Ocean front house! Escape to nature. Costa Rican private paradise near Parrita

We had the best time here! Sergio took amazing care of us from start to finish!

We loved this home. So cozy and well set up for families. Great communication and support from the property manager. Right on a quiet beach, close to nature and tones of wildlife. My 4 sons and I enjoyed the space and did not want to leave

This primitive property is not as represented on vrbo.com. Plumbing was non existent except for an outhouse. Red fire ants were located throughout the property. The grounds had been recently burned and ash was littered everywhere and up to the beach access. There was not one inch of the property that was even somewhat comfortable. The property manager was adamant that personal safety precautions be taken as the area was not safe. Basic comforts of a home were not available to include dishes, appliances, linens, towels, etc.. I stayed at the property for approximately one half hour in which time I had to book another property. The host was not at all interested in refunding any portion of the money I paid. This property is not worthy of being listed on on this website, much less any other platform. If your goal is to provide you or your family with an acceptable and comfortable place to vacation, this is not it! I now have to struggle with my credit card company for some relief. I am out a substantial amount of money for a property that is not accurately depicted in the posting. Even if I was on a stricter budget, this property is not even worth half of what I paid. I was hopeful to resolve this issue with the host, but that has not been the case. Horrible neighborhood, horrible directions, horrible location and the worst experienced I have had thus far. Absolutely distressing and a complete waste of my hard earned money.

On the 6-hour drive from Osa to Parrita, I discovered our SIM card wasn’t working and I wasn’t able to contact the property manager, Sergio, to give him our ETA. We decided to just use the “prep guide” provided by the owner to find the beach house. The guide gave detailed directions to the house, along with a picture of the property showing a black gate and a large white “El Pelicano” sign, so we had no doubt we’d find it. We drove up and down that dirt road numerous times not seeing the sign or gate as advertised. We considered that we’d been scammed. We drove back toward Parrita to see if someone could help us. Eventually we got in touch with Sergio who said he’d meet us where we were in 30 minutes to lead us to the house. Sergio is a blunt, opinionated fellow. We felt properly chastised about not contacting him earlier. Fair enough. He showed us around the house, pointing out a few things, for example only to put about 2 pieces of ice in the blender because he’s had to replace the plastic container part twice already, that the “accessories” on the inside shower (the head and handheld combo) decreases the water pressure, and if the stove doesn’t light with the clicker, we should go buy some matches. When I mentioned there being only one roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, he assured me there was a roll in the outside bathroom as well. We would have to buy more, if we wanted. (Note: there was no TP at all in the outside bathroom.) We don’t hold anything against Sergio for any of these issues, he’s just doing his job to his best ability. When I asked about the gate and sign, he just shrugged it off and indicated the sign had been removed and the gate painted brown. I said the picture should be updated in the “prep guide,” to which he replied that if people contact him, he meets them somewhere and leads them to the house. It seemed a circular conversation. PROS: The property is lovely. We saw many capuchin monkeys, geckos, crabs, and different birds. The plunge pool is very refreshing. The leaf skimmer, although ripped along the edges, works fine to clear the tiny leaves. The gazebo is welcoming though it could use better lighting for evening reading or game playing. - Shower water temp/pressure are inconsistent - The blender is horrible - Toaster - only 1 burner works - Supply 2 rolls of TP for each toilet - Have hand soap in bathroom - Stock garbage bags **Contact Sergio AHEAD of time and for ANY issues, not the owner**

Playa Bandera was uncrowded and gorgeous, exceeding expectations. The house was tidy and clean with good security/locks. Monkeys visited. The beach is close. We enjoyed the pool and the gazebo. Sergio provided several unsolicited suggestions for tours/activities, and provided helpful guidance on tides. We really enjoyed Chucho, who lives close by and stopped in from time to time. He was very helpful. Suggestions for improvement: 1. Provide hot water to the kitchen sink. We had to heat water to wash dishes. 2. Improve water pressure, which was barely a drip at times. 3. Clearly disclose that the home has only 1 bath; the other is outside. 4. Update directions for finding the place. The firehouse where you turn off the highway is different colors now. The gate to the property is not black and there is no El Pelicano sign as shown on the instructions. The result was we drove past the entry several times until after dark, and were late arriving, resulting in frustration for us and an unhappy greeting by our host. 5. It would be nice if some basic supplies were provided, such as dish soap. A boogie board would be a great plus. These constructive suggestions notwithstanding, we enjoyed our stay and would do it again. The location is fabulous.

