Private Beachfront Home Truly on the Sand, in a Gentle Bay

I've been very fortunate and had the opportunity to travel a lot in my life, nothing comes close to the experiance my family and I had with Cody, Perla and Mel . The reviews for this property are certainly warranted and anyone whom has the opportunity to stay here will certainly be glad they did. We took a total of 6 with us to Costa Rica, all of whom were very seasoned travelers and at times can be hard to please. In my group there were 2 vegetarians, 2 celiacs, and 1 pescetarian. Needless to say this is a hard group to cook for. Perla had no problem and everyone had more than enough to eat and said it was some of the best food they have ever had. After the first day we all realized we had struck vacation gold and it only got better from there. Spear fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, fishing all a walkable distance from the back door. My son and I even dove with a Giant Manta, 14 feet wingspan and this was just a juvenile. The owner Mel has done such an amazing job finding the absolute best people to watch over his property and guests. He was always assesible and would Skype regularly with his emplyees to ensure we were having the best time possible. I'd say this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but God willing I'll be back once every year. Yes I know all these reviews sound too good to be true, and after reading mine many people must think Mel and I are old friends but I can assure you we were not. From a person whom tries to keep new people at arms length, I can honestly say I've made three great friends and experiences my family and I will keep for a lifetime.

We stayed here initially with an extended family group of eight (5 adults, 3 kids), and then stayed on with our immediate family of 4. It was comfortable; no luxurious, but fully sufficient. The location is excellent - the beach is truly right out the door. Playa Potrero is fairly unpopulated, with enough surf to boogie-board and for a beginning surfer to practice. It is easy to walk to a small grocery and to multiple other beaches. The biggest asset of this place, besides location, are Perla and Cody, who live in the attached apartment. They are delightful and hospitable people who provide a local connection to the area. It is helpful to have an inside perspective and network of contacts. They were very gracious in letting us practice our Spanish, by slowing down their speech and using simple vocabulary. Perla is an excellent cook, and Cody is very experienced in water sports and fishing and knows how to read the ocean in order to match activities and best locations for them. We thoroughly enjoyed the integration of their lives there with our experience as tourists.

Three of my friends and I came for a girls getaway,we couldn't have picked a better spot. We loved having the beach right outside our door,we were out there all the time and sometimes at night to enjoy the roof top deck.Perla and Cody were very welcoming and could answer all of our questions. A couple times they arranged for a cab to take us where we wanted to go. Perla cooked for us 3 nights, shes a fantastic cook and housekeeper. She did our laundry daily and kept the house very clean. One of the highlights of our trip was going fishing with Cody, and Perla cooked that fish for us while we enjoyed our wine. Mel had some great recommendations for tours, we did 4 of them. Our tour guides, Hyro and Dennis, were just the best! We really enjoyed their company and answered our many questions about local life. All in all it was one of our best vacations and with just 6 days did not get our fill of Costa Rica, we will be back!

We were a big group for the place but Mel was very accommodating to our needs. He made sure that we had all the information before we arrived and was very helpful while we prepared for our trip. He is extremely knowledge and has great contacts with the local folks. During the Xmas week, he was able to organize a Sail Boat and Horse Riding on a very short notice. Waterman Cody was an excellent resource available to us during our stay. He took us out in the Ocean for fishing(on his kayak), got us the Coconut from the trees and made us a bon-fire.

This was my first visit to Costa Rica, four of us came to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and I have to say that we all were overwhelmed with the beauty and the charm of this property, you could not be closer to the ocean. When we arrived, Perla (love her!), welcomed us with a warm smile and a great meal. She was very attentive to anything that we needed. Our laundry was done, house was clean, we were very spoiled!! Even prepared a great dinner with a fish that we caught the day before - heavenly!! Mel and Perla were very helpful with suggestions as far as fishing, zip lining and just the overall experience. We were able to walk to some local restaurants and even go to one of the local hotels and use their pool. When we wanted to just chill, we took advantage of the balcony that overlooks the ocean, we even got treated to a big tropical rain storm!! We would definitely go back, and recommend this property to anyone. Thanks Mel and Perla for giving us an amazing experience!

We loved our week at the house! Cody and Perla made all the difference: Cody taught our 7 year old to surf in front of the house, an experience he won't forget. They also went snorkeling and kayaking together. Our 3 year old was a big fan as well and Cody let him "help" garden. We enjoyed Perla's delicious home-cooked dinners, particularly her chicken and eggplant dish, and her preparation of Cody's just-caught Mahi and other fish. We had perfect hot, dry weather. The beach was extremely warm and peaceful. Good swimming for grandmother as well as the 3-year-old and relaxing for the rest of us. See the sunset over Flamingo from the palapa on the beach out front. Lounge or play soccer on the enormous, beautifully landscaped, lush lawn on the beach. Chill out in the many hammock chairs on the terrace upstairs. Bedrooms were comfortable. Groceries and restaurants/bars are minutes away. An hour from Liberia airport. Take Mel's directions! We enjoyed snorkeling at Conchal. Very, very highly recommended.

WOW! My self and three friends spent 6 days at Mel’s house and there was not one hiccup a long the way. Everything from the great hospitality of Cody Perla to the amazing views were second to non. Perla and Cody were by far the best thing at the house. Cody was kind enough to help us set up three different trips for the days we wanted to fish, show us local restaurants, and teach us how to hand line fish from the kayak at night. If you plan on staying at Mel’s house, I highly recommend having Perla cook for you every night. The food was definitely better than any high class resort you’ll stay at and you get to enjoy it from the comfort of the home. The house was set up exactly how I was wanting. It was an open air feeling, minus the bedrooms, those are AC (which was very nice at night). With the ocean being right in the backyard it was extremely accessible to go for a morning swim. All in all it was amazing! I would high recommend this property to anyone who is looking to have fun!! Make sure to take all of Mel’s advice while booking the trip, he was so much help. I couldn’t imagine doing this trip without him.