The Villa and the service exceeded all expectations! We were a family of 3 sisters, brother in laws, mother and two boys ages 5 and 3. The food, the service, the planning of ZIP line tours, beach activities, ATV rides, hiking to waterfalls and deep sea fishing were excellent. We had a wonderful, wonderful time. Our compliments to the staff.

We are settled back at home after our fantastic week at VILLA ESTRELLA with the family to celebrate our 60th birthday. Everyone had such a wonderful time-we were 14 adults and 2 little girls.

Your manager and staff are beyond compare. They saw to every detail to make our stay most comfortable and enjoyable. They were always there to greet us with a drink and towel in hand. Always smiling, always caring, and making us feel completely at home. And what a home! We never tired of the magnificent view and loved eating our meals outdoors on the patio or under the pavilion. Costa Rica is blessed the sweetest fruits.

Our group took several fun excursions: one afternoon by boat to explore the bay, another to Rincon de la Viejo to experience the canopy by zip lines, and 2 days visiting the beaches at Avellanas with lunch at Lola's, and Tamarindo-including a surfing lesson.

Back at the house, some of us enjoyed walking the loop every morning before breakfast. It was fun to meet the neighbors. We enjoyed a salsa lesson as well as the cocktail making class (no shortage of margaritas) and massages on the deck. The younger set enjoyed the pool table, plasma TV, and everyone unfortunately kept up their emails. (hard to disconnect completely)

For those who want to explore the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica and then relax at a 5 star villa, this is the place! Thank you for the experience.

Hola! Words cannot express how very impressed and pleased we were with our stay at VILLA ESTRELLA. Everything was to our liking, and I can’t remember when I’ve experienced such care-free days. You have an amazing staff assembled at VILLA ESTRELLA, and it felt like they were one step ahead of us at all times. Whatever you are doing…keep on doing it!

I was very impressed with their knowledge of Costa Rica and their willingness to share that with us. We will always remember “xxxx” and “xxxx” stopping the van, jumping out and picking some cashews so that we could sample the unique taste of the cashew fruit. We enjoyed sugar cane and were introduced to beautiful wildlife and plants and trees. When they accompanied us on our zip line/waterfall/mud bath excursion, they added to the enjoyment of the day. " xxxx”…complete with his salt rimmer for traveling margaritas will be forever ingrained in our memories. And “xxxxx”   jumping into the mud bath and waterfall…showing us Canadians how it was really done!

“xxxx”  cheerful smile and ability to provide just the right amount of information for us to make decisions was priceless! “xxxx” and “xxxx”  kept us organized and provided us with wonderful ideas from which to select our excursions. I believe “xxxxx” also helped in organizing boats for our mini fishing/beach ½ day trip. Everyone was so instrumental in ensuring that we had the best-possible, worry-free time imaginable!

Again, your staff are truly the best. Everything was “perfecto!”

The glorious views, accommodations and furnishings of VILLA ESTRELLA are breath-taking. The online pictures do not do the Villa justice. I am still at a loss for words to describe just how truly beautiful VILLA ESTRELLA is.

We enjoyed all of the traditional Costa Rican meals prepared by “xxxx” and “xxxx”. Although, there was far too much food!!!!! We certainly appreciate “xxxx” checking up on the children throughout the day to ensure that all of their needs were met too. They all felt immediately comfortable with him, and felt confident asking him for snacks and drinks throughout the day. Both of my girls asked if he could come back to Canada with us!

Thank you once again for all your assistance prior to our vacation. Booking something like this online can be somewhat daunting, and quite often your expectations are not always met. However in this case I felt very confident after speaking with you, and want you to know that not only were our expectations met…they were exceeded in every way. We can’t wait to get back to VILLA ESTRELLA and experience pura vida once again.

We’re just about to leave on a business trip upon our return but wanted to send you a very quick message that sums up our trip: We had a GREAT time at VILLA ESTRELLA and in Costa Rica! Thank you!”

“I went to visit VILLA ESTRELLA when I was up there a few weeks ago and I was very impressed. Your manager was so great and the villa/service was fantastic. I have visited over 40 private villas in Costa Rica and have yet to see one with your level of luxury and customer service.”

