| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 17 positive, 0 negative]
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| 04/14/09 |
Positive
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March 7 – 14, 2009
No one wanted to leave! We all had such a great time. Nelly’s cooking was fantastic! She made dinner for us on the veranda 3 nights of our stay. Our favorite dishes her guacamole, pico de gallo, frijoles, arroz and pechuga de pollo asada, delicious!
The sunsets were beautiful as well as the moonsets. We will also miss howling at the monkeys and feeding the iguana bananas. The bird watching in the back far exceeded our expectations and we will never forget the daily sightings of the resident Turquoise- browed Mott Mott (his portrait is on the wall at Casa Playa Blanca).
Alex is an excellent guide and we can’t recommend him enough. He took us to Palo Verde to feed the White faced Monkeys and see a huge array of birds as well as to Arenal for a wonderful day of activities. The hanging bridge hike there was a wonderful way for the family to see the jungle together, we enjoyed swimming at the thermal baths and we were lucky enough to see some lava trails at night even though it was cloudy. We went to Rincon de la Vieja on our own to go hiking and had a wonderful time. Our favorite trail was the one that led to the Catarata la Cangreja. It was a long trail, i.e., at least 4 hours in total but well worth the time – the payoff is spectacular. If you don’t have the time to do that one, the other trail to the fumaroles is also very rewarding.
Pablo gave us a warm welcome by cutting open some coconuts to eat and drink on our first night and Jose made a lovely bon fire.
All in all, we had an incredible vacation and hope to be back soon.
Marcia Holman
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Marcia Holman |
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| 02/13/09 |
Positive
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December 2007 We were lucky enough to spend an entire month at Casa Playa Blanca and it wasn't long enough!
From our first sunset to our last, everything was perfect. We loved the location of the house-the beautiful and practically deserted beach, the town of Flamingo right down the way and more amenities near by. We enjoyed getting to know the neighborhood.
The kids loved going back and forth between the beach and the pool. The "snack shack"(pool bar) was a big hit and the perfect way to enjoy food and drinks outside. Your staff, Evelyn, Pablo and Jose took amazing care of us!! Their help made our trip truly relaxing and more enjoyable.
The many highlights included: The amazing sunsets every night, running on the beach each morning, boogie boarding in the surf, snorkeling at Playa Conchal, Evelyn's wonderful meals, horseback riding on Conchal, ATV riding, surf lessons with Gabriel Abner, scuba diving with Aqua Center, dinner with live music Sat & Sundays at Maries, great food at Mar y Sol, El Castillo for family breakfast/lunch, drinks at Sugar Beach Hotel, watching the Leatherback Sea Turtle lay it's eggs, make it's nest and return to the sea right here on Flamingo Beach (thanks Jose), bon fires on the beach,... we could go on and on. We had the trip of a lifetime except that we'll be back!
Thanks Mark, Evelyn, Jose & Pablo!
Pura Vida, |
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Anonymous, Seattle, Wa. |
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| 01/01/09 |
Positive
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Nov 23 - Dec 4, 2008
The Alaskans loved Costa Rica and the 60 degree weather change. We left snow, ice and low temperatures (10 dgrs F) to this beautiful country. The 10 days were fabulous and we did a lot - Fishing on the "Bushwacker" (5 Tunas!), Zip line w/Alex and dinner at the Golden Shrimp were highlights.
Evelyn is an angel and we took full advantage of her cooking-and pedicures! She drew a Santa Claus on moms big toe. Too cute!!
The accommodation could not have been better, LOCATION,LOCATION,LOCATION! Right on the beach - private pool and enough beds for all - grandparents, parents and kids (72 - 8 yrs old).
The internet & free long distance were an added bonus to our 18 & 20 yr old sons. They were out every night until the wee hours.
We all felt safe & in good hands with the staff. Thank you so much for letting us stay there.
The Karcz and Banks Families
Anchorage, Alaska |
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Dean Karcz, Anchorage, Alaska
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| 11/23/08 |
Positive
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| We had a fabulous time staying at Casa Playa Blanca from November 12-19. We found the house to be exactly as in the pictures. It was roomy and comfortable for the 10 of us. The beach was beautiful and clean and the water was warm. The kids could not stay out of the ocean. The staff was very friendly and accomodating. Evelyn was a wonderful cook and she always went over and above what was expected. She even taught us salsa dancing! Pablo and Jose were friendly and showed us some of the local wildlife. We just had a wonderful time and cannot wait to return. Thanks Mark! |
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Pam Rammer, Sheboygan, WI
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| 10/14/08 |
Positive
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Our sincere thanks to Mark and his staff for all the help you provided to us for our wedding week. You all went above and beyond the call of duty. since this is the very place we met 7 years ago we had no question where the wedding would be.
The new additions to the house are beautiful.The extra space made the accommodations perfect for our group and the wedding party.
