| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 1 positive, 0 negative]
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| 04/21/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
This week went by so fast! We had a very relaxing time at el Mango & spent hours in the pool and hanging out at the terrace. Perfect spot for a small child as well.
Our favorites: gallo pinto at the small rustic restaurant on the beach at the police station, playa carrillo & batidos at the Italian place on samara beach.
Muchas gracias Lavae, Steve, Iris, y Danny!
Pura vida,
Fabrice, Svintha, Sacha
Brooklyn, USA
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Fabrice, Svinthas, & Sacha
Brooklyn, US
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| 04/14/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We three Cinnamons, Mary, Christopher & 9 year old Luis agree with utmost enthusiasm, warmth and good humor, that our ten nights at Casa Mango, and many hours of the ten days in between, replete with the vista of the azure Pacific, framed by verdant tropical foliage, with the pleasing pool for a cooling dip, with the sounds of the sea, the birds and the raucous monkeys, nourished by casa-cooked meals of local produce and fish, and thirsts slaked by cold imperials (Mom & Dad’s, not Luis), from this and much, much more, we unanimously conclude this was the best vacation ever.
Favorites:
• Buy a laminated single sheet field guide at Super Samara and identify birds. From our porch and nearby we Id’d dozens of species including the beautiful Blue-Grey Tanager, the amazing taile Turquoise Browed Mot Mot, the brilliant breasted Great Kiskadee. Keep a sharp eye out for a White Fronted Parrot, too. Exquisite!
• Playa Islita – Select 4 x 4. Ford some rivers and find this beautiful gbeach. On Easter Sunday, with Carrillo packed, we shared Islita with ab out 10 folks. Explore the tide pools on the west end at loqw tide.
• Wing-Nuts Zip-line. Great fun for all!
• Iris and Danny were especially pleasant, helpful, and kind, teaching several impromptu lecciones en español para nosotros.
So it is with hearts heavy with sadness at the end of the best vacation ever that the three Cinnamons pack the dusty, trusty Dihatsu for the drive back to Liberia for the flight back to Chicago, but those hearts, and the minds and spirits connected thereto, are at the same time buoyed, enriched, uplifted and deepened by the memories, experiences, sights, sounds, and smells of our moments in and around Casa Mango.
The Cinnamons, Chris, Mary & Luis
Chicago, IL
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Chris, Mary, & Luis
Chicago
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| 03/04/09 |
Positive
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We stayed in both Mango and Papaya and really enjoyed both. There
were two of us in Mango and it was perfect. Very clean, comfortable,
and great patio and view. There were four when we moved to Papaya and it was also very nice. I would suggest Mango if only two guests. The pool and rancho were very nice. The hill seems daunting when you first arrive, but we walked to and from Samara each day to attend classes and had no problem. The monkey action was unbelievable. The owners and staff were great and very helpful. We had a wonderful 3 week stay.
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Patricia Scott, Ashland
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| 02/02/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
This is a wonderful spot! Enjoyed our week very much. Jesse’s Gym is a great surf school. Our time passed too quickly.
Louise and Andrew
Graham & heather
Eastern shore of VA
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Louise & Andrew
Eastern shore, VA
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| 01/08/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Jan 8 09
Bonjour du Quebec. Nous partons malheuresement demain pour Arenal, car nous sommes tristes de partir. Si vous avez choisies Casa el Mango vous serrez combler. Un endroit magique, grandiose la nature vous entourres avec son et images. La nuit on est comme en camping avec des bruit inconnue mais si agreables. Maintenant je comprend bien ce que veut dire “Pura Vida” comme vous le savrez aussi.
A la prochain et merci de tout coeur Lavae.
Stephane Sorel
Quebec
PS Soyez vigilant avec vos enfants apprenez leurs a preserver la beaute du monde.
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Stephane
Quebec
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| 01/08/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Jan 8 09
Bonjour du Quebec. Nous partons malheuresement demain pour Arenal, car nous sommes tristes de partir. Si vous avez choisies Casa el Mango vous serrez combler. Un endroit magique, grandiose la nature vous entourres avec son et images. La nuit on est comme en camping avec des bruit inconnue mais si agreables. Maintenant je comprend bien ce que veut dire “Pura Vida” comme vous le savrez aussi.
