The property was gorgeous and well maintained. Rooms were nice and the air-condition works well. The location is too far to walk to most places in town, but plenty of room to park a rental car. Or if you prefer, Uber is quick, easy, and cheap. We had no issues getting an Uber within a few minutes in town. We also hired the private chef that works with the owner for one night. Absolutely amazing experience! You cannot stay here without trying it! Charlie and Annette were very professional, polite, and provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
The location was perfect. Close to all the tours we had booked. Nela was quick to respond to all our questions. She also included great recommendations for restaurants. She made it a great stay!
My family and I had a great stay at Magnalia House. The house and detached pool cabana were spotless, comfortable and well appointed. Highlight is definitely the soaking pool in backyard. The area around the pool was comfortable, and beautifully landscaped, giving a feeling of complete privacy even though you are in a neighborhood. Also, the awnings allow for plenty of sun but also allow you to enjoy outside even when itâs pouring rain. And the view of Arenal from the pool is stunning. A couple of practical realities, you are staying in an actual neighborhood in CR. Thereâs some realities you deal with: occasional road noise, the neighborâs dogs barking late at night. Also, the process of getting in and out of the property is a bit involved and trying to negotiate after dark makes it more challenging. But the owners were responsive and went out of their way to fix any issues that came up. Also, you get to live like a local in a safe neighborhood and still be close to town. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Magnalia house. The home was very clean, comfortable, and full of light and the kitchen was well appointed for all of our cooking needs. Nela was very responsive and easy to work with and the location felt safe and was just a short drive from downtown La Fortuna. Our only complaint was that there were absolutely no drawers in any of the bedrooms - just a handful of hangers for clothes. If you're someone like me who hates to live out of suitcase, this is a bit annoying. There were some barking dogs at night in the neighborhood too which kept one of us awake, but most of us slept through it just fine.All in all a great place.
The property was as pictured and expected. Everything was very clean upon checkin. Nela also did a good job communicating and supporting a fantastic stay. The beds were comfortable and the tile work in the bathrooms was beautiful. The room air conditioners did the job of keeping us comfortable while sleeping. Fortuna was a very short drive from the house. We had a bit of a challenge finding the house but Nela quickly sent a picture which cleared it up quickly. We had a great view of Arenal volcano from the pool area. Nela also offered some suggestions of activities. We enjoyed spending a day at the hot springs at Baldi Resort at her recommendation.
We had a fantastic stay at the Magnalia Home! Modern home, great decor and a beautiful view of Arenal volcano. We loved the outdoor living space, the gardens and the pool. The host was so helpful and responsive. The beds were very comfortable. We would definitely stay here again.
Magnolia House was a great location to have as a home base while exploring Costa Rica and the Arenal region. Great hosts that are responsive and happy to provide additional insight into the area.
Super cute, cozy, and great location! This place is even better in person. We were a group of three couples traveling together. All had our own bedroom and bathroom, each with a shower. Beds were comfortable and AC worked great in the rooms. We loved the pool, the outdoor seating with big patio table
The owners were very helpful and reachable when needed. Great location. Nela set up a personal chef Leo for us . What a wonderful experience. He was fun, knowledgeable and the food was wonderful. Definitely, 5 stars
If you are traveling g with other couple or a family, it is hard to find nice place with theee very nice bedrooms, bathrooms and a pool. The kitchen was great too. They also gave us great dinning recommendations.
We loved our time here. Very spacious house & guest house. Communication was superb! Very clean! Great recommendations to local restaurants. We loved walking down to the river to look and spot sloths!
The home is charming and aesthetic, with 3 large bedrooms (one is an en-suite casita), lovely design and a wonderful pool with views of Arenal. We loved our time there and our kids loved having their own pool. The kitchen has everything you need and has a nice indoor/outdoor breakfast bar. The location is great as it's close to town and we loved the restaurant recommendations from the owner!A few things for tenants to be aware of: locking the driveway gate each and every time coming and going (seems to be the trend on the street however), water on the pool deck never went away after first day so was pretty wet out there, and you're in the rainforest so it's buggy (they get in through shower drains). House is very clean and nice and these are things the owners cannot control but wanted to point it out for setting expectations.
I felt this review was necessary for safety. The house itself was fine, however, upon arriving there was immediately a random dog at the door with no idea if she had shots, where she belonged or if she was friendly. We were sent a note from the host THE DAY OF OUR ARRIVAL instructing us not to feed the dog if it was at the house (obviously they knew about the situation). We shooed her away, but she returned and slept on the outdoor furniture (fleas?). Over the course of the next 3 days, there were two other dogs that would randomly show up along with barking throughout each night. If you have allergies or are prone to flea bites you should be aware. After 3 fitful nights of sleep, we ended up leaving early as the host only said, they weren't her dogs and it was out of her control. Not even an apology was offered. Also, please be aware, the street traffic was loud, the outdoor furniture beyond worn, master bed uncomfortably hard, mildew on the bathroom window ledges and the armed guard behind the gate at the property across the street was unsettling. Definitely not an ideal situation all around.
I struggled with this review, because, with a little care and attention, this house could be more amazing. The location is awesome! You get great views of Arenal Volcano and there are many stores and restaurants within a few minutes drive. The layout of the house is also very cute and funtional. The small outdoor garden is beautiful and we saw lots of hummingbird enjoying the nectar from the all the beautiful flowers. The problems, however, were as follows: The house is very difficult to find if you arrive after dark and it gets dark around 5.30pm in Costa Rica. Finding the lock box was also challenging in the dark. When we called the host for direction/
instruction, he seemed bothered by us and made a point of making us aware that he was eating dinner.
The toilets gurgle, and on on arrivals the toilet in the cabana room would not flush properly. The host blamed us for putting toilet paper in the toilet, even though we had only just arrived. The shower in the cabana room was also difficult to operate and it was near impossible to get hot water and good water pressure. Our friends had to shower in the main house. The faucet in the master bedroom wobbled around when being used. There was no kitchen towel or dish wash cloths. The oven did not work at all and was partially dislodged from the cabinetry. The pool had missing tile. Overall the house was not well maintained and the host not very gracious, in fact, somewhat abrasive.
We had a rough start with communication and getting into the property when we arrived late.
I was told I would get the check-in details at 2:45 pm. That did NOT happen.
I drive for 4 hours and then had to wait and contact via WhatâsApp, which was never specified in earlier communication with the property manager/owner.
Nela was able to communicate the information needed, and the rest of the stay went well.
Thereâs no closets or drawers to unpack your stuff. Thereâs no air conditioning in the main house, only in the bedrooms, but sitting out on the patio was delightful as I watched the volcano view change throughout our weekend.
Nela provided a lot of great recommendations for places to go , eat and see.
Overland , I really enjoyed our time there.