Reviews of Property: 5 Star Beachfront in Playa Portrero with Infinity Pool Swim Up Bar, Therapy Jets
Description
Villa, 4600 sq. ft.,
5 Bedrooms, Sleeps 22, 5 Bathrooms
5 Bedrooms, Sleeps 22, 5 Bathrooms
Amenities
beach, resort,
daily maid service,
jacuzzi,
garden,
terrace
Rates
per property
(USD)
$2,900 -
$7,000/week
Joan Mckillican
866-482-3932
Speaks: English
31 Reviews of Property 316917 in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: March 23, 2009
Date of Stay: March 2009
Six of us (3 couples) spent the first week of February at this wonderful villa. Joan was extremely helpful prior to our arrival, recommending places to see, things to do, tour guides (more on that in a moment), even the best insect repellant (though we didn’t really need it during the dry season). We decided not to rent a car and instead hired a gentleman recommended by Joan, named Dervin Suarez (Joan can provide Dervin's contact info) to pick us up at Liberia Airport and drive us to the villa (one hour drive). That was the best decision we ever made as Dervin became our tour guide AND transportation for the entire week. By the end of the week we all wanted to take him home with us – or actually, we wanted to extend our stay in Costa Rica with our new friend. Some of the activities we enjoyed were the Congo Trail Canopy Zip Line, boat tour of the Tempisque River in the Palo Verde National Park (birds, crocs, lizards and monkeys), deep-sea fishing with Dervin, sunset cruise on the Lazy Lizard Catamaran and shopping in Tamarindo. A lot of the driving was on very rugged, dirt roads, so we were glad we didn’t have to drive. It is also a fairly easy 30 minute walk on the beach to Playa Flamingo – lots of restaurants and shops. But we usually got lazy and took a cab back to the villa for $10 US. Best restaurants were: el Castillo (the Castle) bakery & restaurant (5 minute walk) – had live music most nights, filled with locals, tourists and some retirees; Las Brisas – about a 15 minute walk to the north – right on the beach – it’s a hangout for local folks. By the way, all of the local people were the friendliest you could imagine. The Bahia Hotel (3 minute walk on the beach) is a great place for lounging at happy hour, and they have the area’s best generator. And that can be important because there are frequent power outages – so bring lots of flashlights and maybe a few candles with you. Actually, the blackouts quickly became part of the adventure and you really didn’t mind them too much. In fact, it was during an extended outage that Janet and Tomas really came through and cooked us a fantastic mackerel dinner (we caught the fish earlier that day) on their propane stove, lighting provided by a few candles and our flashlights. As others have said, Janet and Tomas are great caretakers – there whenever you need them but they also do their best to leave you alone. It is a great house, plenty of space for all and enough cannot be said about the view from the patio and pool area. If you wanted to, you could very easily spend all of your time just sitting on the patio, reading a book, sipping a drink, taking an occasional dip in the pool, and marveling at the scenery, especially the sunsets. Pura vida!
Campbell, Casteel,More,Niemi families from Texas and Maryland
Campbell, Casteel,More,Niemi families from Texas and Maryland
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: January 30, 2009
Date of Stay: January 2009
We just returned from the villa a couple weeks ago and what a great experience!! Our group of 13 consisted of my parents, my brother, my sister (along w/ husband and 5 mth old), another sister (w/ husband and 5 yr. old and 2 yr. old), and my husband our 1 yr. old and myself. The villa was the perfect size as everyone stayed in their own master suite with master bathrooms. The villa was a great place to have little kids. The large great room along with the large dining room was a great gathering place for meals. We had Tomas and Janet prepare 4 meals for us all of which were fantastic. We spent most of our time at the villa in the swimming pool and on the beach. It was one of the few vacations that, as we were leaving, we were all trying to determine a time for a return visit. We had high expectations for the Villa and Costa Rica and those expectations were all exceeded. Joan, the owner of the villa, was extremely helpful in answering all questions and helping us line things up leading up to our stay. What a great trip and we'd recommend this villa to anyone who had thoughts of visiting Costa Rica!!
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: December 2, 2008
Date of Stay: December 2008
WE just returned from a one week stay Nov 15 -22, 2008. There were 4 couples and 2 single girlfriends in our group. The villa was absolutely perfect. The photos do not do the villa justice - much more beautiful in person. Very well appointed, perfect location. Easy walk into town to a wonderful bakery, restaurants and grocery stores. We will be back! Janet and Tomas were great and the meals they prepared were delicious!
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: June 27, 2008
Date of Stay: June 2008
6/23/08
Just returned from a week at the villa.It was great!Two families of 4 (kids 10-12). We lived at the pool and the beach. Surf was good enough for boogie boarding but not so strong as to scare you. Get fishing poles out early in your visit, yellowtail and barracuda are quite easy to catch..just look for the bubbles.
