Villa Mountain Serenity, beautiful panoramic valley and distant ocean views!

Stunning location. You will never want to leave the pool!

Perfect location

We truly enjoyed our stay. The house was very comfortable, beautiful views overlooking mountains, the pool was great. We would definitely stay here again. Thank you.

My wife and I spent a month at Villa Mountain Serenity during January and February. We would wake up each morning with a cup of coffee and sit on the patio and enjoy the mountain views while being serenaded by the different birds. The toucans were especially fun to watch. Somedays we would just stay at the villa and relax and read. Other times we would take a trip to Dominical, Uvita, Manuel Antonio, Quepos or other smaller towns. We found many good restaurants in the area. We also grilled quite a bit during our stay. The grilling area next to the patio is outstanding. Each evening we would have a glass of wine and a beer while in the infinity pool watching the amazing sunsets. If you get a chance make reservations to visit Don Emilio's Coffee farm. They are a small family business and give you a really nice tour. We were apprehensive about renting a car but did not find driving as intimidating as they make it sound in some articles about Costa Rica. You do need a 4 wheel drive. Driving up the road to the villa is very interesting to say the least. It is steep and bumpy with some sharp turns. But don't let that scare you off. After driving it several times you get used to it. The tradeoff is worth it once you reach the villa. We ran into a couple of minor issues that were dealt with immediately by the owner Shari and Massi, the property manager. We had a great stay and would highly reccommend Villa Mountain Serenity.

We stayed 2 weeks in August, and this pool was my favorite place to be! I spent hours there or next to it in the lovely hammock watching Toucans and Pizotes. The house is very well equipped with sheets, towels and all the kitchen equipment you could need. The area is very safe and the location has easy access to both Dominical and surrounding beaches or to Perez Zeledon.

The Villa Mountain Serenity far exceeded our expectations. We made this our home base while we explored the Dominical/Uvita areas. The house was extremely clean and well appointed. Pictures cannot do justice to the wonderful views. We woke up every morning to Toucans and other tropical birds in the back yard. The location provided easy access to beautiful beaches as well as wonderful jungle hikes/tours. There were also a ton of choices for dining and a nice grocery store was just a short drive from the house. The villa was the perfect size for our family of four. We all enjoyed the pool, the outdoor living spaces, and the back yard and it's fruit trees. Previous reviews have discussed the dangerous mountain roads that must be taken to get to the villa. It appears that these roads may have been paved recently and we found them to be just as good, if not better, than many mountain roads in the Southeast U.S.. While we were nervous about renting a car, we were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make the trip from SanJose to the villa. If you choose to stay here, you will not be disappointed.

We loved our stay at the villa. We felt safe and enjoyed the beautiful views and sounds every day of our week stay. Early each morning, the birds awake and sing their song of the day which we recorded. We planned to compose music to their songs when we returned but their songs are so beautiful on their own. Staying at this villa, you do not feel like a tourist. The people of Dominical are friendly and accommodating. I purchased a new guitar in San Jose, played it for our stay and left it at the villa for future guests to strum. It is now the Serenity guitar of the villa. Enjoy as I did!

We spent a wonderful month at Villa Mountain Serenity and really could have spent an additional month if time had permitted. The property is very comfortable, in a great location, and was really perfect for us. Mornings always started early with coffee at poolside, binoculars in hand for bird watching, and listening to the lovely toucans who were ever-present in the mornings and early evenings. After many hot and humid day trips, we returned to the house to enjoy the mountain breezes, swim, prepare dinner on the grill, and pore over the home's numerous Costa Rican natural history books in search of something we'd seen that day. It really was the perfect retreat. Do not miss the Uvita Farmer's Market on Saturday. Although quite small, they offer wonderful tamales, breads, fruits and veggies either not available or far fresher than those found in the supermarkets, eggs, homemade plantain chips, spices, artisan cheeses, and hand crafts. Be sure to go early as they run out of the popular items. The only disappointing purchase was a bag of shrimp that turned out to be bland and mushy. The grocery stores in the area (Dominical and Uvita) are fine for meat, dairy, rustic baguettes, and most other items, albeit expensive, but the fresh produce is really lacking. San Isidro is a larger town and offers a better selection. They also have a farmer's market on Thursday(?) but we couldn't find it. The best fruit stands are found along the road from Dominical to San Isidro. Be warned, this road is quite dangerous with trucks drifting into the oncoming lane on turns. We saw several really horrible accidents and always proceeded very slowly around blind corners. Other food finds, Cafe Delicias (sp?) in Dominical sells croissants that are quite good, but cannot comment on the restaurant food as we didn't try it. Although we mainly cooked at home, our favorite restaurants were Villa Leonor in Ojochal (hearty food, beautiful beach and setting), Porque No?, Roadshack Deli, and Sabor Espanol. We found La Fogata Pizzeria disappointing when we ordered dishes other than pizza. I'd like to spend my last allowed characters in this review to thank Massi, Vilma, and all of the wonderful staff from Costa Ballena Management who made our stay at VMS so comfortable. Massi responded very quickly and professionally to all issues that arose and we only regret not getting the chance to meet him. We would return to VMS in a heartbeat, and hopefully will!

A great house with a spectacular mountain/valley view. A bit of the ocean can be seen and the sun sets in full view. House was clean and well equipped. The two air conditioned bedrooms were a bonus. The pool and barbecue areas are great. It is a bit of a trip up the mountain on a twisty gravel road. You need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I would stay there again.

My husband and I enjoyed more than a week at Villa Mountain Serenity. The house is beautifully maintained with a fully equipped kitchen, 3 well designed bathrooms and comfortable bedrooms. Sitting by the lovely infinity pool on the outside patio we were treated to daily visits by hummingbirds, toucans, parrots and the Costa Rican Cherrie's tanager. Proximity to the funky little town of Dominical offers beach fun and people watching, as well as easy access to the more solitary pursuits of birdwatching, hiking in the rainforests, or kayaking through the mangroves. Costa Rica offers many attractions. We look forward to visiting again soon and sharing Villa Mountain Serenity with our family and friends. Viva la Pura Vida!!