At the end we had a lovely stay. Neglected and needs some TLC. Understand that we were first visitors since COVID. PROS: abundant wildlife, private property, Beautiful beach (after garbage was picked up), nice open home with plenty of room, lovely bathroom, spacious kitchen, comfy beds, well stocked, books, games, large rancho, plenty of plug ins throughout and lovely artwork in home. CONS: entrance to property can bottom out your vehicle, beware, El Pelicano sign is hard to see as brush is over grown, no TV as stated, beach was full of garbage, Palapa by beach (ranchito) had no roof when we arrived, 2 of the 3 lounge chairs are broken, dirty grill area, only 1 bulb in rancho, yard needed raking and clean up, musty sheets and linens throughout, biting ants all over, low water pressure. There were other sundry items, but things that were basic and simple and should have been taken care of prior to arrival. We ran out of propane in the kitchen on Christmas Day, day 4. We left the property better than we received it, especially the outside areas.

This house is in a beautiful location but be prepared to travel the 12 to 15 minutes on the dirt road to get there. I would recommend renting a vehicle with high clearance which would make this trip much faster but it's not required. The pool was a great benefit to cool down during the day but the beach is only 2 minutes away with a short walk through the private property. The town of Pirrita had wonderful local food and the people were very friendly. Pirrita is a very small town but if you are looking for some exciting night life Jaco is only 50 minutes away. The national park of Manuel Antonio is a must see and is only an hour south. Another amazing part of this house / property is the amount of wild life in the backyard. We saw monkeys and sloths during our stay. Over all this is a great location and a wonderful place to stay. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a very peaceful and relaxing trip to Costa Rica.

El Pelicano is a lovely 3-bedroom house on a huge piece of property with many palm trees. The house is very comfortable and well-appointed, with a full kitchen with everything you need. The plunge pool is wonderful at the end of a hot day, to sit in and relax with a cool drink and watch the monkeys. An absolutely pristine, quiet and stunning beach is a mere 200-metre walk through the private yard - there are so few people on this beach it's like having a private beach all to yourself. The people and neighbours you do see from time to time are several metres away and are always friendly with a wave or a chat. Don't spend your money at the nearby Manuel Antonio park (although that is a gorgeous park) - we had a troop of capuchins hanging out in the yard every day. They got more and more used to seeing us and tolerated us better each day. The property is remote - which is what we wanted. It's a short 15-minute drive (on a gravel road with a few challenging areas) from the town of Parrita, which is a lovely small town that has everything you need. Quepos is half an hour drive away, and Jaco about 45 minutes. Quepos has a fantastic farmers market on Saturday mornings - a great place to stock up on all your fruits and veggies. We can't say enough good things about this house and its location. If you want a peaceful, private, quiet holiday, then this is the place for you. Sergio, the property manager is readily available to help with anything you might need. He came and met us on the highway so we wouldn't get lost, but it really isn't all that difficult to find. The instructions were terrific. Chucho, the property's caretaker (he lives just down the road) was wonderful as well, coming by to check on the pool and pointing out monkeys and bringing us fresh coconuts. Our stay was so peaceful and stress-free. We will definitely be going back in future. El Pelicano is truly paradise.

Our stay was okay. We booked 8 days but ended up leaving early. Pros - beautiful bathroom and spacious kitchen, great outdoor gazebo, pool was a must because the surf was too big to swim in the ocean, beach was great for walking, host Sergio was kind and helpful. There is a fantastic seafood restaurant up at the highway that we enjoyed a few times. Cons - the property felt a bit run down. Lawn chairs were broken and dirty, pool net was broken and ripped and the pool toys were mildewy, we had to buy a new kitchen sponge and dish soap and wash all of the dishes before we could use them. This could be an excellent stay if it was given some TLC. I feel the photos in the listing were taken a long time ago. The property is really big and the beach is very long to walk on and had incredible surf. It was fine but did not meet my expectations and I won’t return.

The closeness to a nearly secluded beach is what makes this property special. We had a great time playing in the waves- which are big but fun (you don't need to go deep to have fun- the waves were strong even at knee-deep water). We tried a few yummy restaurants nearby and made a trek to Manuel Antonio which wasn't too far away. Thanks for the great time!