Casa de La Vida Grande: A Tropical Paradise in Playa Grande
About this villa rental
Located in Guanacaste Province, this charming villa for $328 per night is a fantastic choice for your next trip. This Spanish Mediterranean-style house is located in Palm Beach Estates in Las Baulas Marine National Park in Guanacaste. The house is a 5-minute walk to Playa Grande beach, the seasonal nesting grounds of the endangered leatherback turtle and an internationally famous surfing beach, and also to the mangrove estuary, several restaurants, a market/bar/internet cafe, and surfboard rentals and lesson providers. Tamarindo is accessible within a short walk via the beach and water taxi to cross the estuary, or in 25 minutes by car. A separate studio apartment on the property is available as as an additional rental for larger groups, or as a standalone rental for individuals and couples. The main house has 3 bedrooms (2 upstairs, 1 downstairs), including a master bedroom with a king-size bed and full-size futon, and two bedrooms with queen-size beds. Each bedroom has its own closet with security safe and private balcony/lookout, plus a hammock on the downstairs bedroom patio. There are 2 full bathrooms, one downstairs with a double shower and one upstairs with a bathtub. The downstairs contains a spacious open living and dining area, full kitchen with a wall oven, microwave, refrigerator/freezer with icemaker, breakfast island with gas range, dishwasher, and a study/reading room that opens up to the pool and patio area. The upstairs has a sitting room with a 4K Smart TV, plus a full-size futon for additional sleeping space. All rooms have individually controlled air-conditioning and ceiling fans, all floors are wide Brazilian tile, and there is high-speed cable internet with a mesh WiFi network that covers the full property. If you need additional space, we also have a studio apartment, available as a separate rental unit, which contains an additional full-size bed and futon, as well as a small kitchen, dining table, full bathroom, and Smart TV. The outside features a large wrap-around terrace with a dining area and hammock, semi-shaded lap pool with patio and chairs, lush tropical garden with plentiful flora and full-grown trees, and an outdoor shower for rinsing off after the beach. There are plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities available right from the terrace or patio, with hundreds of birds, howler monkeys, iguanas and butterflies in the neighborhood. Our property manager is based right in Playa Grande and readily available to assist with all aspects of your vacation, including arranging ground transportation, a private chef if desired, child care, laundry and grocery shopping services, as well as booking the many tours and activities available in the area, such as surfing, SCUBA, snorkeling, sunset sailing, deep sea fishing, horseback riding, estuary boat tours, zipline canopy tours, bike rentals, golf, tennis, turtle watching, yoga, massage and spa treatments. Refundable damage deposit: $200 Rental rate includes daily pool cleaning, housekeeping three times per week, all linens, beach towels, and many staple items. Main House: Low (May-Oct): $240/night, $1400/wk High (Nov-Apr): $270/night, $1600/wk Holiday (New Year's, Christmas, Easter): $380/night, $2200/wk Studio Apartment: Low (May-Oct): $50/night, $300/wk High (Nov-Apr): $70/night, $420/wk Holiday: $90/night, $500/wk
Amenities
Pool
Air conditioner
Pets allowed
Kitchen / Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
Smoking allowed
Parking
Laundry
Balcony / Patio
Dishwasher
TV
Wheelchair accessible
Garden
Family friendly
Map of Guanacaste Province
Reviews
4.8/5.0
Outstanding(24 Reviews)
5.0
The house suited our 3 generation family perfectly. The area feels safe and had everything we needed.
5.0
Location is great. Lush private yard With monkeys, and great neighborhood. Quick walk to beach or estuary for Boat rides to town for 2$. House is comfy, and as described except for only one shower working (downstairs).
