Jean-François
Reviews
54 total reviews
87% Excellent
54 reviews
4.85
2015–2025
Cleanliness 4.9
Accuracy 4.8
Communication 4.9
Location 4.9
Check-in 4.9
Value 4.8
54 reviews
This is such a beautiful place! We especially loved the incredible view and the private beach - you couldn't find a more perfect place to swim and enjoy the Costa Rican coast!
Host Response
We're glad you enjoyed your stay at Villa Palombia and its natural surroundings!
This home sits high on a cliff in Playa Flamingo. It has an amazing view and was very spacious and comfortable. It was a perfect location for our party of 10, all of whom were adults who like their privacy & peace & quiet. Jean-Francois was very easy to reach. I would not recommend this house for parties with young children. There are lots of tiled steps with limited railings. The steps are glazed terra cotta & very slippery when wet. The pool is a wading pool - about 4ft deep. Ana and Juan are awesome and onsite and, unless you tell them otherwise, are inside the house daily cleaning by 7:30AM. Important to communicate your preferences about this upfront. The house is about .5 mile walk into town which is downhill. Parking in town was easy to find. There are lots of great restaurants in town.
Beautiful views. The private beach is shared by 3-4 other homes and is accessible by a long set of steps, which are very steep in places. We loved having dinner overlooking the ocean every night.
Host Response
Thank you for your lovely review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your time at Villa Palombia.
Can’t recommend this place enough. The house was perfect for two families (five kids total). It’s comfortable, clean and a beautiful place. Juan and Ana were great making sure we had everything we needed. Both the view and the private beach really set this place a part as something that we will definitely look forward to returning to.
The location was Great in so many ways. We spent hours on end sitting on the veranda and looking out onto the bay, with a nice breeze keeping us temperate. Super relaxing! I wish we could see the sunset from that spot - but fortunately, it was only a 5 minute walk (up hill) to a point where the sunsets were amazing. Well worth it. The spot was also convenient to the "town" - and we enjoyed the walk (down/up a steep hill) each day to the convenience store, taqueria and several restaurants and Monday "night market". It would have also been the same walk to go to the Playa Flamingo beach (which we didn't end up doing). We used the "private" beach most days - and walked down. At low tide it was fantastic, and you could even snorkle into some little caves. Unfortunately, when we were there the "red tide" was in most days, making the water unswimmable (and unattractive) - and it was quite windy (typical for the time of year) which made the waves very rough (bad for snorkeling) , the water temperatures quite cool, and sitting on the beach undoable b/c the sand was whipping into our faces. I think we just caught a couple of bad weather days from that perspective - on good weather/tide days, it would be truly amazing and we would have spent hours on end (especially the kids) down there. We did drive to a local beach one day (Playa Conchal - parking in Brasalita and walking across the Brasalita beach) and that was beautiful (although a little touristy). The caretakers - Ana and Juan - were very kind and helpful (speaking spanish would be very helpful to communicate with them) - and Ana was a wonderful cook - especially on the last night when she cooked us a feast of her best recipes. The pool was nice to sit on the stools, reading a book/drinking a beer, and looking out into the bays. It was not a "swimming" pool - and the water temperature was quite cool (and it was shaded) - so the kids weren't very interested. I imagine if it was not so breezy, it would have been a welcome relief going into the water - as it was, the temperature with the breeze was PERFECT - and we were all very content to just laze in the lounge chairs reading a book and just not getting tired of the amazing view. The house itself was a little dated - but had everything, was comfortable and very clean - we had no complaints about the usability of anything and the space was easily big enough to accommodate our 2 families and we could have had more. The oddity (not super uncommon in CR) is that access to the lower level (the lower two bedrooms) is from the outside only - off the shared veranda and balcony. Not a big deal, but just something to note. All-in-all, it was a great place to go for the location, views and kindness of Ana and Juan!
The location and view is amazing. 🙌. We spent quiet days by the pool and beach enjoying all the wildlife. And Ana and Jean went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable.