A la prochain et merci de tout coeur Lavae.
Stephane Sorel
Quebec
PS Soyez vigilant avec vos enfants apprenez leurs a preserver la beaute du monde.
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Stephane
Quebec
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| 01/01/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Dear Steve and Lavae,
Thank you for your warm hospitality. The Mango was perfectly situated for us, and we loved the sparkling pool.
The town of Samara was so enjoyable, we never bothered going anywhere else during our 5-day stay. The peasceful beach, the warm water, the \shade of the coconut trees . . . you truly live in Paradise!
Our favorites: Canopy Tour (Wingnuts), Shake Joe’s benches, View from Baracuda, Howler Monkey Growl.
Gracias,
Justin and Gina
CA, USA
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Justin & Gina
CA, USA
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| 12/09/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We've spent a week at Casa El Mango trying to do as little as possible. We're more relaxed than I could have imagined possible. Playa Carillo was beautiful and we saw only 4-5 people the entire day. Its a short drive or easy bike ride. Thanks for offereing such a lovely casa and setting near Samara.
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Denise and Sean
Bellevue, WA
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| 12/08/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We had an absolutely great time at Casa El, Mango. We spent a lot of the tim relaxing and eating on the share patio. Ev erybody in this town is v ery vfriendly. On a scale from 1-10, our stay was an 11. Thanks Lavae and Steve. Waht a great little piece of paradise.
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Jess, Jamie, Michelle
Fort Collins, Colorado
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| 11/22/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Casa El Mango was a great place to rejuvinate. The "El Gecko Compound" thoroughly impressed us. We loved the details of these awesome cottages. Our kids at home will be so jealous when we show them pictures of the animals. We would not suggest anyone go to Tamarindo - it is dirty, dusty and commsercial. The beach here is much more beautiful. Thank for allowing us to experience this beautiful town. We loved your spot in paradise.
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Robin S. and David Owen
Richmond, VA
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| 11/15/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We enjoyed a wonderful week at Casa El Mango. Our family stayed next door at La Papaya so we could share dinners and swimming and soaking up the sights and sounds of Costa Rica. We saw lots of animals and birds. Howler monkeys woke us daily and coati visited us severla times. Had a great time on the zipline tour. The pool is fabulous to cool off in the heat of the day. We each lovwed the houses and will look forward to returning
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Diane and Steve Shea
Seattle, WA
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| 09/22/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We had a great honeymoon! Thanks to Steve and Lavae for great recommendations
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dDerek and Ashlee
Fort Collins, Colorado
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| 08/21/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We had a great week here at Casa El Mango. The house and pool and porch area were perfect for relaxing and enjoying the Costa Rican weather. It was fun listening to the monkeys at sunset. We did a lot of our own cooking with fish from the local fish market. We also had several fresh Mohitos at La Gondola. Tere is a great coffe shop/bakery in town - La Panaderia. Lavae and Steve - thanks for the great accomodations. We'll be back.
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Crystal and Ken Bradley
Minneapolis, Minn
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| 07/06/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Hola fellow Mango hose inhabitants! We enjoyed ourselves a lot here in Samara and at Casa El Mango. We did the Wingnuts Canopy Tour, saw crocodiles, went to Punta Islita, crossed rivers, ate awesome cheap casados, saw a great dentist - Shirley, fresh fish in the village of Matapalo down below, discovered Salsa Inglesa.
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Oliver, Natalia and Sophia Poick
Portland, OR
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| 05/17/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We stayed 4 nights aqt Casa El Mango. Lavae's notes were very useful. If the monos don't wake you up the parrot fly-by will. This trip we saw plenty of Monkeys. Went to the monkey bar at Punta Islita - view was incredible. The ocean water is very warm.
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Deanna and Marty
Colorado, USA
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| 11/19/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Samara is a beautiful place. Ate good food at the local restaurants and barbecued delicious fish here at the rancho. Enjoyed the get-cool pool - mit was necessary. Thanks Lavae and Steve for the use of your home.
