We had an absolutely perfect 2 week stay at Garden House with extended family (7 adults and 2 kids - 4 yo and 1 yo) and are already looking into when we can get back. The house is gorgeous - the sunset every night is breathtaking - and ideal for families. Everything was spectacular from start to finish. A few highlights for anyone considering a stay in case it helps:
- Not only is the house itself beautiful, the setting is amazing. The house is surrounded by jungle and there were monkeys, sloths, macaws, tucans, lizards, etc. etc. right outside our door every day.
- The pool was a highlight of our trip. My son spent so much time in it! And it was perfect for both kids and seniors - with stairs going into the pool and a little ledge to sit on.
- For anyone with even slight mobility challenges, the house was great. There is an entrance, master bed/bath, kitchen and pool all on the same level - making it really easy to get around. This was really helpful for my 80-year old mother, who has difficulty with too many stairs. There are not many houses like this in Manuel Antonio - so that was a huge plus for us.
- The amenities Tulemar had to offer were great and so helpful - shuttle service, beach access with drink and food service (we loved using the kayaks), restaurants (although we never ate at them). Staying there made things super convenient.
- Mayra, the housekeeper, was so sweet and washed our clothes and kept the house straightened up every day (except for Sunday when she was off). Such a welcomed service - especially with kids.
- We hired Chef Tito to cook for us during our stay (Tito is also the onsite concierge). He is such an amazing talent - every meal was incredible and he was able to accommodate our group (we had one vegan and he also made a few separate easy meals for the kids as well). Honestly - if you are wavering about hiring a chef or not - just do it! Having someone to shop, cook and clean up is SO huge and I actually think we saved money versus going out to eat all of the time. As for concierge services, Tito was really knowledgeable about the area and was able to quickly coordinate shuttles and transportation if we wanted to go anywhere outside of Tulemar. We did Buena Vista Beach twice and he called ahead to ensure we were taken care of - when we got there, there was a great tent set up for our group and the service was top notch.
- Asher was also incredibly sweet to work with and helped coordinate transportation to and from the airport, along with excursions. She seems to have strong connections with some of the best tours - we did surfing, ziplining, horseback riding, parasailing, the vacation buggy tour, night paddle boarding, and a mangrove tour. All so fun!
I could probably go on and on, but as you can see - we really loved our stay in Manuel Antonio at the Garden House. We do hope to be back again in the near future! Pura Vida :)