This was one of our favorite places in all of Costa Rica (and we hit most of the main spots staying at everything from eco-lodges to 5-star resorts). We had both oceanside villas and the main villa. The main villa is remarkable--it's hard to convey in photos that the entire ocean side of the building is open. No windows, no screens, just an open side (with a bar) to the ocean. This means you get the full roar of the ocean each night and amazing sunrise views in the morning as you cook breakfast. The main villa has two floors (the master suite is above) with most of the living space, additional bedrooms, kitchen and main bathroom down below. Because the entire ocean-facing side is open, there is obviously no air conditioning. Although it does get warm and stuffy during the day, it cools off very quickly at night--especially with the fans they provide. Also, expect some bugs and creatures to make their way in. The two oceanside villas were almost as amazing. Instead of an open-sided view to the ocean, they both of a deck that overlooks the garden and the ocean. Both are more like a studio with a bathroom and a modest kitchen-top and fridge. The beach was black sand, mostly secluded, and accessible within seconds of leaving your front door. The surf is certainly more aggressive here than elsewhere in the country. Puerto Viejo and all...This was one of our favorite places in all of Costa Rica (and we hit most of the main spots staying at everything from eco-lodges to 5-star resorts).

We had both oceanside villas and the main villa. The main villa is remarkable--it's hard to convey in photos that the entire ocean side of the building is open. No windows, no screens, just an open side (with a bar) to the ocean. This means you get the full roar of the ocean each night and amazing sunrise views in the morning as you cook breakfast. The main villa has two floors (the master suite is above) with most of the living space, additional bedrooms, kitchen and main bathroom down below. Because the entire ocean-facing side is open, there is obviously no air conditioning. Although it does get warm and stuffy during the day, it cools off very quickly at night--especially with the fans they provide. Also, expect some bugs and creatures to make their way in.

The two oceanside villas were almost as amazing. Instead of an open-sided view to the ocean, they both of a deck that overlooks the garden and the ocean. Both are more like a studio with a bathroom and a modest kitchen-top and fridge.

The beach was black sand, mostly secluded, and accessible within seconds of leaving your front door. The surf is certainly more aggressive here than elsewhere in the country.

Puerto Viejo and all of its shopping and Caribbean charm is easily accessible either by car or a 2km walk down the beach. This is a truly unique area of the country and you should definitely venture out to explore it.

Nature is all around you. We bumped into a sloth in the backyard garden. Plenty of birds, and more than a few friendly lizards (some ended up in our food).

Property management was great, responsive, and proactive on any issues.

A few things you should know:

- Utilities are unreliable. We lost lost power once and the water shut off as well--the properly has a backup well, but, this is not the resort area of the country so don't expect the same infrastructure.

- You may want to pack in water. There is a grocery store fairly close (just ask as it's on the way to the property). They do have filtering jugs, but, we never really trusted them.

- Note the Caribbean rainy season--it's not the same as the rest of the country. We were here in December and it rained several of the days. Even so, we enjoyed the place. But, there are times you should not expect a sunny getaway.

- Parking can get tight. We had two cars--with one other guest on property (and their car) things started getting tight.

- It is a haul from the San Jose. The highway from San Jose is under construction so we found it one of the slowest in all of the country. Expect a 4-5 hour trek.More