa Akira House Manager) to set up your tours. The other tours we did were the ATV ride with Fourtrax and a tour of Villa Vanilla that was very interesting (see Trip Advisor for more tour reviews).

In terms of meals we stopped at the grocery store on the on they way to MA from San Jose and did the bulk of our shopping (Jeff the booking manager can arrange this for you) as we ate at the house for breakfast and lunch and some dinners to help on the overall costs. The driveway is very long and steep and some cars have a hard time climbing up the driveway so be prepared to get taxis or walk up the hill and use the bus line (0.50 per person) to get around. We liked Aqua Azul, Gemelos, Marlins and Terrazos for restaurants (the last one is at the top of the hill). However, the best/mopst affordable meal we had all week was prepared by Fernado and his wife so do this at least 2 times or more.

Overall a great place to stay!

We had a wonderful time at Bali House! It's a fabulous property--50 acres in the jungle, just off the beach. The accommodations were first class and Jeff made sure every detail was attended to. Very relaxing, comfortable beds with large tubs/showers, great infinity pool and large but cozy great room for meals and just hanging out. Desiree was a fantastic chef--best ceviche and sushi ever! Jeff arranged zip lining and spice tours for us that we loved and recommended restaurants and places to shop. Staying in the jungle was a novel experience--the monkeys usually stopped by around breakfast time, to the delight of the kids and everyone else. Would recommend it to anyone. You will not be disappointed!

We recently took a multi-generation family trip to the Bali House, and had a fantastic time. The house and property were beautiful, and very well maintained. There was plenty of space for each family to have their own room, and it was great to congregate in the main house for meals and conversation. The large sofa/bed in the main house was a favorite spot for all of the kids to relax and play while the adults chatted after dinner. Our kids loved both the pool and the beach as well as just exploring on the paths looking for lizards, geckos, and monkeys.

We were surprised by the number of staff. Jeff was fantastic in helping us plan our trip and our excursions. He had already taken the tours in the area so he could give us his opinion about them. He arranged for the tour companies to pick us up right at the house making everything so easy. Louis set-up our beach chairs and boogie boards every morning on the beach, and was there at the beach in case we needed anything. Andrea did a great job keeping the house sparkling. She was there everyday and would change sheets, make beds, or do our laundry if needed. Fernando was fantastic and oh-so-sweet. Our little boy was sick while we were there, and he offered to take us to the dr, and gave us some of his own pedialyte for him. He also went out of his way to get us some dinner when we were staying in our room with our sick little guy.

Desiree was also hired to make our meals. They were delicious and she was a pleasure. It was so great not to have to spend hours shopping and preparing food. Some days she went to 7 different stores just to the ingredients she needed for the day.

We would definitely recommend the Bali House to all of our friends and family. Our kids are already asking if we can go back soon.

We had a wonderful and relaxing stay at the Bali House Feb 12-19, 2010. The property and staff are top notch. Jeff, the manager of the property, was very helpful and informative of what to do and local attractions. He did a great job making sure we were comfortable and that everything was taken care of for us. Desiree & Fernando cooked us our meals which were delicious! Everything was so fresh and well prepared. We stuffed ourselves all week!

We highly recommend this property. The house is absolutely gorgeous and very clean. The pool was wonderful to relax by and the beach just minutes away down the walking path. The view.... incredible! There are local restaurants, shops and bars within walking distance if you choose to get out and about.

We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay and staff for our vaction. You won't be sorry staying at the Bali House! We hope to go back!

About the only mistake we made in planning this trip was in only booking for a week as no one in our nine (9) person group was ready to leave. Bali house was even more magnificent than what we were expecting from the photos. The staff made every effort to insure that we had a great experience at Bali house and were very successful in their efforts. Fernando and Iliana did a fantastic job preparing several meals that we decided to stay in and enjoy. Jeff did a great job in explaining and setting up excursions we decided to enjoy and I have to say that we enjoyed each and everyone of the activities. Everything was as good or better than we had anticipated from what we had researched on the internet. We had multiple monkeys visit pretty much every day with about 20 of them coming to see us on the last full day of our stay. You owe it to yourself to expererience the pleasure of Bali House and the first class treatment you will receive from each and everyone of the staff. Andrea, Louis, Michael, Bryan we certainly appreciate your fine care while we were there and look forward to seeing you again soon. We are already discussing making plans for a return trip. I recommend making life simple and have Jeff arrange your transportation to and from the airport if you are not renting a car. The Safari Canopy tour was great as well as the whitewater rafting and the Quad four wheeler excursion. Jeff can give you details and set these trips up for you allowing you more time to enjoy the joys of Costa Rica.

The house is also conveniently located within a short cab ride of a number of great restaurants. There are actually several good restaurants right at the top of the drive to the house that are a short walking distance if you don't mind a bit of a climb up the drive that leads to the house. The views from several of the restaurants are magnificent. Aqua Azul was highly recommended and we were not disappointed. The food and view was magnificent. There are several other excellent places to eat and I would say ask Jeff :).

Our whole group totally enjoyed our stay and were blown away by the service provided by Jeff and the wonderful staff that cares for you while at Bali House. I would definitely recommend this house to any of my friends or relatives. Several of my co-workers are now planning a trip with 12-15 to stay at Bali House in early 2012. Thanks again Jeff, Fernando, Iliana, Andrea, Louis, Brian, Michael..we loved our stay.