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Loren and Debby Thompson
Petersburg, Alaska
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| 08/28/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
August 21-28, 2006
We had a great week here at Casa el Mango. The house & pool & porch area were perfect for relaxing & enjoying the Costa Rican weather. We enjoyed seeing the little geckos, the plump bunnies and the neighborhood dogs. And it was fun listening to the monkeys at sunset.
We did a lot of our own cooking here. We bought fresh fish at the local fish “store”. It’s actually just a house between here & Sámara. Look for the sign advertising Pices – turn off the main road and look for a green house. Down the road from the Pices house is a good grocery store called Stephanie’s. We also had several fresh Mohitos at La Gondola (on the main street in Sámara). The Mohitos were so fresh that the bartender went out back to pick the mint when we ordered.
There is a great coffee shop/bakery in town too. It’s called Bohemia Panadería. It’s up the street in back of Shake Joe’s. The pastries are fresh and cheap and the atmosphere is very cozy and welcoming.
If you are interested in heading out to the island, look for Pablo. He usually sits in his boat in the morning waiting to give tours. He was a very nice man. He taught us to snorkel, showed us the best spots out near the island, & even cracked open a few coconuts as refreshment after our tour was over.
Lavae & Steve, Thanks for the great accommodations. . . We’ll be back!
Crystal & Ken
Minneapolis
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Crystal & Ken
Minneapolis
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| 08/28/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
August 21-28, 2006
We had a great week here at Casa el Mango. The house & pool & porch area were perfect for relaxing & enjoying the Costa Rican weather. We enjoyed seeing the little geckos, the plump bunnies and the neighborhood dogs. And it was fun listening to the monkeys at sunset.
We did a lot of our own cooking here. We bought fresh fish at the local fish “store”. It’s actually just a house between here & Sámara. Look for the sign advertising Pices – turn off the main road and look for a green house. Down the road from the Pices house is a good grocery store called Stephanie’s. We also had several fresh Mohitos at La Gondola (on the main street in Sámara). The Mohitos were so fresh that the bartender went out back to pick the mint when we ordered.
There is a great coffee shop/bakery in town too. It’s called Bohemia Panadería. It’s up the street in back of Shake Joe’s. The pastries are fresh and cheap and the atmosphere is very cozy and welcoming.
If you are interested in heading out to the island, look for Pablo. He usually sits in his boat in the morning waiting to give tours. He was a very nice man. He taught us to snorkel, showed us the best spots out near the island, & even cracked open a few coconuts as refreshment after our tour was over.
Lavae & Steve, Thanks for the great accommodations. . . We’ll be back!
Crystal & Ken
Minneapolis
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Crystal & Ken
Minneapolis
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| 08/07/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We stayed 2 weeks here in Casa El Mango and are sad to be on to our next destination. We studies spanish for 1 week at the Intercultura langauge center - they are wonderful. We were here during the low toursit season and had the beach to ourselves. The canopy tour with Wingnuts was excellent. Went surfing almost every day. Playa Samara is a great base to visit other places in the country. Steve and Lavae have 3 amazing houses that are well kept and comfortable to stay in. We have cherished our time here and enjoyed everything Playa Samara has to offer. Enjoy
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Mike Herndan and Trish Hunt
USA
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| 07/26/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
July 13-26, 2006
Our first trip to Costa Rica was wonderful! Sámara is the perfect destination – big enough for variety but small enough for familiarity. The beach is wonderful and so is the beach at Carillo.
We cooked several dinners at el mango. The kitchen is small but well-stocked with what you need for most meals.
Love the outdoor showers, the cooling pool, tropical downpours on the metal roof, the view, reading on the patio, and the birds in the morning.
If you want to surf, try Jesse’s. They are patient and very good. They got a 50 year-old beginner up on the board.