This house is perfectly situated. The private beach was so fun. We spent every day there. Our young kids (9 and 12) played for hours. Ana and Juan were phenomenal caretakers. They kept the place super clean, and helped us get groceries, and even cooked up a meal for us. When we arrived, there was fresh fruit in the fridge. Highly recommend the place!
Stunning!!! Perfect vacation spot for adults/teens. It's even better than the pictures. There is something for everyone nearby...and the house and beach are so perfect in themselves that you never have to leave. We took a family of 7. Mom, Dad, 4-Twenty Somethings and a 14 year old and the house and location were perfect. There is something for everyone nearby...Golf, nightlife, beach life, etc. All of the basics are also very convenient (grocery, pharmacy, restaurants.). Jean-Francois was very responsive and helpful and Ana and Juan were perfect on-site hosts. Very helpful and kind, with nice surprise touches showing up from time to time (fresh fruit, coffee made in the morning, little treats) and they kept the house sparkling clean! (Note: I would NOT recommend the house for young children as there are multiple high drop-offs without railings, etc. and you will spend your time keeping kids away from edges instead of relaxing.)
Wow!! What a wonderful place to stay while in Playa Flamingo. We enjoyed everything about our stay! Ana and Juan are amazing and their hospitality is outstanding.
The house was everything I hoped for and more. Ana and Juan were great. We spent lots of time on the porch, and I wish I could be back there right now!
This home is beautiful and easily accommodated 7 people. Ana and Juan are so nice! The views of the surrounding country and ocean are truly awe inspiring. Jean is a gracious host. Thank you so much.
It is a wonderful place. Our family of 6 loved every moment of it. Anna was so accommodating and kind. The place was very easy to find on Waze.everything we needed we were provided. All was perfect Thank you!!
Villa Palombia is a private, quiet 5 BR home perched on the Pacific Ocean in Playa Flamingo. It easily accommodated our party of 8 including 3 couples, a college-age son and a family friend. The deck overlooking the ocean was a favorite place in the morning for coffee and in the evening for looking at the stars while listening to the sounds of nature and solving the world's problems! Below the deck 95 steps a totally private beach spread for 200 yards. Depending on the tides, it was 20 to 100 feet wide at different times of the day and partially sheltered by beautiful flowering trees. We brought a "Spike Ball" game and enjoyed several hours of soft sand play. We also snorkeled in the shallow, clear waters near this beach. 15 minutes walk down the road was a small commercial area with restaurants, small shops, a rental car agency and another 5 minutes walk was the marina. We took advantage of a fishing excursion and a sail/snorkel excursion during our week there. Besides the beauty and peace of the surroundings, our biggest joy was the kind hospitality of Ana and Juan - the helpers at the house. They were available any time we needed them for short car rides, help with getting groceries or anything else needed. Ana even prepared the Yellowfin Tuna that we caught for dinner one evening. She was so kind and helpful. While our Spanish was limited and her English was also, we managed to communicate with a lot of hand gestures and smiles. Our stay at the villa was comfortable and the setting added to our family adventure. A completely different experience than if we had stayed in a hotel nearby - we got a taste of the real and beautiful setting and people of Costa Rica.
This home was a truly amazing way to spend a week in Costa Rica. The view was breathtaking from every single room and having your own private pool as well as private beach? Perfect! We enjoyed late mornings sitting at the pool (there were barstools right in the pool!) and many afternoons down at the beach listening to the waves. The bedrooms worked out great - each one had it's own attached bathroom which is really nice when you're traveling with an assorted group. There were fun activities to do right in Playa Flamingo so it was nice that the house was located close by but yet secluded. Ana and Juan were absolutely wonderful and always available when needed as they live close by. Ana made wonderful meals for us - what a treat! They kept the house looking wonderful as well. Make sure to brush up on your Spanish before going though! I enjoyed knocking the rust off my Spanish skills :-) I would highly recommend this home to anyone thinking of traveling there. Hopefully some day we can go back!!