The guard Jose was friendly and helped us feel safe, while Pablo greeted us early each morning with a smile and clean pool, decks and would cut down and clean coconuts for those who wanted them.
Evelyn is a jewel, her cooking was excellent. She amazed me at how quickly she could put together a meal for 10 people and laugh during the process.
Even though we had a couple of days of rain, the new outside kitchen allowed us a place to hang out if we got cabin fever.
I could go on but let me end by saying We Love Flamingo, it's like a second home to us. So many wonderful memories in the house and pool. We look forward to our next visit.
Keep up the good work. Take pride in knowing all of you are helping everyone that chooses this house as their destination in Costa Rica leave there with their own beautiful memories.
Casa Playa Blanca owners and staff are the best. Thank you for allowing us to stay there.
Vickie and Fred Schultz |
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Vickie and Fred Schultz, Georgia,USA
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| 04/29/08 |
Positive
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| Fantastic...everything. My four kids, ages 16, 15, 12 and 15 months, my husband and I, a friend of the boys (also 16), and my father and another friend spend a wonderful week here in March. The staff, the house, the location...everything was perfect. We relaxed, ate, drank and repeated! HIGHLY recommended to anyone who wants to enjoy great sun and relax and enjoy each other's company. |
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Leslie Paulson, Peoria, IL
3096722604 |
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| 02/22/08 |
Positive
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When we first saw this home online we were excited
to be on the beach and to have a pool for the kids. I
can say the pictures, as great as they are, do not do
this location justice. The sunsets each day are
picture perfect, the views from each window are
great. Evelyn's (cook/cleaning) cooking is
incredible. the staff are all friendly. Mark does a
great job of making you feel welcome and honest in
his suggestions. When you rent this home you get
more than you expect. We will be returning! Viva
"Casa Playa Blanca" |
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Steve Woodson, Huntington Beach, CA
714-724-6831 |
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| 08/01/07 |
Positive
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July 14-21,2007
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful home with us. Our party of 9 (friends & family)never felt crowded at any time which was wonderful! We loved to sit on the deck every morning and watch the monkeys in the tree and listen to the waves while enjoying our coffee. The Internet was a great bonus and good feature to the house. We were able to check on our family and affairs back home. we had three teenage boys in our group that would have gone nuts without talking to their girlfriends.
We can't say enough great things about the excellent staff. "Pajin" made sure the pool was ready for us every morning and even rinsed our cars every day. Jose's bon fire he built for us on the beach was a hit. We had a good time roasting marshmellows and got some great photos! Evelyn has become a part of our family. We love her! She cooked several times for us - best ever breakfast ( home made tortillas, eggs, bacon, potatoes)and the dinner was fabulous - (fresh fish & chicken w/vegtables, beans, rice, cheese potatoes and more) great, great, great! She also does excellent pedicures. - Highly recommended ladies!!!
We went on several tours during our visit and Alex our driver was the best. Call him for tours!!! He was wonderful and took care of all our needs.
Here is how we would rate the tours we went on...
***** ATV 4 wheeling - we rode while it was raining and I have to say that was one of the best times we've ever had!! The rain made it even better going through big mud holes and creeks!! Definately a blast! We did this tour twice. ( If you do this in the rain, wear panchos. It didn't keep from getting wet but less muddy).
***** Lazy Lizard tour with Capt. Judd. This is also a must and another one of our favorites! Imagine relaxing on the catamaran while cruising with a drink in your hand enjoying the scenery and listening to the sounds of the Ocean. Great snorkeling with beautiful sea life and it comes with a perfect sunset. Great trip!
*** We also did the combo tour which included horseback riding, hiking to the waterfall, zip lining, and the spa with a mud bath. This was a good tour, but a bit tiring for us older folks (40's & 50's). We were very tired and sore that night. Next time we will do these activities on seperate days. If you've never zip lined before, you definately need to try it!!
**** Deep Sea Fishing - We got a good price on a an all day fishing tour down at the little hut on the left past the Mariner Inn, which is where the boat captains hang out. You can negotiate the price. Mark can also help you out with this. The boat we took was the "Hatteras". Big boat with a/c, beds, food and drinks (everything you could ask for). We caught a 150lb Sailfish and some big Mahi Mahi which they cleaned on the boat and Evelyn cooked for us. Great Trip.
Thank You again Mark and we are already planning to come back again.
The Byrd Family - Ronnie, Kim & Zack. Ross Family - Jimmy, Sheila, Chad and Josh. Gandy Family - Beverly. |
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Kim Byrd, Woodstock, Georgia
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| 07/13/07 |
Positive
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June 27 - July 9
My family of 10 enjoyed this loction more than we had anticipated. We've been here almost two weeks and have never felt crowded in this spacious, tranquil home.
