We wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful home! 200 acres of private rainforest and a 60’ waterfall with swim hole all to ourselves. Our party of five (two adults, plus our kids ages 19, 17 and 16) stayed for five nights and had some fun wildlife sightings during that time, including a rare appearance of about a dozen spider monkeys. The house is spacious, with tons of fresh air and great views from the bedroom balconies. Most importantly, we had a fantastic host, Deborah, who went out of her way to help us out and make sure we were having a great stay. She and Jose led a daytime and night tour for us, and she also arranged a couple of local excursions. If you want to get away from the touristy areas and commune with nature, this place is perfect. I will say though, that this place may not be for everyone: - You will definitely need to rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle, as the 40-minute drive from Quepos has a steep curvy gravel road the last several miles. This meant that we didn’t venture out after dark to avoid driving at night. - Also, this house had everything we needed in terms of amenities, and everything worked well for us, and we loved all the character it had. If you are looking for a modern, high-end accommodation with all the latest bells and whistles, this may not be the place for you. This house does have a few quirks, like creeky wooden floors on the 2nd floor and no lighting in the laundry area (so if you do laundry at night, it's totally dark in there).

We had a great stay at this home. We had a little bit of miscommunication about meeting up and also payments. This was our first VRBO experience, and I didn’t know the payments weren’t automatic, so our second payment wasn’t until our last day. I felt bad about that. We also had a delay on our end upon arrival and due to slow Internet, it was difficult to communicate that and receive messages back. Also, if I stayed at this property again, I think we would definitely get 4WD. I thought when we reserved our rental that it was AWD, but it wasn’t. The drive is doable without 4WD, but I imagine 4WD would make it a quicker drive. It took us 25 minutes from where the pavement ends to get in and out of rainforest, and from there, it was another 15 to 20 minutes to Quepos. Quite the drive, but it’s not like that wasn’t advertised. Deborah was very helpful in suggesting and arranging different activities for us. We did the catamaran tour with a waterslide and it was really fun. I wish that we had done the zip lining in the area. We ended up doing it about an hour and a half north at the Carrara adventure park and it just wasn’t as scenic (they also overbooked the groups-good lunch though!) We also did the morning hike with Jose and loved it. He was so knowledgeable about the plants in the area, which was fascinating, because it’s just so different from where we live.

Debra was outstanding! Helped to arrange all our activities was an amazing lady. The property was perfection. The home beautiful. She was always available and ensured we were where we needed to be. This place is not only gorgeous but it truly feels homey! We enjoyed simply walking the property! We left by accident our go pro on a tour she was arranging and is shipping to us , talk about above and beyond. I dont like to share personal info but for all she did during that time we are so grateful. An amazing lady!

We were looking to get away from the crowds, but still be close enough to come down the mountain and visit Manual Antonio and other nearby activities. Deborah’s place was magic! She was delightful! There to answer our questions if we needed her, but she gave us our privacy. Up in the hills, no neighbors, surrounded by jungle and wildlife, with our own private waterfall? Yes please! Jose was our night guide and showed us how to get to the waterfall - he was the best! Cleo and her family helped with meals and were a big part of our family feeling welcome here. This was a memory making experience and we are so grateful we found Light of Dawn! (PS - so glad we had a rental suv with 4x4, it was an adventure getting to the house, but nothing we couldn’t handle.)

Great place to stay, went with a group of friends, Debra was an excellent host, very accommodating and hospitable, she helped us book several excursions and made sure we got there on time, it does take about 25 minutes to drive to town but has cool scenic views on the way, house and property are nice, would certainly recommend this place over some boring hotel

This was the highlight of our entire 9-day vacation in CR. We cannot say enough positive things about the entire experience. My whole family feels lucky beyond words to have stumbled upon this treasure. Light of Dawn felt like we were cheating the entire CR experience because everything we wanted out of our trip was RIGHT HERE. Getting to the property is a little adventure and I never once went up or down the mountain without a giant smile on my face. You could get up there in a little sedan, but it was WAY more fun in our rented Land Cruiser. The property itself can easily be described as a gem. It's a few hundred acres of rainforest, with breathtaking views and a private waterfall that you'll continually visit during your stay. Other tourists pay money to go see waterfalls like this at various national parks but you have private and immediate access to this for your entire stay. I just deleted 2 paragraphs of rave review so that I could fit in my final thought. Jose is a treasure. He is the local guide/ groundskeeper/expert. Just picture a Costa Rican Crocodile Dundee and you get Jose. We went on two tours of Light of Dawn with Jose and all 5 of the members in my family say that he was the best part of our entire trip. We went sailing, ziplining, snorkeling, saw chocolate and coffee tours, sat in hot springs, and later stayed at a posh resort. But touring the jungle with Jose tops them all. LoD brought us to CR, but Jose's tours are what will bring us back.

