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Manakin Villa Testimonials
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MANAKIN

July 29, 2010 Eleven of us came to Costa Rica, stayed in the Manakin Villa and had a great time. So much to enjoy and do here! Embraced the culture, enjoyed the food and were truly amazed at the views. We are planning to come back to Costa Rica soon. What happens in Costa Rica, stays in Costa Rica....Pura Vida!

August 4-13th, 2009 Although we had a rough start to the trip due to flight problems, we had a wonderful week! We spent several days on the beach and in the National Park, a day in Jaco, and took a mangrove tour to Damas Island. Our last night we had a home cooked meal of Mahi Mahi caught on our fishing trip! Our first afternoon we had a group of white faced monkeys visit us while we were in the pool. Of course, the bugs were plentiful. Food was great! Trip was even better! The Paolone's Long Island, NY

August 1, 2010 These have been the best consecutive five days I've had in the past five years! I enjoyed waking up to the monkeys in the pool and on the roof! I wish this mini vacay could have been a lot longer!! I look forward to our new annual vacay spot! Pura Vida Siempre! Layoyal Ceviche, beach, pool, food, people, tours, cabs, wine, beer, liquor, perfect weather and friendliest people you can meet! Great vacation! Now that I am leaving I will forever be grateful for this vacay. Will be back next year! Pura Vida!

July 31-Aug 7, 2010 So there we were, 14 of us on a Costa Rican adventure. We fell in love with the beautiful Manakin house. Our first morning we were greeted by 10 white faced monkeys :) We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, did a canopy tour, white water rafting, learned to surf at Manuel Antonio beach and at amazing restaurants (Salsipuedes, Gran Escape, and you must get the ceviche at the bus station). The people here are amazing, so nice. Ask the cab drivers where to good places to party are. Pastries from the bakery in town are Awesome!! Going to the beach inside the Park is a must, absolutely beautiful. Buying any souvenirs in town is much much much cheaper than on the beach. You must do shots of Cacique Guaro also known as Gringo Killer! We loved it. The boys went fishing today and a local restaurant Mar Luna is cooking up the fish they caught for our last dinner in Costa Rica. Hope your trip is as amazing as ours was. Love, Karina, Chris, Nicole, Juan, Mary, Roberto, Fernando, Rich, Jen, Scot, Mark, Brooke, Kylie, James and Les

Hola friendly friends! We were promised monkeys and we got monkeys! The bedroom with the enclosed balcony was best for titi monkey encounters. We went to El Avion last night and drank some of the gringo killer cacique. It killed us. The white water rafting excursion was fantastic, and the surf lessons were pretty fun. We loved the Manakin house and Costa Rica! The Chicago Gringos

12/20-12/26/08 We really enjoyed our stay over the Christmas Holiday. The views, the wildlife, and the house were spectacular!! Fantastic good times! The Denver Crew

TANAGER

Excellent house, excellent town, people and beaches! Alex, Venezuela

We came, we conquered! It’s been an action packed vacation –lots of sightseeing, lots of hiking. The locals are all so friendly and all the staff here at Manuel Antonio Estates have been fantastic. I can’t believe how fast David booked us for things! The view is inspiring and we all had such a great time. Melanie and Jim had such a great time they even forgot to leave! Missed their flight by a day!! Thanks for a fabulous holiday! Sylvia, Ken, Luke, and Stefan, Melanie, Jim, Curtis, Colin and Jordan

JACANA

Pure visual overload and we LOVE it! This is heaven, spa, Indonesian delight with the staff so nice to help in every way. We ended up buying 2 lots…we’ve been coming here for 10 years…now is the time! Linda and Jeff

April 3, 2008 Wonderful stay! Loved the views, the beautiful Indonesian architecture, friendly and helpful staff. Food was great, ate in Manuel Antonio at Mar Luna and Barba Roja was outstanding. Enjoyed Manuel Antonio Park and the horseback riding tour was wonderful. I would highly recommend it. Saw the monkeys playing down at the Spa at around 4pm. The Spa was great, terrific staff and the atmosphere is out of this world! The Roberts family Great place! Very comfortable living arrangements. The staff was fantastic and always made us feel at home. I am already planning a vacation back. Thanks for such a great time! Pura Vida, Elissa Goad

