We are looking at Mango Moon, Costa Verde, Villas Nicolas, and Makanda. I thought Makanda was our first choice, but they are a little more expensive. However, I have read that some people have gotten deals under 200/night, which is the cheapest they have advertised on their site. I have written them with no answer in almost 2 days.

Anyway, I understand Mango and Villas Nicolas are smaller and more intimate, but Villas has no onsite restaurant. Mango has shared balconies (for the price we want to pay), so I am just seeking your recommendations at this point.

THANKS!

It's been a very long time since I've read a good report about Makanda, tbh. I vaguely remember they rec'd a lot of damage from a small earthquake and the property is/was up for sale. Also, not positive but I think Makanda was the one where there was a robbery from the room and the management would give no help or anything to the guest.

Your first 3 are are all fine choices, IMO. I like the Costa Verde Studio Plus rooms myself, but any of them you can't go wrong with.

Hi, Jen - we stayed at Mango Moon and liked it. We got upgraded to the King Upper Balcony Suite, and it was gorgeous, really roomy, and had a beautiful view. I believe this is the only room with a private balcony. We weren't big fans of the shared balconies because people come walking by your room quite frequently and we prefer a little more privacy. Mango Moon does serve breakfast, but they do not have an onsite restaurant for lunch or dinner. We were able to walk to several good restaurants from there including Barba Roja and Cafe Milagro. I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have.

A friend of mine just returned from her honeymoon at Makanda, and she loved it, but I haven't experienced it myself.

Did you try...Si Como No??? or Costa Verde??? even Espadillas hotel!!

Check tulemar.net is a good alternative too!!

R.A Luis

Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

Yes, the balcony thing is a little frustrating - there are a couple different rooms that have the private but they are much more expensive. I keep hearing Costa Verde is just ok and we don't want to do CV 2 b/c we both like our A/C and tv. Bad, I know.

We thought we'd want t.v. as well, but we never really watched it in Costa Rica. The sun comes up so early - around 5:30 - that you get pretty wiped out in the evenings after spending the day hiking or at the beach. We found ourselves busy during the day and turning in early at night.

We stayed at one hotel that advertised satellite t.v., and they only got 4 channels, only one of which was in English and was the Hallmark Channel!

We got lucky at Mango Moon; our original room was only $175, and they upgraded us for free because the king room was empty. We met people on our sailing trip that were staying at Costa Verde and were disappointed with it, but I can't speak from personal experience. Good luck finding a great place.

Hi, Jen - I forgot to add that our first room at Mango Moon had a private balcony, but to get to it, we had to walk right through our neighbor's balcony. Once there, we had a door between them we could close, but we felt like we were constantly intruding on them. They were very nice about it, but we couldn't help but feel intrusive. It's really the one thing we didn't like about the property. If you do decide to stay there, you might want to ask about the details. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks! I will have to ask about that - doesn't sound very private. It looks like there is one type of room that has private balconies though...the room descriptions are confusing.