We stayed on the property during the beginning of the dry season, so traveling up and down the mountain did not seem all that bad. It certainly does require skill and confidence, and could not be accomplished after 5:30 pm when the sun goes down. I was successful in an older Hydaui Tucson, automatic with manual mode. The biggest disadvantage was the ground clearance. There are some areas with rocks that could hit the undercarriage if not avoided requiring that I go very slowly. For the most part, this house is as described. Nice and big and open. Located on a private lot, but shared with at least 1 other rentable property in addition to the caretaker’s place. You can somewhat see this in one of the area photos. We were unfortunate to have quite rowdy neighbors (8+ people) so some nights were loud. Moreover, the surrounding area continues to be developed and during the daytime, excavators were running leaving our chances of wildlife encounters slim. The house is probably 20 years old at this point, so showing some signs of wear, especially offered continuously as a short-term rental. (Wine stains on chair cushions, some ripped apart, along with screens, musty basement smell from the Livingroom, dishwasher leaks, and walls need painting). Expect daily power loss, sometimes for hours on end. Moreover, we were told about conserving water due to a leak towards the end of our stay. The sign next to the toilet requests all paper products get disposed of in the trash, making it seem more like a camping experience, than a five-star. The views are amazing for sure, and the house is still very, very nice. Both Del and the caretaker, Edgar will ensure that everything is taken care of and your stay is most enjoyable. Edgar will show up about 6 am every morning when the sun rises to tend to the pool, and later on in the morning to check on anything you need. The area has a small town, with several grocery stores, banks, drug stores, and restaurants. The Beach area is a state park making it quite safe, well-maintained, and beautiful. The property could benefit from some beach chairs to use when visiting that area. It was a nice break from staying in hotels for over a week, but would I return at this price…probably not.

The property and the view was amazing. 4x4 is a MUST! Edgar the land hand was so helpful and attentive to all of our needs.

Superb view and convenient location.

I celebrated my 40th birthday here with my husband and a few friends and we had a lovely time! The property is high up on a mountain and has a beautiful view of the “whale’s tail” - which is lovely to wake up to every morning. We went during the rainy season and at times you are definitely in the clouds. The drive up the mountain from the main city center of Uvita is about 15 minutes. You definitely need a 4x4 to make it up, but it is totally worth it. The road has been improved in some parts and it made the drive a little easier. The two bedrooms upstairs have their own private balconies that have ocean views. Downstairs there is a very large and well organized kitchen. There are two extra beds downstairs as well that are separated from the kitchen by a curtain wall. The pool is lovely and outside foliage is breathtaking. We were greeted by toucans every morning and “Pancho” the coatimundi. Would recommend staying here if you are looking for a place with a view in the Uvita area.

We loved our stay in this property, made our Costa Rican adventure all the better. We were out and about pretty much the whole trip, but in the occasional rainy day, we would’ve appreciated a couple of board games/ puzzles and comfortable couches.

Property was just what we were looking for and just what we needed. . The view is absolutely stunning! Loved the drive up to the house. Close proximity to anything you might need. Great restaurants to choose from nearby. Don't miss out on this hidden gem!

Property was just what we were looking for and just what we needed. . The view is absolutely stunning! Loved the drive up to the house. Close proximity to anything you might need. Great restaurants to choose from nearby. Don't miss out on this hidden gem!

Pool was amazing. Definitely not for the weak, the road up it intense!

It is hard to list all the positive things about this place. Incredible view and consistent breeze well worth the bumpy ride. (Road looks intimidating at first but we quickly acclimated and embraced the adventure). Toucans and parrots greet you every morning with occasional coati walking by. Nice large well equipped kitchen although spent most of our time at the house on porch or in pool. We were there 2 weeks and house was thoroughly cleaned after one week. Uvita has well stocked local grocery stores. Many great beaches near by. (Dominicolito best for safe waves and Matapalo can be walked for miles with very few people). The owner Del was extremely helpful and responsive to all our questions/needs. He saved us when we had a delayed flight and arranged transportation very quickly. We were 2 couples and would very much consider returning next year for another 2 weeks in paradise. Thanks Del. Pura Vida!

Property was clean and well maintained, if any issues come up the local caretakers were close by to resolve.

