We stayed at CRParaiso over Christmas. It is perfectly remote! We wandered the grounds, splashed in the pond, and zip lined. It is a quick trip into town where the food was wonderful. Waking up in the clouds every morning was a joy!

We enjoyed our stay! We loved waking up to the sounds of the jungle and enjoyed tea on the covered back porch. It was nice to be in nature and yet shielded from the rain. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the property. We did have a power outage one evening that last 2 hours and flashlight would have been helpful. It is a little more rustic than expected. Better quality towels and more towels would be nice. It is 45 minutes to La Fortuna and we didn't anticipate how much time we would spend there. But we enjoyed our stay! And would recommend it! We saw toucans, parakeets and lots of hummingbirds in the well cultivated gardens.

We had three nights here and really enjoyed each day. There are plenty of things to see from the back porch one in our group saw a monkey. Toucans, bull frogs,, lots of hummingbirds, lizards, etc. We all said this is where we would go back to stay for a relaxing time.

Such a fun place to stay! While sitting on porch, horses would wander by, monkeys in the trees, parrots chase eachother, friendly dogs come to visit. Wander the property and find fresh fruit, paths and ponds. The nighttime sky is fantastic. No air-conditioning, but the jungle cools down well at night. Would be perfect if there were screens on the upstairs veranda doors to keep the breeze in at night. The seperate area for kids to hang out was a lot of fun too! Thank you for sharing your property with us!

Coming from a very small apartment in New York City we wanted indoor and outdoor space, great views, birds, room to roam. We got all that. Great experience for us. We didn’t rent a car but we recommend it highly. It is fairly isolated. Everything you need for cooking but pick up essentials like seasonings, oil, basic spices if you plan to cook. Hard to keep those things useful in a very tropical setting.

Not only a beautiful, fully equipped house with a view of the lake but wonderful gardens and grounds, plus acres of forest to explore. The perfect holiday for a family as we were or anyone who wants to experience an unforgettable part of Costa Rica.

The preserve is amazing. Imagine rolling out of bed and strolling through a beautiful botanical garden, but be aware of the variety of wildlife as some are poisonous. Fortunately, we never encountered any dangerous critters, but saw a variety of birds, frogs/toads, lizards and bugs. So many fewer of the latter than expected! We did the zip lines, night tour and bird watching tour. Brett and his staff were amazing! The house is as pictured, very comfortable although not fancy or luxurious. The food in town is wonderful! We ate breakfast at Las Delicias almost everyday and dinner at Moya's and Tinajas Arenal. We stayed a week and had a wonderful time!

Spent three nights on this wonderful property with my wife and four children. Very quiet and peaceful but plenty to do on site. Bret was great helping us with directions, excursions to the volcano, etc.... also be sure to check out the delicious restaurants in Nuevo Arenal (especially Moyas!). If we had to do it over again, we'd spend even more time just on property. Horse back riding, great zip lining, lots of trails... and totally private. Staff on site was wonderful, and all were incredibly attentive and responsive. Thanks for sharing your wonderful property with us, Bret.

We really enjoyed our stay at this property. There was plenty room for everyone with three different sitting room areas and a very large outside covered area. One thing we really loved was that we could walk around on our own on their wildlife paths. The gardeners were really fun and showed us the best paths to use. We also did the zip lining which was great.

House was secluded and a great escape for us. I would recommend this property.

We loved our stay at the Lake! Beautiful weather, great food in town, nicest tico and expat community ever and Bret made everything easy. We really enjoyed the horseback tour with Brandon and Jason. WiFi was sketchy but we found fast connections in town. This place is perfect for relaxing, unwinding and unplugging! Thanks for being a perfect host!!

Lots of room in this lakeside retreat. Charming living room and porch rockers, too. Bret is very responsive and helpful, right away. We were an hour late getting to Nuevo Arenal, yet the manager was there waiting for us. It was a relief to know we were in good hands.