* Comments from a travel agent who recently visited Villa Estrella:

"VILLA ESTRELLA far exceeded our expectations. The staff is attentive without being intrusive. “XXXX” is extremely courteous, warm and provided excellent service. “YYYY”, the driver, was always smiling and willing to drive us anywhere. Everyone, including “ZZZZ”, made our trip a truly memorable and unique experience.

The cooks did an excellent job incorporating our dietary restrictions. “AAA” said she had prior vegan/vegetarian cooking experience. I don't recall a better vegetarian meal. Simply stated, we were all well fed and gained a few pounds.

Of course the house is magnificent. The infinity pool and balcony views are outstanding. Your suggestions on excursions were right on. My husband and I have traveled throughout the U.S., Mexico and Europe and have never had such a relaxing experience. We will definitely be back next summer.

In summary, for once, neither I nor my sisters have anything negative to say about our stay...not one thing. It was awesome.”

"We had a great time. The villa was beautiful, the staff was tremendous, and the food fabulous! “XXXXX” is a real find. Both the adults and kids loved XXXX. Aside from being great at the job, XXXX is just a warm and wonderful person. We have even instituted a new service rating (a 1-100 scale) with XXXX and VILLA ESTRELLA being the 100. Thank you!"

"The week was fantastico!! The week in Costa Rica goes down as the BEST vacation that we have ever taken as a family. The VILLA ESTRELLA is so comfortable and the staff rocks! We loved them all. Thanks so much for allowing us to share your home. Pura vida."

"On behalf of our group, I just wanted to say THANKS for having us at your villa. The staff was incredible and took great care of us. The food and activities were also amazing. Everyone had a great time, and left with outstanding memories of Costa Rica."

"Just a little note to say thank you for letting us stay in your Villa. It is just beautiful. All of our friends had a good time. We can’t say enough about your whole crew. They could not have been nicer. We thanked them profusely. We really enjoyed everyone; they were so nice and so sweet. None of us have ever been waited on like that so, it was very hard for us to get used to such service. We tried to help them out but they would have none of that! Very first class. Your cook was fantastic. She made me a homemade birthday cake that was fantastic. She was just so kind and everyone was so very appreciative of her efforts.

Your garden is stunning. I love flowers and spent most of the morning outside the day we left looking at all of your flowers. First class, excellent taste. Your house was so warm and inviting. Everything was simple but elegant. Your views are a 10! The outdoor dining was a 10 and your pool was a 10. We felt like Kings and Queens there."

"My wife and I are property managers for Brindley Beach Vacations located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The simplest way describe our stay at VILLA ESTRELLA is PERFECT. The property exceeded all of our expectations. The views are simply amazing, the property is maintained better than any other home or resort we have ever stayed in and the staff was fantastic. Honestly, the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a vacation of a lifetime.

The meals provided for us and our friends were better than any 5 star restaurant we have eaten at in the United States. As an avid cook I had many questions on how certain meals were prepared. The chef was more than willing to provide tips.

We have stayed in many resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean and found this to be the best by far. We will certainly come back again and again.

The area offers many different activities for all ages. Surfing at Witches Rock is close by, The Canopy (Zip Line Tour) at Witches Rock was breath taking, the shopping was fantastic, Snorkeling is well above average and the fishing is spectacular."

"It has taken all of us a while to get use to not being waited on hand and foot by the wonderful staff at VILLA ESTRELLA! I know that we would all rather be sitting by the pool with a freshly made drink by Juan Diego, looking out over the Pacific.

We all had a fantastic time and can not say enough about the villa and the staff. The villa was fantastic (if you are ever interested in selling, let me know!). Plenty of room for everyone. You really have a beautiful place.

As nice as our vacation would have been in the villa by ourselves, your staff made it GREAT!!! We can not say enough about everyone. They were all very pleasant and friendly, the food was great, the drinks were great, the place was clean and we felt completely comfortable and relaxed. We had loads of fun on the excursions, our spa day rocked (still wish we had packed our masseuse to bring home with us), we really appreciated the special meal for Thanksgiving, the champagne on our wedding anniversary and the cake for Jeff’s birthday and it was topped off by Juan Diego’s fire drinks to close it all out. We would recommend doing it all over again.

