Guestbook

More than just a villa – Casa Fantastica

“Casa Fantastico truly lives up to its name. Having traveled a bit, I just was not prepared for such beauty. “Villa” doesn’t do it justice. It’s a spiritual experience. Came with family and friends and have many dreams and stories to take home and share. Photos cannot do it justice. Words will have to suffice. Enjoyed the staff. Such hard-working people. Thanks to all who provided this experience.

Our fishing experience was great. We were in the boat, Dream Chaser. The crew was very pleasant and were able to find the fish. Caught two sailfish and two Dorados. Agua Azul did a great job preparing our Mahi Mahi and we grilled the rest here for ourselves. You may want to close your curtains while you are in the bedroom, or you may see the monkeys looking in at inopportune times. The designer of this house did a marvelous job and clearly had fun doing it. Here is to the best trip experience I’ve ever had.”

— Your new friends from Chicago

 

Breathe Baby Breathe

“To love or not to love this place is not the question. There is only love! The doors opened to the respite of the highest order. The ambience of Fantastica during our 5 day experience proved to be intoxicating. Good music only added to the experience. Breathe baby breathe!. Most enjoyed was the fine weather, the hot tub, pool and bathrooms.

Nighttime was equally astonishing. Dinner at the poolside with friends added fuel to the fire. Simple, but delightful… Oh baby, baby. Next time I will probably watch a movie or two. If god is smiling, for sure she is smiling on this wonderful villa. Absolutely Fantastica!”

— Donald S. and family

 

Wonderful vacation

“Tomorrow the journey ends and it is back to reality for us, however with great spirits, after this taste of paradise. We felt right at home in this enchanting villa where life is even more than “Dolce.” Of course Costa Rica is faithful to its name “Rich Coast.” In order to optimize your appreciation of its wonders, let private guides open your eyes to many aspects that we would have overlooked. Our favorite tour was rafting as we really felt in communion with nature. This was a wonderful vacation. “

— Canadian friends

 

One week wasn’t enough

“Our family of 12, East Coast and West Coast, decided to meet in Costa Rica to celebrate 60th birthdays. Casa Las Brisas was perfect for our large gathering. Great places to gather and enough room to be on your own if desired. If you don’t see monkeys while staying here, you need to wake up earlier!! Mornings before 8 or afternoons are the bet times for viewing. Mothers with babies on their backs, adolescents and mature males all out the back deck area. Other highlights include: Zip line canopy tour. White water rafting, the half day trip was worthwhile. We loved the beach at Manuel Antonio. Drinks at the bar at sunset, especially Agua Azul, were amazing. The butterfly farm is worth a visit and it’s a wonderful venture to support.
Privately funded, but is part of the green movement in Costa Rica. You can purchase a ticket and re-visit any time during one week. We all wish we could stay longer in this wonderful country. One week just wasn’t long enough! “

— The Longsa family

 

What a fantastic week!

The house is wonderful. The maid is terrific and Lester is very, very helpful and kind. We did not want to leave. The monkeys came almost every day at 5pm on the back deck. One morning at 9:30am we happened to be here and a troop of squirrel monkeys came right by the pool. They were very friendly. We had fun with them. The monkeys that came everyday were the black ones with white faces. So we saw 2 kinds of monkeys and heard the howler monkeys a few mornings, but never saw them. If you need any help with anything, Lester is the man. He helped us with so many things. The best shopping was at the beach. A lot of little stands with good deals. Go out to the main road, turn right and take it to the end. The canopy tour was awesome and horse back riding was great!! Everything was absolutely perfect.”

— The Roberts family

 

Pura Vida

What an amazing experience! Now we know where to come back to again and again. There is so much to love about Costa Rica, the jungle, the animals, the people, the house Dolce Vita, the food the beaches. We did a lot of great things: canopy safari, river rafting, park, snorkeling, mangrove tour, horseback riding, surfing, eating, drinking. Pura Vida!

— The Andrews

 

Grand week

Great house, great location, great fun! If you want great fishing, try Miguel at Blue Fin. We brought in four sail fish over 100 pounds, hooked and eventually lost a 600 # blue marlin, it caught and ate red snapper and amberjack. For the young and brave, the river rafting as a once in a life time experience. We used Amigos del Rio…great guides and unbelievable day. But if you scare easily and or afraid of being thrown in the water, skip it. Marluna restaurant was the best we found for great seafood, just 1 km toward Quepos. Mar y Sombra on the beach had the best whole fried red snapper for less than $4. Karola’s just down the road by Café Milagro and the Gran Escape in Quepos both were pretty good places. Overall, just a grand week!!!

— The Bailey family

 

Incredible time

We have had an incredible time here in Costa Rica. The rainy season proved not to be rainy at all. We did most of the local tours all of which were quite good. I think the best part of our week here at Casa Samba has been just relaxing here on the porches. Watching the clouds roll in, watching the birds, and enjoying the nice breezes that cool you down. Enjoy!

— The Barnes family

 

We loved it!

This was a beautiful house with an incredible view. Costa Rica is definitely the good life. “Pura Vida”. Great food, great fun, best vacation! We loved it!

— Jason and Michelle Miller

 

Perfect week

It was a perfect week in Paradise – good friendship, great food, monkeys and matrimony!