We loved our stay at the Light of Dawn house. Deborah was great to work with and the tour of the property with Jose was a highlight of our trip. Deborah also offered a treasure hunting tour for our family, which everyone (from 4-17) loved. We enjoyed exploring the property during the day and sitting and watching the thunderstorms roll over the rainforest in the evenings. One of our kids shed tears when it was time to leave the waterfall for the last time. We have cherished memories of this property and the nearby towns of Villa Nueva and Naranjito. They were the places in Costa Rica where we felt we were really able to connect with people; from Deborah and Jose, to the owners of the Panaderia and the Soda down the road. We would highly recommend this property to anyone looking for something off the beaten path and seeking a unique and authentic experience.

If you want to get away from it all - this is your place! This home allows you to connect with nature with an open air concept. It is nestled up in the rainforest about a 40 minute drive from Quepos on an unpaved road (recommend a 4WD). The owners are absolutely gracious and provided fresh fruit and eggs. The highlight of the trip was the nature walk and swim at the private waterfall!

For those wanting seclusion, this is the place for you. It's a beautiful property in the heart of the rain forest. The owners, Peter and Deborah made the stay very pleasant and are wonderful, friendly people. We did the "All Inclusive." Chef Cleo prepared wonderful meals, fresh fruit juices, appetizers and very creative deserts. There was so much tasty food, that you won't go hungry. We took 4 wonderful tours and Peter gave us a tour of the property and waterfall with plunge pool. Even though we had a driver, Pelusa couldn't speak much English nor us Spanish, but we got along great. Because the property is far from any restaurants and the town of Quepos, you might want to rent a car to do your own exploring. The last 4-km up to the house is on a rough, gravel road , so you might want to rent a 4-wheel drive. Beware, there's no air conditioning, but there are ceiling and floor fans which help with the warm, humid nights. We stayed here between April 19-26, which is just a the beginning of the rainy season, so there was usually and afternoon shower. We had an enjoyable time and hope to be back in future. Rich and Susan C.

Hosts are great. Deborah, Pete, and Jose! The house is beautiful and spacious! Amazing tour/ jungle and waterfalls. We will come back! Thank you guys so much for your kindness and great accommodations! Take their night tour! Its an amazing experience with Jose and Pete. Veronica and Family!

I can't say enough amazing things about this place! Pete and Deb become friends and make your experience (not just a stay) as seemless as possible. We stayed a few different places in the week we were in CR and nothing topped this. The home is open and beautiful, the property is breathtaking, and the time the hosts took to make our memories unforgettable, is so rare and appreciated.

This house is everything we wanted in our traditional Costa Rica rainforest experience. This family compound is so close to everything (25 to Quepos) but remote enough that your experience is not spoiled by any tourist crowds/lots of locals or noises other than the amazing sounds of rainforest animals and creatures :) WE woke up to these incredible sounds of the jungle.. birds we could only dream of hearing back home...Deborah and Peter made this rental more of an experience than a rental home. They arranged every experience for us so my vacation was pretty simple. We went sport fishing in Quepos (from this awesome Marina ) with Franklin( who was AMAZING (caught a 40lb mahi mahi that Cleo ( a local AMAZING chef) cooked for us the next night. We also went white water rafting with Felipe ( A MUST DO) for everyone in the family (over 12 years of age)... the river was incredible and SO much fun. Their night jungle guide Jose was fabulous and we saw creatures I didn't know existed. A cute chameleon was icing on the cake!! The house and property are SO unique and fun. There is an incredible water fall and river on the 200+ acre estate. The house to me was my Everything. From the authentic dreamy floors and wood ceilings, to wooden rocking chairs .... I can't say how laid back and relaxing it was. We saw humming birds constantly eating from the lush foliage and incredible flowers. WE saw and heard macaws & toucans fly by. I will say, If you are fluffy and need to stay in the Ritz, this place isn't for you. We love high end hotels too but this experience is dreamy beyond words and NOT that boring! RUN by two OLD souls, you will get an amazing experience for you, your kids and your picture album! It has adventure and ZEN written all over it! I should also mention that the beds are super comfortable and the house is clean and over stocked! I do have two negative comments... One, I didn't stay long enough; Two nights was NOT enough. Also this site won't let me upload photos, bc we have SO many and they need to be shared! We will be back. Thank you Deb&Pete and all their local helpers and connections for giving our family a vacation we will never forget!