This was a fantastic home away from home! The rafting and canopy tour were our favorites. Ask about the night time canopy tour-small group, but no children allowed. The staff at the spa and office was exceptionally friendly and helpful! Dallas, Texas

12/08 I came for a long weekend away to rest and Jacana was the perfect spot. In the 4 days we were here it was not possible to do it all and relax so we limited ourselves to the beaches at Manuel Antonio, walking the trails, and enjoying the view. Oh and of course the spa! The villa was so relaxing we spent a good bit of time just here looking at the views and jumping in the pool. The staff was fabulous. We travel CR a lot and this place had the best accommodations and relaxing atmosphere. We will certainly be back each time we come to Manuel Antonio. Peggy

Visited here to see family doing missionary work in Quepos. The views here were marvelous! We had monkeys playing out by the pool and were visite by an iguana and a few other lizards along with geckos. Went fishing and caught a marlin, a sailfish, and mahi mahi. El Gran Escape cooked the mahi mahi for us! Thank you! Claytons, Chicago

I don’t want to leave Quepos or Villa Jacana but alas I must head back north to Portland, Oregon. My time here with friends was fabulous, 3 weeks of relaxing, eating, cocktails, local friends, adventure, and just plain dreaming. Oh and monkeys poolside. Unbelievable. I can’t wait to come back. Thank you Costa Rica! Matt

MORE TESTIMONIALS

July

Exquisite and Sublime. The staff was impeccable, particularly Desare, who couldn't have been more professional and cheerful. Kudos!!!

Portland Maine USA

July

We had a wonderful week! Beautiful view – nice walks – nice people. Wouldlove to come again.

Lyn & Terry Burke Montreal

February

House was very very nice. Had a great time here. First time here and will come back. Took House Tour and it was great. Service here was great. Didn't see monkeys.

Eric, Gene, Tim, Renee

February

We've been very happy here. A magical place. Wildlife, activity, great support from the folks here. A perfect balance of things. We would like to return some day. Had a wonderful time and were well taken care of.

February

This is a wonderful place. Extremely helpful staff. Much wildlife to see. Central location helpful. (Off the beaten path means quiet). Pura Vida.

Jim and Dee New hampshire, USA

March
Our third trip to Quepos and our second time here at Manuel Antonio Estates. Needless to say, we love it here!! In response to the disappointed re:not seeing monkeys on the previous page, while we have seen them at other times (three squirrel monkeys right by thye house yesterday mid-afternoon) the safest bet is to walk down to the Tucan House, about 5 o'clock. There are a few Cappuchin monkeys that swung across the road via the tree tops, then they cross in front of both Villas Tucan and Mot Mot. You can almost set your watch by it - - sometimes. Few minutes before or after 5. Our favorite tours are the Damas Island Mangrove Tour and the walk through Manuel Antonio with a Guide. We also took the Sunset Cruise this time with the Sailboat vs the Catamaran and enjoyed that a lot too. Favorite restaurants El Gran Escape (downtown Quepos) Mar Y Luna ( on road to Manuel Antonio) and El Avion (on road toMA even closer to the park) Also very good pizza at Escalofrio (downtown Quepos) For coffee,of course, café Milagro. Their iced coffee drinks put Starbucks to shame. At about half the price. Breakfast there are very good as well. Enjoy!! We surely did! Nothing better than a quick dip in th epool when you arrive back at the house after one of the local tours!

Margaret, Mary, Chris and Mike Chicago

May
When we arrived to the Jacana House we were greeted with a basket full of fresh tropical fruit, vases filled with exotic flowers and an incredible view. Beautiful scenery and much fun on the TITI Canopy Tour and the ATV Waterfall Tour. Lots and lots of Cappuchin (white-faced) monkeys on the Manuel Antonio Park Trail and the Damas Island Tours. One of our favorite experinces was the superior massage and facial at the jungle setting 'Raindrop Spa'. We will recommend this stay at the Jacana House to others.