5.0
Quite and beautiful Villa. Minutes walk from the immaculate beach. Lime, Coconut, and Papaya trees on property. Pool is perfect for children. Howler monkeys hung out in trees on property for several hours yesterday. Management was attentive. Can not wait to come back. Peace
3.0
La propiedad es muy bonita, sin embargo pensamos que puede ser un poco mas limpia por el precio de la propiedad. Las sábanas tenían muy mal olor. La mayoría de los implementos de cocina estaban muy viejos y manchados. La refrigeradora se dañó el día que llegamos pero shawna nos resolvió rápido. Las sillas de playa también muy herrumbradas. Creo que pueden mejorar en esos detalles. La atención de Shawna fue muy buena y pronta es un punto a rescatar
3.0
Un poco sucio
La propiedad es muy bonita, sin embargo pensamos que puede ser un poco mas limpia por el precio de la propiedad. Las sábanas tenían muy mal olor. La mayoría de los implementos de cocina estaban muy viejos y manchados. La refrigeradora se dañó el día que llegamos pero shawna nos resolvió rápido. Las sillas de playa también muy herrumbradas. Creo que pueden mejorar en esos detalles. La atención de Shawna fue muy buena y pronta es un punto a rescatar
5.0
My family and I stayed here for 8 days during our trip to Costa Rica. Colin's home is very comfortable (I slept great!) and had everything we needed with the exception of basic condiments which was a bit of a bummer. That said, the house is located just minutes walking distance to the beautiful Playa Grande and amazing restaurants so we ended up eating out a lot. Shawna, the property manager, was extremely helpful and available with any questions. I highly recommend choosing this house if you plan to stay here. Pura Vida!
5.0
Wonderful Stay!
My family and I stayed here for 8 days during our trip to Costa Rica. Colin's home is very comfortable (I slept great!) and had everything we needed with the exception of basic condiments which was a bit of a bummer. That said, the house is located just minutes walking distance to the beautiful Playa Grande and amazing restaurants so we ended up eating out a lot. Shawna, the property manager, was extremely helpful and available with any questions. I highly recommend choosing this house if you plan to stay here. Pura Vida!
3.0
Cosas por mejorar
El lugar es muy cómodo la piscina y el resto de la casa están muy bien acondicionados, en respecto a la encargada de la casa creo que le falta un poco de servicio al cliente !
4.0
Estancia noviembre
Las instalaciones de la casa son muy bonitas, sin embargo tienen un poco descuidada pequeños detalles como los bombillos, nos indicaron que se encontraba dispositivo de sonido y no se encontró a cómo nos indicaron, la puerta del baño segundo piso no se podía cerrar de manera correcta.
5.0
Nice place.
Spacious, clean, and comfortable. Both Colin and Shawna were friendly & helpful.
5.0
Beautiful house for a good price
We enjoyed our stay of 4 nights, the property was spacious enough to accommodate 7 adults and 6 children. Nice pool. The property seems growing old at sight, and some appliances were not working (laundry machine, main house oven, outdoor lights, pool light, upstair bathroom had the water shower pressure too low) but didn't downside our enthusiasm and at last we had a nice and peaceful family time. Thank you Collin.
5.0
Excelente
La casa es tal cual sale en las fotos, súper equipada, todo funcional amplia y cerca de las mejores playas. Shawna y Jorge son muy buenos anfitriones siempre estuvieron atentos y nos resolvieron lo que ocupábamos rápidamente. Volvería sin pensarlo
5.0
Lovely, peaceful setting; 5 minutes to the beach and restaurants.
Great holiday with our kids.
5.0
Casa de la Vida Grande
Lovely, peaceful setting; 5 minutes to the beach and restaurants.
Great holiday with our kids.
5.0
We rent the house and the studio for a week for a family of 10 : 3 couples and 4 teenagers. It was perfect ! 5 minutes walk to the beach, amazing restaurants very close to the house, the pool was great and the kitchen well furnished. We really enjoyed our time here !
5.0
Amazing week !
We rent the house and the studio for a week for a family of 10 : 3 couples and 4 teenagers. It was perfect ! 5 minutes walk to the beach, amazing restaurants very close to the house, the pool was great and the kitchen well furnished. We really enjoyed our time here !