It was amazing to go to sleep and wake up to the sounds of the rainforest. This home opens to beautiful views of the rainforest on all sides so it felt like we were deep within the jungle. Peter gave us a super informative tour of the property including an awesome waterfall and swimming hole. Deborah was wonderful with planning and helping us book tours in the area. They went above and beyond what's expected of hosts.

This is a super cool place to visit and the hosts (Deb and Pete) are awesome! This place sits about 1,000 feet above Manuel Antonio/Quepos (a 30 minute drive up a steep dirt road). Once you arrive, you are greeted by a majestic and dense rainforest. The house is not air conditioned but cools off nicely at night. The house is spacious and open with a washer and dryer, stove, oven and microwave. It is not a traditional place but a once in a lifetime place to stay. The property has a waterfall on it, which Pete is happy to help you hike to. Once there, you can swim in the waterfall and hike down to the river. There’s a place to eat if you want to haul it out there with you. Note that since this is in a dense rainforest a lot breaks and is difficult to fix (ie the AC as advertised was inoperable) but don’t let that ruin your stay or stop you from staying here. It is an awesome place. Thank you, Deb and Pete!

We can't leave enough positive reviews about our stay. The property itself is fantastic. From the private rain forest experience, to the waterfall and swimming hole, to the amazing veranda and decks, our family of 5 had plenty of space to read, play games, relax and still be active outdoors. Even better then the property is the care and attention Peter and Debra gave to ensuring our vacation was as memorable as it could be. They coordinated our activities and a local chef who came in and made 2 amazing and authentic dinners. Peter took us on a tour of the property and the local flora and fauna. Then arranged for a night tour with a local expert. As for activities, we highly recommend the river rafting trip that takes place right from the property!

Communication with Edgar and Debra great prior to visit. Debra and Pete(owners) met us at the designated meeting point right on time as planned. From town there is a 30 min drive to the house , 20-25 min of this is on dirt, gravel and Extremely remote. House is ok, dated but clean and functional…..lots of insects everywhere especially at night. Lots of forest noises all night. The pros of this house are the lovely owners…. The loveliest most laid back self declared ‘hippies’ you can imagine. The surrounding grounds and waterfall shown to us by Pete were beautiful. The con is the house and location if your intent is to visit MANP. Our family probably prefers more modern convenient amenities but this a unique find with lovely hosts.

This is definitely a place that should be considered your destination. House is located in the middle of the rain forest. You will experience all same as you will at the national park in a private property without the crowds or fees. The singing of the birds, monkey calls, etc. The hosts are terryfic, super friendly and very helpful. Peter gives you a very detailed (almost 3 hr) walking tour of the property all the way to the water fall, etc. There is no AC, but plenty of fans and open screened porches to be one with nature. Recommend a 4x4 if driving there and bring all provisions for the length of your stay as it is quite a drive to get to town. Definitely a great place to get aways from it all and experience the real rain forest. Enjoy!

We enjoyed our stay very much! The hosts were great at helping book the extra activities that we did. They went above and beyond to help us. Even when I made a mistake on my own, they verified that we would be OK anyway. A 4-wheel drive vehicle was recommended and definitely made the drive out to the property easier, but was not required. There was a panaderia right off the road on the way there. Highly recommend stopping there to get some delicious treats. The meat-stuffed breads were top-notch.