This gorgeous house is very comfortable and well equipped. The views are even better in real life. Well stocked kitchen and very comfortable beds. We stayed here with our kids (11, 15, 19) for almost a week. The pool is fun to swim in and deep enough to jump into with incredible views. We heard the howler monkeys every night, enjoyed watching a troop of white-faced monkeys come visit a couple of times, saw the resident coati almost every morning along with the toucans and parrots. Alex was super helpful throughout our stay. The road to the house is not for the faint of heart. You definitely need a car with true 4WD Low and to understand how it works (we have a 4WD SUV at home but didn't understand what you can do in the low gears). Our rental car company did not tell us how to work it, but Alex did give my husband a driving lesson once we made it to the house. We made sure to plan our days well! Del helped arrange activities ahead of time. Our kids went ziplining with Osa Canopy Tours - they loved it! We all took a day trip to Corcovado National Park - fun boat ride and terrific guided jungle walk, we saw a puma, many different monkeys and birds. We also visited different beaches each day. Our favorite restaurant in Uvita was Las Delicias - great casado! Terrific coffee from the panaderia on the right side of the road on the way into town.

Del was quick to respond to questions & fulfilled a last minute request to rent one to his vehicles for our 3 day stay. Alex & Estefany were wonderful. The dirt/rocky road to property ABSOLUTELY requires a COMPETENT 4x4 driver & vehicle . Enjoyed our stay. Loved the pool with a gorgeous view of the Whale Tail.

We enjoyed the house and towns down the mountain. Alex was a big help with anything we needed. We had a great experience. Just note you need a 4 wheel drive to get to this house. You can rent it from the owner of the property.

We enjoyed the house and towns down the mountain. Alex was a big help with anything we needed. We had a great experience. Just note you need a 4 wheel drive to get to this house. You can rent it from the owner of the property.

we've stayed at many rentals both in the states and in Costa Rica. With every excellent experience comes more discrimination of excellence. This house is my favorite rental ever. The view is amazing, as you can see from the photos. But experiencing it from sunrise to sunset, in each room is beyond amazing. The house is spacious and well laid out. Very clean. Plush towels, ample essentials (soap, toilet paper, cooking supplies, cooler to borrow for beach). Yes, the road in is steep, but it's a fun part of the adventure if you have a good 4wd and even a moderately good driver. Anything you need can be found in uvita. Go to the BM for groceries and supplies. Best restaurants around include pizza time/ bagel time.... (best breakfast, salad, calzones, etc), Mondo Congo in Dominical, La Cusinga, and Gusto. Alex and Stephanie were a huge part of the perfection of the experience. They were friendly, helpful, and available for as much or as little as you need. The night we arrived we were exhausted after nearly 20 hours of travel, including torrents of rain on the drive in. We got lost trying to find the house in the dark and rain, but Alex rescued us. We had a few minor maintenance questions, but Alex fixed us up quickly. Del is very lucky to have found the perfect couple to ensure all is well in paradise. One of my favorite parts of the house was PRIVACY. very unique for the location and price point. Being so high up the mountain provided the very best view and very cool air. The pool stayed cool but was refreshing on a warm day and also good for some brisk morning laps. We enjoyed the daily entourage of various monkeys, coati, toucans, etc... we were here in July on a particularly rainy year, so we didn't get as much beach time as we'd like (again, the patio and pool was a perfect place to spend an intermittently rainy day), but we enjoyed some gorgeous hikes (check out hacienda baru, cloud Bridge forest reserve) and scenic drives (roads to San Isidro, San vita). We will definitely visit here again!! I have zero reservations about recommending this property (I'LL BE JEALOUS OF EVERYONE WHO GETS TO GO), but a few ideas to add to the experience. As one review mentioned, clearing out a little brush could improve the view, especially of sunset. Include more specific driving instructions (ie, from the end of paved road to first right turn is 3.2k) and BEACH CHAIRS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING PARADISE!!

The house was perfect and as described! Amazing location!

The house was perfect and as described! Amazing location!

Everything met or exceeded our expectations. Our stay at Casa Del Congo was relaxing, fun and private. The house is beautiful, the beds are comfortable, the surrounding rainforest is magical, the view is breathtaking, and the host (Del) and his property management team (Alex and Estephany) were kind, helpful, and did everything possible to make our stay enjoyable. We could not have asked for a better escape to paradise. Thank you!

La maison est superbe, la vue magnifique et elle est très bien équipée. Très calme et isolée. Un peu difficile d'accès surtout la nuit si on veut aller au restaurant. Dommage que les conditions nécessaires pour profiter de cette maison ne soient pas indiquées dans l'annonce par exemple 4x4 puissant, lave linge payant. Cependant nous avons passé un très bon séjour.