5.0
La propiedad es muy linda, la casa es de lujo , tiene todas las comodidades una piscina y parrilla. Collin ( owner) es muy servicial y siempre contesta los. mensajes y dispuesto a ayudar. Shawna la administradora de la casa muy atenta nos explicaron muy bien todo y estaban pendientes de que nuestras vacaciones fueran un éxito
5.0
Un lugar increíble
La propiedad es muy linda, la casa es de lujo , tiene todas las comodidades una piscina y parrilla. Collin ( owner) es muy servicial y siempre contesta los. mensajes y dispuesto a ayudar. Shawna la administradora de la casa muy atenta nos explicaron muy bien todo y estaban pendientes de que nuestras vacaciones fueran un éxito
4.0
This whole area is generally pretty quiet, which we liked a lot. The locals are very friendly. We found a couple of restaurants that had really tasty and reasonably priced food. This house is well located, just a short walk from the beach. Pool, though small, was adequate and felt great on the hot afternoons. We were honestly glad to have mid-week cleaners be an option, which we did without. There were a few household items we could have used more of, but these were minor inconveniences. The house is rather low-lit, which made reading at night in some rooms a problem. Buying groceries was a bit of a hassle. Pre-stocking service was a good thing to have used, though the cost of the groceries, not including the 20% stocking fee, was way higher than I am used to paying for the same types of stuff in the U.S. We used Wil-Mart partway through our week, an online grocery delivery service with zero delivery fees. After 24 hours of mis-communications and no idea whether our order was even received, our groceries were delivered with many apologies and assurances of future better service. Prices were quite reasonable. We also restocked orange juice, beer, milk, chips, bread, etc. from the Palm Beach Market, an easy walk from the house. We thought “123” i.e this house, was a really good place for a very good price.
5.0
Stayed as a group of 9 including two young kids. House had everything we needed and the pool was great for the kids and for passing time during the hot parts of the day. Hosts were very attentive and helped us to set up activities. House is a 5 minute walk to the beach in a quiet community. A great place!
4.0
Cas La Vida Grande
This whole area is generally pretty quiet, which we liked a lot. The locals are very friendly. We found a couple of restaurants that had really tasty and reasonably priced food. This house is well located, just a short walk from the beach. Pool, though small, was adequate and felt great on the hot afternoons. We were honestly glad to have mid-week cleaners be an option, which we did without. There were a few household items we could have used more of, but these were minor inconveniences. The house is rather low-lit, which made reading at night in some rooms a problem. Buying groceries was a bit of a hassle. Pre-stocking service was a good thing to have used, though the cost of the groceries, not including the 20% stocking fee, was way higher than I am used to paying for the same types of stuff in the U.S. We used Wil-Mart partway through our week, an online grocery delivery service with zero delivery fees. After 24 hours of mis-communications and no idea whether our order was even received, our groceries were delivered with many apologies and assurances of future better service. Prices were quite reasonable. We also restocked orange juice, beer, milk, chips, bread, etc. from the Palm Beach Market, an easy walk from the house. We thought “123” i.e this house, was a really good place for a very good price.
5.0
Stayed as a group of 9 including two young kids. House had everything we needed.
Stayed as a group of 9 including two young kids. House had everything we needed and the pool was great for the kids and for passing time during the hot parts of the day. Hosts were very attentive and helped us to set up activities. House is a 5 minute walk to the beach in a quiet community. A great place!
5.0
Everything was wonderful!
5.0
Relaxing
Everything was wonderful!
5.0
Relaxing vacation in secluded area
great place, very clean, well equipped house/kitchen. Very good location
4.0
Great location and ideal house for family vacation
We travelled to Costa Rica with our 3 sons (ages 7, 6, 4) and my parents. For 4 adults and 3 kids, the house was ideal for us. The proximity to the ocean (only a few minutes walk), as well as our own pool was great. This allowed us to have the best of both worlds - ocean time and pool time. The house had lots of room, with a layout that worked really nicely. The rooms were quite spacious so it allowed all three boys to share one room.
It was mostly stocked with everything we needed. The few items that were lacking (towels, plates) were dealt with by the Manager within a day or so. We used the BBQ almost every night, except when it did run out of propane. The Manager had a full tank there two days later, which worked out fine. The house itself was very nicely built. We loved all the wood features. The kitchen was in need of some repair from wear and tear. We have made this suggestion to the Manager, so hopefully it will be dealt with in the near future.
The yard was fabulous and offered tons of room for our boys to play and explore. The outdoor shower was a great feature as we could shower off after the beach or pool. The WiFi was pretty sketchy for the first day or two, but seemed to work fine for the rest of the trip.