We mixed our time with trips to other bustling towns, and adventures in the jungle and ocean. But we always could return to the soothing sound of waves on the beach. We all relaxed and destressed from our U.S. life.
The weather is beautiful here, the sunsets are breathtaking, the ocean warm & sandy beach a delight. The service has been great, our housekeeper, Evelyn, is a real jewel.
The guides we hired were a great recommendation from Mark and he checked on us while we were here to make sure we were well cared for. We were!
I had found many web sites with lodging, and have seen them there. I thank my lucky stars we found and stayed at Casa Playa Blanca. None of the others came close, and I can't imagine the personal service could have been as good.
Thank's Mark,
Henderson clan, Seattle,Wa,USA |
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Charlene Henderson, Seattle, Wa.
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| 07/01/07 |
Positive
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May 12-18,2007
Thank you so much for allowing us to spend our vacation in the luxury of this beautiful home in your beautiful country. What a vacation we had. The paradise lifestyle, a clean enviroment, amazing people (Evelyn, Paulo("Pagine") and Jose). A great learning experience for the entire family.
All the extras Casa Playa Blanca offers makes it so much more enjoyable. Ex: tropical pool, beachfront, wildlife at your fingertips and people to accomodate our every need (extremely friendly people... Amigos!)We had a wonderful time in this beautiful home.
We are from Jacksonville, Florida and this is the kind of vacation we were hoping to get. You had everything well planned out and organized making our arrival/activity planning a breeze. The best thing about this house aside from the amazing location/paradise aroma are the friendly people you have here to accomodate your guests. Our family loved trying to speak Spanish with Evelyn, and we took her out to lunch with us to the "Happy Snapper", she's an amazing person. We really made a neat friendship. Brittney, our daughter, made a dinner plate for Jose every night that we cooked in. He really enjoyed evenings with us. He even enjoyed a cookout with grilled Tuna. We had a blast. "Pagine" was here first thing every morning to clean the pool and had it prepared for us to enjoy each day. He also kept the plants looking great. Everyone did an awesome job. You guys are the best. The only thing we could want more is to live here. We had perfect weather, sunny all day with cool refreshing evening showers.
Restaurants: Happy Snapper*** Golden Shrimp** El Castillo****(castle restaurant breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Activities: Canopy tour Zipline by Congo trail - extra friendly people, experienced, beautiful scenery, great fun!!
Lazy Lizard - magical ride on a catamaran with Capt. Judd and crew. Great snorkeling, relaxing, awesome sandwiches, beautiful sunsets (we even caught a 15lb. Tuna while trolling).
ATV tours by Divers Edge - not too expensive, takes you to Sugar Beach, Penca Beach and up in the dunes of Flamingo, beautiful scenery!(wear tennis shoes).
Evelyn - (if you pay her a little extra)does excellent pedicures, very relaxing while listening to the waves hit the sand. Ask her to make rice with chicken for you, best ever! She'll write down the ingredients for you, you buy the stuff.
When booking places over the internet, you never really know what you will get. This home far exceeded our expectations!!! Your hospitality in helping us with so many aspects of our trip went above and beyond and is appreciated more than you know. We are literally telling everyone we know of your wonderful accomodations. We loved your home and the wonderful folks you have in your employ. But I think most of all we fell in love with your beautiful country and it's people. We are already making mental plans to come back as soon as possible.
"Gracias" The Wiechmann's |
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Julie Wiechmann, Jacksonville, Fla.
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| 07/01/07 |
Positive
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We just spent two relaxing weeks at Casa Playa Blanca with our family, enjoying our stay immensely. Our host, Mark, made sure that everything went smoothly and our needs taken care of. Evelyn was there for us everyday to make sure our stay was comfortable in every way.
As for daily activities, we went scuba diving once, ATV & canopying another day and sailing on the Lazy Lizard for a fabulous afternoon snorkeling, lunch on the cat and cruising the coast. But mostly our days were spent enjoying the pool and playing in the surf. The weather was perfect - 30 dgrs C.+ and a refreshing nautical wind.
Shopping and eating at home was simple and good with grocery shopping nearby. Dinners out included Maries (good), Les Arcades (French, friendly & very good) and the Happy Snapper (where we went a second time). If you are adventurous, there are plenty of other excursions, but for us, the beautiful beach of Flamingo kept us entertained and happy.
We rented Mark's house via internet. As such, we didn't know 'exactly' what we were getting. After spending two weeks here and getting to know Mark and his family and staff, we can definitely say we will recommend him to others - And return ourselves!
Thanks for a great holiday!
Marc & Laurence, Anna & Benji - Alameda, Calif.
George - Zug, Switzerland
Francoise - Dijon, France
Dan & Flor - London, England
A.K.A. - The Blatt's |
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Marc Blatt, Alameda, Calif.
