Gekko

A group of 10-12 professional adults are looking to rent a large house in Costa Rica.

* On the beach
* Near restaurants/bars/etc.

What areas should we consider?

tully

Hmmm, that's a pretty broad question. You can start with looking in the Manuel Antonio area, or any of the Guanacaste beach areas, or even more south in the Mal Pais/Santa Teresa area.

raquel_z

Or you can go at it another way. Since you say you want a large house, go to a site like VRBO, Homeaway or some of the other rental sites out there. Most have quite a few CR options listed. Find a few places that look like they suit your needs and then come back and ask for opinions and pros and cons of the locations.

if you are looking for location, the places Tully mentions are as good a place as any to consider.

good luck
raquel

Gekko

Many thanks.

We are a group of professional New Yorkers, couples & singles, who travel together. We rent a big house and "move in."

We're looking for a house on a nice beach, warm water, close to "nightlife" -- a town or area with restaurants, bars, etc.

Easy access to a major airport is a plus, of course.

Gekko

Raquel, I actually started at VRBO and realized I knew nothing about the various areas VRBO lists and which would be best for our group.

Once some kind Fodors form experts give me ideas, I'll return to VRBO and then come back with specific locations.

Many thanks!

gailkk

It seems like you'll either want to look at the peninsula in the Northwest or the Manuel Antonio area.

Gekko

Great, thanks. For VRBO purposes, what is the name of the peninsula in the northwest?

raquel_z

I think she means the Nocya Penisula. Places like Montezuma, Mal Pais Santa Theresa, Tambor are on the Nicoya Peninsula.

places in Guanacaste to look at might be Samara, Nosara, the Tamarindo area.

In the central Pacific Manuel Antonio has lots of choice. However the houses in most if not all cases will not be right on the beach.

It also may depend when you are going. For example if it happens to be October, you may be better off on the caribbean side and looking at places like Puerto Viejo and the beaches around there (Limon Province) as you will probably get less rainy weather than on the Pacific.

raquel

volcanogirl

Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular places that first timers visit. It has a beautiful beach inside the national park, and easy access to wildlife like monkeys and sloths. Also lots of restaurants to choose from, most with beautiful sunset views. It's a nice area if you don't mind some development.

SiteC_er

The Casas at Buena Vista Villas (Manuel Antonio) would be a decent option. I believe the Casas are 3 bedrooms. We stayed in a one bedroom villas and really enjoyed the property (has a private beach).

monkeybutt1

Check out the Uvita area
call or go to the Uvita Information Center web site

011-506-28437142
www.uvita.info
ask for Sonia

monkeybutt1

sorry posted the wrong phone # the right one is

011-506-88437142 or
011-506-27438072

qwovadis

For decent beach and night action
areas best for me...

www.tamarindo.com

www.manuelantoniopark.com

Lastly maybe Jaco but above two better.Manuel Antonio for me really
the most verdant and prettiest beach
Manuel Antonio #3.

Recently stayed in the Penthouse
at www.costaverde.com overlooking
tha park magical they are very good
with groups too...

Have Fun,

pegoode

We stayed at Casa Mira Mar in Manuel Antonio last November. Not on the beach but a short bus ride up and down the hill. Plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. There were 10 of us - 4 couples and 2 singles - so we took over all four levels. It was awesome to have drinks in the hot tub on the roof watching the sunset! Monkeys came down and played by the pool. There was even a mother with a tiny baby on her back. The place was great!
Check it out -
http://www.vacationvillas.co.cr/casamiramar.html

Linda137

One advantage to choosing Guanacaste would be that you could fly into LIR and be "moving in" within a few hours of your arrival. You can always fly within the country, but it takes up some time and the luggage weight restrictions can be a hassle if you're planning to buy a few things while you are traveling or if you are bringing sports gear, etc. with you.

Kinkazote

Gekko,
Since you are New Yorkers, I suspect the the need for a wide choice of good restaurants is possibly more important than finding a suitable house. If I were you, I would search out the clusters of good restaurants first and then try to find housing. For instance, Manuel Antonio has a wide range of restaurants, but you might have to rent a number of hotel rooms--in the same hotel if you start booking early enough.

Dana_M

I second SiteCer's recommendation of Buena Vista Villas and Casas. We stayed there a little over a week ago and loved it. There were twelve of us, and we rented two Casas. The three bedroom Casas have one bedroom with a king bed, and the other two bedrooms each have two double beds. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom with outdoor shower. There is also a half bath on the main level. Each Casa has a large balcony with a hot tub. The views are incredible.

There is a private beach on the Tulemar property, with a bar where you can order food and drinks right on the beach. They have boogie boards and kayaks available for the guests' use. The units are not directly on the beach but up on a cliff, as are most (if not all) of the accomodations in Manuel Antonio. The location was very convenient to numerous restaurants and also to MA Park.