In terms of things to do:
We spent several days at the ocean. We rented boogie boards and a surfboard from the hostel in Palm Beach Estates - a very inexpensive way to have a great time in the water! We did a one day trip to Rincon de la Vieja. We were able to find our way to the Las Pailas entrance, and did a few hours of hiking up there – great scenery and really neat for the kids to see the mud pots, steam vents and monkeys. We did a day exploring Playa Flamingo and Playa Conchal. We did some snorkeling at Playa Conchal. In Brasilito we stumbled upon a local whose uncle owned a fishing boat, so we ended up going fishing for half a day with the family. We stumbled upon another local while walking around Tamarindo who took our family on a bit of a private turtle watching tour. We went to the Saturday morning market in Tamarindo – great place to get beaded jewellery, crafts, and fruit. We did several sunsets on the beach. The proximity of the house to the beach made this a perfect way to end the evening before heading back to the house for supper. We did the 2 hour estuary tour from Bula Bula. It was pretty good, as we saw a crocodile, lots of birds, and monkeys. And finally, we enjoyed happy hour drinks at Bula Bula.
5.0
Quiet and convenient location
This spacious home with an in ground pool was perfect for our week-long stay in Costa Rica. There were only two of us, so we kept to the first floor. The kitchen is well-appointed, and the open floor plan made it convenient for talking while preparing meals. The bed was comfortable, which is rare in a rental. The home was clean, and the cleaning people came in twice during our stay.
It's a short walk to the beach, where there's miles of walking, great shell collecting, and access to the water taxis to Tamarindo (in case you want to remind yourself why you booked in Playa Grande, which is the polar opposite in terms of crowding than Tamarindo). This is a popular surfing beach, but with so much room, I had no problems swimming in the surf. People spread out nicely. Going to the beach at sunset is a treat. It's the busiest time of the day, where most residents make the short walk to witness the end of the day. If you plan to walk after dark, bring a light so you can find your way back to the access path. We didn't one night, and fortunately found a home with the lights on so we could pass through and find our rental. Being on the beach in the darkness was a sky-gazing treat.
There's a small convenience store around the corner, and a couple of restaurants you can walk to. In spite of this, the neighborhood is very quiet. The road in is fairly rough, but easily navigable with a rental car. We opted for all wheel drive, and weren't disappointed. As bird watchers, we were amazed at the diversity in the neighborhood. We had 9 lifers before we finished our coffee the first morning. The Super Mega market has signs all over the place, but they are out of business. The nearest supermarket is in Tamarindo, which is about a 15 minute drive. I'd recommend the 1820 coffee, it was better than anything you'll get at home, and very inexpensive. Plan on buying drinking water, since the homes in this area of Costa Rica use holding tanks. We did drink the tap water without impact, but it has a bit of a stale taste.
The property manager was attentive and responsive. The coffee pot died on our first day, and they had a replacement there within an hour of our informing them. The directions to find the house are difficult to follow. Road signs in Costa Rica are scarce and often inaccurate. We ended up using Waze on our iPhone to get around. The internet connection was slow, and didn't travel far. This may be the router, or the connection.
5.0
Fantastic!!
My family and I stayed at Casa de La Vida Grande the last week of 2015 and it was fantastic!
Colin, Shawna and Jorge attention was great, thanks for everything!
The house is very nice, clean, spacious and fully equipped.
And Playa Grande is spectacular! near to Playa Minas and Bahía de los Piratas which are two beautiful places, with great view and very quiet.
Totally recommended!
5.0
Great family retreat
Casa de la Vida Grande was home away from home for all 11 of our family members: my husband & our 9-mos old (in the studio), my sister & her husband & their 4 kids (4-14), and my parents (65 & 78). There was enough room for everyone & the house was clean, comfortable, quiet, well-maintained, and very pretty.
Colin & his property manager Alyssa were great, answering all of our questions before & during our visit. The house definitely lived up to our expectations.
We all very much enjoyed the pool, especially the kids - it's small, but big enough to do some lap swimming. It's about 4.5' deep at the deep end. 1 caveat - there's no barrier preventing pool access so you have to watch the little ones anytime they're outside.
The veranda was where we all spent most of our time - it's a great place to sit in the sun or the shade, to eat, & to lounge.
There were mosquitoes in the evening tho we didn't really have a problem inside. The AC was welcome as it was above 90 degrees for most of our visit. The beds were comfortable. Having in-house laundry was great.
We did have a few little issues come up (broken toilet seat, ran out of gas in the stove, lost water pressure) but Alyssa addressed them all quickly & I think this might be par for the course in rural Costa Rica.
We only had a car for 3 days of our stay & I think it would have been better to have one a bit longer. There are lots of things to do without a car:
- Estuary tour is GREAT
- Playa Grande is beautiful & totally pristine & undeveloped thanks to its Marine park status. It's pretty rough water for swimming but playing in the surf is doable.