Janet and Tomas were helpful. Arrange for them to cook one night. The power went out an hour before we were due to eat, but no worries. Janet cooked a wonderful meal by propane. Make sure she cooks chicken and get the name of the salsa which rocks.
Plenty of room for everyone. Air conditioning in bedrooms helped. Kitchen is well organized but would advise not using Surfside market and drive up to Brastillo market instead. The road to the villa is rough but its only about 5 min. No problems at all finding our way around. Roads were well marked.
Big positive was the safety factor. Felt very comfortable at any time of the day or night. Sat outside to watch thunderstorms and on clear nights can see a thousand stars. Use of the lock down room was great, never carried passport with us. Agree with using VISA, no one took much else. Be sure to go to bank in Flamingo and pay departure tax before you hit the airport, much more convienent.
All in all, relaxing, well run, beautiful place to stay. Have no worries if you book here. Loved every minute. Thanks to Joan, Janet and Tomas.
Just returned from a week at the villa.It was great!Two families of 4 (kids 10-12). We lived at the pool and the beach. Surf was good enough for boogie boarding but not so strong as to scare you. Get fishing poles out early in your visit, yellowtail and barracuda are quite easy to catch..just look for the bubbles.
Janet and Tomas were helpful. Arrange for them to cook one night. The power went out an hour before we were due to eat, but no worries. Janet cooked a wonderful meal by propane. Make sure she cooks chicken and get the name of the salsa which rocks.
Plenty of room for everyone. Air conditioning in bedrooms helped. Kitchen is well organized but would advise not using Surfside market and drive up to Brastillo market instead. The road to the villa is rough but its only about 5 min. No problems at all finding our way around. Roads were well marked.
Big positive was the safety factor. Felt very comfortable at any time of the day or night. Sat outside to watch thunderstorms and on clear nights can see a thousand stars. Use of the lock down room was great, never carried passport with us. Agree with using VISA, no one took much else. Be sure to go to bank in Flamingo and pay departure tax before you hit the airport, much more convienent.
All in all, relaxing, well run, beautiful place to stay. Have no worries if you book here. Loved every minute. Thanks to Joan, Janet and Tomas.
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: May 30, 2008
Date of Stay: May 2008
This place was absolutely AMAZING!! Better than any 5 star hotel I've ever stayed in. My group stayed at Joan's villa for a week for my wedding.
Perfect place to have a wedding on the beach if anyone's interested! The sunsets were indescribably magnificent!! The house is furnished and everything you need is in the house! Two of my friends are Chefs in London, so we really didn't take advantage of Tomas and Janet's culinary skills, however, I hired them to cook my reception fiesta!! It turned out even better than I expected!!!
Joan is extremely kind and very helpful, as she went out of her way to rescue me during my wedding day because of transportation issues with my wedding coordinator. Nonetheless, Joan was like my guardian angel that day !!! Her acts of kindness reaffirmed my belief in humanity and that even though you might not know someone at all, they can touch your life in the most simplistic way. Thank you Joan for all that you did on my wedding day. You will never really know how much it meant to me.
The pool is absolutely amazing, the ocean waves subtle! Right next to Flamingo Beach, and only a 20-30 minute drive to Tamarindo for fun souvenir shopping, this house is perfect if you want privacy or if you want to have fun in the touristy areas!
Our group was very depressed the night before we left. NO ONE wanted to leave. Can't say I blame them; it was really the BEST vacation all of us have ever had. Perfect for big groups and still had plenty of privacy. We're already planning our next trip back to the Corazon del Mar!
Perfect place to have a wedding on the beach if anyone's interested! The sunsets were indescribably magnificent!! The house is furnished and everything you need is in the house! Two of my friends are Chefs in London, so we really didn't take advantage of Tomas and Janet's culinary skills, however, I hired them to cook my reception fiesta!! It turned out even better than I expected!!!
Joan is extremely kind and very helpful, as she went out of her way to rescue me during my wedding day because of transportation issues with my wedding coordinator. Nonetheless, Joan was like my guardian angel that day !!! Her acts of kindness reaffirmed my belief in humanity and that even though you might not know someone at all, they can touch your life in the most simplistic way. Thank you Joan for all that you did on my wedding day. You will never really know how much it meant to me.
The pool is absolutely amazing, the ocean waves subtle! Right next to Flamingo Beach, and only a 20-30 minute drive to Tamarindo for fun souvenir shopping, this house is perfect if you want privacy or if you want to have fun in the touristy areas!
Our group was very depressed the night before we left. NO ONE wanted to leave. Can't say I blame them; it was really the BEST vacation all of us have ever had. Perfect for big groups and still had plenty of privacy. We're already planning our next trip back to the Corazon del Mar!
