Villas de la Selva

What a view from our balcony. The wildlife around the hotel is amazing. The monkeys entertained us and there were 2 sloths and a baby sloth in a tree in the grounds. Simon should be mentioned as he worked hard to ensure we had a great stay and clearly loves the wildlife.

This is a great hotel. The accommodation is simple, spacious and clean. It won’t win prizes for interior design but that’s irrelevant. The rooms have wonderful views across the bay with great sunsets. There’s a very nice pool. The service from Simon the host was perfect and super helpful. And the wildlife is literally on your door step. Notably a family of sloths living in the mango tree outside reception. The position halfway between the national park/beach and Manuel Antonio’s good range of nice restaurants is also spot on. Strongly recommend.

This hotel has pros and cons. Pros: beautiful water view especially of sunrise and sunset from private balcony. My Balcony also had a hammock. Another pro is a very helpful young man who works there who will help you with your bag up and down the numerous large steps all over the property (it is built on a steep hill). It is near enough to the beach to walk - 5 minutes. Also, very clean. Cons: it looks like there is a hot tub and pool but the hot tub water flows into the pool. The hot tub is not hot and the pool is actually hotter and too hot to swim. Also No lights at the pool after dark so you are swimming in the dark. The pillows were terrible. Everything needs renovation. Both my sliding door and screen door would not close or lock properly, same with the room safe. The furniture looked like scraps you would put in a college dorm. The kitchen was not usable- they provide nothing, not even salt/pepper/sugar/coffee. No kettle or even a pot - just a very scratched hot pot and griddle. The microwave only worked on “pizza”. The nearby “grocery stores” within walking distance are outrageously expensive- you will spend a lot more trying to cook than eating out if just 1-2 people. The price vs what you get is not aligned The views and balconies however really are wonderful. Just know what you are getting beforehand.

Rooms clean, spacious and everything you need Parking outside the door Nearby beach is amazing

After staying in Monteverde for 2 nights, we were ready for some sun in Manuel Antonio. We chose this place because of the views and animal activities, and we were not disappointed. The views are amazing and wild life everywhere. We saw so a sloth with her baby, squirrel monkeys, ant eater, scarlet macaw. We had 7 rooms for our group of 14 with age ranges 48 to 81. Lots of steps for some rooms except the 2 up top. You can drive down to other lower level rooms but you go through another hotel to get to them. Manuel was great and we will definitely be back.

The rooms have a fantastic view of the sea. We could spend hours looking at the wildlife from the balcony. We saw humming birds, lizards, agouti, monkeys and red macaws. Manuel is kind and helpful. We arrived quite stressed from a long drive but the environment had a great calming affect. Be prepared for hills and rain and you'll be fine. An umbrella us a must in Costa Rica, raincoats are too hot to wear!

Likes: The view of the ocean The abundant wildlife around the property-Sloths,parrots, monkeys, toucans. Dislikes: No access to beach Traffic noise

We had a wonderful stay. The rooms were comfortable and had everything you need to cook, if that is what you need to do. The AC was great. Very clean, bright. Great view, we were visited by much wildlife, some birdsI had never seen before. The area is well taken care, and the animals have fruits to eat from the trees you can tell that Don Manuel is sensible to the fact that wild life space is significant to their survival. You can walk to stores and restaurants but be cautious of the traffic. This hotel is out of the main road, and yes you will need to walk a little up or down so bring your straw hat and non-plastic water bottle. The beach is great. We went to a private guided tour at Manuel Antonio and went parasailing, a lot of fun and learning too ! Pura vida!

The property manager Hector was excellent. He was very attentive to our needs. The other manager(s) were never seen and only communicated with us through a voice com at the gate. The property is on a cliff and the pool was a steep walk. Our room was on street level which I was happy to have.