I have written up a review on TripAdvisor.com and will post some of our pictures to go along with the review. Once again, great place and fantastic staff made for a wonderful and memorable vacation for our family."

"We had such a fabulous time at VILLA ESTRELLA! Costa Rica is a magical place and it was really a wonderful vacation. We so enjoyed seeing the countryside, then coming home from a day of adventures to our beautiful, luxurious villa…with a fabulous staff to take care of our every need.

I thought that the vacation was really enhanced by ”xxxxx” , “yyyyy”, “zzzzz”, and especially “wwww”. He is truly a gem, and interacts so well with children. All of my kids and my niece loved him. I had to tell them not to get too used to his lemonades with cherries that they weren’t going to be getting those at home! The food was superb, and I hope “mmm” didn’t take offense that my four year old ate a spoonful of peanut butter for dinner every night, she does the same thing at home!

We really enjoyed all our activities - the surf lessons, Palo Verde, Buena Vista mega day, spa day,beach hopping, snorkeling, white waterrafting, deepsea fishing. It was an action packed vacation. I think the van is a wonderful addition to the property, and ‘Yes Sir’ is a great driver. I really had no complaints. The house was so lovely, the décor was really pretty and I thought the bedding was really cozy.

Hopefully we can come back to VILLA ESTRELLA someday; I know I would love to. Have a Merry Christmas!"

"Words cannot describe the experience our family had at your Villa last week. The Villa is absolutely beautiful and the staff is just EXCEPTIONAL!! I have traveled many places and have never come across this perfect combination of great accommodations and sensational staff, until my visit to VILLA ESTRELLA.

To start, we were all taken back by how “xxxx” handled himself and made us feel so welcomed. He is someone in this world who can do almost anything and is GREAT at it! He is "over the top" wonderful! “yyyy” and “zzzz” were exceptional, along with the “aaaa” and “bbbb” and “cccc” ... wow you are so lucky to have a staff like this! They all made the trip so exciting and fun, in there own special way. I feel like I can't even explain to my friends the experience, because it was a true "fairy tale."

You have done a wonderful job at making this the best trip my family and I have ever taken. What an understatement when you stated "we will enjoy the experience." Thank you so much for the wonderful experience. We will definitely be back!"

I want to let you know how much we enjoyed our vacation at VILLA ESTRELLA. The kids couldn't believe it when we walked in. We all just walked around gasping and running to see the views and find our bedrooms. (with a welcome drink in hand, or course). The great part of being in VILLA ESTRELLA was that our family of 10, ages 19-26 plus parents was able to spend so much "together" time but yet still have our space. We did everything as a group and it was a wonderful growing time for relationships in our blended family.

And then to get to know the staff, who we had heard so much about, was the greatest. "XXXs" cooking was unbelievable, (please let me know when the cookbook recipes become available) and she was a great salsa dance teacher! "YYYs" drinks and service were perfect. He made us feel so special and pampered. We enjoyed getting to know and interact with them. We feel like we made new friends, especially “YYY”, who was such a big part of our trip and seemed like one of the family.

VILLA ESTRELLA is spectacular with the utmost in comforts and amenities down to the smallest details. We took advantage of every activity opportunity as well as the extra massages, pedicures and dance lessons, etc. One of the highlights for the kids was the trip to the park where we got to go in the rescue monkey cage and hold the monkeys. We must have hundreds of pictures of them.

Costa Rica is beautiful, the people friendly and helpful, and we plan to come back as often as possible. I can't imagine finding any other vacation accommodations that would compare to Villa Estrella, so I'm sure we will return.

Thank you for all the help in setting up this trip and making it all come together and be the best vacation we've ever had. The whole family talks about it every time we are together.

We wanted to thank you again for our wonderful week in Costa Rica! All the staff went out of their way to make us feel like family and we could not have had a better 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The trip exceeded our expectations and we will always have fond memories of last week. Thanks again for a fabulous vacation in Costa Rica! Love to all!

