We just spent 7 days at BVV, 04/10/09- 04/17/09. It was our first trip to Costa Rica and wasn't quite sure what to expect- although we read all of the reviews, there was a lot of unknown. After spending the night in San Jose ( not recommended) we rented a Rav4 4x4 (recommended) and drove the 3 hours to Manuel Antonio, it was a beautiful drive taking in all the beauty. We pulled up to BVV and signed in, Jesus and his assistant offered us a cold slushy type orange drink which was very refreshing- it is very hot and humid and walking on the grounds is very challenging- it is very steep! We used our car a lot, but they do offer a shuttle service. We rented a 2 bedroom Villa 208/308, it was a combined villa with an indoor spiraling staircase, the bedrooms were beautiful with down mattress covers, the kitchen had all the pots/pans/dishes, etc with granite counter tops, the villa was comfortable and clean. The balcony had nice comfortable furniture with a hammock and electric grill. Monkeys came every morning around 6:30am, a couple of slouths hung out in the trees. We seen many birds, bats and geckos.We were lucky to experience rain, thunder and lightning, giving us the feel of a real rain forest.The private beach was great- with boogie boards and kayaks to use at our convenience, the only complaint is we were there on Easter day and the service on the beach was awful- there were no towels and the 1 guy was never around when we needed him, the beach had only 6-12 people on it at any given time. We recommend doing the zip line through Canopy Tours, that was awesome. Manuel Antonio Park was good exercise but, you see more creatures at BVV. We went into Quepos a couple of times for groceries but mainly stayed in BVV, We did some off roading with our rented 4X4 and went to Espaldilla Beach in Manuel Antonio, we had a great dinner at Marlins restaurant and walked around buying souvenirs. We also ate at La Catina, that was pretty pricey- it is across from Costa Verde Hotel, the food and service were fabulous.The only complaint at BVV was the internet service, there are only 2 hot spots and the service was never reliable- BVV will charge you an extra $20.00/week to use there internet, but because the service was unreliable, they dropped the $20.00 charge. All in all BVV and Costa Rica was a great trip, it was a gift for my daughter's senior graduation.

What incredibly unique, beautiful, well done accommodations. Staying at Buena Vista is one of those rare experiences where you feel transported to a different world. The very tastefully furnished and appointed casa we stayed in was awesome, yet not overdone. Luxurious in a very comfortable live-able kind of way. Not ostentascious at all in fact, these facilities were designed to blend into this hillside jungle topography overlooking an idyllic black-sand beach and quaintly tropical Pacific harbor. Developed to be very healthy and very "green". Incredibly well designed and landscaped family and adult swimming pools and sunning areas. Walking the paths to and around the beach is refreshing exercise. Wonderful Costa Rican cuisine is available at the beach, through the restaurant on the property or in one of many establishments within walking distance, many of which present a different view of this beautiful stretch of Pacific coastline. We absolutely loved our stay.

We've just returned from our amazing 6 day stay in C Rica, 5 of which were at BVV. We've been to pretty resorts before - Ocean Reef in Key Largo and Xpu-Ha in Maya Riviera being our 2 favorites - but this one was different enough from the rest to top our list.

We have 2 teen boys and have already done horse-back riding, whitewater rafting, and zip lining activities at other places in Mexico, etc so we were not visiting this region in order to pack alot into our days, but rather to relax and experience a new part of the world (1st time Costa Rica visitors.) Having said that, the highlight for my boys was their sportfishing trip through Flamingo Bay Charters in Quepos, where they caught and released an amazingly large swordfish. But my own highlight was simply sitting at the edge of the infinity pool, watching monkey after monkey swing among the trees within 10 feet of me, a few with babies on their backs. Or being charged by a 2 foot iguana at the pool because I removed the pineapple from my drink. (He meant me no harm.)

As for our hotel, it is confusing on this website because BVV is within the Tulemar community. So some of the comments from the Tulemar hotel are applicable to this villa group. We share the same beach and the same restaurant.