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: April 21, 2008
Date of Stay: April 2008
Wow! What can I say?! Just returned home and already thinking about our next trip. The villa was more than we expected. With 12 of us, there was room for at least 5 more! The sunsets every night were spectacular, as was the moon in the evening. Janet & Tomas are wonderful. The birds, lizards, dragonflies, crabs & frogs, kept us entertained. Music and drinks at the pool...the beach 15 seconds away. Most enjoyable time had by all.
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: April 2, 2008
Date of Stay: April 2008
A good time was had by all. Plenty of space and activities for all the adults and kids (14 of us).
Tomas did a great job of taking care of us and giving advice while we were at the Villa. We did not use him to arrange all activities. But whenever we needed assistance he was very helpful. Not to mention that he and Janet prepared three dilicious meals for the whole clan. Would difinitely recommend that route for a few dinners at the least.
I will echo the comment of my brother (Brian Vos) about the transportation. Some of the activities would have been nigh unto impossible to find had we been driving ourselves.
Also, they are not kidding about "Visa, it is everywhere you want to be" since at the Banco de Costa Rica you are out of luck with MasterCard. Also found the ATMs to be without American dollars every time we tried them.
All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
Tomas did a great job of taking care of us and giving advice while we were at the Villa. We did not use him to arrange all activities. But whenever we needed assistance he was very helpful. Not to mention that he and Janet prepared three dilicious meals for the whole clan. Would difinitely recommend that route for a few dinners at the least.
I will echo the comment of my brother (Brian Vos) about the transportation. Some of the activities would have been nigh unto impossible to find had we been driving ourselves.
Also, they are not kidding about "Visa, it is everywhere you want to be" since at the Banco de Costa Rica you are out of luck with MasterCard. Also found the ATMs to be without American dollars every time we tried them.
All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: April 1, 2008
Date of Stay: April 2008
Wonderful house. Our entire family - 14 people in 4 families - spent a week. 6 children from age 8 to 15 had no problem having enough space.
Nice options for activities. Enjoyed the Congo Canopy tour and surfing lessons in Tamarindo with Tamarindo Surf Company. Did not rent vehicles and glad we did not. Much easier to get a good driver given lack of clear directions and road signs. Used Riggo (Joan has number) for tranist and he did a great job - speaks very good English.
Don't expect bargains on food and drink. Very resort like pricing. Found Tomas and Janet's cooking both better and much more affordable than local restaurants. Talk to Tomas early and he can give you a shopping list for a great dinner every night. For seafood, check in early and locals may be arranged to deliver. Two markets within walking distance - Super Wendy's and Surfside. We found Surfside much better and cleaner.
One little hint. Have a Visa for cash needs. Costa Rican ATM and banks do not handle MasterCard very well. Made it difficult to get more cash.
Very easy place to relax. Ocean is very temperate and lots of fun. Can't help but enjoy yourself.
Nice options for activities. Enjoyed the Congo Canopy tour and surfing lessons in Tamarindo with Tamarindo Surf Company. Did not rent vehicles and glad we did not. Much easier to get a good driver given lack of clear directions and road signs. Used Riggo (Joan has number) for tranist and he did a great job - speaks very good English.
Don't expect bargains on food and drink. Very resort like pricing. Found Tomas and Janet's cooking both better and much more affordable than local restaurants. Talk to Tomas early and he can give you a shopping list for a great dinner every night. For seafood, check in early and locals may be arranged to deliver. Two markets within walking distance - Super Wendy's and Surfside. We found Surfside much better and cleaner.
One little hint. Have a Visa for cash needs. Costa Rican ATM and banks do not handle MasterCard very well. Made it difficult to get more cash.
Very easy place to relax. Ocean is very temperate and lots of fun. Can't help but enjoy yourself.
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: March 31, 2008
Date of Stay: March 2008
Your villa was awesome for our family. It gave everyone enough personal space and all the facilities were great. The ocean was a great big playground for the kids, young and old.
Tomas and Janet did a great job. Their cooking skills are fabulous. We all loved the dinners they made and the Costa Rican Tacos were a really big hit. We wondered whether we could take them home with us. They were so helpful in answering any questions that we had or where to find certain things in the area. We had a wonderful week and would gladly come back again. Thanks for sharing it.
Tomas and Janet did a great job. Their cooking skills are fabulous. We all loved the dinners they made and the Costa Rican Tacos were a really big hit. We wondered whether we could take them home with us. They were so helpful in answering any questions that we had or where to find certain things in the area. We had a wonderful week and would gladly come back again. Thanks for sharing it.
Guestbook Comment
Review Submitted: March 5, 2008
Date of Stay: March 2008
Unbelieveable experience. The house was beautiful. Janet and Tomas were very excellent and made wonderful dinners. Lots to do in the area within walking distance. Would definitely come back again.
You have already voted for this review. Thanks for voting!
Thank you for your response.
Helpful votes:
