This is our second year staying here. We love the property, the owner and the property manager. Everything was wonderful…no issues… and we hope to be able to come back soon! It has become our home away from home 😃

This property is just as described and reviewed by many others: clean, comfortable, well located and with amazing ocean views. We were a family of 4; 2 adults and two children. The pool is small, but clean and perfectly located to enjoy both sun and view. It was truly a must for us! The beds are comfortable and the AC in the bedrooms is appreciated during warmer nights. The location is far enough to enjoy privacy, but close enough to town in case you need something quicker. We saw countless birds including scarlet macaws, green macaws and toucans. Excellent quality versus price property and we would without a doubt highly consider it again on our next trip to Costa Rica. Thanks again!

This was our second time staying at this fabulous house. It has great views and an infinity pool from which to enjoy them after a day at the beach or exploring the area. The house is a short drive to a few beaches and great restaurants, supermarkets, etc. The property manager is nearby. Our flight to CR was delayed by over 24 hours and we got to the house late. The property manager met us at the house and made sure everything was ok. We had one small problems with the house and he came by to fix it withing a couple of hours. We hated for this vacation to end!

Beautiful home with a spectacular view. Beautiful view from the pool. Saw all kinds of Toucans and birds. Heard the howler monkeys, but they never came to the house. The owner was very helpful in scheduling excursions, etc. I would definitely stay here again.

A beautiful place ! What a view and a wonderfully laid out setting . Everything u need . And Mark even though in CA he was always quick to message . We loved it ! Make sure u read the binder provided . They spent a lot of time explaining the area and made excellent suggestions . Citrus restaurant was our favorite local restaurant but we also found a cool place for an afternoon snack called cafe Vivo and near that was a bakery . My girls also tried the French Cafe and spoke highly of there as well ;). Thank u Mark and Allyson !

You will not be disappointed! Everything you see listed is exactly as it is and more. The home is wonderful with everything you'll need for cooking, relaxing, swimming, etc. The views are amazing! The location is extremely close to amazing beaches as well as outdoor/nature experiences, sometimes only a few min away. We hired a driver for the week which made it even more relaxing as to not have to worry about directions and he also gave us a lot of history, plus help in the language in getting things like chairs/umbrellas at the beaches for the right price. Even last minute restaurants, that were great, after the beach since it was New Years and not everything was open. The food in Costa Rica is also amazing! We've stayed in central Costa Rica before but were looking for a more family/outdoor/relaxing experience for the whole family (two young children and two adult children came with us so there were 6 of us comfortably staying for 9 days). We have 2 boys (11yr and 12yr). One with special needs that requires more flat land while the other seeks adventure. The house, grounds, location, and beaches met both of their needs. It was great waking up to the sounds of nature and coming back after a long day to get in the pool for cool relaxation. When we come back we will look to stay at Mark's place again! Thank you Mark for sharing your home & for all of the attention and help you provided us preparing for our vacation. Everything Mark recommends for food and fun is spot on!

We love this house and location so much!!!! This was our second stay at Mark's house. The first trip it was just my husband and I with our teenage daughter. This trip we included our other college age daughter and both of our mom's. Considering the grandma's are a little less mobile, we spent more time around the house this trip and it was just as nice. The birds and wildlife combined with the iguanas in the tree made every morning magical. We especially enjoyed the sunsets with the amazing view of the Pacific. We will be back!

This was my parents first time to Costa Rica and we wanted them to have a wonderful experience. Ballena did not disappoint. The house was well appointed, clean and spacious... and the views - just amazing. But it was the morning and sunset experiences that made this a great experience. The sounds and sightings from the birds, iguanas, howler monkeys and agotis made it extra special. The sunset views are the best too! We hope to visit again Ballena.

This home was the perfect place for our vacation! Mark the home owner provides everything you may ever need to know about vacationing in Costa Rica. It made planning our trip so easy. The home is exceptionally clean and comfortable. We loved cooling off in the pool and watching birds from the patio. This home was absolute paradise!

This is one of the best stays we've ever had. The view is spectacular, the grounds are beautiful and Mark is the best host. He has an extensive guidebook for the area and is super informative about the house. We took a few day trips to the beaches and did some fun excursions - boogie boarding, hiking to the whales tail, seeing the animal sanctuary....But we also loved lounging in the pool and watching the beautiful birds come and go. We also saw an iguana in the trees. My family and I highly recommend!!!

This was our first ever VRBO rental and wow did we make the right choice. We chose this property for the view but it was the hosts that really made it special. The attention to detail, the professionalism and concern that they showed is truly exemplary. The house is close to great restaurants, beaches and stores. We were traveling with children and an elderly person and found the house had everything we needed. Mark and Allison provided us with a very detailed information packet that was incredibly helpful. It saved us a lot if time looking up places to eat and things to do. The hosts were available for any questions or concern we had, they responded in minutes. It was truly the most wonderful experience and we cant wait to go back and stay at this property again!

We couldn't have dreamed that we would love the home and setting as much as we did!!! Glorious views of the ocean, coast and sunsets. Peaceful, spacious and elegantly appointed home that had all that we needed. Gorgeous, plush garden and yard. Ideal access to great restaurants and stores. Abundance of enchanting bird watching... and the pool was perfect to cool off in after a full day of adventure. Mark and Allyson were amazing hosts and such a great resource to enhance our experience! They were always available to address questions both prior to and during our stay. Thank you to both! We have already told all of our friends that if a Costa Rica trip is in their future, this is the absolute best place to stay! Can't wait to return soon!

Mark and Allyson's beautiful home is why we were lucky enough to land in Uvita, Costa Rica. The home was exactly how the pictures described it. Mark was a great communicator from the moment we booked our trip. He sent a Trip Planning Guide which we were able to use to plan our stay from beginning to end. We were able to witness two unbelievable sunsets which made up for the cloudy rainy sunsets while we were there (beginning of rainy season). Loved having the pool to come home to after all our excursions. The restaurants and all our tours were were top notch. We did not have one bad experience. Here is what we recommend. Breakfast-Bagel Time and Sibu Dinner-Sebas, Pizza Time, Ballena Bistro, Beehive, Aracari and Citrus Osa Canopy Tour-Ziplining Jugle ATV Tour Nauyaco Waterfall/Cataratas Nauyaco-Horseback Riding to the Falls Bahia Adventuras-Private Fishing Excursion-we saw a whale and her calf. Caught a Mahia Mahia and Wahoo Thank you Mark and Allyson for sharing your beautiful home!

We had an amazing time in Uvita! Mark was absolute best host we've ever had using VRBO. He was so responsive and so easy to communicate with. Five stars all day! This house was beautiful... my husband and I and our 5 teenagers were so comfortable in this home. From the morning coffee outside to the fun family Uno games at night, just great quality family time.

This is a beautiful home, very spacious and well-appointed…including beach chairs and boogie boards! The sunset view, nice landscaping, along with easy access off the highway made for a very pleasant stay. Thank you for hosting us.

We really enjoyed staying at this house! The owner, Mark, was very responsive and helpful with our stay. We were greeted by a toucan upon our arrival and we saw so many different birds throughout our stay, toucans, parrots, macaws, hummingbirds, and many more. The view here is so beautiful and we loved sitting outside on the back porch and deck down below. The trips we really enjoyed in the area were Canyoning with Carlos, Santa Lucia Falls with Humberto/Enrique, and going to Arco Beach and walking through the cave (a sloth happened to be hanging at the end of the cave!). Carlos and his team were amazing and we would highly recommend them! We also loved eating at Aracari, which was only a kilometer down the road. The staff was very friendly and the food was great, not to mention a beautiful view. You can also park here and hike down to Arco Beach. We stayed at Mark’s place for 5 nights and would have loved to stay longer. Was hard to leave such a great place!

The pictures don't do this property justice! The views are incredible. The property is clean and fully stocked with everything. Both the owner, Mark, and the property manager were responsive and so helpful throughout the week. Costa Rica is pure magic, we can't wait to plan our trip back!

Beuatiful property with amazing views. Quiet location but still close to town and activities. You can spend your time doing excursions or louging at the pool watching Iguanas, Green Parrots, Macaws, Toucans and other wildlife. Mark was wonderful to work with and would definitely rent this property again.

A little bit of heaven. Costa Rica is amazing and this house is beyond fantastic! It’s clean, spacious, comfortable, beautiful- I could go on. There are so many detailed instructions for things to do and places to go, but just sitting on the patio enjoying the view, with birds all around, is a great pleasure unto itself. Same thing from the pool! The owners (Mark) and manager (Rolando) are really great! They are extremely responsive and helpful, even helping me find a dentist! Their recommendations for places to eat were spot on. The house has everything you could need or want, and feels really safe and secure. Our whole vacation exceeded expectations on multiple levels, and we will be back.

Thank you to Mark and Allyson for sharing their beautiful house with us. The listing and previous reviews are accurate. A 10’ drive from Uvita (and similar to Ojochal which is much smaller than I imagined), the house is in a great location to take advantage of the best beaches but also be close to food and groceries. The view is amazing and we had a variety of birds visiting every day, including many toucans. As others have mentioned you can hear traffic on the main road when on the deck but still an amazing place to relax and enjoy the view. You do need a 4x4 to get up the hill but it was an easy drive. Although the house sits on the edge of the jungle, the owners spray, so bugs were not an issue. The owner and property manager are extremely responsive and have many good recommendations for the area. We are very grateful for having such an amazing place to stay.

