Mark and Cindy's house is the perfect house to visit for an amazing time in Costa Rica. I'll name a few of the very long list of reasons why.
My girlfriend and I arrived to the house at night where Carmen, the incredibly kind caretaker, met us and gave us the keys, walked us around the house and gave us recommendations on places to visit. Over the course of the next few days Carmen and Cindy were always both available to answer questions and help out if we couldn't find something. We spent the first few days of our trip simply enjoying the property which kept us busy between swimming in the amazing pool and watching birds, monkeys, iguanas and geckos roam around. FYI - It gets hot during the dry season, but the rooms have AC which was always a relief to have at the end of each day. The outdoor shower works really well too!
We went to the nearby Hotel Pelicano for dinner and to watch the sunset for at least 6 of the 11 nights we spent in Costa Rica (it's incredible for the food and the view). The sunsets were simply insane and we collected some pretty shells as well... El Chiringuito was our second favorite spot for food.
We did a night tour at Rainmaker Park which was absolutely incredible. If you decide to go (we highly recommend it), book your tour through Ann or Mick on their website and ask for Luis to be your guide. If you go during the dry season, try to wait for one of the few rains during the season for your trip - it makes the experience much more incredible.
We eventually saw the female sloth in the trees with her baby, she came down within 10 feet of us and we got some incredible photos. To see a sloth in the backyard is a very, very memorable moment. She hung out there for a few days until we left, so every morning after we saw her, we went out to feed the monkeys and iguanas and say hi to the sloth and her baby.
The house is between two major national parks; Manuel Antonio, and Carara National park - we recommend visiting both. For your guide, if you find Franklin Sanchez - go with him! The house is close to Maxi Pali, a great grocery store that has everything you need, and the bank which is just down the road. There are so many places to eat at nearby, it's hard to choose sometimes... If you can make the drive towards Jaco, VistaMar is also an amazing place for an outdoor lunch where you can see and hear the ocean.
In the end, we are so grateful we chose Mark and Cindy's house for our adventure. We will definitely be back!!