“Truly Amazing property!” There are no words to describe how wonderful it was to wake up to the magnificent views at Casa Espanola. The concierge and staff at my vacation Costa Rica were very attentive to all our needs. We were there for my girlfriend's bachelorette party and we were a group of 15! From the beginning, geralyn and Amy did a great job planning out our trip. I was very anxious about how the trip was going to turn out because i had never been to Costa Rica, but they were always so prompt with responding to my emails and executing all that was promised. Geralyn set up all of our excursions ahead of time. She even scheduled massages at the property! You won't want to leave this place! The pictures do not do it justice! It is even more beautiful in person. We posted photos on instagram with the hashtag #casaespanola so that you can see some photos from our experience. There were 4 floors and each had an ocean view! It was refreshing being able to wake up to that every morning! Every day, the cleaning staff came and cleaned up the property thoroughly, so the house was so nice every time we got back from our daily outing. Oh and our private chef, Chef Harold, was amazing!!!! He and his wife are so nice and the food is delicious! They have a menu on site and they will cook anything you request as long as they can get the ingredients. I would recommend Costa Rican cuisine because it is really yummy. All you have to pay for is the cost of food. And it is definitely worth it! The beaches are close by and easy to get to. The cost of transportation is about $1.75 per person each way. We had breakfast at Cafe Milagro. Their food is really good and the coffee drinks are deelish! You must see Manuel Antonio park. It is about a 20 minute stroll through the park where you see cute monkeys and other exotic animals. Once you get to the end of the park, you get to Manuel Antonio beach which is totally worth it! We had a blast. We also went to playa biesanz which is nice and private. Our trip was at the beginning of rainy season (May 28th-June 1st). I was really anxious about the weather because of the weather reports. I will say this: please disregard what you see on your weather app. It said that it was 100% precipitation and that it would be cloudy and raining every day. The weather was amazing pretty much all day. It would get cloudy in the late evening and it did rain a couple nights, but Costa Rica is so amazing that it didn't even bother us. Especially since we stayed at casa Española. I forgot to mention that they even provide you with 2 cell phones in case you need to get in touch with your concierge! How amazing is that? You can use the phone to make any local calls. So after the first couple days, i was able to call my own taxi lol I’m sure some of the other girls will post a review so you can definitely see how happy we were with our experience! Stay here! You won't be disappointed! To Amy, Geralyn and the rest of the staff at My Vacation Costa Rica, Thank you again for your hard work and the amazing experience!

“Great Value!” We stayed at La Nina for a month from mid-January to mid-February. It is within a gated property, making it very secure. The cottage has a fully-equipped kitchen with all the utensils and appliances one needs to make meals. The appliances are fully functioning and sparkling clean. As a matter of fact, we made many dinners 'at home' because fresh fruits, veggies, meat and seafood are readily available from the supermarket only a few minutes from the cottage. The weekend farmers' market is not to be missed for those who love to cook. There is a small selection of dvds in the cottage. Bring your own and relax in the evenings with a beer or two, or a bottle of wine. You can also play music from your own device and enjoy! Although the daytime temperatures were higher than normal while we were there, the four ceiling fans kept the place cool and comfortable. If you really need to cool off, the swimming pool is the pièce de résistance! There is plenty of storage space in the bedroom. The ensuite bathroom is spacious. Alicia, the housekeeper, comes three times a week to clean and refresh towels and bed linens. Maxwell and Sascha, Pete's canine ambassadors, will always remind you of their presence albeit in the most unintrusive ways! For what we were asked to pay for the cottage, it is the best deal in town.

“An awesome, peaceful hideaway!” I discovered Finca Paraiso at B&B.com; and made reservations for Oct 2011. I usually rent a vehicle so the drive of about 30 minutes was not only interesting but exciting as well. The roads in CR are not well marked and are somewhat bumpy with a fair share of potholes. For the directionally challenged, the innkeeper might consider meeting the guests at the airport as an escort or taxi. On arrival, I was overwhelmed by the inspiring beauty of the property. The views are stunning. The grounds are superbly manicured and provide vast space for exploring and enjoying the peace and solitude of nature. There were hundreds of different plants, flowers, and trees. There is even a trout pond with waterfall. And, there is a mountain stream with many waterfalls that can be traversed. The inn has an indoor heated pool with a steam room too! As if all this isn't enough, my jaw dropped when I entered the suite. It was a villa with the space of three hotel rooms. The refrigerator was stocked with juice, bread, cheese, jam/jelly, and other foods. There was a fine bottle of wine as a welcome gift. It included a fireplace, living area, whirlpool tub, oversized queen bed, ample closet space and a bathroom with a large shower. There was television with DVD and cable service. Wired internet was also a feature. The room included a terrace with a table for enjoying meals outdoors. But the best part were the windows that surrounded the suite affording beautiful views of the mountains and valleys. I enjoyed time soaking in the quiet which allowed precious rejuvenation, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The innkeeper and his wife were very helpful in suggesting places to go and also in providing directions. They also provide a complimentary dinner of rainbow trout from the pond. A very delicious meal. I highly recommend Finca Paraiso. It will be my getaway of choice when visiting CR in the future. Pura Vida!

“Most enjoyable tropical get away” We stayed in the Cranford's Toucan Suite. Our friends stayed in the upper level suite. The house sits on pristine jungle - the sound and sight of rare birds is a daily occurrence. We could easily walk to the river, explore the grounds which abound with exotic plants.Toucan Suite is the larger of the two units and is fully equipped with linens, kitchen utensils. We were able to borrow and exchange with our upstairs companions for the items that we needed (juicer, coffee grinder, garlic press) but it would be nice to have both kitchens equally stocked. The stove and refrigerator worked well. The issues that we had with staying at the Toucan Suite would be that the fans need to be upgraded. There are two ceiling fans that function well, although the "blue bedroom" fan makes too much noise to sleep through. There were two portable fans; one of them was okay but the other one barely moved the blades and eventually went comatose. Fortunately our friends in the upper unit had powerful ceiling fans and two super powerful portable fans and they lent us one which saved us! I strongly suggest the Cranfords upgrade the fans in the Toucan Suite. The lovely wooden doors that lead from the main floor to the porch area need to be fixed. They are off their track so we were unable to close them when the hot eastern sun shone through. The house would be much cooler if these functioned well. Blondie and Michael have a sign asking that we remove our shoes before entering and I complied with this request the first night. I found the floor really dirty and in the evening the ants, frogs and other insects would come in so we kept our shoes on. The house could use a good cleaning and some general upkeep. The upstairs suite seemed cleaner and because of the fans, cooler. The views from the upstairs suite are to die for. As the Cranfords note, the Internet seldom works consistently. Overall, we enjoyed our stay very much and highly recommend the Toucan Suite.

“Beautiful Property” The entire staff was terrific. Viviana was super helpful as she was able to make travel arrangements for us to make our stay enjoyable. Stephen was also terrific, he was great during booking and even called to check in with us while we were there. My only regret is not taking Stephen's recommendation to have our cars (Suvs!) delivered directly to the villa. Also, do not get anything but an SUV as a rental, a regular car will not make it up to the villa.