Good places to eat: Casa de Coco (arroz con pollo, arroz con camarones, skewers, steak with mushrooms, and sandwiches). El Lagarto (steaks and seafood), El Ancla (great desserts) and Pizza a Go Go. The bakery that is ½ block east and ½ block north of the school is very good for bread, pastries, and pasta. El Sueño Tropical has very good food and is a nice drive, although driving after dark is done at your own risk.
Do not eat at Las Brasas. Despite what you might read in the guidebooks, we found the food was bad to mediocre and the service was even worse. Shake Joe’s is a great place for drinks after a swim at the beach but the food is below average.
If you want to dine at Casa el Mango, you can buy a whole roast chicken at Pollo la Leña, very good and inexpensive.
We are already planning our return trip.
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Scott & Darby
Kirkland, WA
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| 07/07/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
July 7, 2006
We stayed two weeks here in Casa el Mango and are sad to be onto our next destination. The house has been quite a peaceful place to lay by the pool and recuperate after long days playing outside. Steve and Lavae have three amazing homes that are well kept and comfortable to stay in. We have cherished our time here and enjoyed everything Playa Sámara has to offer (well, not everything but we sure did try).
We studied Spanish for one week at Intercultura language school on the beach. They are wonderful people and the school offers a variety of cultural enrichment such as dance class, cooking class, movie showings, and Costa Rican lectures. Inquire at the school about how to get involved.
We also took a 30 minute bike ride up the road to Playa Carillo. We were here during the low tourist season and had the beach to ourselves. Bring snacks because there is not much around you but a great atmosphere for a picnic.
The canopy tour with Wingnuts was excellent and well worth the $50.00. The adventure through the treetops on a zip line cable is safe for almost all ages and is a blast! There are great views with a snack and transportation included. Go directly to their house at the edge of the beach closest to the house to make a reservation.
Tio Tigre also has daily tours for kayaking, dolphin and turtle sightseeing and much more. We kayaked to the island from Sámara beach. We did some snorkeling on the island but didn’t see much. Although, the exercise and views from the kayak were well worth the trip. We also heard good things about the dolphin trip.
Jesse’s surf shop was a wonderful place to rent boards and take lessons. Sunrise, the owner, is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to interact with. We went surfing almost every day and the waves her are excellent. Playa Sámara is protected by a coral ref. making the surf on the beach the safest way to go.
Some of our favorite places to eat were: Soda Sherriff’s, Shake Joe’s, La Panadería, and El Lagarto $$. Many of those places have excellent Casados (typical Costa Rican food) and good lunch fare.
The location here at Playa Sámara is the greatest base to visit other places in the country. You can go to the rainforest (Monteverde/Arenal) as a two-day excursion. Skynet has tours with transportation included.
Enjoy!
Mike and Trish
Oregon
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Trish & Mike
Oregon
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| 05/15/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
May 15-22, 2006
Thank you, Steve and Lavae! What a wonderful little house. . . and we love the splash pool. It’s been fun watching the parrots and parakeets flock over in the morning and at dusk, chattering away. And thank you for maintaining the hummingbird feeders – we’ve had so many of the beautiful little birds visit. Thanks for recommending restaurants . . . our favorites are El Sueño, Tropical, and El Lagarto on the beach. We love Costa Rica, especially the people. We bought some property while we were here and we’ll be moving to live here full time hopefully by the end of the year. Thanks for your hospitality.
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Diane & Tom
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| 03/08/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. Our days were spent surfing, sunning, napping and exploring. El Mango was the perfect place to come home at night or for a quick snack and change of clothes during the day. We hope everyone here enjoys themselves as much as we did.
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Judy Scott and Justin Rodney
USA
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| 03/02/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
March 2-8, 2006
We had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. Our days were spent surfing, sunning, napping, and exploring. El Mango was the perfect place to come home at night or for a quick snack and change of clothes during the day. We recommend Jesse’s Surf Shop, Pura Vida Dive (although conditions weren’t good enough for us to dive), El Lagarto for Great BBQ chicken and El Sueño Tropical for a great environment and food (it’s worth the drive past Carillo).
We hope everyone enjoys themselves here as much as we did.
Thanks, Steve y Lavae.
Justin
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Justin
Atlanta
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