The property around the home is beautiful! Lots of flowers and trees, lots to explore. We loved playing in the natural pool (pond) and ziplining on the property. The guides were really friendly and fun! The kitchen is well stocked and the home is roomy and comfortable. There are plenty of bugs (inside and out) which is the main reason for the 4-star cleanliness rating. This home has a mountain cabin vibe so bugs and wildlife are to be expected. (We loved watching the fireflies at night!) There are two resident cats on the property that mostly hang out on the back porch. Some people in our group have cat allergies but the cats didn't come inside so this wasn't an issue. The highlight was on our last evening when a group (flock?) of toucans hung out in the trees near the house. Very cool! The drive to La Fortuna from here is close to an hour but is a pretty easy drive. We went twice while we were here to do some of the hikes and activities available there. Definitely eat at Los Platillos Voladores in Nuevo Arenal. It isn't much to look at from the outside and has the oddest alien decor/vibe, but the Italian food is fantastic and the sweet Italian woman who owns it/runs it is the best! Skip the German bakery. Really. Over all we really enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it for travelers who have a rental car and want to stay somewhere a bit off the beaten track!

Great house for groups but take into consideration that Nuevo Arenal is about an hour from La Fortuna. Also, the natural swimming Pool has plants growing in it that the pictures do not show.

This property was amazing and met all of our expectations for what my group wanted to accomplish in the area. Loved the trails and the birding was excellent. House was clean and just as described. We kind of wish we would have stayed at this property for the whole trip, but the Ocean was calling. Thank you so much.

Bret and the rest of the staff were beyond accommodating and helpful. The town and property were charming within close distance to La Fortuna and other towns. We enjoyed our stay!

This was our second time staying on this property! The views and wildlife is amazing! We love going ziplining right there at the house and riding the horses! The owner is amazing!

My family thoroughly enjoyed our stay at what we called "The Jungle House". My husband and I have 4 boys who had an absolute blast exploring the property's trails, and we all fell in love with Negro, our pet dog for our few days! Check-in was simple, and it was a pleasure to meet Marjorie, the property manager, and Jonathan, our neighbor. The house was more than large enough for our family of 6. The only issues we had were ants in one of the beds upstairs (which we understand bugs are common in CR) and a broken coffee pot (we made do with pour-over coffee). Our only regret was not enough time to enjoy the property more! We wish we would have had time to book some activities with Jonathan on the property! Thank you for an incredible experience in Costa Rica. It was an amazing property that we will never forget, and hope to visit again soon!

The house was very spacious and enough room for the 6 of us. Bret was very helpful and accommodating as our check-in time kept changing. Beatrice was amazing, she was very helpful and always willing to give suggestions. She even grabbed groceries for us since we were coming in later. It was so nice to get up with food at the house the next morning and not have to worry about going out to get some. The property is gorgeous, we had a great time hiking the trails and seeing the wildlife including the Toucans flying around!

Spent 3 days at the property, exploring the area. It's a good place to base from - accessible to Hanging bridges hikes, La Fortuna and you HAVE TO zipline on the property with Mario. We did it in the rain (family of 4), saw a Toucan, great views, and authentic rainforest experience. Just us. skip the lines and crazy busy of larger places, and ride with Mario.

This place is amazing! Well kept, friendly people, quiet and remote location. Eating on the covered terrace was my favorite part! Amazing!

We loved our stay at El Paraiso. It was clean and spacious. The property was beautiful. We enjoyed swimming in the pond and hiking the trails.

Sorry, but I disagree with the high ratings. Our stay was 6 weeks long. We expected a reasonably well organized, functional house. The following represents our experience: extremely nasty odour from ant deterrent; toilets were unreliable, downstairs toilet unusable, until eventually replaced, but not before a major flood throughout virtually the whole downstairs, causing waterlogged shoes, luggage, and anything else on the floor: no dryer to help and no sympathy from the owner (drop-off laundry in town is very expensive over time, with no alternative) the house water was not drinkable, as it had a rusty, metallic smell and rusty water came from all faucets; Wifi did not work until the 4th week of the 6 weeks we were there; the house phone did not work as promised and could be a safety issue; the DVD's were less than reasonably current; Scrabble was the only functioning game; the kitchen utensils seemed like rejects from another kitchen, for example mismatched dishes and cutlery, left handed peeler, appliances scattered in cupboards, threadbare tea towels, smelly plastic glasses etc etc. I could go into much more detail with all of what happened to us. Much of our vacation time was spent with dealing with a multitude of problems and issues. At no time do we blame the staff on site for any of the problems. They were nothing short of terrific and they tried to help us in any way possible, especially Allan! Also on the positive side, it was fun to see horses loose on the property, the flora was spectacular, it was great watching for the birds, the scenery amazing and the fresh bananas were a treat. Zip-lining and horseback riding (for a fee) were right on the property for anyone who cared to. Driving up and down the road up to the property became my personal challenge, kind of fun after a while, and opening and closing the rusting gate was difficult, especially in the dark. Like I said, this property looked great in the listing, but only after a short time, the warts started to appear. Definitely not a property for long stays until all the problems are rectified. Costa Rica is amazing.