— Uta Totten and Judy Kiepff, Morristown

 

Incredible trip!

We spent a wonderful three weeks relaxing and enjoying Casa Samba, Manuel Antonio Park and the beach. Highlights of the trip included Canopy tours, a hike around the park, and many days of boogie boarding.

— The Dutch family

 

We will be back

We had a wonderful spring break. We love Casa Samba!! We will be back!

— Laura, Larkin, Clair (NYU), Whitney, Janis, Warren (Tufts), Gabrielle, Danielle, Rebecca  (Rutgers)

 

Superb chef

We love Roger. We are mad about Roger. Superb chef. He made our visit. Don’t bother with the restaurants – just let Roger take care of it, because he prepares his meals with only the freshest ingredients. Our house was cared for by Hazel who is wonderful and delightfully sweet. Just let Roger and Hazel take care of everything.

— Ealel, Minda and Chris, Manhattan

 

Very peaceful stay

We enjoyed everything about our stay here. The house is comfortable and the view is awesome. We especially liked the outside veranda. The white faced and Mono Titi monkeys took turns visiting the villa each afternoon around 4:00. Watch for the rustling of treetops! It was a very peaceful stay on this hill.

— The Greenes, Bruce, Julie, Kaitie, Emma and Olivia

 

Paradise

Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Casa Samba are paradise. Every morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise, birds chirping and the monkeys playing in the trees. It was a great relaxing vacation, a perfect way to celebrate our 50th birthday with people who we love.

— The Carol family

 

Wonderful view

What a fun trip and awesome place to stay! As newly married couples this will probably be our last trip before we start a family and is truly one we will never forget. So many memories have been made here this week. From our scary canopy tour, mangrove, kayaking, to our late night catch phrase competition we enjoyed every bit of it. Our favorite food was at the Barba Roja for smoked trout and cajuned tuna. Yum!! We also visited Napolis twice for pizza-super pizza. We are sad our time here is done and we are definitely returning again (when our kids get a little older so they won’t fall off the living room or the pool. This house is the best out here, outstanding service and wonderful view. We’ll never forget our time here! Thank
you!

— The Weisman family

 

Best vacation

This vacation was by far the best vacation I’ve ever had. Casa Samba and Dolce Vita are so wonderful. The views are great. The people here are so friendly. We celebrated a wedding and an anniversary. Being here in paradise with my closest friends was the best!!

— The Lee family

 

Look forward to returning

We loved Casa Samba. The house is beautiful and very comfortable. We will miss evening cocktails on the deck at sunset and the sound of the ocean at night. Costa Rica is an amazing place. The people, the wildlife, the flora and fauna – even the insects were amazing. We will miss this beautiful spot and look forward to returning.

— The Nuggrant Family and Parkinson family, Oakland and Sacramento

 

Highlights

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Rafting, kayaking, canopy tour and the park were definite highlights. Massage with Jamison was out of this world, particularly on the third floor during a rainstorm.

— Bret and Pam Saathoff, St. Paul

 

Muy Bonita

Casa Samba is Muy Bonita. The boat ride through the mangrove was great. Fabulous trip. We all had a great time – especially the kids.

— Melinda, Steve, Colin and Ryan, Rita and Roger, Mike, Melissa, Michael and Kirk, Tulsa

 

We enjoyed everything

Casa Samba is the most relaxing place. We enjoyed everything we did. We had fishing, rafting, canopy tours and exploring the park. However the best experience for everyone was meeting and tasting the food prepared by our chef. He has made our experience perfect. We highly recommend the house, but don’t forget the friendship and wonderful food prepared for us.

— Stacy and Sandra Gore, Auburn

 

Wonderful place and time

Casa Samba will live in our memory as a most wonderful place and time. We loved the ambience, the wonderful meals fixed by our chef and the attention of our maid, Hazel.

— John and Aquila Real

 

Luxurious and relaxing

My husband and I have been traveling through Central America since the end of August. These two weeks have by far been the most luxurious and relaxing part of our journey. There are so many wonderful things to do in the area, but with the house so beautiful and relaxing it is hard to leave the poolside.

You will see sloths and white-faced monkeys almost once a day in the afternoon. One afternoon I spent taking closeup pictures of the white-faced monkeys from the top floor.

— The Jarr family, Chicago

 

Far exceeded our expectations

We’ve been hearing from friends for years about how incredible Costa Rica is. Our usual vacation destination is Hawaii, but we decided to try someplace different and we are glad we did! There are six of us (3 couples) and we are all blown away by Casa Dolce Vita and Casa Samba. The houses, the views, the service and Costa Rica itself have far exceeded all of our expectations!!

We hired Roger for 5 days to cook for us and once again, our expectations were exceeded! Every meal was so flavorful and he always surprised us with a delicious dessert. Coming back exhausted from a tour and having Roger here cooking and filling the house with incredible aromas was heaven!! He does all the shopping, cleaning, etc. All we had to do was tell him what we wanted to eat and he did the rest! We highly recommend
using Roger for at least one or two days during your vacation.

— Holly, Henry, Dan, Melinda and Danny

 

Wonderful stay

Thank you for a wonderful stay at the villa – we enjoyed every minute of it, from the fabulous food to the cable TV. We are sure to come back soon!

— Linda and Royal Park, New York