The villa was very clean and well stocked. A few miles outside La Fortuna in a lush, quiet setting but within 15-30 minutes from hanging bridges, zip lining, safari float, hot springs, volcano hike, chocolate/coffee tour. Max, the onsite host, was super responsive and extremely helpful in arranging tours and guides. Definitely recommend having a guide on the volcano hike - Miguel was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and pointed out plants and animals we would have walked right by. Highly recommend!

The home and property are amazing. This is a collection of 4 houses set on lush grounds bordered by a small creek. There are manicured paths thru the property leading to the wonderful pool and seating areas/hammocks by the creek. The homes are very private thanks to smart design and landscaping. Our unit was very comfortable with every modern amenity. The property manager Max made our stay even better. He helped with activity planning and great restaurant options. Downtown La Fortuna is a 10 minute hilly winding drive away but the roads are very good. This was the perfect base for our adventures near La Fortuna and trips into town for meals and sightseeing. We will definitely return on any future La Fortuna trips.

Property was amazing. We felt sure in this gated villa. Max was an excellent host. Very inviting. If we needed anything all we had to do is call Max and he made it happen. Great location. 15 minutes drive in to La Fortuna. I would highly recommend this place.

We are two families with kids traveling together and had a wonderful stay! Max, the on-site host, was so kind and thoughtful. He helped us arrange great excursions. The house is very comfortable and clean. We loved the grounds which are beautifully maintained and have a gorgeous array of native plants and flowers. Our kids had a great time in the pool and the hot tub. The location is removed from La Fortuna town and all the big hot springs resorts which worked well for us as it was quiet at night and most of our days were spent out at activities. Just don’t expect to be in a walkable neighborhood. We had our own rental cars and it was perfect. Thank you, Max, for a truly wonderful stay!

I chose this property for 2 reasons. 1 the whole house air conditioning that is so hard to find in this area and 2 the many amazing reviews. It lived up to and exceeded our expectations! Would definitely stay here again!

Max was the highlight of our stay - he helped book tours and activities and suggested great additions to our trip. We stayed in several locations in CR during our trip, but this was by far our favorite. The gardens are stunning and we loved having morning coffee with all the birds and chickens. The home was clean and cozy - perfect for our family of 5. We cooked two meals a day in the home - kitchen was well stocked to cook. Perfect central location to La Fortuna, Arenal, Mistico, and any tours. The driveway and parking are all level and flat - a bonus in CR! Max even provided fresh eggs for breakfast one morning!

Truly Paradise! Beautiful surroundings and friendly, helpful people. We traveled with our adult blind. mobility-challenged son. Everyone was very helpful. Thanks, Max, for all you and your family did for us. The Yoes Family

Absolutely delightful experience staying at this property. They have an amazing garden and porch which we used for our morning breakfasts. Max, the manager was so helpful with everything. Cleanliness was on point and pictures don’t do justice to how beautiful this house is! Max was fantastic with organizing activities for us and we had the best dinner at their family owned restaurant. They made our vacation and experience with their beautiful country even better!

Property was excellent, but Max (property manager) is the real gem. Max made everything so easy! Helped with booking activities, got us special deals, and was generally an all-around awesome guy! A++

Loved our first trip to Costa Rica and Max was so helpful. Property was 15+ min south of La Fortuna but well located to take in the beauty of the area and the activities. The hammocks by the creek were a bonus!

Loved the hammock by the river, pool, whirlpool, comfortable bed, tucans, hummingbirds, flowers, plants and Max who made everything perfect! Would stay here again. Max arranged all our day trips. Kudos to Max for making arrangements for all our needs.

When we arrived at the house, we were sure we must be lost because we could not match the photos in the listing with what we saw in front of us. It’s not that the photos were of someplace else, but the wide angled lens definitely misled us. We also were disappointed by how close the bungalows are to one another, and how thin the walls were. We could distinctly hear conversations in the next bungalow. The great selling point of the property is the beautifully maintained garden. Someone must have an amazing green thumb because the plants looked like something out of a horticultural exhibit. We also liked the generous size of the kitchen.

There are so many good things to say about this rental property, so if you are considering it, I hope this review helps. First and foremost, the owner (Magdalena) and her brother Max (who is the on-site host - he lives in a house on the property) are absolutely wonderful hosts who are friendly and ever so helpful. Max was great at coordinating activities for us in advance and was even able to get some discounted rates. The house has everything we could ask for - 3 BRs, 2 Bathrooms, a kitchen stocked with pots, pans, plates, silverware, etc...The veiw from the kitchen window was nice. The window even opened up too! The pool and the hot tub are wonderful to have. The creek at the rear of the property has a bench (and hammocks) to sit on and just listen to the sound of the babbling brook as well as various birds. We walked around on the property and enjoyed the various and quite colorful tropical plants and trees, One morning we heard Howler monkeys in the trees across the road. Though we couldn't see them, it was a real treat to hear their very distinctive "howl". The property is about a 15 min drive to the town of Fortuna, but there is a market at the top of the street where you can grab basics like bread, eggs, and other food items or snacks. We enjoyed everything about this stay and can only offer positive things about the house, the property and the hosts.