- There are a handful of restaurants in the area - some a few minutes' walk & some more like a 45-minute walk either along the road or the beach.
- Other beaches are close enough to walk or cab for snorkeling, surfing etc.
- Seeing the turtles nest is incredible.
- Tamarindo is very close by boat for groceries etc. but it's kind of a hole.
- The house itself has quite a variety of bird life. We also saw bats, lizards, & tons of cool insects, & we did see howlers nearby once.
But with a car there are lots of good day trips:
- Lots of beaches & beach towns to explore (Playa Potrero is very sweet!)
- small farmer's market on Fridays en route to Playa Flamingo
- Rincon Volcano
- Llanos de Cortez Waterfall
- Liberia
- Zip lines, monkey park, butterfly house, etc.
If you do an overnight you can also visit Monteverde or Arenal.
5.0
One of our best vacations ever
This was the first trip to Costa Rica for myself, my wife and our accompanying grad student son. On this trip, we were more interested in simply relaxing and hitting the beach. This property was ideally suited for both of these goals...one of the best beaches (Playa Grande) I've ever seen is within a 5 minute walk out the front door. The location of the house (in Palm Beach Estates) is in a small residential community (with just enough resources for visitors but not touristy).
The house itself is attractive and has excellent furnishings and amenities (incl. gas BBQ grill). My wife loves eating outside, so when we ate at the house, we ate every meal on the outside covered patio. The weather (late-Dec) was perfect every day and in our collective opinion, eating breakfast outside with a warm breeze and a mug of brewed Costa Rican coffee can't be beat. Likewise, returning after a day at the beach, sitting on the couch/comfy chairs on the patio or in the pool, with an Imperial (Costa Rican beer) in hand - what's better than that?
All of the descriptions of the property were accurate...there is land-line telephone, and connectivity to internet which worked flawlessly. Electric is same as American, water is safe to drink and use, and everyone takes US dollars.
In the time period prior to our vacation, I was in periodic email contact with Colin (property owner) who took great care and time to answer all of my questions. His property manager in Costa Rica (an American, Alyssa, "Senorita Casitas") was super-helpful and friendly: she arranged airport pick-up at Liberia airport - 1 hour to house (BTW - airport pick-up is ALSO available for flight into San Jose...4 hours, I'm told); she went grocery shopping for us; she arranged activities (zipline canopy tour). Colin had a cleaning crew in every couple of days for general house cleaning and fresh linens; and gardeners/pool people as well.
The busy touristy town of Tamarindo is located across the river and there are water taxis that take you across during daylight (cost us $3 USD per person)...best way to do this is to go to the bar at Bula Bula and ask them to call you a taxi...we had to wait around ten minutes at the little dock there.
There are several restaurants within easy walking distance (I mentioned Bula Bula above) and also, a small grocery/general store. We didn't have a car for the week we were there and did fine.
In conclusion - we liked it so much we've already booked another stay!
5.0
Exceeded Our Expectations!
Casa le La Vida Grande is all that you can ask for in a vacation home. Less than 7 minute slow walk to the beach, 3 restaurants, and a market. It is everything you see in the pictures. The wraparound porch was especially nice; all our dining was outdoors with accompanying jungle sounds of monkeys, birds, and crashing waves.
I typically perform surveillance when staying a new place, to compare for alternative places for future trips. But I did not do that this time – I don’t see how you could possibly upgrade from Casa le La Vida Grande.
All our future trips to this location will be at Casa le La Vida Grande.
FAQs
How much does this villa cost compared to others in Guanacaste Province?
The average price for a rental in Guanacaste Province is $219 per night. This rental is $109 above the average.
Is parking included with this villa?
Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at Casa de La Vida Grande: A Tropical Paradise in Playa Grande. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this villa?
Yes, a swimming pool is available for use at Casa de La Vida Grande: A Tropical Paradise in Playa Grande. Enjoy the water!
Is Casa de La Vida Grande: A Tropical Paradise in Playa Grande pet friendly?
Yes! This villa is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.
What amenities are available at Casa de La Vida Grande: A Tropical Paradise in Playa Grande?
We found 14 amenities for this rental. This includes pool, air conditioner, pets allowed, kitchen / kitchenette, and internet / wifi.
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