We stayed in the penthouse for 5 nights in February 2018 and had a great time. Barb had drinks and homemade lasagne waiting for us. She organized a large taxi to pick us up at the airport and we stopped for groceries on the way. Everyone was very helpful. We loved the pastry boat that came in the mornings. It was a nice walk, with lots of streets to explore when we went into the busier core of Barra. There were great spots to have sunset drinks, dinner and live evening entertainment. We loved the water taxi's to get us back and forth if we didn't want to walk and they all new exactly where Barb's villa was located. Would definitely go again and consider renting whole villa if more family coming. Pictures accurately reflect the property. The weather was very hot and we enjoyed the pool which was very clean and if we needed shade the palapa was great. Holly & Ray, Edmonton, Alberta

My husband and I have been staying at Villa Santa Barbara every year for the past 5 years. We started with a one week. This year we stayed for 6 weeks and have booked for the same time in 2019. The villa is beautiful and beautifully maintained. We have found the location on the canal to be more fun and interesting (and quieter) than anyplace on the beach. It’s fun to see the fisherman go by. We can see the Grand Bay Hotel, lighted up every night, and the sailboats and cruisers going in and out of the marina. Getting into town is a 10 minute walk or a 30 peso taxi ride. At night, our favorite way to travel is on a water taxi that picks us up at Villa Santa Barbara and drops us off next to the malecon in town, and back again. And each morning the French Bakery boat stops at the villa with all kinds of treats to buy. But probably the best part of VSB are the hosts, Barb and Barry, who happily help with anything you need. They interact with their guests as much or as little as the guests prefer. They are nice, fun people who try to anticipate what you need and are available to answer your questions and offer suggestions, if requested. A nice surprise is finding your first night’s meal, prepared by Barb, in your refrigerator upon arrival, as well as other basic supplies (a few cervezas, snacks, coffee, etc). After a day of travel, all you have to do is relax.

This property is amazing, so comfortable and the owners could not be more welcoming,. Everything you need for a wonderful, relaxing holiday. I hope we get to stay again.

This property is amazing, so comfortable and the owners could not be more welcoming,. Everything you need for a wonderful, relaxing holiday. I hope we get to stay again.

This villa is in the perfect location. The 360 degree view from the roof top to the amazing view from pool deck of the hills with the grand bay hotel nestled within is perfect. Having the location right on the end of the Cannel makes for peace and quite all the time and easy to get into town by taking the ponga ( water taxi ) or having the French bakery boat delivery you baked goods every morning. The villa it's self has everything you need for your vacation, fully equipped kitchen, linen for the bathroom. The maid comes in twice a week to change the sheets and clean the floors and bathrooms. they also supply pool towels and beach towels. As for the Barb and Barry they are amazing ,what ever you need or when ever you need anything they are always there for you. They know where the hotspots are to eat and drink and to shop, and if they don't know something they will phone a friend to find it out. They always went above and beyond. I highly recommend Villa Santa Barbara and would only stay here if I returned. Thanks again Barb and Barry for the great home away from home. Joanne and Shawn

This villa is in the perfect location. The 360 degree view from the roof top to the amazing view from pool deck of the hills with the grand bay hotel nestled within is perfect. Having the location right on the end of the Cannel makes for peace and quite all the time and easy to get into town by taking the ponga ( water taxi ) or having the French bakery boat delivery you baked goods every morning. The villa it's self has everything you need for your vacation, fully equipped kitchen, linen for the bathroom. The maid comes in twice a week to change the sheets and clean the floors and bathrooms. they also supply pool towels and beach towels. As for the Barb and Barry they are amazing ,what ever you need or when ever you need anything they are always there for you. They know where the hotspots are to eat and drink and to shop, and if they don't know something they will phone a friend to find it out. They always went above and beyond. I highly recommend Villa Santa Barbara and would only stay here if I returned. Thanks again Barb and Barry for the great home away from home. Joanne and Shawn

We had never used VRBO so we're a little tentative, pictures and people often aren't what they appear. Not so with Barb and Barry! Barb was quick to respond to any questions I had and super pleasant to deal with via email and phone. When our party of 4 arrived we were welcomed with a wonderful meal in the penthouse suite which is very comfortable, has a great view of the surrounding area and gives a little more privacy if desired. Barb and Barry were full of great information, suggestions and so relaxed and comfortable to talk to, they are definitely in the right business. Villa Santa Barbara is conveniently located within walking distance to town or by taking the boat right from the doc. Mornings were spent watching fishermen head out to sea from the canal while waiting on the beautiful sunrise. Then it was fresh pasties delivered every morning to our dock. It was a relaxing, worry free holiday and one I would recommend to anyone. A little more expensive than a lot of places we looked at but the motto " you get what you pay for" definitely applied. Loved it. Thanks for everything.