House in the middle of the jungle. Great and unique experience. Property was very well equipped and comfortable. There is a waterfall and river nearby (swimmable).The hosts are very kind and helpful. I recommend to anyone looking for peace away from the crowds and hustle and bustle

The property was easy to rent. We put in our requested dates and we had confirmation in a very short time. Very easy.

We enjoyed the stay in the rain forest. The drive up to the house is an adventure, itself. We visited the beach during the day and experienced the calm of the rain forest with a night hike in the evening. Communications were great! If you are looking for something different or unique - stay here! The hike and waterfall are amazing. We did some grocery shopping on the way so, I recommend this. You won't want to go back and forth to the store.

Deb and Pete were great to work with. Deb helped me plan all of my excursions and she actually scheduled them for me in advance. I found this very convenient. The property is located fairly deep in the rainforest. It was a very peaceful stay with beautiful surroundings. Pete took us on a nice tour of the property and we swam in a waterfall lagoon. It is an approximately 30 minute drive into Quepos and 40 minutes to Manuel Antonio (the restaurants and hotels). The house is very spacious.

The owners were fabulous with preparing us for our stay. They lined us up with help on just about everything we needed, including tour guides. Super people to work with!! The property is in the rainforest. It doesn't get any more authentic than this. Jose guided us around the property, showing us plants, herbs, fruit, and wildlife. We had private access to the waterfalls on the property! The house was clean, comfortable, and filled with personal touches upon our arrival. The grounds were absolutely gorgeous!! If you want to get a rainforest experience with the most kind people to work with, this is your place!!

We loved our stay at this rustic location and home. Deborah was an amazing host, even arranging a night tour with guide, a morning tour to the waterfall again with our own guide, as well as a lovely evening with our own chef and assistant who cooked an amazing meal for us. Be prepared to enjoy being surrounded by the natural beauty of Costa Rica and bring your morning coffee out to your private balcony to enjoy the many wonderful songs of the birds and sounds of the forest. If you choose to book this location, be prepared to go into the mountain on a gravel road for about 30 minutes and also not to have any internet while you are there. The internet reconnects once you leave the gravel road and get onto the paved road again. However, our friends did manage to connect to another wifi in some lower rooms of the house and get messages in and out. We truly enjoyed our stay, our host and the home. Pura Vida! Monique, Danny, Charles, Jen, Jacquie and Jeff

This property is the real Costa Rica! The location is literally in the middle of a rainforest and the hosts are amazing! The “nightlife” is a tour of rainforest with flashlights and the local guide (Jose) to learn about native plants and find creatures that you would never see on your own. Jose also takes you on a short day hike to the “pool”-a private, 60 foot waterfall hidden in the middle of the property. The host is wonderful and does everything to make sure you have everything you need. If you want to sit on your couch to check emails and watch Netflix, this place is not for you. If you want a truly unique experience you can cherish for the rest your life, book this place!!

The property was absolutely amazing. Deborah and Peter were amazing hosts and very communicative. If you've never been to Costa Rica the road's aren't well named or have address so meeting at the Maxi Pali was incredibly valuable. We were a bit late due to traffic and weather but they waited around as promised. I highly recommend a 4x4, the mountainous road going up to the property can be a bit much for a normal 2 wheel drive car if you aren't used to this type of terrain. The property itself is stunning, the mornings, the evenings, the animals it's everything I'd ever want in a piece of property. The morning after we got there Peter took us out for a tour of the property, the amount of care and work he's put into curating everything is impressive to say the least. He has an incredible amount of knowledge about local flora and fauna and it really shows. The night tour with Jose was also incredible, it rained a few nights but he was able to be on standby for us on one night it was ok. His enthusiasm was second to none and we even got to see a terciopelo aka a Fer-de-lance on the tour, my partner who works in vetmed was besides herself getting to see one of the worlds most venomous snakes in the wild and this made our entire trip. The proximity to Quepos was great for quick day trips down to various soda's and really seeing the local culture. The internet worked somewhat but this is a highly mountainous region in CR, internet in these area's is provided by people shooting wifi links between mountains. Until starlink comes into CR in 2023 I wouldn't expect internet at any of these remote properties to be anything but spotty. But I was well aware of this before coming and lets not split hairs, I came to be in paradise not sit on the internet. I travel with my own cellphone booster to increase gain and hit remote towers, and even that was a bit mixed but again highly expected! I can't recommend this place enough and plan on visiting again in the future! Again this place was everything I could have ever wanted, I hope one day I can purchase a piece of property similar.

