La Isla has 2 houses providing 4 duplex apartments & one of these is Casa Mariposa. It's in a quiet, safe residential area with little traffic and backing onto unspoilt jungle. It's the perfect location to relaxing jungle or pool-side but you're only a few minutes walk from a few good restaurants and only 900 meters or a ten minute walk from the ocean as well as the relaxed vibe and full resort amenities of Samara's downtown area.
All four apartments and the gardens and grounds have undergone major refurbishment and redecoration to a high standard in fall 2023. The shared pool, palm & teak rancho and gardens are a lovely place to chill and grill or simply swing in a hammock and watch the world go by.
We're child-friendly too so you'll find a lot of pool and beach toys for little ones and the pool (but no the sun loungers) is shaded from about 2pm onwards plus there's a very shallow bench at the pool entry so it's great for them to get their water wings on without crisping in the sun. Pack n play cribs are available on request and there's other baby bits like baths, potties, toilet seats & plastic eating sets so you don't have to mule absolutely everything!
There are good wildlife spotting opportunities too. With unspolit jungle behind the property we get a lot of visitors - monkeys, iguanas, coati mundis and of lots of birds like the laughing falcon.
The home is owner run and managed by myself and my husband; we've been professionally running vacation rentals in Samara and Nosara for ten years. Because we enjoy it! And we know what we are doing so you'll never run out of pressurised fresh and filtered water and we're nearby to ensure even the most minor though unlikely maintenance niggles are dealt with swiftly. And we can give you a lot of information about Samara, the surrounding area as well as further afield if you are touring Costa Rica to help you plan your trip, save time & money and avoid pitfalls. Very happy to help in this way.
So about Casa Mariposa. It is newly built in 2024, it's on the ground floor and is the pool & rancho-side not the jungle-side of the two houses. I designed it to provide spacious, comfortable, modern and most importantly accessible accomodation. From the ramp and path to the door, the low entry to the rancho, wheel-chair accessible doors in, for the bathroom and one of the bedrooms, lower level handles and light switches, open-plan living. All air-conditioned, not just the bedrooms. The bathroom is large and roll-in with a shower, tiled bench and security bars to the shower and toilet. But it's done nicely so it's not 'institutionalised'.
The space
This apartment is on the ground floor & consists of two air-conditioned bedrooms, one of which is accessible. Each has a queen sized bed, an custom hardwood furniture. There's plenty of space in the accessible bedroom for a chair. Both have ceiling fans. There's also a comfy single sofa bed in the living room so space for a fifth guest if required.
The kitchen & dining / living room are open-plan. The kitchen has custom hard wood furniture and is fully equipped with a side-by-side fridge, air fryer/toasted, gas stove & extractor, microwave coffee maker and kettle. With safety features like CO and smoke alarms and a fire extinguiser. There's a large breakfast counter and plenty of space if you like to cook. The living area has a dining set for four people, two comfy sofas plus a large single sofa bed, a 54" smart TV and high speed internet.
There are large patio doors giving a view out to the pool and a ramp access for a wheel chair to sit in the shade pool-side. And there's AC and two large ceiling fans to sit comfortably inside too. And with the large sliding glass entry doors and two further windows it's a very light, bright airy space. And all have bug screens so whilst the air can come in the bugs cannot!
Off the living area is a separate laundy with a sink and an invertertech washing machine so you don't have to share the external laundry with the other three apartments.
The bathroom is large with a wide sliding hardwood door, lower handle and switches. There's a big roll-in shower that has a tiled bench seat and security bars. The shower has a telephone style hand set as well as the overhead shower head and there are security bars. Likewise to the toilet. The wash basin is lower and the mono tap sits to the left of the counter top not the rear so it is accessible. The cold and hot water supplies are pressurised and there is hot water in the bathroom as well as the kitchen.
Outside you will share with other guests the quiet and well cared-for gardens, the large palm & timber rancho, pool and grill. The rancho is accessible and there's a big ceiling fan in the centre so once the full sun is off the rancho around 2pm and especially when the evening onshore breeze starts, it's a lovely place to relax.
Parking for vehicles is on street (aka a dirt road) but for access there's plenty of space to reverse in parallel to the concrete path that leads to the rancho and Casa Mariposa.
Samara is a year- round destination with a wonderful, relaxed small resort vibe. There's so much to do whether you want to surf, fish, spot wildlife, take a Spanish course practice yoga or rent ATVs. There are great restaurants, decent grocery stores, a real French bakery plus all the conveniences like banks, doctor, dentists etc. It's a thriving little Tico town with a big heart and a lot of community spirit. Samara is 1 1/2 hours from Liberia International airport on decent paved roads, 4 from La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano, 4 from San Jose and 2 1/2 from Santa Teresa. So not only is it lovely, it also makes a good spot to get your Guanacaste Beach Fix if you are touring. Which is why we get a lot of European & repeat guests!
Please inquire if you require more space / other additional aartments. They are not listed on VRBO. That's the only clue I can give you!