This was our second stay at Mark’s house, and was yet again a great vacation! It is so close to town, but still in a quiet and very private neighborhood. Highly recommend 4WD or AWD for getting around to many of the sights and restaurants. House is well equipped and very comfortable. AC in all the bedrooms. Wonderful patio and pool area for hanging out with ocean and sunset views. Host is very responsive, and full of great recommendations (we tried pretty much all the places on his list and food was always fantastic). Highly recommend both Mark’s house and Uvita!!!

The pictures don't do this property justice, it's so beautiful! We loved hanging out on the patio and pool area and enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean. The surroundings give you the feeling of being in the rain forest / jungle. We woke every morning to the birds singing and heard the howler monkeys howling. Truly and amazing experience. We loved it so much that we have already booked our return trip later this year.

The setting was amazing and the view was incredible. We had all the comforts of home and truly loved the house. I would go back in a heart beat. The owner was very helpful from the beginning to the end of our stay. Great memories were made that we will all treasure.

The house is lovely; especially the open living living area, wood doors and windows, and patio. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained, with a beautiful view of the ocean. Also, the house is in a great location, close to many attractions (e.g., beaches, hikes, waterfalls, swimming holes), as well as grocery stores and restaurants.

This is the third property I have rented in Costa Rica and it exceeded my expectations. The great room is bigger than it looked in the photos and the grounds are lovely. The kitchen is amazingly well equipped and the bedrooms and bathrooms are perfect . We cooked at the house most nights and the kitchen had everything we could have asked for. The outdoor dining and pool areas are great and we spent most of our time outside. We really enjoyed watching the variety of birds that visit the property on a daily basis, particularly the toucans and the parrots. We also saw iguanas and agoutis pretty much every day. We heard the howler monkeys, but didn’t see them. We did several of the excursions Mark recommended in his detailed notes on the area, and we would highly recommend the canyoning and the boat tour which were both great fun. We also treated ourselves to a half day at the Oxygen Spa. Quite a steep drive to get there, but SO worth it. The half day included a blissful treatment, lunch and a swim in the jungle river and waterfall. Boogie boarding at Ventanas beach was something I had never tried before and we all greatly enjoyed it. Lovely beach! I can’t say enough about our host, Mark. He is so helpful and responsive. We got lost on our way out of San Jose heading to the property and Mark texted with us until we got on the right road. When we arrived, there was a thoughtful gift left on the kitchen counter for us and he continued to stay in contact throughout our stay with helpful advice. In fact, we loved the property so much, we have already booked for next year. I sincerely hope you who are reading this, get a chance to stay at this little slice of heaven.

This house is centrally located and near lots of great restaurants and black sand beaches. A 4 wheel drive SUV is mandatory! The VRBO host and local assistant (Roland) were really helpful and knowledgable about the area!

I rented this property for 16 days as a retirement get away. There were 5 of us the first week and just two of us after that. From the time I booked the villa, Mark sent out an amazing document that gave so much info about arriving/ departing, car rental, all sorts of recommendations on activities and restaurants, beaches, safety, and so much more. I used the guide to help plan the rest of my vacation and book activities and restaurants in advance. We took him up on just about every recommendation he made and I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. What I found really incredible is…not only did Mark provide the guidance, he was more supportive of any travel issues than I would ever expect from a villa host. I waited too long to rent a 4x4 and all of the car rental places had nothing available. I mentioned it to Mark. Within 20 minutes I had a 4x4!!! We also had delays in our flight coming out. Mark proactively reached out to see how we were doing. I told him our problem and the first thing he said is “I want to help”. On his own, he came up with several options for us for our late arrival. In the end, we didn’t have to use any, but it was amazing that options were waiting for us when we landed! And that is how it started. By the end of our stay, I really thought of Mark as that friend…the one who is always looking out for you…going way out of his way to make sure you are having a good time while visiting his home. Lastly, the villa seems more like a labor of love vs a rental property for the hosts. Quality was everywhere…from the furniture to the linens to the tableware, to the incredible landscaping, and pool area. The quality and location of this property alone makes this property worth more than the rental rate being charged. Add on the support from Mark and it made the whole experience amazing!!! We have already booked our return trip next year and will be bringing our kids/ spouses as there is something for everyone in this location. Thank you Mark!!! We couldn’t have asked for a better host!