We stayed at the glorious VILLA ESTRELLA and are still talking about what a wonderful time we had!! Everyone at the villa made the week one of the most enjoyable experiences of our lives, especially the anniversary party that you all provided for my parents! From visiting the school that day (those children must have thought that those Gringos were really silly!) to the “coffee show”, it was a perfect day and a wonderful memory for us all. You all were the BEST and became like our extended family. We will always hold the memories of our time at VILLA ESTRELLA dear in our hearts.

This was a “once in a lifetime” experience and vacation that I was giving my kids and grandkids in celebration of my impending retirement. I, like many people, have worked hard for many years building a career and for the last 20 years a business. Our trip to Costa Rica and the VILLA ESTRELLA was the ultimate gift for “us.”

While the website is gorgeous and certainly shows the beauty of the Villa, when we drove up and walked through the doors it absolutely took our breath away. I instantly got tears in my eyes and my two oldest grandsons spontaneously hugged me and said thank you for giving us this experience.

The layout of the villa was perfect with many gathering spaces for different activities including talking, reading, playing games, pool, watching TV, computers, and of course our two favorite activities of eating… eating… eating and swimming… swimming… swimming.

We enjoyed the tropical decor and felt it was tasteful, inviting and comfortable. We especially enjoyed the quality of the bathroom essentials (i.e. towels, Meyers soap, bathrobes, bathmats, etc.).

Everyone who has been to Costa Rica says the same thing--incredible, beautiful, and fantastic--and we now echo that as well. Not only is the countryside beautiful but the people are gracious, friendly, unassuming, and interesting. We loved our view from the villa, loved walking on the beaches collecting shells, loved being in the water snorkeling, and loved visiting Coco and other small towns.

Our top three activities were the adventure day (tubing, zip-lining, horseback riding), our visit to the school and hanging out at the Villa. All of the boys really enjoyed the ATV ride; the boat ride was great fun too. We enjoyed the private beaches and the snorkeling.

I saved the BEST for last. Without a doubt the staff truly made this experience so very memorable. We fell in love with each one of them. Collectively, they are an incredible team and many, many companies in the US could benefit from how well they work together for the benefit and enjoyment of their guests.

As you know, I’ve taken each grandchild and my son and daughter on trips to special places in the world. Each winter we have a ski trip where we are all together. While each one of these trips is special, our Costa Rica trip and staying at the VILLA ESTRELLA far exceeds the experience of the others. None of us were ready to go home. Each one of us feels like we left a little piece of our heart at the Villa…the staff is so incredibly special. Thank you for creating an experience that will live forever in our hearts and mind. We will be back again…and again…and again.

All we can say is, “Amazing”! Simply amazing. VILLA ESTRELLA, the area, and our time here has been just that. Your accommodations and staff have been outstanding. This is definitely the nicest Villa  that we have ever been in. It has been an experience that we will never forget.

We had a WONDERFUL time at VILLA ESTRELLA. The villa is truly a
special place, not only because the villa is so beautiful (which it is), but also because of the special, AMAZING staff. They really made this trip an experience none of us will ever forget.

We were a family gathering of my father and his wife with two teen aged children, my husband and I with our four children ages 4-9, and my brotherand his wife with my two year old niece. We thought of going to an all inclusive and found the price was only a little bit more to stay at the villa, and we felt the service would be better, and the family togetherness would be easier to come by. We were so glad we made this decision. The house managers made all our arrangements; it was so easily taken care of. If our kids got tired at the dinner table they could jump in the pool and not bother anyone. The service from the staff was better than any Ritz Carlton on theplanet. We had a van and driver, so we never had to negotiate the Costa Rican roads (not a lot of road signs there). The food was fabulous, the staff really loving towards children. We did a lot of fun activities, surflessons, snorkeling/beach hopping, deep sea fishing, zip-lining, horse back riding, white water rafting, spa day at the villa, jet skiing, salsa lessons, Palo Verde Nat'l park...theywere all each unique and wonderful. We all loved Costa Rica, it is a beautiful country, hard to express in words...still unspoiled for the most part. I would highly recommend VILLA ESTRELLA!

VILLA ESTRELLA was great! My group totally enjoyed the service, food, view, and everything about the experience. We especially bonded with “xxxx”., and "yyyy" was very accommodating and willing to drive us to whatever crazy excursion we did, including hiking the volcano at Rincon with “zzzz”.