The property is exactly as stated. The road to it requires 4x4 but is kept in good condition. Once you get to the house the view is very striking. The property manager Alex is super helpful but also let’s you have your privacy. It helps to have Google Translate installed as well as what’s up! This way the communication with Alex was not a problem. The house and. Grounds are kept well groomed. Keep in mind you are surrounded by jungle and nature, so lots of foliage. There is also birds and wildlife and jungle sounds! All in all if you like a private nature experience with a stunning view this is for you!

The house is large, clean and luxurious, but it needs air conditioning. The view from the backyard and pool is fantastic, but the road to the house is long and cert steep. It's a challenging drive at night. The caretaker, Alex is very helpful if you can speak and understand Spanish.

Del’s Congo is exactly as pictured! It is beautiful and has the most amazing view of Uvita. The Road going to the home will require a 4x4 and some grit but the house is worth the mile drive up hill. The home is fully stocked and our hosts Alex and Estephany were available for any questions we had. I am so glad we choose to stay here for our first trip to Costa Rica!

This was a beautiful property and exceeded our expectations. Del was very helpful with every aspect and the information he provided regarding the local area, tips on dinner spots, weather, directions to property were all excellent and made the whole process seamless. Alex and Stephanie were very happy and helpful and it was nice knowing they were close by. We will be staying here again for sure! Thanks for everything.

I have traveled to Costa Rica for more than 20 years, and this was by far the best trip I've ever taken because of this house. The view over Uvita is spectacular, and the house is modern, comfortable, and clean. Alex is the caretaker, and he is incredibly helpful, providing excellent service and advice. He really made the stay a pleasure. The wildlife was amazing, and the area on the mountain is beautiful, and I simply cannot recommend this property enough for those seeking a peaceful, luxurious Costa Rica experience. This is a truly special place - I will definitely stay here again. Waking up every morning and seeing that incredible view with the parrots and the toucans and the howler monkeys in the trees was something I will always remember. Thanks to Del and especially to Alex for an incredible stay. If they offered more than five stars, I would gladly rate this place as high as they would allow. Take it from a Costa Rica veteran - this is one of the most special places you could ask for.

Del made it extremely easy and hassle free. Great place!

Our family had a tremendous time (our first ever adventure to Costa Rica) and the lovely pacific coast line of Uvita. So glad we chose to make the lengthy but scenic trek south from San Jose to Del's beautiful Oasis (Exotica). Just the expression on our kids (20,17,15) faces when they finally got out of the 4 x 4 (& OH YOU WILL NEED A 4 x 4) was priceless! Not sure what they were expecting but suffice it say there mouths practically hit the pool deck when they saw the stunningly beautiful ocean view that we all would be enjoying for the next week. Del's lovely home met all of our expectations and the weather during our stay even exceeded them. Still thawing out from our extended 2019 Chicagoland winter we had some concern when the forecast was for low to mid 90's and mostly sunny. While it was sunny and beautiful all week it never really felt HOT.....always a lovely cooling ocean breeze and nice mix of a few clouds too. Speaking of cool, Del's pool was just that. The temp was always refreshing morning noon or night and added bonus on each end of the pool was a pretty powerful water jet which proved to be a great way to get a massage after zip-lining or a trip snorkeling with the kids. (By the way I highly recommend both) One of the real treats staying here was Alex & Estephany. Both lovely, helpful when we needed them and always warm and friendly. Alex was so kind one evening to stop at the grocery store in town and pick us up a few things we forgot for dinner. We are thankful that (2) of our kids speak fairly good spanish and I know it was fun for them to talk with A & E and help us out in communicating throughout the week. As for the house itself, beautiful as advertised and you can clearly see a lot of thought went into its creation. We loved seeing the picturesque "whale's tail" from a variety of places (my favorite was the master shower) I also enjoyed the tall jungle trees to the east of the house which provided excellent shade from early morning sun and made a morning swim an every day treat. We really enjoyed dining in Uvita, went with a couple of Del's choices but maybe our favorite was the Mosaic Sushi restaurant (you will pass by it everytime you head up the mountain) Our review is clearly 99% positive. My only request is that you remove the dead/dying tree that is in your lovely oceanside view. Hope we can get back to CR and Uvita......as the locals say Pura Vida, The Leyden Family