We had a perfect stay with our family if 5. Mark’s house is lovely and comfortable. Rolando was close by and helpful to get us settled in. The view and pool were exactly what we were looking for. Mark had many recommendations for food and activities near by and each one was spot on! We loved Arco beach and Playa Ventanas which are very close (less than 10 mins). We are very happy we chose this as our home base and would definitely do it again! Thank you for having us!

I have rented over 30 vacation homes throughout Costa Rica, Europe and Australia and I owned my own vacation rental which has made me rather picky and critical. It takes a lot to impress me. But this property really impressed me! The attention to detail is outstanding. This is a lovely home is set in a gorgeous setting with outstanding views. The house has everything you could possibly need, is very comfortable, very clean and we felt very safe. The outdoor furniture is very good quality and comfortable. We never wanted to leave the awesome pool. It is very conveniently located to beaches and the towns of Uvita and Ojochal. The kitchen is very well stocked - which is rare! The fact that Mark provides boogie boards, beach chairs and a good supply of beach towels speaks volumes. Communication with Mark was excellent and he provided all kinds of information. He has a full binder of information on the house and recommendations on what to do in the area - perfect! We loved this place and will certainly stay here again when in the area.

I don't think I can adequately say how incredible our stay was! The house was beautiful, and landscaping made us feel we were in a tropical paradise. The scenery in the photos you will absolutely have almost daily with amazing ocean views and sunsets. We had a pair of mating Scarlet Macaws and a group of Toucans in the trees overhead every day. After a long day it was very relaxing to hand out in the infinity edge pool. We loved how secluded you felt but were only a few minutes from town. I highly recommend following the recommendation of going to Arco Beach by hiking through the jungle departing from La Cusinga lodge. The beach is quiet, and waves were big enough for fun body boarding. It was easy to identify rip currents and avoid them. Rolondo was always letting us know he was available to help with anything and when we were delayed getting in his very friendly family members met us to help us get settled in. I wish I could post some photos I took so you could see that this is a hidden gem.

Our stay was amazing and I’m so thankful you’ve welcomed us into your beautiful home! Your recommendations were perfect, too. My favorite was Arco beach and the path to/from La Cusinga and dinner at Citrus was delicious. David wasn’t able to take us on Sierpe River tour, but kindly set us up with his friend James and Captain Jose who were excellent guides. We loved it! Truly, the views from your home are stunning and the people very welcoming. The traffic was more than expected, but the flip-side is the added convenience of being so close to an accessible road regardless of weather and for easy trips to/from home. Once a person stops to look around, the traffic disappears completely. 😉 Thank you for the details before and during our trip, the art and books, the excellent wine, and your general graciousness. We’ve enjoyed a wonderful break and precious time together as a family. Thank you!

As soon as we walked in, we were in heaven. Although it was only my husband and I that stayed, the home is perfect for a group of 6. The views of the Pacific are breathtaking -from the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom, you are taken away by the beautiful landscape, pool, and endless views of the ocean. Location, Location, Location! Everything you need from supermarkets to beaches to great restaurants is all within close proximity to the house. Sadly, we only had 5 full days, so wanted to make sure that we spent ample time enjoying all the home had to offer- cooking breakfast and eating outside overlooking the ocean and listening and watching all the beautiful birds and butterflies, taking naps on their hammocks, relaxing in the pool, and playing board games at night. The first morning, we were woken up by the monkeys which was awesome. Added bonus, I had the best massage of my life, straight from the living room. As they say, Pure Vida. Mark & Allyson’s home and grounds are absolutely amazing -it is exactly the type of home we would build if we lived there. Ensure you have a 4WD as it is easy access up the driveway (which I have I heard is uncommon). We loved keeping the drapes open and waking up to the morning light, birds chirping, and sweeping ocean views. In addition to having breakfast at the house each morning, we cooked dinner a few nights and had everything we needed. Bedrooms are all a great size, the showers were great, and Ioved all the various places to sit and relax outside. As soon as you book, Mark & Allyson provide an amazing guide which was beyond helpful and saved a tremendous amount of time -from transportation, restaurant and adventure recommendations, safety, bugs, you name it. All of their tips & recommendations made the pre-trip and the trip itself so easy & stress free. Rolando, the house manager, is great. He met us at the supermarket on our first night to take us to the house & was a phone call away if we needed anything. Mark was always easy to get a hold of as well-so personable and funny. Everyone we talked to during our trip was so incredibly nice, easy to navigate without knowing Spanish, a lot of expats especially in the Uvita area. We felt incredibly safe & the most relaxed and happy we have ever been. We were so sad to leave & definitely will be back. If I could give them 10 stars, I would.