Everything really exceeded our expectations. The house is 100 yards away from banana beach and very central. House was very well stocked in terms of dishes and cooking essentials, and they even had Tupperware which was great for our day trips. Best part was the service of the staff. Brett and Tania, the property managers, helped us book everything and made things so easy for us. Would definitely stay here again!!

Extremely comfortable, stylish home right near the ocean. You can hear the waves from the house and it’s a short walk to the sand. We ate at Banana beach nearly every night, so fantastic for food ,sunset and eating with three little kids! They just acquired a new chef at Banana beach! We loved the small swimming pool at the House & hammock. And Brett the manager was super helpful. Fab spot!

Everything you need for a great relaxing vacation. Clean home with a full equipped kitchen and super clean and comfortable home. With ur own pool. Short walk to beach and amazing sunsets! Safe and secure.

Myself, my partner and our married couple friends stayed here for 8 nights while visiting Santa Teresa. I be never written a review before, but I read them as a valuable source when deciding where to stay so I am going to make this as honest and straight forward as possible. About the property: The house was huge (as two couples we did not need all the space, however it was much appreciated. Tons of room for chilling, etc). The kitchen was big and had all the supplies you could want for a week rental. For context, we ate most lunch and dinners out but we cooked breakfast every morning (including smoothies) and had everything we needed. There is also a market across the street and a organic fruit and veg market a 3 min walk away where we got eggs, avocados, tomato, fruit, etc at. The market has all the drinks you could need (alcoholic and otherwise) and really anything else. The location is wonderful (more on this later). The bedrooms were big and air conditioned so we slept like babies. The pool is so valuable and there is a little shaded ledge in it that allows for children to play, or in our case, a cool down zone. The pool itself is a great size. We used it for multiple games as well as laps. I will say that the pool needs to be cleaned daily (if not more than daily) because the leaves drop into it. This is not a big deal, it's just leaves, and it is part of the trade off for being surrounding by nature and having a breeze that, trust me, you'll be begging for. They have a pool guy who comes daily. The outdoor patio area is perfect. They have fans which help to regulate the temperature if you are looking to have breakfast out there (which we did every morning). They have a second floor patio that is stunning! We only used it once b/c we discovered it later in the week but the view is incredible and the seating is fantastic. There are ants in the kitchen. This is something that is unavoidable and you'll find anywhere. Keep all your food (even bags of chips) in the fridge and that will help to keep them away. They did not bother us at all, but they do exist in these hot climates & look for crumbs. One tip - bring your own speakers. We are music lovers and like to have it on at all times. Felt 100% safe and private. The area: Amazing! So close to the beach, shops and restaurants. If you are walkers you can honestly walk from Mal Pais to Hermosa. Staff was great and super helpful.

We loved our stay at Casa Buena Vida. The location is fantastic - right down the trail from the beach as well as multiple restaurants. The house is beautiful and we loved the layout and space. The manager is absolutely fantastic and helped us set up extra activities and gave great recommendations. We loved having a security guard (not that we ever felt in danger) as well as a housekeeper. The garden and scenery from the patios was also fantastic and relaxing, and we loved having a pool. All in all, we truly loved our stay.

I have been to Santa Teresa 5 times now and stayed in every type of accommodation possible. I was travelling with my fiancé, 2 other guys, and 3 other girls, and it was a perfect fit for us. The house is a spacious, modern, low maintenance design with a ton of space to relax and wax up your quiver of surf boards. Worth the extra little $ per night for the feeling of that luxury lifestyle with excellent security. The house comes with a remote to lock the house, and even sounds like a porsche. The Staff of the house are all super nice and keep the entire property clean without feeling like they are always there. The Casa is literally steps from the beach, so when you wake up for dawn patrol, you can hear how far apart the sets are. Nick Named "Casa Froth" our group spent a lot of our time hanging around the pool when we weren't surfing or ripping around town on our quads. There are amazing places to eat just minutes away on foot like "Casa del Mar" and "The Healing Cuisine". Definitely recommend this house for rent with the Cabina or without, and the management of the house are awesome and stress free to work with.

If you're looking for a laid back, convenient location for a Costa Rican getaway, Casa Buena Vida is the place for you.....I rented the compound for three weeks in February....the property is steps to the beach as well as the best beach bar in all of Santa Teresa....and it is located at the midpoint of the Mal Pais/Playa Carmen/Santa Teresa Beaches.....there are many fantastic restaurants all within walking distance and the super market is a block away....although the property is just off the main road, once inside the gate you feel like you're in your own world.....it was very hot in February so having your own pool is a must.....and the pool at Casa Buena Vida was great for a plunge and big enough for laps.....in the main house, the bedrooms were very comfortable with great beds and well air conditioned and street noise was not an issue.....and the kitchen and living space was well appointed.....the staff as well as manager Brett went out of their way to be helpful and with an over night security guard at the front gate we felt very safe.....I can't say enough good things about Casa Buena Vida ......I have traveled all over Costa Rica and by far this is my favorite spot.....

We truly lucked out by choosing Casa Buena Vida. Our group consisted of two families, and it felt like this property was designed specifically for us. My husband, daughter, and I stayed in the cabana which felt like a modern, luxury hotel suite. It gave us a nice quiet space to call our own while being just steps (literally like 10 steps!) from the pool and only a few more steps to the main house. The main house had a great kitchen and grill (for all of that fish you'll catch if you go fishing with Toto out of Mal Pais), huge patio complete with breeze-generating and bug-reducing outdoor ceiling fans, and the coolest modern living room for lots of hanging out and fort-building (by the kids, we swear it was only the kids!). It was very hot while we were there, and probably always is, but each bedroom on the property had amazing individual AC units to ensure comfort day and night. And the pool, oh the pool! It was beautiful, refreshing, fun - it absolutely made the property feel like a resort. A pool like this is an absolute MUST if you are traveling with kids; we must have spent no less than 4 hours a day in it. For anyone traveling with young kids like mine (15 months), the pool was especially perfect as it had a pretty large shallow "pad" (maybe 1.5' deep) that the littles could play in without having to be in the main deep section. The location of the house really can't be beat either. Santa Teresa and Mal Pais are such cool little towns with great vibes and GREAT food! That was the biggest surprise for us. We had so many amazing meals in the week we were there (Katana, The Bakery, Brisas del Mar, Amici, Shambala, even the beach bar/restaurants Banana Beach and Habaneros).Casa Buena Vida is walking distance or super short cab ride to all of these. Plus the house is practically on the beach (maybe half a city block). The waves and current are a bit strong to turn your kids loose in, but my toddler and I enjoyed plenty of time playing in the sand and letting the water crash over our feet. Calmer Hermosa Beach is a 20 minute/$20 cab ride away and is great for learning to surf, playing in the small waves with the kiddos, and chasing hermit crabs in the sand. Other posters have mentioned the amazing staff at the house, and I couldn't agree more. Between the housekeeper, pool guy, gardeners, and overnight security guard we felt very pampered and VERY safe. The only thing that could be better is if we were still there.........

We loved this house. We have been traveling to Mal Pais and Santa Teresa annually since 2009. This is one of the best places that we have ever stayed. The beach and the pool are within steps. The pool has a shallow section for our 2 year old and a large regular pool for our older kids. Restaurants and grocery store are across the street or within a quick jaunt. Next year we will be staying in this house. The cabina was great for Grandma and Grandpa to be close yet have their own space. With a little common sense, the area and the house are very safe. The property manage/concierge provides amazing service and is just a phone call away.

I wouldn't call the house luxurious or extravagant, but it has everything you need, and it's right in town and close to the beach. PROS: SHORT WALK TO BEACH - house is on the corner of the main road and a beach access road; CLOSE TO TOWN - grocery store across the street; PROPERTY MANAGER, BRETT - very helpful and attentive, checking in by email every few days to see how we were doing; nice, large pool; AC IN BEDROOMS; WIFI worked pretty well and enabled to keep my teenage son in touch with his girlfriend, although it didn't work in his bedroom; PRETTY, WELL-KEPT GROUNDS - groundskeeper on the premises most days; HOUSEKEEPER - came and cleaned every other day; SECURITY - security guard was on the premises from from early evening until the next morning, so we always felt safe. CONS: NOISY! I had read the reviews before renting this house and knew it was not going to be quiet, but I wasn't prepared for how noisy it was actually going to be. I found it impossible to relax outside because trucks, cars, quads and motorcycles were constantly going by. It was pretty loud in the house too, even during the night which made sleeping was difficult at times. Thankfully the AC in the bedrooms did drown out the noise a little. The nights that it rained were also quieter; AC ONLY IN BEDROOMS - it can get hot in Santa Teresa. The sea breeze did not reach the house through the trees during our stay. Our first day was very hot and it was very uncomfortable in the main part of the house. Luckily, it either cooled down after that or we acclimated to the temperature and it wasn't so bad; LACK OF PRIVACY - while the grounds and pool were kept nice and we felt very safe with the security guard at night, it was a little unsettling to have people walking around the property all the time. The pool guy was there in the morning, the security guard was there at night and the groundskeeper was there late afternoon/early evenings when we were coming back from whatever we did during the day. The downstairs has all large windows and sliding glass doors that have no blinds. Every now and then I'd look outside only to see someone looking back at me. Again, it made it a little hard to relax and it was a little uncomfortable; BEDS WERE UNCOMFORTABLE - Having back issues I'm used to being uncomfortable, but this time my husband even complained, and he can sleep on anything! Overall we had a great trip, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this house unless you can deal with the negatives mentioned.

We loved the house. We were 2 families from Telluride, Colorado, and we rented both the main house and the cabana. The pool was awesome, the bedrooms, bathrooms and the beds were great and comfortable! The beach was steps away (literally). We read some posts about security in Mal Pais and Santa Teresa and experienced zero issues. We locked the house when we left, and put our valuables in the safe. The house has an alarm. The home is awesome and very well maintained. Every day we had gardeners, pool workers or maids, etc stop by. We walked to everything we needed. The town has 2 ATMs and an amazing bakery for breakfast. A grocery store with all you need is about a 1 minute walk from the house. We had great meals out, and they were really inexpensive. The beach, steps aways, is a huge surfing beach and has an added bonus, a bar and restaurant. if you are looking to walk to surf, to walk to the stores and restaurants, and to have a really nice house, this is it. Excellent services. If we needed anything, the owner's rep was immediately available. Que Bueno!

We rented Casa Buena Vida during the last week and a half of February 2015. As many before have said the pictures do not do it justice. The home was open, spacious and flowed very well for our group. The kitchen did not lack supplies for cooking, the beds, bath, showers, towels, sheets, all fantastic. There was a cleaning person every couple of days, which was non intrusive and welcomed. The property manager Brett was fantastic. He was hands on, always available. His recommendations were spot on for the area. This house is a short walking distance from a public beach. We had our share of wild life everyday with monkeys, lizards and locals. The food choices in town were plenty and outstanding. Great home for a bunch of adults or families with kids. Would give it a 10!

The photos don’t do it justice! Casa Buena Vida is the perfect place for a laid back getaway. This home is so peaceful and naturally gorgeous that I often stayed by the pool while my fellow travelers walked to the beach just a few steps at the end of the road. The trees and flowers are breathtaking. We enjoyed watching birds, iguanas and even howler monkeys. The house is conducive to chilling, which we really needed. It’s easy to hang out at the pool, on the patio or indoors on the big couch or around the table. Everything we needed – except surfboards, but we had those delivered – was right there. Case Buena Vida is centrally located so although we didn’t have a car, we were able to walk to the shops and restaurants both on the beach and along the main road in town. It’s also next door to a small hotel with a restaurant and spa, so it was like having hotel amenities while staying in a house. Because we walked everywhere and swam and surfed every day, we slept hard at night. The comfy beds and air conditioning helped, too! The owner was very easy to work with and helped with recommendations on grocery delivery, eating out and activities. She didn’t steer us wrong. There is even a book with recommendations for things to do and places to go in the house. We had a blast and will definitely be back! I’d recommend to anyone!

This house was wonderful! It was clean and well taken care of. The photos don't do it justice as it really is a beautiful space. It was just down the street from the beach and walking distance to bars and restaurants. There is a hotel next door that had Yoga classes and massages. We rented surfboards for the week from a local shop (Kina Surf Shop) and surfed every morning then hung out in our own pool. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for something a little more homey than a hotel. The owners were great helping us stock the fridge before our arrival. There was a grocery store also within walking distance. We were very careful with all the security and had no issues at all.

We stayed at this beautifully designed home for a week in late March. The pictures are spot on -- the house is spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped. The pool was wonderful after a day on the beach or an evening out. The beach is less than a city block away and the zip lines, hiking etc are easily accessible. Although the house is on the main road through Playa Carmen, this means there are grocery stores, yoga classes and restaurants within walking distance so non-drivers (in our case my husband and teenage son) can still wander around. The owner was accommodating and helpful.

I loved staying here. The location is amazingly close to the beach - just a short walk to the water, where you are treated to vast stretches of gorgeous sand and water, almost undiscovered (with very few locals or tourists around). Coming from LA, I didn't know that kind of place still existed! The home felt secure and very well maintained. Everything worked. The staff that came onsite helped us with everything we needed. The owners had recommended to us some of the local restaurants, and we soaked in some of the easy breezy Tico lifestyle by going to our favorites several times. Our two young children had a blast too, and we alternated most days between beach and the really nice pool. I'd highly recommend the property.

My husband, twin 3 year old girls, and I stayed at this home for about a week in May 2013. We honeymooned in Costa Rica in 2007, but this was our first time to this region. It was an excellent experience and I highly recommend this home. The kitchen is well equipped, the air conditioning kept us comfortable as needed, the beds were comfortable, and the space was very clean and well maintained. The pool was perfect for our little ones - with a cut out area that was wading level depth for them to hang out in. We spent time at the beach which was a short walk away and went to several really great restaurants.

My family had a great time staying here. We have two children, ages 6 and 10, and we all had a great time. The area was great for beach play - LOVED the tide pools all along the beach towards the north - and spent a lot of time playing under the palms and other trees down at the end of the beach access road with the other kids in the area. The family friendly town was perfect for our trip. Took them zip lining, horseback riding, and "surfing" on some foam boards we got from Alex's Surf Shop. We also spent a lot of time at the house and in the pool, which was great. Pool/grounds guy kept the pool very clean, AC worked great to keep us cool, and all of the fans on the porch were awesome to sit outside too. Definitely recommend and we hope to be back.

We had an overall great time. The house was great - beds are WAY better than the other places we stayed around Costa Rica on this trip, and the owners and people who work at the property were really helpful. The town is a little small and limited to surfing, swimming and just chilling out. That's fine if that is the kind of trip you are looking for, but we were hoping for a little more to see and do. We did the canopy/zipline tour, which was GREAT, and horseback rode on the beach one day at sunset, but other than that, definitely more of a place for surfers or people looking to hang out at the beach or the house. You can tell that the house was built with a big pool to make people comfortable enough not to want to leave. I would recommend.

We stayed at this property while in town for a friends wedding, and we were so happy to have chosen it among the others that were recommended. It is so hard to judge off of a website, but the owners went out of their way to answer all of our questions, send additional photographs and explain exactly where to place was located. We wound up barely using our rental car except to explore up and down the coast on day surf trips, and our wives loved just lounging by the pool, taking yoga classes next door and of course the in home masseuse that the owners arranged for us. The property manager was lovely, and the house was beautifully decorated with flowers upon our arrival, very clean, and much more than we imagined for a 'beach rental' in Costa Rica. We followed all of the owners recs on restaurants, etc, and they didn't steer us wrong. The town was amazing, full of awesome expats living the dream. We will definitely be back and recommend to friends looking for a place to get away.

