Jungle Villa with Waterfalls and Toucans! in Dominical

Spring Break in Costa Rica

LBfromOC (Huntington Beach, CA)
Review submitted: April 9, 2013   Date of arrival: March 29, 2013

Villa Los Aires delivers on every promise! The villa, the staff, the food, the amenities, the wildlife - BEST vacation ever. Many, many thanks to Henry and Viviana for making this stay a memory our family will never forget!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sight seeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway

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Helpful votes: 1 / 1

Secluded paradise

Dave W. ()
Review submitted: February 5, 2013   Date of arrival: January 26, 2013

I stayed there with 11 friends for my 50th birthday party, there was nothing we weren't pleased with. The estate is a beautiful open-air property, with plenty of room for all of us. The staff was very pleasant and helpful, and the building, grounds and pool were kept clean and maintained during our entire stay there. One vehicle was late in arriving (3am) due to a late flight, but one of the staff was still awake and waiting for them to arrive safely when they finally arrived. It's a bit of a drive to get there from San Jose airport (around 4.5 hours), but it's worth it for the seclusion and beauty. It's secluded, you can be as loud as you want to be, and enjoy nature from the pool (toucans land in the trees every day by the pool, and monkeys howl in the morning). We had several lunches and dinners cooked and were happy with the meals. We took several day trips to scuba dive, zipline, ATV ride and hang out at the beach, so it's a great home base for adventures. I recommend a 4 wheel drive vehicle, the dirt road leading there is pretty rough for a sedan-type vehicle and would be tough to navigate if it was muddy. Very happy with our stay there, and thanks to Stephan for his help in answering our questions and booking our trip. You won't be disappointed!

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Helpful votes: 2 / 2

Beautiful Villa with Stunning Views

Travel Mom (Carmel, IN)
Review submitted: August 16, 2012   Date of arrival: July 29, 2012

Los Aires is a beautiful place for a large family or group of dear friends to stay who are adventure seekers. We had a family reunion with 13 members aging from 17 to 77 and it was the most memorable experience that we have all shared together. Because of its isolated location and logistical challenges, we relied heavily on the staff which were very accommodating. I arranged in advance and prepaid with Stephen, the owner, to have meals prepared for all of us each day of our visit. In addition to the fruit and cereal already included, Viviana prepared eggs and bacon or pancakes for breakfast. Patricia prepared delicious dinners for us every evening and Henry drove us to most destinations. It was expensive to have these services but well worth it because it allowed us to completely relax and enjoy our stay. No shopping, cooking and cleaning! Viviana, the concierge, did an excellent job arranging daily excursions. As someone who is neurotic about safety, we had complete confidence in the guides she recommended for Cano Island/Corcovado National Park; white water rafting on the Savegre River (even our experienced kayakers enjoyed the 2-3 rapids) with Dominical Surf Adventures; surfing; zip lining at Mid World (double cables and the guides brake for the zip liners--no frayed zip lines); and a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park with Miguel (very knowledgeable and has a monocular for viewing wildlife). Extra information--The property is down a long, very steep, unpaved road and requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a powerful engine to access it...12-16 minute drive to a paved road. We rented from Solid Car Rental, in Dominical, a Mitsubishi Nativa automatic and it handled beautifully. Have the car delivered to Los Aires. My 24 year old nephew sliced his chin and needed stitches. Viviana recommended a clean, well equipped clinic in San Isidro and it was an excellent experience. Late July and early August is a wonderful time to be at the Villa. We did all of our activities in the morning and early afternoon and were home by about 3-4 pm when it started to rain. If you hike to Nauyaca Falls on your own and want to jump off the falls, you might want to make sure guides are at the sight and available to help you climb the rocks with their ropes and show you the safe spots to jump and swim. Knowledge of Spanish is also very helpful! Finally and most importantly, Los Aires is all that it promises in its photographs and description!

Recommended for: adventure seekers, families with teenagers

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Helpful votes: 3 / 3