This was our fourth year to stay in Barra, we love the "NON- resort" feel of this quaint fishing village. And Villa Santa Barbara was a great place to stay!! Since we are unable to climb stairs, the patio level apartment was perfect for us . We were there for our 34th anniversary and through Thanksgiving. Being able to have local friends join us for swimming, BBQ, visiting and getting on the boat right outside our door was amazing. And our hosts made us and our friends feel right at home. Barb and Barry gave us some great ideas for places to eat and see. Now we have new friends to spend time with when we are in Barra de Navidad. As Barry and Barb finish cleaning up after hurricane Patricia, this destination can get nothing but better. Thank you again and hope to see you for our vacation this year.

Looking for a perfect little get away? This is it! Barra de Navidad is a beautiful little community with gracious warm hearted people, very authentic Mexico. Staying at Villa Santa Barbara was perfect, hosts Barb and Barry were MORE than accommodating. We arrived to margaritas, chips, guacamole and chicken, and after a long day of traveling it was well appreciated. They had everything we needed to make our vacation easy and memorable. They provided us with so many wonderful tips on food, excursions, and great little hide aways. I can't speak more highly of our hosts, they helped us when we needed it, but gave us all the privacy we desired. Have a wonderful time at Villa Santa Barbara...you will not regret staying there!! Just a side note...use Eddi (Eric) as your driver he's very knowledgeable about Barra de Navidad and the surrounding area (born and raised there) fluent in english and a great guide if you want to go on a more personal tour.

My big family (10 adults!) went down to Mexico and stayed with Barry & Barb in their villa for a week of fun in the sun... it was fantastic! B & B went out of their way to ensure we all were comfortable and happy, including a huge delicious lasagna (including veggie version) for our first dinner upon arrival. They gave us lots of good tips about where to eat out, what to see, and do; arranged for massages and pedicures, let us use their bikes, took us on a boat trip thru the canal and around the lagoon, and lots more. But they left us to enjoy their villa and pool on our own most of the time. We hung out pool side or in their huge palapa most of the time into the wee hours of the morning. And enjoyed the beautiful beaches just 3 blocks away every day. Barra is a great town, especially if you are tired of the resort scene as we are. Quiet, simple, authentic, friendly. We had an amazing week!

We spended three days and four nights in Villa Santa Barbara with friends and our dogs and just had many relaxing hours. The suites are so lovely kept and decorated that you feel at home from the first moment on. The King size beds are very confy, specialy for lazy back's... The highlight was to go to the beach and then to buy fresh vegetables, fish and shrimps, and make a barbecue in the outdoor kitchen... And eat watching the sun going down... But there was one problem: we had to leave to soon, back to reality.... I would have stayed there if I could... Thank you Barb and Barry for your nice chats and leting us enjoy your beautiful house!

Our Hosts, Barry and Barb were amazing and so accomodating to our every need. Anything from arranging spa day beside the pool to hiring our own personal chef to cook us and our guests an authentic Mexican Meal. We were two couples, renting the two bedroom Penthouse suite and it was roomy, clean, private and very cozy - honestly it felt like home the minute we walked thru the gates. It is only a 10 minute walk into the village of Barra where there are several restaurants and shopping . Many of the restaurants have happy hour available so your able to sit and enjoy a few cocktails and take in the breathe taking sunsets in the evenings. We loved how the accomdations were located right on the lagoon, where each morning the French Baker arrived by boat to our private dock with freshly baked pastries, bread, quiche, etc. Also available is a water taxi. Such a great bonus! A short taxi ride will take you to some nearby beautiful beaches (La Manzanilla) and the lively little town of Melaque, where you will also find lots of restaurants and shopping. We would highly recommend this accomodation to anyone. Thank you so much to our Hosts again for such a wonderful vacation :)