Our family of four, including two teens, enjoyed our stay at Villas Bukalá! Magdalena and Max were excellent communicators. When we had a rental car snafu at SJO, Magdalena immediately put us in contact with an excellent private transportation service. We thoroughly enjoyed the privacy of the first casita, the pool and the jacuzzi, which the neighboring guests in the other three casitas never used when we were on the compound. Having stayed at Tabacón Thermal Resort years ago, we were happy to experience a more secluded property. One downside to being off the beaten path (about 15 min. from La Fortuna proper), was that drivers couldn’t easily locate us for one tour even after sending the GPS location. I suggest booking through Max, who can not only find you discounted tours, but guarantee no hiccups in pick-ups. Max cooked a wonderful in-villa dinner one evening that we highly recommend booking, too. If there’s one suggestion I could make, would be to make the compound non-smoking. While we didn’t hear the neighbor/s, we smelled their smoke while swimming and hanging out on the porch. We had an excellent stay and look forward to returning on our next visit!

This was a great villa to spend some time at. It is very modern and has the amenities you would expect. The river at the back of the property was an AWESOME surprise! I could lay on the hammock and listen to the river for hours. I didn't realize that this was 1 of 4 different villas on the same property and it is about 10-15 minutes form La Fortuna.

Beautiful property. Had comfortable beds. Very nice jacuzzi and pool. Max was very helpful with everything. He booked several excursions for us and we eat at several restaurants that he recommended that were excellent. The creek in the back yard was amazing as well. I would recommend this property to anyone traveling g to Lafortuna area. Can't wait to go back. Thank you Max

Had a great stay at this little villa! Max was wonderful to deal with for check in, very friendly and helpful! The house is clean and well taken care of. Bedding is comfortable, property is beautiful and very well landscaped. Would definitely recommend. (One little thing I’d say is to add in a baking sheet for the kitchen or a baking pan of some sort. ) But it was a great place to stay if you’re in the La Fortuna area!

Had a great stay at this little villa! Max was wonderful to deal with for check in, very friendly and helpful! The house is clean and well taken care of. Bedding is comfortable, property is beautiful and very well landscaped. Would definitely recommend. (One little thing I’d say is to add in a baking sheet for the kitchen or a baking pan of some sort. 😊�) But it was a great place to stay if you’re in the La Fortuna area!

The property was clean and comfortable.

Max your the best. Thanks for all the advice on booking trips and getting us discounts.

It was a great first experience in Costa Rica. Max and his family were very helpful. The place was very clean and modern. It was a great quiet get away.

Everything was just as expected at this place. The kitchen was set up well. With good pans and even a sharp knife. They even had good coffee. Beds were nice with good linens. We were there over Christmas. Max, the manager, went above and beyond with getting us a Christmas tree. We loved that it was set up out on the deck. The pool is great. We had mostly rainy weather so didn't use it too much. On Christmas night we used the almost new Weber BBQ to cook steaks. Just like at home. I would stay here again.

This place is the best kept secret! It was amazingly quiet, clean and most of all BEAUTIFUL! The property exceeded our expectations. The property owner/manager, Max, was THE BEST! He made sure that we had everything we needed and helped us book an activity (at a great discount). He was also one of the nicest people you could meet! Could not recommend this place more! Amazing price for the quality!

Our family of 4 loved staying here. The kids loved the pool and we all loved watching the birds in the beautiful garden. Max was wonderful and hooked us up with lots of great activities. We loved staying here!

Stayed for three nights in this very nice villa! Owners are on site and very helpful with planning excursions for your family! Thank you Max for all your suggestions and help!

We loved our time there, it was really comfortable and close to all the places we wanted to visit.

Cleanliness: Very clean property, inside and out. The plant-life in the back of the property is well tended, but still feels very "jungle-y." Beautiful vegetation. The house inside was spotless. Check-In: Simple, painless. Had activities planned for the AM of arrival, before check-in; they provided a place to put some stuff ahead of check-in. Communication: People in other ratings talked about how helpful Max was, and it was a reason we booked here. They were not wrong. Great planning, great contact before arrival, and excellent things he helped set up for us. Great guy, MAX!!! Location: Perfect for what we wanted, but people should be aware it's definitely outside of town by 10 minutes +/-. Some might like that, others might not. There are nearby mini-supermarkets about 3 minutes away which are great in a pinch. Not inconvenient, but away from the action of the city center. Lovely stream flowing behind the property. Great place to stay, and we plan to go back again. Again, ask Max for any and all help/advice; he won't steer you wrong.

This place was perfect for our friend vacation. It was a great place to come back to after the long days of hiking. The managers were great and helpful.

We specifically booked this rental because it talked about the beds being 5 stars.... they were NOT. Beds were ok at best, not the worst I have slept on but far from being 5 stars. Max was great about helping us book an excursion and quick to respond when needed. We had to call him to turn up our hot water. The showers were luck warm. We looked under the sinks and all the hot water was turned off, not sure why but we turned them all on. They came and cleaned during our stay and they got turned off again.... The house was clean, but we did have issues with ants. Max came and sprayed but we still got more. Location was ok, about a 10 minute drive to La Fortuna, I didn't realize when I booked that it was a cluster of 4 homes. Not a big deal but not quite what I expected. The place was clean and kitchen moderately stocked, would have been nice to have a measuring cup and measuring spoons.

We had a great time. Max is fantastic and really takes care of you.

Absolutely loved our stay!! It was off the beaten path which made for a very relaxing and quiet location to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We had a rental car so getting in and out was convenient for us and we were picked up for our river rafting tours. We had a family of 6 including kids age 4-16 and there was plenty of room, we loved the amenities including the pool and the ability to do laundry onsite. Magdalena and Max were fabulous at coordinating tours at all times of the day including having to cancel and reschedule late at night because of a change in travel plans. Can not speak highly enough of the property or the helpful owners. Will definitely be visiting again for a longer stay.

Great location and friendly place