This is a truly unique property with acres of beautiful tropical plants and trees. The river and waterfall were even more impressive than expected. Our hosts were very accommodating and communicated well throughout the process.

The property was absolutely amazing. Deborah and Peter were amazing hosts and very communicative. If you've never been to Costa Rica the road's aren't well named or have address so meeting at the Maxi Pali was incredibly valuable. We were a bit late due to traffic and weather but they waited around as promised. I highly recommend a 4x4, the mountainous road going up to the property can be a bit much for a normal 2 wheel drive car if you aren't used to this type of terrain. The property itself is stunning, the mornings, the evenings, the animals it's everything I'd ever want in a piece of property. The morning after we got there Peter took us out for a tour of the property, the amount of care and work he's put into curating everything is impressive to say the least. He has an incredible amount of knowledge about local flora and fauna and it really shows. The night tour with Jose was also incredible, it rained a few nights but he was able to be on standby for us on one night it was ok. His enthusiasm was second to none and we even got to see a terciopelo aka a Fer-de-lance on the tour, my partner who works in vetmed was besides herself getting to see one of the worlds most venomous snakes in the wild and this made our entire trip. The proximity to Quepos was great for quick day trips down to various soda's and really seeing the local culture. The internet worked somewhat but this is a highly mountainous region in CR, internet in these area's is provided by people shooting wifi links between mountains. Until starlink comes into CR in 2023 I wouldn't expect internet at any of these remote properties to be anything but spotty. But I was well aware of this before coming and lets not split hairs, I came to be in paradise not sit on the internet. I travel with my own cellphone booster to increase gain and hit remote towers, and even that was a bit mixed but again highly expected! I can't recommend this place enough and plan on visiting again in the future! Again this place was everything I could have ever wanted, I hope one day I can purchase a piece of property similar.

The property was absolutely amazing. Deborah and Peter were amazing hosts and very communicative. If you've never been to Costa Rica the road's aren't well named or have address so meeting at the Maxi Pali was incredibly valuable. We were a bit late due to traffic and weather but they waited around as promised. I highly recommend a 4x4, the mountainous road going up to the property can be a bit much for a normal 2 wheel drive car if you aren't used to this type of terrain. The property itself is stunning, the mornings, the evenings, the animals it's everything I'd ever want in a piece of property. The morning after we got there Peter took us out for a tour of the property, the amount of care and work he's put into curating everything is impressive to say the least. He has an incredible amount of knowledge about local flora and fauna and it really shows. The night tour with Jose was also incredible, it rained a few nights but he was able to be on standby for us on one night it was ok. His enthusiasm was second to none and we even got to see a terciopelo aka a Fer-de-lance on the tour, my partner who works in vetmed was besides herself getting to see one of the worlds most venomous snakes in the wild and this made our entire trip. The proximity to Quepos was great for quick day trips down to various soda's and really seeing the local culture. The internet worked somewhat but this is a highly mountainous region in CR, internet in these area's is provided by people shooting wifi links between mountains. Until starlink comes into CR in 2023 I wouldn't expect internet at any of these remote properties to be anything but spotty. But I was well aware of this before coming and lets not split hairs, I came to be in paradise not sit on the internet. I travel with my own cellphone booster to increase gain and hit remote towers, and even that was a bit mixed but again highly expected! I can't recommend this place enough and plan on visiting again in the future! Again this place was everything I could have ever wanted, I hope one day I can purchase a piece of property similar.

This is a truly unique property with acres of beautiful tropical plants and trees. The river and waterfall were even more impressive than expected. Our hosts were very accommodating and communicated well throughout the process.

Beautiful calm and remote location. We loved waking up to all the rainforest sounds and enjoying the view directly from the balcony. The tour of the carefully kept property and the background information was fascinating. The house was spacious and even decorated with fresh flowers. Only the kitchen could have been a bit cleaner. Our family loved this place -our kids are already saying they would like to return here.

Everything about this property is just amazing!!!! The owners are wonderful and very knowledgeable of the property and truly the most accommodating people. Everything we needed was provided for us. I would highly recommend this place!!!