My husband and I spent a month at Villa Santa Barbara and could not have been more pleased with our stay. Barb and Barry are absolutely terrific hosts; we met them after staying at their other wonderful property in Gibsons, B.C. and decided to visit this property too. They went out of their way to accommodate us by helping us to set up the Premier suite so that my husband could conduct his business for part of the time that we were there. It worked wonderfully well. When we arrived, after a long day of travel, it was such a treat to find to a grilled chicken dinner, plus coffee, fruit, eggs, and bread waiting for us. The property is lovely and beautifully maintained, with a nice pool area and a great oversized palapa. It's at the end of quiet street, and we felt completely safe during our entire stay. The best part is that you can do as much or as little as you like: ride the bikes on the great town bike path, peruse the weekly market, take the bus over to Melaque, or just enjoy the beautiful view of the Grand Hotel and enjoy the peace and quiet of the pool deck while you read a book. There's lots of shade under the palm trees, or you can work on your tan while the panga boats go by, and the stars at night are gorgeous. We give our highest recommendation of the Villa to anyone - we'd keep it a secret if we could, but everyone else should have a chance to experience what a great place it really is!

We spent a week at Villa Santa Barbara and couldn’t have been happier. We love the area and have stayed in quite a few hotels/houses. VSB is by far our favorite place in Barra de Navidad. The suites are beautiful, actually nicer than the pictures. Barb, Barry, and Dora helped as much as we needed, and left us alone when that was what we wanted. The swimming pool was cool, but not frigid (which we often find to be the case). Having the French Bakery come by boat every morning was really fun. We could get things for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and deserts (beautiful pies). Looking at the Barra map, we thought it might be a long walk to downtown. It turned out to be an easy 10 min walk. Hector’s was even closer, and a good spot for cervezas. We would highly recommend VSB.

You will get exactly what you see in the pictures.Villa Santa Barbara is beautifully appointed with everything you need and more. Scrupulously clean,attentive hosts, and so close to the town no car is needed. We stayed in the Penthouse which was extremely comfortable,Barb and Barry included us in their Christmas celebration, and we spent New Year's Eve across the water at the Wyndhym Grand Bay Hotel. The kitchen are was perfect for cooking but there is so much choice in town for great food (try Marlanas) that it was hard to decide what to do for dinner....... Bathrooms, closet space, TV, internet,everything we needed. A wonderful place.You should go!

Can't say enough good things about our stay. The owner's Barbara & Barry were the best, extremely helpful in telling us places to go & making sure our stay was top notch, definitely hostess with the mostess. The place itself is beautiful, with amazing view, & the beds are incredible, had a hard time getting up in the morning even though the birds were chipping & the sun was shinning in, just so compfy. We will definitely be coming back, thank you Barb. & Barry for making our stay, so spectacular.

We so appreciated our time at Villa Santa Barbara that I first started to struggle with fancy superlatives to describe our experience. Truth is, that would have misrepresented what the real attraction is about this place. It was friendly, colorful, comfortable, and unpretentious…in other words…just right. Doing business with Barb in advance of our stay was a snap. She was flexible and accommodating as our itinerary took a little while to nail down and was able to address all of our questions and concerns well in advance of our arrival. Transfers between the Villa and the airport, arranged by the hosts, were fairly priced, seamlessly efficient and offered a welcome piece of mind from the moment we hit the ground. We found our Junior Suite to be cheerful, clean, well tended and perfectly appointed, clearly put together with love and personal touches. Although the smallest of the room options, it had everything we needed for our two week stay. Its placement on the property might have suggested a potential lack of privacy at first glance, but the hosts, staff and other guests moved about respectfully and unobtrusively. In fact, our “neighbors” were so easily engaged and lovely to be with, it was a joy to spend pool time and shade time with each other from time to time. The Villa was easily accessible to town, the barrio, buses and boats; and although beaches were a short ride away, we found Barra de Navidad to be safe, welcoming and so worthwhile that we did not feel the need to wander too far. Villa Santa Barbara is about real, easy-going people, bright and cozy spaces, intuitive and generous hospitality. It is a reflection of its community – warm and easy to embrace.