Laura, Scott, Dennis & Brian Norton Laguna Niguel, California

June
This place is absolutely breathtaking. We loved it so much. We will definitely have to come back. It has been an unforgettable experience. This country is a beautiful one & as for the monkeys, we saw a whole family our first week. The little birds seem to be having a problem they keep flying into the glass window,poor things. We will miss this Villa,these nice and caring people, the Food, the beautiful scenery. Desiree especially – you were wonderful. Always happy. We will miss you. Be back soon!!

Paula, Jeff, Aubrie, Peyton New Orleans, Louisiana

June
Janice and Jeff Richards Honeymoon:

We landed in san Jose 9:00 am local time after 24 hours of prep into LAX, all night at the terminal waiting for first class on Taca ( our honeymoon to Costa Rica, First Class is mandatory). We walk out of the terminal, next door to the fire station and book a flight, 10 minutes before take-off,on Sansa Airlines, 20 minutes later we land at a jungle airstrip in Quepos. The taxi takes us to Manuel Antonio Estates to meet our friends, the Murphy's, who own a house here. We hang out at tyhe House, where troups of Squirrel monkeys met us about 5pm. We attract about 20 of them, they went bananas, but they don't really like bananas and act pissed, but hang for awhile anyway. We have dinner at BBQ Cantina where Bill Murphy sits in with the band and jams. The next day we are visited , inside the Jacana house, by a 2 foot Lizard. We chase him down the stairs, he knows where the front door is and scurries out. What a trip. All day and all night the jungle sounds are crazy, crickets, frogs, birds, this truly is a sensory experience. The next day, White water rafting, very recommendable, 1 hour in the Unimog, 4WD through the jungle to the river. It poured rain some of the time, but it didn't matter – Very Cool and Very fun! We went to Plimio for dinner, very good asian cuisine. The next day we hung out, slept in late, went tothe Blue Monkey for Lunch and Internet. Janice went tothe Spa and truly enjoyed the experience.

That night we went to El Avion – The Airplane – for dinner. Don't miss it. Our 4th day we went on the TITI Canopy Tour, doing the zip lines, an exhilerating time. We cruised into town on Friday night. Downtown Quepos on Friday night is something else. It's such a busy little city, so much going on. The next morning we got up early and went to Manuel Antonio National Park and beach, very pretty. It's our last day here and we are off to Los Suenos for our last 3 days of our Honeymoon. Everyone here at Manuel Antonio Estates has been great. Richard, Thierry, Marta, Desirae, and housekeeping all are so great. It's been a great time here and we'll come back someday!

Pura Vida

Jeff and Janice

July OMG! Like Totally cool beach and apartment. The staff was pretty Hawt. I mean, like I was at the pool and thought, 'that's hot'. I had a great time especially watching the dolphins, they are soo cute!

Thanks!
I'm planning to come back!

Sondra

February
Pure visual overload & we Love it! This is Heaven, Spa Indonesian delight, with the staff so nice to help in every way – We ended up buying 2 lots.... We've been coming here for 10 years.. Now is 'The' Time - -

Pura Vida!

Linda & Jeff B.

April
Wonderful Stay – Loved the Views, the beautiful Indonesian Architecture, Friendly & Helpful Staff.

Food was great – ate in Manuel Antonio.. Mar Luna was greta but Barba Roja was Awesome! The food was outstanding and Live Music was very good. Enjoyed Manuel Antonio Park and the Horseback Riding Tour was wonderful – I would highly recommend it Saw the monkeys playing down at the Spa ( behind the spa) at around 4:00pm. The Iguana suns himself on the side steps every morning around 7:30-8:0 am. Also, the Spa was great Terrific staff and the atmosphere is out of this world Thanks for the great massage Laura!!

Namaste,

The Roberts Family

June
I love Quepos!! I'm coming back as soon as I can. Absolutely beautiful weather, landscape, and people!! Pura Vida!

Rachel Brownjohn

June
Great place! Very comfortable living arrangements. The staff was fantastic and always made us feel athome. I am already planning a vacation back. Thanks for such a great time!
Pura Vida!