I will definitely promote this property to clients and or smaller groups. The set up is great; there was not a bad room in the place (which sometimes is the case with large villas), and we especially liked the access to transportation that was provided with the big van. A huge plus!!

No real negative feedback at all. Overall, the Fun Lovin Dozen loved the VILLA ESTRELLA and the total experience it entailed. We all thought the view was perhaps the best we have had or will ever have! We were brought back to reality flying back through Atlanta Friday, when the snowstorm scattered the 12 of us in trying to make it back to Salt Lake City. (I flew to Steamboat Springs Saturday and drove a rental car home by myself that night). Maybe next time we will stay one more day!!!!

Thanks for all of your help and I will definitely promote the villa and the total experience.

We are home safely.  Had a magical time. So beautiful.  Food was wonderful.  We've never had such fresh food.  I wanted to bring the chef home with me. Staff and local people were extraordinary.  Scenery was great.  All the side adventures were exceptional, also. The last night was my birthday and the staff did a party outside in the lower pavilion.  We had a flambé coffee service that was remarkable.  Looked like blue flame pouring into the cups with sparklers going off.  Plus, it was a full moon.  Who could have asked for more?  All in all you have our highest recommendation.  I can't think of enough superlatives to explain our wonder. 

I don’t even know where to begin with how amazing our entire trip was from start to end!  It went by so fast and we were all so sad to leave! This was by far the best vacation for ALL of us, and your entire staff made us feel so relaxed about everything.  Our expectations were extremely exceeded.  “XXX” is so cute and nice.  I don’t think the word “no” is in anyone’s vocabulary!  The tuna the last night was my fave and the best I’ve ever had.  “YYY” was awesome, always there for whatever we needed with a smile and a laugh…some of the other “bests ever” were the bloody marys, massages, birthday cake with our names on it!!  THANK YOU for the champagne as well!!  The presentation of the food and drink was top notch, better than the Four Seasons I stayed at for my honeymoon in the Bahamas!  Oh and the band was great too – they sang “Happy Birthday Together” and we just thought that was so fun!! There will probably be many people contacting you about availability! We are hoping to make this trip again in a few years!! 

We loved being in CR and can't thank you enough! Everything was great...the Villa, the staff, the service, the food, the drinks, the snorkeling, the zip lining, the cute town, the weather, the sun rise, the monkeys, the views, the nature….I could go on...and on…and on! We loved our trip! A million thanks from our entire family!

It has been a few days now that we are home and all we talk about is what a wonderful time we had at VILLA ESTRELLA. We all agree that it was the most amazing, fabulous, incredible, fun vacation we have ever been on.

VILLA ESTRELLA is spectacular. Staying in a five star hotel cannot compare to the experience of staying in VILLA ESTRELLA. It was luxurious and comfortable but what made this vacation so great was your staff. Your staff were all so wonderful. They made us feel so special. Upon returning to the villa after our excursions we were always greeted with smiles, hugs, cool washcloths and drinks. Once inside, there was always something delicious for us to eat. “XXXX” and “YYYYY” accompanied us on our excursions to Palo Verde, Buena Vista, Tamarindo and Avellanas. They made sure that everything went smoothly. We never had to worry about a thing. It was taken care of for us. Several times we saw monkeys in the trees around the villa. My five grandchildren were not the only ones thrilled, so were we. At the end of the week, “WWW” took us to a rural school to meet the students and see how they are working at building a better future for themselves. It was a very touching and emotional experience for our entire group. I wish we would have been able to stay longer. I could go on forever about our week at VILLA ESTRELLA. When every minute of every day is wonderful, time goes by too quickly. We went on a vacation and came back not only with wonderful memories but our new Costa Rican family in our hearts. We will definitely be back but until then..... PURA VIDA!!!!!

My husband, three kids, daughter-in-law and self went on last week's vacation.  What a wonderful experience my entire family had!  We all say that it was the "vacation of a lifetime!"  My youngest said, "Mom you were always smiling", indeed I was, to have the accommodations, scenery, day trips, food and staff we had was truly amazing and I got to experience it with my entire family and some extended family! There is a special place in our hearts for your entire staff. Thanks again for this very memorable vacation.  We will be talking about it for many years. Pura Vida