We came to Casa Buena Vida with high hopes... but less than 36 hours after our arrival we got robbed. While we were out for dinner someone broke the lock to a sliding glass window and entered the house. Upon our arrival we discovered that the safe, which we were advised to entrust with all of our expensive belongings and cash had been broken into and everything was gone! The plastic knob was no deterrent for the criminals as is expected of a "safe".. We were not only robbed on the second night of our stay here, but were also terrorized on the last night when two men came up and tried to break into the front gate at 3am, possibly trying to sell us back some of our stolen items. Unfortunately, no one had told us that Costa Rica, and specifically Santa Teresa, is so unsafe. After the robbery we spoke with locals who shared with us that these kinds of crimes were commonplace and that we should be grateful that we were not violently accosted. In retrospect, we should have checked the US State Department's website where there is a travel warning for Americans traveling to Costa Rica. Provided that everyone is aware of such danger, we were surprised that the owners were negligent in taking safety precautions against said crime.. Specifically there is no ground security stationed at night. While all of the surrounding hotels and similar properties have security guards armed with guns and machetes, Casa Buena Vida provides no such protection for its residents. The owners will have you believe that the alarm is enough to keep you safe – it is not. The alarm is obsolete and though it calls an alarm company, no one comes to check on the house if the alarm is triggered. In addition, the locks on all of the doors and windows are low grade and do not protect against the high crime rate in the area. The imposingly massive gate will add to your false sense of security while the fencing surrounding the property is made of nothing but thin wire and provides no protection, as you would expect. The fact that there is no police station in town is in itself enough to leave any guest of this property feeling unsafe and discontent. Obviously there is a good reason that similar properties in the area employ ground security. Keep this in mind as you research vacation rentals in Santa Teresa. Renting a property without ground security like Casa Buena Vida will make you an easy target.

We are three weeks into our 4 week stay here at this house and are loving it! We are so happy that we chose this particular house to rent - it has everything we could want. Super close to the beautiful beach (just a quick walk down the road about 50 meters and you can see the waves from the bedrooms), walking distance to many stores and fabulous restaurants (we didn't rent a car and have enjoyed walking around town very much), and so comfortable! The house is beautifully and simply furnished. Juan Carlo, the groundskeeper is awesome. Paula, the caretaker is very helpful, and a cleaning lady comes every other day or so! There is yoga just a few feet down the beach at Hotel Tropico Latino - Maria is a great instructor and also does wonderful massages! The people who live here are very friendly and it is an amazing town! So sad to leave in a week and can't wait to come back! Melanie has been great to work with. Thanks!

One of the most beautiful, modern and comfortable homes away from home you could ever find! The pictures of this property don't do it justice. If you've ever wanted to visit Costa Rica, this is the place to stay! We spent a glorious week here with our 4 1/2 year old daughter last year and couldn't have been more pleased. Gorgeous pool, short walk to a beautiful beach and amazing food in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais. Amazing smoothies at Zula's, incredible sushi bar in town and do not miss Brisas del Mar Restaurant - superb food accompanied by even more superb views. Oh - and make sure you have room in your suitcase for rocks...yes, rocks. Came home with the most beautiful shell and rock collection you could imagine. Our daughter still talks about our trip to CR with high hopes of returning some day soon :-) Her mom and dad feel the same way.

We just arrived home from a week long stay at this beautiful and private property located beachside. The contemporary house is very spacious, beach friendly, comfortable, etc. Plenty of fans inside and outside the house to keep the air flowing and AC in the bedrooms absolutely kept us content during a very hot week in Santa Teresa/Playa Carmen. The private pool was wonderful to take dips in throughout the day and particularly after a surf session; and fun to chill on the hammocks with umbrellas. Great surfing is a 2 min walk from the house and up and down the beach, pick your spot! Location to restaurants & shops was spot on. Housekeeping did a great job. Full kitchen was nice to be able to utilize. Vin, the groundskeeper, is wonderful (he comes each day in the afternoon to keep the grounds clean). Property manager/concierge is also available to help during your stay. The owner was responsive from my initial inquiries and throughout the trip planning, patiently and positively answering any questions I had. You can trust them 100% as what they state they completely deliver on. A few of our recs: Best Smoothie: Zula's (and delish falafel and hummus!), Best Pizza: El Pulpo, Best coffee/pastries/cafe: The Bakery, BBQ: Las Piedras, Surf Shop: Alex's or Kina. Best Mojito: Marys in Malpais. Gorgeous sunsets are waiting you :) We would absolutely stay here again and thank the owners for building this beautiful home to share.