Guest Reviews

Did not want to leave, beautiful home

We stayed here for a week in November and had a great time. The house is situated on a hill just outside of town with nice views. Sitting on the deck early morning watching Toucans and the sunrise with a cup of coffee was really nice. The house was very clean, as were the grounds and the lovely pool. Cannot think of anything we needed. The road the house is on is very quiet and great for long walks and bird watching. The supermarkets are perhaps 10 minutes away. We went during the rainy season because the prices are usually lower, and in the 10 days we were in Costa Rica we saw rain for about an hour. Would not hesitate to go back to this home again and may do so in a year or so with family. Andrew by the way was very helpful in providing information prior to the rental and in getting us situated.

by Lance cooper from Gainesville, Fl.. Submitted Date of Stay:

EUPHORIC views, PERFECT temps, RELAXING atmosphere

From the minute of arriving at Villa Madrugada, we were greeted with a DREAM rental in the PERFECT climate. The property was surprisingly larger than we had expected, with a beautiful wrap-around balcony facing stunning views of a vast canopy. The pool outdoors also faced the magnificant views and was surrounded by well-kept landscaping. The excitement only began here! Upon entering the villa, we fell in love with the open-concept, bali-style home. There is no other option but to relax here! We utilized the large kitchen for breakfast and hired some local Canadian chef to cater a phenomenal 6-course dinner. We had pre-arranged rides to take day trips. We discovered Jaco Beach- which happened to have world surf championships on! We also travelled a tad further to visit Manuel Antonio Park- no shortage of adventure there! Oscar (our driver) was very familiar with the "hot spots" and gave us super recommendations throughout our stay. The Villa was by far the best renatl

by LanceThom from London, Ontario. Submitted Date of Stay:

Stunning view, peaceful living

We have spent the past 6 days at Villa Madrugada. It has been a wonderful place to experience Atenas and the surrounding attractions. The house is just lovely and the view takes your breath away. We have the back wall open the entire time we are awake, and the weather truly is perfect. We happen to be air condition junkies, but we honestly never missed it here. It was a comfortable temperature at all times. The pictures on the website are very accurate and the beautiful gardens go on past the shots you see. We wanted to see what it would be like to live in Costa Rica and Villa Madrugada made that dream more of a desire.

by SoonerTravelfam from Stunning view, peaceful living. Submitted Date of Stay:

Great home base for touring Central Valley.

Beautiful home with tropical plants, great pool, and great views. Worked great for day tripping. Lots of birds and wild life and very peaceful neighborhood. Would definitely come back. Andrew was a great resource.

by majoba2015 from Plymouth, Michigan. Submitted Date of Stay:

Beautiful Day and Nightscape with 180 degree view, well-appointed spacious home

Villa Madrugada made for an amazing two week escape for us. It was tempting to stay outdoors all day and into the night as the scenery and wildlife continued to change frequently. We found a variety of hummingbirds, toucans, mot mots, a resident iguana. Andrew is an excellent manager as he went beyond duty to be certain we had what we needed. He attended to the smallest of detail to ensure the place was well provided, that we were connected to reliable transportation, massage, touring, etc. We were surprised to find the grill was ready with charcoal and starter! Oh, and the cell phone he left with us made calls there quite easy. The location is perfectly situated to launch out to many interesting adventures. The home is quite spacious and very, very comfortable. There are two very large ‘loft’ bedrooms upstairs and are separated by a 'bridge'. They are nicely done and would be a very cozy, fun and exciting place for children, adolescents and young adults to have their own place away from the parents when needed. The kitchen is well stocked and spacious and even has a gas stove. The gazebo offered a very nice retreat to draw, paint, journal and watch nature, and the pool was refreshing. I would definitely recommend it and I look forward to visiting again soon! Recommended for: Families with Young Children, Sightseeing, Girls Getaway, Tourists without a Car, Adventure Seekers, Age 55+, Romantic Getaway, Families with Teenagers

by leta s. Submitted Date of Stay:

A Great House with an Amazing View

We stayed at Casa Madrugada for the second of two weeks in Costa. We had spent the first in Guanacaste near Playa Hermosa so we wanted to see another area of Costa Rica. Tucked on the hill side a few miles from the center of Atenas, this house was perfect for four adults and two teenages. The house is very dramatic with a long long deck that looks out over the countryside and mountains in the distance. The view is ever-changing and dramatically beautiful as clouds move by and envelope the landscape or when the lights of far off houses flicker through the distance. The house has a very open design with sliding doors that allow all of the spaces to open right out to the deck and to the outside air. The two sleeping areas connected by a catwalk under the cathedral ceiling are great for young people and were perfect for our teenage boys. (They would not work for people needing a lot of privacy.) The kitchen was well equipped and the details and decorations in the furnishings of the house were really beautiful. The dining room table was particularly dramatic. We loved the pool and the cabana and the amazing plants in the garden all around the house and deck. - the deck was really the best part. Our first day there we found ourselves in the middle of a big storm (it was the rainy season after all) and a lightning strike knocked out power for us and all of Atenas. So we went to town and went to the one store with a big generator and bought candles. We cooked dinner that night over candlelight which was very romantic. Luckily for all of us the power came back on in the middle of the evening. We had great trips up to Volcan Poas, to the Waterfall gardens and visited some of the viveros nearby. We played golf, went into San Jose to meet friends and altogether had a wonder week. Since we had already done ziplining, rafting, fishing, snorkeling, etc. during our first week in CR, we were focused more on just taking it easy...."pura vida", as they say. Thanks to Andrew for all of his help. We loved this place and the town of Atenas. We hope to be back soon.

by Tom H. Submitted Date of Stay:

A vacation dream

What a delight it was to stay at this villa...all the pictures don't truly describe how beautiful and serene it was, my wife Edna and my three daughters including my brother Nelson were happy with the accomodations and with the service we received from Andrew he truly made us feel comfortable and secure. I highly recommend everyone to use Andrew for your future vacation plans. Thank you

by Ricardo R. Submitted Date of Stay:

A great house in Atenas!

Our family (which includes 8- and 5-year-old girls, their 3 grandparents, and us) just came back from a 10 day stay in Costa Rica, and we can only rave about this house in Atenas! We stayed here for our first 5 days in Costa Rica. First, the house is beautiful. It's a new construction, and there are all the amenities that you might expect in a luxury house rental: modern kitchen, WiFi with fast internet, washer/drier (!), abundant hot water, and so on. We even used the grill for dinner one evening. The pool is isn't huge, but both kids and adults loved it. There is a nice covered "gazebo" with a hammock and couch, perfect for relaxing or taking a break from the main house. The landscaping is really nice, with colorful flowers that attracts many hummingbirds; there are also nice paths through the tropical garden. My wife and I have stayed at many, many rental houses (both in the U.S. and overseas), and I can say that this was the beautiful house we've ever rented. Andrew was the perfect renting agent for the house. He was always available by cell phone, and he even lent us a cell phone for our stay! (If Andrew doesn't have an extra, consider renting one. It will be extremely useful and much, much less expensive than using your U.S. phone.) A few notes: - The house was set up perfectly for us, but renters should be aware of the layout. There are two main bedrooms on the "first floor," both with attached bathrooms. The loft spaces upstairs are open, with no walls or bathrooms. This was fine for us, as the girls used one area and my mom used the other. - The house is a 5 minute drive south of Atenas town center (which is very small). There are houses nearby, but the house feels safe and semi-secluded. Use the abundant taxis (again, via cell) or rent a car; walking into town isn't really an option. - Explore central CR! It's beautiful and adventurous. Our family particularly loved the organic coffee tour, Poas volcano, and La Paz waterfall garden and zoo/sanctuary. Recommended for: Families with Young Children, Sightseeing, Girls Getaway, Adventure Seekers, Age 55+, Romantic Getaway, Families with Teenagers

by A multi-generational family! Submitted Date of Stay: