Villa Central; Steps to the Beach, Jungle & Ocean

Three bedroom, three bath home on a semi-private beach south of the surfing town of Dominical. New construction with tile floors, full kitchen, and refreshing pool. Dozens of expeditions to select from in local area. Fully furnished with caretaker. This is one of three homes, all of which are on Airbnb. It makes an ideal place for a family retreat, or wedding, or celebration. Please contact us if you'd like to rent more than one villa. Our three bedroom, three bathroom villa is almost new and located on the beach just south of the beautiful town of Dominical, Costa Rica. Eco-tourism abounds, with plenty of animals and birds on the property, and with fantastic day trips to Corcovado, river rafting, and horseback riding. The home has a full kitchen, dining room, three lovely bedrooms with air conditioning, and a tile pool. Two additional homes are on the same property if you've got multiple families or you want to have a yoga retreat in the jungle. Contact us for details. The charming surfing town of Dominical is just 20 minutes by foot, or two minutes by car. There are about a dozen very good restaurants, a brand new brew pub which is VERY popular, and lots of surf shops and eco-tourism providers. We love this area because it is NOT high-rise, and is not overly touristy. Very laid-back, friendly, and beautiful. Our home is located in the Maritime Zone, which makes it virtually unheard of in Costa Rica. It's as close to the beach as possible, yet surrounded by mature trees and landscaping so that it blends in with the jungle. Yes, you can see the beach and the ocean from the terrace and most of the bedrooms. The beach is semi-private and the wide tidal range in Costa Rica means that it's never the same hour to hour. Low tide exposes 100 meters of flat sand beach, while at high tide the surf is right up to the jungle's edge. The property is home to a variety of Costa Rican wildlife, including toucans, iguanas, lizards, macaws, fireflies and other friendly critters. Trees over 100' tall are on the property. Caballitos del Mar consists of three homes, owned by families who are partners in the property. We cooperate so that if your group requires two or three homes, we'll accommodate you and each family or group will get the same amazing experience. While the homes are private, and separated by extensive landscaping, they are also adjacent if you want to socialize. This makes the property ideal for family reunions, surfing trips, yoga retreats, bird watching groups, etc. This is a complete, standalone home. While the driveway is shared with two other homes, it is has its own garage, grill, pool, and path to the beach. The homes are reasonably close together but have landscaping for privacy. We have a lovely Costa Rican family that lives on the property year-round. They are there for your convenience: minor repairs, cleaning, pool service, landscaping. They speak Spanish, but will make every effort to answer your needs and to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Neil Harding is our property manager. Neil has a stellar reputation and will make sure that you have what you need. His office can also arrange tours with all of the local excursion companies. Beach in front, mountains in the back. Two other homes are on the property, and are also available. Easy access to great restaurants and small markets by foot or road. During low tide, you can easily walk to Dominical on the beach in about 20 minutes. There is a market, ATM, and other services in town. Dominical is considered to be one of the best surf spots in Costa Rica, and there are numerous surf schools if you want lessons. The water can be rough, so we advise that ocean swimmers consider wandering into Dominical where there are (generally) lifeguards on the beach. While there are busses that serve the coast highway, it's probably best reserved for the adventurer or budget traveler. Renting a car is easy, and we can also arrange for airport to home transportation (about $150 each way, depending on # of passengers). There are also commercial services that run between the airport and Dominical like easyridecr. Parking is onsite and can accommodate two cars. If you are traveling from Canada or the U.S. to Costa Rica, there are many "gateway" cities depending on your airline. From west to east, you can fly through Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas-Ft Worth, Houston, and Miami (at least). Many of the flights are red-eyes, especially from LA, which can save you time if you don't mind sleeping in a tiny seat. Airlines that we've used include American, United, Delta, Frontier, and Taca. Alaska Airlines just announced service to SJO in the last few months, and since we like Alaska, we'll be trying them soon. Southwest also has flights. Depending on where you live, you'll find that it doesn't really matter which route you choose. From San Francisco, plan on seven hours in the air. From Texas, plan on three and a half. From Miami, plan on two and a half. We have rented from Toyotarent, Europcar, Thrifty, and others. Shop online, but be prepared for a whale of an insurance hit, some of which is mandatory. We find that (Hidden by Airbnb) Maps works great for finding the way from Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) to our home. There are two main routes, and if you have the time, we recommend that you try each of them since they are so different. Method #1: from the airport, find your way to Hwy 27 or CR 27. There are several ways to do this, but it's difficult to describe them briefly. Use (Hidden by Airbnb) Maps. Once you are on Hwy 27, drive to the west in the direction of Orotina and Jaco. This is a toll road, but the tolls are about (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) colones, so have some small bills or change with you. The total cost of tolls is around $3.00, or (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) colones. Yes, they will accept US dollars. Continue on Hwy 27 until it intersects Hwy 34 (La Costanera) and proceed in the direction of Jaco. Continue south for about two hours, past Jaco and Parrita and Quepos, until you reach Dominical. Our home is just under 2km south of the Rio Baru bridge. This takes a total of about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Method #2: Travel from the airport south, on CA1 towards San Jose. Take Hwy 39 around the south side of the city until it connects to CA2 (the main Central American Highway.) Continue on CA2 to Cartago, then over the mountains to San Isidro de El General. This 2-3 hour drive is mostly at altitudes of 10,000 feet and more, and can be spectacular. Beware of trucks and busses who will take chances passing slower vehicles. From San Isidro, take Hwy 243 towards Dominical, and turn left when you get to Hwy 34. 2km south of the Rio Baru bridge is our driveway. Our property manager, Neil, can arrange private transportation for you, if you prefer. It's about $150 each way from the airport to the home. We think you'd be better off with a small SUV or car, though. This area (and the entire country) is known for eco-tourism. We've been on many excursions and we've loved them all. Whitewater rafting, horseback riding, ziplines, etc. Half-days run around $45 and full days run around $100.