Villas de la Selva

Fantastic property with a breathtaking view. The hotel cleaners and the on site manager William were amazing. We booked the standard room that had everything we needed. We woke up several mornings to monkeys which we thought was awesome! There are a few other animals that are often on site as well. Yes, there are bugs at the property but it is Costa Rica so naturally there will be bugs. You can tell the rooms are a little older but nothing was broken.

The bed was pretty terrible. It was extra firm and the pillows were pretty old. They weren’t smelly or anything just super flat.

Overall, I’d still recommend staying here. It was affordable compared to others, awesome view, and excellent customer service. Now if you are going to walk around to restaurants or the beach, be warned, there are some hills! Like steep hills but it is great exercise.

William Mena, our host at the Villas was incredibly helpful in booking our excursions, sharing recommendations, educating us about the area, sharing experiences with Yogie, the sloth who lives on the property as well as inviting us to experience a troop of capuchin monkeys eating bananas from the property. From the moment I booked our rooms, William made contact with me to find out if the rooms were our best fit and to find out what our plans were in the area. From there, he was instrumental in booking our tours and keeping us updated on times, meeting places and recommendations to make the experiences as comfortable as possible. William was such an important part of making our trip run smoothly. Our rooms were very comfortable and had such a breathtaking view of a small island and the surrounding ocean. Just lounging on the hammocks on our porch watching sailboats go by while listening to the ocean, birds, and various animals was completely relaxing. We would have had an equally amazing time just relaxing at the Villas taking in the sounds and smell of nature. I cannot say enough good things about William and the Villas. I would definitely stay there again if I’m fortunate enough to visit the area again. And I would consider myself lucky if William is still there. I cannot express enough gratitude to him. Thank you, William!

Dated property, pictures did not reflect the actual condition of the room and bathrooms. Too many bugs in the room, tried to cancel after 1 night of stay but property owner refused to refund. They did oblige request to do a bug cleaning while we stepped out but they kept coming back due to cracks In the shower and the cabinets in the kitchen. A private property listed in Expedia (we avoid airbnb for this reason and always book hotels professionally maintained but Expedia is listing small private properties as hotels which is unfortunate).

A big THANK YOU to William! He was always available to answer our questions and to help us whenever we needed something.
The property has the BEST views in Manuel Antonio! You will see more wildlife in your backyard than in the National Park. There's a beach nearby (Playa Espadilla), a little bit of a downhill walk but do-able. I'd highly recommend taking the bus anywhere & everywhere. It is so convenient and affordable.
The staff works very hard at cleaning and maintaining the hotel. The only thing is that the rooms are a little outdated... maybe some renovations, specifically filling of the cracks and holes as a lot of bugs/lizards tend to come in the room especially when it rains. We weren't really bothered by it much because it's Costa Rica after all!

I love Villas de la Selva and I would definitely stay here again!

Nous avons eu un excellent service auprès de notre hôte.

What a gorgeous place; we visited here for a couple days and wish it was longer! We will be back. Communication from Villas De La Selva was excellent with Simon setting up a tour for us and providing important information. He was there with a friendly smile to greet us when we arrived; he showed us to our villa and was available throughout our visit. The room itself was exactly as described and had an incredible view of the ocean. We made ourselves breakfasts here in the mornings and had visits from the monkeys! You’ll see all sorts of wildlife here! The gorgeous beach is a five minute walk down the hill and there are dining options around. Highly recommend La Terraza which is just next door. We felt so welcomed here; it felt like home. Thank you for an exceptional experience!

The view of the ocean is amazing❣️The apartment is great, swimming pool, gardens.
Quiet and beautiful ❣️

Excellent service, staff made us feel like home!

Saimon was wonderful from beginning to end. He was courteous and respectful and very accommodating. Quick to fulfill our requests. When we encountered an issue at the end of our visit he resolved it with resourcefulness and graciousness. Service was more than excellent!
Thank you very much.

William Mena our host for this hotel was amazing he went above and beyond the expected to make sure our stay here was memorable. The view from the rooms balcony was incredible and the local wildlife was so exciting to see.

Upon arrival a monkey visited us and the staff sliced fruit for my daughter to feed her. The best view of the ocean was our room balcony. Every morning on our balcony we had coffee and enjoyed the view and sounds of Costa Rica. Our kitchen had everything we needed to have an easy breakfast and go to our adventures without having to use up time at a restaurant. The beach just down below us so my wife enjoyed her morning walks. It was a great stay

Amazing place with the animals at your door !

Cons:
1. We booked a room for 3 people with a Queen and double bed however were given a room for 2 people consisting of a double bed and fold out chair bed, which was basically cushions on the floor, without any adjustment in price and told it was due to an error on hotel.coms side
2. Messaged about having a late check in as we had a lengthy drive and were told check in ended at 9 and if we were to arrive late to find another hotel
3. There is no actual reception area/desk, instead you have to ring a bell, which we rang numerous times upon arriving within the check in time frame with no response and had to call and wait 10 minutes for someone to show up and let us into our room
4. There is no one that we saw on the property monitoring guests, which would have been helpful when guests starting feeding wildlife disrupting our attempt to enjoy the pool
5. There is no beach accessibility from the property. It is a steep walk along the road to access the beach

Pros:
1. Nice views of the beach
2. Able to see monkeys during stay

This hotel has pros and cons. Pros: beautiful water view especially of sunrise and sunset from private balcony. My Balcony also had a hammock. Another pro is a very helpful young man who works there who will help you with your bag up and down the numerous large steps all over the property (it is built on a steep hill). It is near enough to the beach to walk - 5 minutes. Also, very clean.

Cons: it looks like there is a hot tub and pool but the hot tub water flows into the pool. The hot tub is not hot and the pool is actually hotter and too hot to swim. Also No lights at the pool after dark so you are swimming in the dark. The pillows were terrible. Everything needs renovation. Both my sliding door and screen door would not close or lock properly, same with the room safe. The furniture looked like scraps you would put in a college dorm. The kitchen was not usable- they provide nothing, not even salt/pepper/sugar/coffee. No kettle or even a pot - just a very scratched hot pot and griddle. The microwave only worked on “pizza”. The nearby “grocery stores” within walking distance are outrageously expensive- you will spend a lot more trying to cook than eating out if just 1-2 people. The price vs what you get is not aligned

The views and balconies however really are wonderful. Just know what you are getting beforehand.

Worked out really good. Had a kitchenette, all stocked, ready to go.

Likes:
The view of the ocean
The abundant wildlife around the property-Sloths,parrots, monkeys, toucans.
Dislikes:
No access to beach
Traffic noise

No direct access to beach as claimed. Not so well maintained bathrooms. Hard to park

The property manager Hector was excellent. He was very attentive to our needs. The other manager(s) were never seen and only communicated with us through a voice com at the gate. The property is on a cliff and the pool was a steep walk. Our room was on street level which I was happy to have.

Our 4 nights were flawless! The room was clean and comfy with a very good restaurant in walking distance. The only request from the hotel is to provide a little information about transportation available and local services. An economical room with a kitchenette allowed for us to enjoy breakfast on our balcony overlooking the ocean. We had monkeys visit once and managed to see toucans and a macaw over coffee!

Great views. Tons of monkeys. Sloth on the grounds. Manuel (owner) is a super nice, helpful guy.