We arrived at Bella Vista after dark, our plane was delayed by thunderstorms over San Jose and we had a long, dark drive in the rain. Upon arrival we were greeted by Maria the concierge and Fernando her father, the property manager.
First impressions were that the villa was absolutely fabulous, spacious, airy, beautifully furnished with bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen to die for; so we fell into our beds happy and excited to begin our vacation.
Words cannot describe the overwhelming beauty of the views that awaited upon sunrise the next morning. Spectacular doesn't even come close. From our bedrooms, living area and veranda we looked out over the gardens, pool, rain forest out across the ocean to Elephant Rock.
Our family party of 10, with ages ranging from 7 to 77, all fell in love with Bella Vista, everyone had something to satisfy their senses - the pool, the tropical flowers, the tranquility, the abundant wildlife.
White Face and Spider monkeys swung in the adjacent trees, some venturing onto the veranda, swinging on the railings and even quizzically examining objects left on the table. Toucans and macaws flew over, resting in the trees nearby. Almost too good to be true.
Beautiful Maria, the concierge, was a mine of information, super helpful in planning and booking the rain forest tours and ziplining during our stay, and collecting and returning the rental car.
Maria, assisted by the equally beautiful Ciara, was also our private chef. They prepared and served 3 evening meals and a breakfast for us during our stay, all authentic Costa Rican dishes, spectacular in appearance and delicious in taste. They also called by one afternoon to make us a selection of Costa Rican cocktails - most enjoyable!
Fernando, the property manager, called by every day, to check that all was well and that we had everything we needed . We were offered a maid service on demand, which we opted to take once, midway through the week, to change bed linen, towels etc. and to clean and tidy the villa, all meticulously done.
Although close to the Playa Espadilla , there was no direct access to the beach from the villa. It could be reached by the road , maybe half a mile, but it was a steep incline, too much for the youngest and oldest of our party, so the rental car was put to good use. We found the rental car essential, but others might enjoy the exercise or opt to use the red taxis which were plentiful and cheap.
We will be back!
Pura Vida!