Elissa Goad

June
This was a fantastic home away from home! The Raftingand Canopy Tour were our favorites. Ask about the nighht time Canopy Tour – small group but no children allowed. The staff at the Spa (yoga-yea) and Office were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Also, the Villa Vanilla Tour is wonderful and more interesting and informative than it sounds.

Hector Goad
Patricia Woolard
Texas

June
We passed some fabulous days in this house. The view was very beautiful. The monkeys are very nice and so cute. The Costa Rica is the Paradise of the world.

Leonie, Josee,Michel,Emil Quebec

December
I came for a long weekend to rest. It was the peefect spot. In the 4 days we were here it was not possible to do it all and rest, so we limited ourselves to the beaches @ Manuel Antonio, walking the trails and enjoying the view. Oh, and of course, the Spa. The Villa was soo relaxing. We spent a good bit of time just here looking at the views and jumping in the pool. The staff is fabulous. We travel CR a lot. This place had the best accomodations and relaxing atmosphere. We will certainly be back each time we come to Manuel Antonio.

Peggy Miami

January
Visited here to see Family doing Missionary work in Quepos. The views here were marvelous! We had Monkeys playing out by the pool & were visited by an Iguana and a few other lizards, along with Geckos.Barba Roja – great for snacks by the outside bar at sunset. Went fishing and caught a Marlin, a Swordfish and a Mahi Mahi. Restaurant El Gran Escape cooked the Mahi Mahi for us. Thank you!

The Claytons

March
I don't want to leave Quepos or Villa Jacana but alas I must head back north to Portland, Oregon. My time here with friends was fabulous, 3 weeks of relaxing, eating, cocktails, local friends, adventure and just plain dreaming. Oh yeah, monkeys poolside. Unbelievable. I can't wait to come back. Thank you Costa Rica! Thank you, Ticos.

Matt Kramer

March
We brought Matt and his frined Dave down here for their first time. It's such a pleasure to see the expressions of wonder and awe on our friends faces the first time we share our beloved Costa Rica with them!Our own dreams are “Poco a Poco” coming true. We've our own piece of Paradise now, and we are embracing the opportunity to become 'Tico-ized”.

Manuel Antonio Estates has been our home-away-from-home for several years. Service is always excellent, the staff always friendly, and “Los Monos” have paid us several visits. You will find yourself mesmerized by the beauty of the country and it's precious people.

Carl & Cindy Engelgau

Pura Vida

Excellent house, excellent town, people, and beaches!

Alex Venezuela

Pura Vida

We had quite the adventure from rafting, snorkeling, zip lining, and my favorite the waterfall rock climbing and repelling.

Thanks for a wonderful time,

Love Kim and Kathy, Westlake Village, Ca

From going on a boat tour of Manuel Antonio beach, seeing dolphins, getting dirty on the ATV, to flying through the trees on the canopy tour while there was a 6.2 earthquake going on! A lot of fun nights out in Jaco beach. Our favorite place to go out was the Loft. It was overcast for most of the trip, but we still got sun. If you really want to see monkeys go down by the spa or out to Manuel Antonio beach around 3 and they will come to you. Thank you so much to everyone who came, it was great bringing in the new year. Hope you are back sooner then later,

Chantal, San Diego and Miami.

I had the best time of my life here with my best friend and I am so blessed to have had the chance to be here. I so needed this vacation!

Love May May

My trip to Costa Rica has been amazing! I loved the views, ATV tours, canopy tour, the beach, great food, and the Jacana House. It was amazing seeing the monkeys everyday around 4 P.M., it was the highlight of the trip. Seeing them race around me and my friends and family was hilarious. I cant wait to come back one day and see all of these cool things again.

