Stayed last minute and Rich the owner was nice enough to allow five of us to stay in one of his larger casa's. Spectacular pool with ocean views, 20 seconds to some of the best surf in Costa Rica. Far removed from the dusty main road just up the driveway. Kitchen had more than what we needed to cook some killer meals. Immaculate grounds and it was nice to Rich the owner with his nice Lab making sure every attention to detail was met which it was! Will be back with my own family in the future.

We rocked into Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa and went to where we were supposed to be saying. It was a hole. After a long drive, we were very low. In the off chance, we walked past this place and checked if there was a room. We got a bungalow with three beds in it. A double and two singles. Air con. Nice bathroom. Kitchen with all that you need and more. Oh and you're 100 metres from the Pacific and a spectacular beach. Not enough? We had a pool, a hammock, close to everything.

Then there's the owner, Richard. A yank. What a guy. We caught Yellow Fin Tuna during the day and by night he leant us his own BBQ to cook it on. We shared a beer too. He knows the area and will advise of how to respect the place. He looks out for you and your enjoyment.

We were supposed to stay a night, we stayed 3 and didnt want to leave but pulled ourselves away to see more of Costa Rica. I will be back though.

Price? I'd pay 5 times what it cost and it would still be good value.

Cheers Rich!!

Oh and this is English Matt from the two Matts, Mike and Mitchell. There just before Christmas.

I stayed at Casa Azul with my girlfriend between 2 January 2013 and 11 January 2013.

We started with 3 nights in the owner's suite (since the other room types were unavailable those dates) and then moved down for 5 nights in a beach front double room. See below for room types. I am extremely satisfied with Casa Azul's location and the operator's service.

The beautiful blue hotel is one of extremely few properties right by the beach with unobstructed sea view. This makes Casa Azul unique.

The owner and operator, Richard Sommer, is very service minded and among other things helped us book a table at the popular and always fully booked restaurant Brisas del Mar (known for its very tasty food, including the meat dishes, as well as the view, not least during sunset). He also supplied us with local eating suggestions (including Koji's sushi which was at least on par with the Nobu sushi restaurant in London) as well as restaurants we should stay away from. He seemed genuinely pleased to help us book the Brisas table just to make sure we had a nice experience in Costa Rica and his place (he actually got us table nr 1, which is the best placed table of the restaurant).

The pool, the garden and not least the unexploited part of the estate could easily fit twice the current capacity which means you will not find the place anywhere near crowded. You can grab a sun chair and put it in your favorite location around the pool or the garden anytime of the day without worrying if they might be occupied.

During the winter holidays (approximately the week between christmas and new year's eve + a couple of days) the neighbouring bar (Nativo's) and beyond that a nightclub (Coco Loco) make plenty of noise but otherwise this is a quiet location. If you are sensitive about your sleep or have small children you should choose somewhere else to live during christmas and new year's. If you like to party however, this is the perfect place to access Coco Loco and you won't have to bring your own music for the warm up party since Coco Loco is well audible. An added bonus for the party week is that you can tell when the place is heating up just by listening.

Casa Azul has THE perfect location - on the beach and close to everything essential. Right across the small gravel road, literally 10m from the Casa Azul yard, lies The Bakery which is a high quality breakfast and bakery as well as somewhat limited place for lunch and dinner, Right next to the bakery is the best place to rent Honda quads to explore the tip of the Nicoya peninsula on your own and just 10m further down the road is one of two (!) bank offices in playa Carmen (the other bank is even closer to Casa Azul, right next to Nativo's on the opposite side of the road. Next to the latter bank lies the open air "mall" with a small square and a couple of boutiques and restaurants (some good [Chop it], some less good [Umi's sushi] and a spa)

It's just a 5 minute walk to the nearest super market (actually two side by side) which means that's the only thing that's not more or less on Casa Azul's door step. The main road crossing (the road from Nicoyas east coast) is next to the mall and one one of the banks. There you'll find a souvenir and post card shop and not least the bus station (for transportation to San José, including the ferry and continued travel all the way to the capital in approximately a total travel time of 6 hours)

During the first part of the day, about up until noon, you can usually spot several iguanas (up to meter sized or 3 feet) in the trees, bushes and by the edges of the front lawn as well as sun bathing on the stone path ways.

If you are looking for a beach front stay with close access (meaning 10-100m) to everything (except the super market which probably is 500m) Casa Azul is the only way to go. If you are looking for a quiet bungalow with jungle feeling (lots of green stuff but no sea view) and perhaps a couple of monkeys in the trees you should try e.g. Tropico Latina or some of the larger hill side hotels. In the latter case, however, you won't be close to anything, the beach least of all).

There are wi-fi hotspots at nearly all restaurants in playa Carmen, Santa Teresa but, nota bene, not at Casa Azul so if you are a true internet junkie you could become frustrated by Casa Azul's beautiful and fresh pool no matter how striking the views are.

We lucked out finding Casa Azul in Santa Teresa. We looked at the beachfront rooms but ended up staying in the Casita (separate bungalow) on the property after the owner Richard offered us a great rate. It is beachfront and central to many stores & restaurants. Not many properties in Santa Teresa are right on the beach so this was a definite bonus. The casita was very clean and spacious. The kitchen was convenient for breakfast, and there is a great bakery across the street (ended up going there to grab our morning coffees).

Note if you're staying here on a Wednesday or Friday night, the bar/club next door blasts their music well into the night. You will need earplugs if you need quiet to sleep. Richard gave us full disclosure on this though, so thankfully we weren't surprised. Even with the club next door, I'd still stay here again.