| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 2 positive, 0 negative]
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| 07/22/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Dear Lavae and Steve,
Just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our recent stay at the Casa el Mango. We had a fantastic time there for the week, and we were sad to leave. The view was beautiful, the house clean and well taken care of. We enjoyed the swimming pool, all the wildlife we saw (and we saw lots!), and were just generally happy. All worked out great, directions were excellent, no problems anywhere.
Thanks again for sharing your beautiful place with us!
Best,
Regina
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Regina
Auburn, WA
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| 04/21/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Thank-you Lavae & Steve for the wonderful vacation we had at your Casa la papaya.
We have enjoyed everything starting with the pool and the environment. You have been exceptional hosts and if we ever come back to Samara will sure try to stay in one of your nice casas.
Gracias,
Yvonne & Jacques
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Yvonne & Jacques
Quebec
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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 fromSamara each day to attend classes and had no problem. The monkey action wasunbelievable. 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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| 01/23/09 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Buenos. Loved the cool off pool & outdoor living space. Did a lot of cool activities from the home base of Jesse’s gym and
Surf School. We surfed high tide everyday/evening, rented their kayaks & snorkeling gear for a tour of the island, and took a few yoga classes from Jesse’s “wife”. Nosara & Playa Guiones was a great day trip. Rented boards from Harry’s and bar-hopped home from Largarta lodge. Food in town was great with many options. Samara is definitely PURA VIDA.
Happy trails,
DJ, JV,CW & CW
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Jennifer
Cincinatti
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| 12/26/08 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
The family stayed here for 2 weeks. We only had 1 day of rain. It was amazing. Surfing is available at a decent price and there are waves for all skill level. The pool is really refreshing and the beach is close. You cannot run out of things to do, this is a great location. Close to action but far enough to not have to hear it all night.
Warning to keep things clean, no exaggeration. The ants are ready to pounce. And take the garbage out quickly. The heat will make it worse. Need better parking. Our poor car hurt.
The help are great. Iris is friendly and comes around enough. The pool guy – you don’t even notice him, he’s quiet and quick.
The Legaults!
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the Legaults
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| 08/19/08 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Star Date 8/19. Landed for a week at the hillside splendor of La Papaya - a fitting abode for earthly travelers. I immensely enjoyed the beaches Carillo and Playa Islita. The tuna in the bay were no match for this fisherman! The pool was cool and a welcomed oasis amid tropical flora plus the occasionaql passing howler monkey.
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Tas
Seneca, North Carolina
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| 06/28/08 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Enjoyed our stay. Lavae was wonderful. Pool is refreshing for the afternoons. Spent most of our beach time at Carillo - beautiful and not very many people.Guatil is a great place to visit for pottery. Lagarto is a good place to eat.We had a very pleasnt relaxing saty and wish it was longer. We don't want to leave!
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Jeff and Maggie
North Carolina
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| 08/17/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Although we were in La Papaya at the green season and thus experienced many tropical rain showers, we really enjoyed being a guest in this wonderful villa, nice village of Samara for our first time in Costa Rica. We are grateful to Steve and Lavae who could explian many local specialties and kept us informed on eaasy trips since the roads were hard to travel with the rain. The Pacific was great in Samara but even more so in Carillo - what a fantastic beach! So back to the cold rain in the Netherlands. All the best to those who stay.
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Sylvia, Rob and Lieke
The Netherlands
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| 07/27/07 |
Positive
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We spent almost 2 weeks at Casa la Papaya and
enjoyed enjoyed every minute. The view from the
pool and upstairs was great. The pool itself was
indispensible for just laying in and playing around
in. We ended up bringing my laptop and were able
to send e-mails and photos home, as well as
looking up more stuff to do on the internet.
We took the kayak/snorkel tour from Tio Tigre
Tours - it was a lot of fun, but just don't expect it
to be like Hawaii, if you've ever snorkeled there. We
also took a dolphin tour from Carillo Tours and
didn't seen any dolphins, but saw several sea turtles
and a manta ray, and by dragging fishing lines, we
caught a mahi-mahi, 2 black tunas and 2 yellowfin
tunas. It was fun but a bit expensive, and I think we
like the Tio Tigre guides better.
If you plan to drive anywhere other than between
Samara and Nicoya (to other beaches, Nosara or
Tamarindo even) I HIGHLY advise a 4 wheel drive
vehicle, or at least an SUV with plenty of clearance.
Watch the potholes that appear from nowhere out
of the shadows.
The only thing that could have been better about
this property was if the bug screens were more
secure, as we found rather large insects infiltrating
the house occasionally. We just kept some of the
windows shut the enitre time (those with larger
gaps in the screens) and kept the lights off as much
as possible, and didn't have a big problem.
If you're going to go grocery shopping, be aware
that the grocery stores stock different items, so
visit more than one and you'll have a good
selection. Eating out was easy and inexpensive
compared to the states - our favorite restaraunt
was El Dorado for their cheap and yummy pizza and
fish, as well as very friendly owners and staff.
All in all, Casa la Papaya was a great place to stay
for it's very competitive price, great location and
ameneties, as well as for it's very large visiting
iguana, Fred. Thanks very much to Lavae, Steve and
everyone for making it fun, comfortable, exciting
and affordable for us to take my son to visit Costa
Rica!!