The PERFECT retreat. A small group of us rented this home perched on the mountainside overlooking Playa Ballena. The house is a ten minute drive up from town, yet when you reach the home you feel like you are miles away in a remote part of Costa Rica . The drive up is an adventure a 4x4 is essential, however the roads are very well maintained. We loved the ride to and from town. The house is beautifully sited on the property, south facing giving the home the perfect views to the sunrise, the whales tale and the setting sun. The landscaping was beautifully executed and maintained, along with the pool and the home's interior. The caretaker Alex was such a great help to have onsite. He explained everything in detail and was very helpful when needed. The infinity pool and outdoor shower were the perfect ending to the days adventures. Uvita is my favorite part of Costa Rica centrally located, yet away from all the commercial development. I have visited this part of Costa Rica many times in the past and rented homes in this area but by far this has been my favorite. This home far exceeded our expectations, the question isn't will we return but when. Thank you for a great stay we all had a blast. Pura Vida!!

Perfect place to experience Costa Rica and especially Uvita. It's about a 20 minute driver up the mountain side which I really enjoyed (wife not so much). Like everyone said you will need a 4x4 to make the trip. Once to the house its like sitting on top of Uvita. It was just me and my wife and house was perfect for us. Every morning we would see a variety of birds and coati running around. We were there at the end of rainy season but the rain would hit and then we would get mostly nice days. we love being close the national parks and locals were all very friendly. The only negative thing I could say about the house and it wasn't that bad is it was tough keeping the hot water on in the showers. The house was super clean and we didn't have any problems with insects in the house. The layout has two master suits which would be great for two couples or a family vacation. If you want to feel like your in the jungle away from it all but stay in an upscale house this is one you need to try.

I stayed with my dad and uncle at the end of September. It is a beautiful house! Just like you see in the pictures! The mountain air was cool and we didn't ever need A/C, just a nice breeze! It was pretty rainy, but that's why they call it the rainy season, and we got some sunshine every day. Alex and Estephany were wonderful hosts and always checked to make sure we had everything we needed, but were never in the way. Great place to stay, and would definitely plan to go back next time I'm in Costa Rica!

Beautiful view of the whales tale. We actually saw the Humpbacks with a good set of binoculars from the pool area. Tons of birds everywhere. Alex and Stephanie shared a wealth of information about the local area and took care of everything we needed.

Everything about our stay was top notch and more than we could have hoped for. Alex and Estephany went above and beyond what I would expect to make us feel like we were the most important people in the world. When my son wanted to learn to surf we asked Alex for a recommendation. He pulled out his phone and in 10 minutes we had a lesson booked with a great instructor at a really fair price. We had a meal prepared for us by them and are regretting not having a 2nd prepared as the food was plentiful and delicious. Del could not have been a better host. He is quick to respond to email and is with you assisting your planning every step of the way. The people he has in place are professional and treat you well. The drive from San Jose is around 3 1/2 hrs. Our driver brought us water to pick us up from the airport and gave us a history of Costa Rica as we drove. If you are going to stay here I highly recommend renting Del's vehicle. The road is steeper than I imagined and I was very glad to have a vehicle that could handle it with ease. Alex shows you the trick to making it easy and after a day you get used to the drive. However, it isn't a drive I would want to attempt with a smaller vehicle. The house itself has a view that I could not imagine being better and we saw a wide variety of wildlife including Toucans, Howler Monkeys, White Faced Capuchins, Poison Dart Frogs and Coati. The beds were comfortable and the kitchen was well appointed. The house was designed with the scenery in mind and every room has a million dollar view of the whales tail. The restaurants in the area were delicious and the two at the bottom of the hill, Mosaic and Osa Tyme ended up as two of our favorites but we also loved having "casado" at one of the local sodas. Del's favorites were also spot on. We went in early July and the weather was perfect. 82-85 with big white clouds and if it rained, it was usually very early in the morning or later at night after dark. I cannot recommend this property enough. Del treated us like royalty and gave us the best vacation we ever had.

Confortable, well equipped and great view of the Whale's tale of Bahia Ballena!! Both and Alex were very helpful and friendly. We went on the last days of the dry season, and climbed the mountain in a 4x4 with ease (we tried with a 4x2 and was imposible, so yes is a 4x4 only climb). On rainy season it might get tricky because of the mud. Overall we had a quiet and pleasant stay. Highly recommend the house