The house is large and clean. The on-site ziplining and horseback riding were terrific. Delicious restaurants in town, and a kitchen with everything you need to make meals at the house. Our family had a wonderful time. Henry, Allen, and Mario were so helpful.

Brett was very helpful at every step of the process and he always replied to my mails in a timely manner. His team was readily available for every inquiry! The location is remote, 10 minute drive from Nuevo arenal and one hour drive form La Fortuna. Roads are well paved, but winding which makes driving at night demanding. Fortunately, they offer great on site activities (we did canopy and horse back riding). The guides accomodated our younger children so that they could safely take part to most activities. The house is spacious and the numerous rooms make it easier for everybody to find their own space. The layout upstairs is very welcoming and warm. Some elements of furniture are worn out for north american standards. Kitchen is fully equipped and allowed us to eat in easily. Although, I have to recommend the italian restaurant in town, Los Platillos Voladores. Exquisite food and great encounter with owner!

Great property with plenty of activities. House is perfect for families and groups with lots of room to spread out. Location is close to town and convenient to shopping and dining. The grounds are spectacular and the staff very accommodating. Zipline canopy, horseback riding, night tour and bird watching are a must do.

We had 8 family members from 7 months to 67 years for 17 days and the the house just absorbed us all seamlessly. Lots of space to be together and to find privacy as well. Everyone who we dealt with, from owner Brett to the gardeners felt like one big family and were veryattentive to our needs. I would say that a car is necessary , given the beautifully quiet and slightly removed location, to access all the wonderful activities around Arenal . That being said we could have been quite happy for one week just doing the horseback riding, zip line, guided walks and hiking trails on the property. The house was spotless, the beds were comfortable and the views from the huge veranda and two upstairs balconies were breathtaking. On the property itself we saw toucans, hummingbirds, and a bunch of birds I never identified, we also saw a tapir, howlers and an armadillo. I could go on forever but in the end I would just say go and experience this wonderful property yourself.

Great location, exactly as described. Lots of room and privacy for our family. The views were fantastic. The house was clean. The property manager was readily available, friendly and helpful. My only note would be that the wifi was spotty to nonexistent during our visit. However we didn’t choose the place for the Wi-Fi and I think it’s absence improved our stay (we have teenagers).

We loved our stay here. It is quiet except for the sounds of the forest. The property was spectacular to explore and the grounds beautiful and well-kept. The house was clean and perfect for our needs. It is about an hour from La Fortuna and the road out of Nuevo Arenal to the house is about 15 minutes of extremely rough and rocky road. But once there the stay is great. We enjoyed the cool breeze at night and the sound of nature was very peaceful. We would definitely consider staying again.

We loved our stay at your property. The house has a lot of space, and everyone was friendly. We loved the swimming pool and the beauty of the grounds. We wish we would have allowed more time for exploring at the property.

The house is big and very clean and well equipped for a super stay. the patio is huge. We hiked up a road and discovered a lookout ... We swam in the pond surrounded with the acres of hedges and flowers. Henry met us in Nuevo and led us up the rocky road to this wilderness beauty and we were enchanted! Wishing you every success in turning this charming bit of Eden into a retreat centre!

Yes, the road was bumpy, but it was worth it. We love peace and serenity at the end of an adventurous day. We also love all the comforts of home. This home provided both. The home is beautiful. The grounds are amazing. We felt like we had a beautiful piece of Costa Rica all to ourselves. Things that we really appreciated: being met in town by the property manager to show us the way (took stress out of trying to find the place), the well stocked kitchen, the swimming pond, separate TV room for watching movies, cool bedrooms for our kids. There was room for everybody and we even spent a couple of days relaxing on the estate walking, swimming/diving in the pond, and cooking good food. Thanks for a great stay and being so caring and quick to help when we had a hiccup in our plans.