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| 06/28/07 |
Positive
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June 12-17, 2007 - The Fitzgerald Family (Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina) Casa Playa Blanca and Flamingo Beach are both a GREAT find! Mark was so helpful in planning our transportation and activities. We hired Alex Moreno to drive us in his 10-passenger van from Liberia to Arenal, then to Flamingo. Mark recommended Montana de Fuego lodge/spa - great place. We walked the 'Hanging Bridges' and floated down a river near La Fortuna. Be sure to go up to Arenal Lodge & Observatory at dark to see the red hot lava tumbling down the mountain.
Casa Playa Blanca has been beautifully done. Rachael (10), Ryan (9), Olivia (6) really loved the pool, and it was crystal clear thanks to Paulo. Heard howler monkeys early one morning. Coaxed the iguanas in the lower yard with bread. 'The Lazy Lizard'--with Mr. Personality, Judd--was our favorite, for snorkeling and beautiful sunset. Caught a nice mackerel on troll line. Off-shore fishing with Capt. Osmine (1 jackeral) and deep-sea fishing with Chepe (1 sailfish). Bought mahi mahi and grouper off the fish truck, and tuna from the fish stand near Brasilito. Evelyn prepared several tasty meals--her guacamole is awesome! Only restaurant we tried was 'Mar y Sol' and it was a nice experience. Congo Canopy Tour was fun. Boat trip on Tempisque River in Palo Verde National Park to feed bananas to white-faced monkeys and chicken to crocs.
This was a 5-star vacation for all of us!!! Thanks to Mark for all his attention.
Jim & Marilyn (Denver) Pam (Shreveport) Helen (Detroit) Dar & John and kids (Charlotte). |
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Marilyn Fitzgerald, Denver, Co.
303-234-5678 |
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| 06/28/07 |
Positive
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3/31/07
Wonderful, Beautiful, Relaxing. What a great place. This house is perfect for a large group. We had a party of 11 for over a week, very comfortable and relaxing.
We enjoyed all of our excursions, swinging through the jungle with monkeys, fishing on the Dixie Girl and the Plautus (Billfish Safari's), horseback riding to Brasalito on the beach (ask for Juaquine) and most of all, relaxing on the Lazy Lizard at sunset with Rum Punch.
Most of our time at the house was spent in the pool or at the pool bar, we loved it. Good shelling on the beach. Thanks to Mark for all of the tour info before arriving so that we had time to reserve in advance.
After sightseeing to different areas, Flamingo is by far the cleanest, most beautiful of all. We love this town! We were so excited to see the monkeys in the large green tree next door and to hear them howling in the morning was something you can never forget! Feeding Iguanas from the pool was so cool. We will definitely be back to Flamingo. Evelyn is so sweet and funny. We had a great time taking her to the Happy Snapper and trying to learn to Salsa! Jr. did such a good job keeping our play area so clean. Jose made us feel very safe each night. Thank yall so much!
Glenda, Audrey, Carol, Betty, Pat, Peanut, Dale, Bobby, Randy, Fred and Haydee
P.S. Evelyn does great pedicures! Carlos for massage! Grill is perfect for Beer Butt chicken! |
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Glenda Welsh, Steinhatchee, Fla.
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| 06/28/07 |
Positive
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Feb. 1-15,07
This home brought our family many happy memories - ones which we will never forget. Your hospitality was so generous. You have a beautiful spot in Costa Rica... One in which we hope to visit again.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for contributing to our experience. We truly had a blast!
Matt & Kari Falconer |
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Matt & Kari Falconer, Santa Cruz, Calif.
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| 06/28/07 |
Positive
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We spent two wonderfully relaxing weeks at Mark's house, Jan 1-15,07.
This was our first time renting through VRBO in a country other than the U.S. We were a bit apprehensive, but the house was even better than we expected. The view of Flamingo Beach, the pool, Mark's attention to all our needs made this a truly unforgettable vacation.
We will definitely recommend this place to our friends. Thank you for everything Mark,
Adrian and Lillian Rosu |
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Adrian Rosu, Anaheim Hills, Ca.
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| 06/27/07 |
Positive
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We enjoyed all of the amenities at Casa Playa Blanca June 5-12,07.We had so much fun practicing our Spanish with Evelyn.
We recommend: Lazy Lizard w/ Judd
Buena Vista Lodge w/ Alex
Thanks for all the great memories!
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Ringgold / Powell Family, Smyra, Ga & Baltimore, Md.
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| 03/16/07 |
Positive
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| Our vacation to Costa Rica was the best vacation we have ever experienced!! The description of this home was all it says and so much more!!If you are considering renting the Casa Playa Blanca, please do! You will not be disappointed! The staff at the home became our friends and we were saddened when our time ended. Mark, we can't wait to see you and your beutiful family next year! Sincerely, Kara, Herky, and the rest of our crazy gang! |
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Kara Green, Idaho Falls, ID
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