Christine, Tyler and Bradford (12) |
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Christine Parker, Springfield, Oregon |
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| 07/12/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Our stay here was great and relaxing. We enjoyed the comfort of the house - especially the washer and dryer. Our advice: do it like the Ticos - start early in the morning to the beach, bring your own hammock, luch box etc. and stay as long as possible - yo will have a great day!
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Michael, Astrid and Gregor
Vienna, Austria
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| 07/07/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
We recently spent 4 days in El Papaya and had a wonderful time. The house, gardens, walkways and pool area were all well kept and comfortable. The views off to the south were fantastic, and Lavae and Steve were very pleasant. My wife are considering making this a regular trip and if so, we will likely go back to el Papaya.
Andrew, Atlanta, GA
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Andrew
Atlanta, GA
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| 05/29/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Well, we certainly had the best honeymoon I could ever imagine here at Casa La Papaya. Where do I start? The food here in Samara is the best I've ever had. Take the time to eat out at places like El Lagarto, Coco's. My husband wants me to stop writing but I could go on forever. We will certainly come back with all our friends...
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Mark and Taryn Reagan
Georgia, USA
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| 05/08/07 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
This waas truly the trip of a lifetime... The house was amazing and very comfortable. Beutiful views and so nice3 to be close to town but tucked awaqy in the hills. Lots of wildlife sights and sounds from the cabana/pool. The monkeys entertainede us each day. We spent our time between sitting on the beach, by the pool and doing excursions. Our favorites: Guatil, Rincon de la Vieja, Tamarindo Estuary tour. We found all the locals to be super friendly. We would come back here in a heartbeat and are devastated to leave. Steve and Lavae gave us a week in paradise!
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Jennifer Glickman
Chicago, Illinois
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| 08/26/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Myself and 3 friends stayed at Casa La Papaya for the past 3 weeks and had the time of our lives. This was by far the most relaxing vacation I've ever taken. The pool, the patio and the view from Casa La Papaya are awesome! Lavae and Steve have built an absolutely beautiful property that I will always remember. We saw all kinds of fish...went kayaking to Isla Chora...beautiful sunsets at Playa Carillo...
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Byron Thornburgh
Cleveland, Ohio
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| 08/26/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
August 19-26 2006
Myself and 3 friends stayed at Casa la Papaya for the past week and had the time of our lives. This was by far the most relaxing vacation I have ever taken. The pool, the patio, and the view form Casa la Papaya are awesome! Lavae and Steve have built an absolutely beautiful property that I will always remember.
Some of my favorite things to do while I was here were:
- Rent sea kayaks and kayak to Isla Chora. We spent an entire morning on the island, snorkeling and exploring. We saw all kinds of fish and marine life while snorkeling. If you walk counter-clockwise around the island, on the north side there is this amazing spot where the waves are carving a cavern in the rocks. A great spot to sit and take in the view of Sámara and watch the waves crashing onto the rocks.
- Drive towards Playa Carillo - after you pass the beach at the top of the hill turn right and there is this amazing spot to watch sunsets over Playa Carillo. There‘s an empty restaurant/bar there that has a patio you can stand on. Take your camera!
- Walk to the west end of the beach in Sámara during low tide. There are tidal pools there that have all kinds of marine life in them.-
- Go to the beach in the morning/early afternoon and come back and enjoy the pool and a nap in the late afternoon.
- Meet the local and other travelers. They can suggest things that no book could ever tell you.
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Bryon
cleveland
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| 07/26/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
Hola! We love it here so much...The two weeks that we have spent here have given us so many amazing experiences that we will never forget...canopy tour, Jesses' Surf School, the local soccer games, night swimming in the pool The worst part is leaving
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Scott and Darby Johnson
Kirkland, WA
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| 07/26/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
July 13-26, 2006
We love it here so much! The two weeks that we have spent here have given us so many amazing experiences that we will never forget.
• Canopy tours – super fun and the guides were funny
• Surfing at Jesse’s surf shop was fun, too, especially because the water was so warm.
• One day we traveled into the hills to watch one of the weekly soccer games and ended up playing ourselves when they said they needed players.
• We were also lucky that we here for the “anexion day” fiesta and we were able to go down & see & really experience the culture.
• Another of our exciting adventures that we feel no person should be without is a Costa Rican bus ride.
Our tips for a successful stay
1. Wear bug spray.
2. Don’t get burned – it’s unattractive.
3. Try to make friends with the locals. You never know - you might end up playing soccer with them.
4. Relax and enjoy!
Cameron (16), Grace (16), Taylor (16), and Darrah (16)
Kirkland, WA
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Cameron (16), Grace (16), Taylor
Kirkland, WA
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| 04/14/06 |
N/A |
Guest Comment Entered By Homeowner:
April 9-14 2006
We had a wonderful week in Casa la Papaya! What a beautiful home in a gorgeous place.
We took advantage of a few tours including a kayak/snorkeling tour, a mountain horseback tour, and deep sea fishing with Carillo tours. The guides were great and gave us great input on restaurants and local information.
The view from Hotel Guanamar’s (Carillo) restaurant is exceptional. The “Sopa de Mariscos” or seafood soup is delicious and a meal within self. We lucked our and got some fresh lobsters.
There was no need for an alarm clock – the Congo monkeys give a wake-up call bright and early! Be careful of dropping any food – the ants will have their whole crew here before you know it. You will be amazed at what they can move! All in all, a great week!
Ken, chuck, Joe, & Sara
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Ken, Chuck, Joe & Sarah
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