BVV/Tulemar is a very vertical resort area. We stayed in a lower Buena Vista Villa, near the lower more private pool. The advantage to this is that a walk to and from the beach is do-able, though you will want to take a shower or a swim when you return to your villa from the walk back up the hill. The disadvantage of this is that you are separated from the concierge area and the taxi stand at the top of the resort area, so that you're more liable to remain within the resort and go to the Tule Cafe for lunch rather than meander 20 minutes up the hill and go to a neighboring restaurant. (Though the cafe was great so not a huge problem for us.)

The best things: The villas vary so that they can accommodate a family with younger kids (some have stairs within the 2 floor villa), or a family with older kids (we had a lower BR unit for them without internal stairs), or a couple with no kids (no lower unit at all - great for honeymooners.) April is the hottest month: the bedrooms have room air conditioners so that sleeping in afternoons or night is not a problem. The daily maid service was wonderful - they cleaned forgotten dishes and cleared up any ant issues. And the view from these villas is breathtaking. No need to go to a restaurant that advertises great sunsets. You have the very best right from your porch.

The not-so-best things: Our first day we had grasshoppers and beetles and bugs everywhere. Apparently the people before us kept their window slid open and some screens were full of holes. The maid picked up on that (we didn't say a thing) and we had screen repairmen in our unit the following day. Problem is, some of the repaired screens didn't have a center dividing beam so there still was a quarter inch separation when you opened the windows. So we didn't keep those windows opened, making the LR area pretty stuffy in the afternoons. Our unit did not have hot water throughout our stay, though our teens' unit below us did, so instead of complaining (we didn't want repairmen inside our unit for another afternoon) we simply used their shower for the duration. Our toilet ran our entire stay, which was a minor annoyance, but to be fair, I never complained because, again, we wanted to minimize the amount of time repairmen were in our unit. The other issue is that we never fully understood the layout of the resort and how to walk from one place to another. We only found out on our 3rd day that we were taking the long way to get to the upper family pool where there is wi-fi. I've read that they offer nature walks to point out sloths and other exotic creatures on their property, but that walk was never communicated to us during our stay. Same issue with kayak use to go snorkeling. Apparently there's a system where you tie up to a mooring out in the bay, but that was never communicated to us by the beach clerk when we used them - we just later heard about it from another guest. So you need to be proactive with the staff to get information - it won't be given to you unless you ask. The shuttle service to get you to and fro was spotty. Sometimes it was there within minutes of asking. Another time, we were told that there was no shuttle available for 30-40 minutes. This could present a problem for those unable to climb stairs, or handle steep walks.

If you are a light sleeper, this might be a tough place for you as the geckos and other critters do make screeching noises in your ceilings at night. Birds are loud around 5:30 am so you'll become a morning person if you aren't already.

It's a little different . . . you're surrounded by the luxury of the jungle in a pretty, private bungalow with granite counters and lovely overhanging porches - yet you might very well have some inconveniences you wouldn't expect, like ants or bugs, and no hot water. But that's just the sort of experience we were looking for :-)

Our group of 8 booked casa 404 Buena Vista. We got a good price: ($800.00 per night split 8 ways). The casa was beautiful, clean, and well equipped. The hot water was very spotty, so showers were somewhat cold. Most amenities worked, such as the hot tub, the TVs. The beds were amazing. In room safes kept our passports and wallets safe when we went to the public beach.

The private beach was excellent. With few people, we enjoyed the beach. The provided beach chairs were comfortable. The steep hill down to the beach makes it necessary to call the free shuttle service from the resort, because you don't want to climb it after relaxing in warm Pacific waters. The cafe and avaiilable kayaks / canoes looked fun, although we didn't use them.

Buena vista is next to a taxi stand, so travel into the nearby town of Quepos and to the main beach in Manuel Antonio was easy.

The complex of casas includes a forest with many animals visible. While there, we saw 3 sloths, several monkeys, iguanas, and hermit crabs (on the beach). We also saw mosquitos, so bring the bug spray.

The staff was amazing. They carried our baggage from our van to the casa upon arrival. We ran into our concierge in Quepos when we explored the town, and he enthusiastically advised us on where to eat.

As college students, this was a luxury hotel for us and it surpassed all expectations.