Samantha, Jason, Mike, and Lynn

"I wanted to let Jenna and Richard know what an awesome time we had last week at Manuel Antonio Estates! The condo was absolutely perfect for us and it could not have worked out better. We LOVED the property and the location; from the pool to the hiking trails to the short walk into town. We would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting ... Thank you again for all your help and guidance last week. It was a perfect trip!" -Kim A.
April 2009

Villa Toucan was wonderful! We love the openness of the floorplan & all the doors that let you feel like you are outside. Manuel Antonio Estates is the perfect location. I love being able to walk into town or to the bus stop that takes you over the hill. Thierry and Desiree, thank-you for all your help & wonderful hospitality. And many thanks to the housecleaners.

This is the best house! It´s really fun and I love the pool!! We made new froggy friends!

*The Andersons, San Francisco, CA

The April and April-Segura families loved this jungle retreat! Be sure that you watch for the squirrel monkeys around 7 AM in the mornings. We didn´t see them until our last day :-( . They were so fun. We really enjoyed our stay here. Thanks for everything. Don´t miss the 3rd beach at Manuel Antonio. It is beautiful! And more monkeys! Pura Vida! Muchas Gracias!

*Desiree, Osias, Jim, Sandy, Luz, Luzmilda, and ¨Luzy"*

We have had a wonderful time here. We hope to come back again in the future. We will certainly recommend it to friends. From the first minute in Quepos, the people have been friendly, helpful and sincere. My command of Spanish has improved, but when we arrived in Quepos it was so difficult to ask for directions and understand the spoken word. we stopped at the pizza restaurant, (up the street from La Lanterna) and Ronald was kind enough to make a trip here to Manuel Antonio Estates to show us the way. Of course we returned to eat later and the Tex-Mex pizza was the best we had! Ronald also delivers pizza. Viva Ronald!

Yes, this is boring, but you must read on. For food, El Gran Escape is wonderful. The ceviche with fish and shrimp - muy bueno! Electricity was out most of the evening, but why complain? Enjoy the Pura Vida. The Airplane restaurant is cute and stimulates good lively conversations and the food is wonderful there too. Another feature that is not common at home (USA) is the fruit smoothies: so many flavors, so refreshing, especially in the morning.

Now it is time for you to stop reading and go experience Costa Rica, yet you are still reading. You might ask why, but in the spirit of La Pura Vida, one doesn´t ask why. One smiles and enjoys his surroundings. Even on the dirt road to Dominical, it is possible to stop, any number of times for snacks and cold drinks. That is where your trial by fire begins if you are learning Spanish. At the refugio, all the employees are well-spoken in English, and perhaps other languages. The zip-line tour is exhilarating and instills a new awareness of the wonders of nature.

Ah! Some days we want to simply sit by the pool and sip a cool drink. We take our laundry to Cindy in town and pick it up clean, dried, and folded for a reasonable price. It´s a sweet little luxury to have clean clothes to put on after a shower. If you are still reading this, you need to get out more. But I thank-you for your time. I hope you enjoy your stay at villa Toucan as much as we have enjoyed ours. What´s not to love?

*Luke Lester, Decatur Ga. 30030 USA

What a magical time we are having at the Mot Mot and the surrounding area of Costa Rica. The mornings are my favourite. Sitting on the back porch with my Costarican coffee, watching the birds fly their way through the jungle. We will never forget the night of salsa dancing at the Bamboo Jam, and the amazing tour through Manuel Antonio with our hawk eye tour guide. I look forward to our next visit to this fabulous land called Costa Rica.

*Andrew, Seattle Wa.

Hola! Costa Rica has been so much fun! Thanks for letting us stay at the Mot Mot. It has been so much fun! Yesterday we went on a tour around the park with our tour guide, Mop. He could see everything! We had so much fun!

*Thanks, Madie Bradner*

Gracias! Everyone had such a great time in this house. It was so much fun! Thank-you for letting us stay in this house, this whole place made our vacation so much better! We loved it here! Thanks again! We had so much fun!

*Thanks, Alexis W

*Hola Boyo,

Day 1: Serious appreciation of nature this morning. Such tranquil beauty. After outstanding Costarican coffee we had to move to a cerveza. Called Richard at 8 AM. He was worried we were thirsty so early. But no problemo. Richard was cool, our thirst slacked. Now we can move on to nutrition of the food variety.