Our family (parents and 2 daughters, 4 and 6) rented the owner's house for 8 unforgettable days.
THE HOUSE
We had chosen to rent the house because we were a little worried that the huts would be a little too rustic and that we would feel unsafe with our little ones able to run in the wild. But we ended up letting them run free (with a few rules), thanks to the friendliness of nature and most importantly the staff and the guests, there was always someone happy to play with them, or watch them when on the dock.
The house was incredibly comfortable and beautiful, it comfortably hosts 2 couples and 2 children or 3 couples. The showers are super spacious we were all showering together to save water! Watching the pelicans fish in front of the house is better than TV.
The beach in front of the house has pretty much disappeared which was a disappointment at first, but we quickly got over it because of our perfect everything else was.
NATURE
First, it's in a maritime reserve, underwater is unbelievable right in front of the house, the jungle on the other side of the house is so dense and beautiful, you can spot monkeys (sloths, or others), there are amazing looking lizards, bats at night...
The water is unbelievable, warm, pristine, and in quick boat ride, you can either go to Zapatillas island, or the "Garden" or to a bar/restaurant on stilts and feed the fish... etc. Also, we took a boat ride to go to the Indian village next door, doing a loop in the mangrove to spot sloths, how cool? But wait, in the Indian village, one artisan showed us a kitten, a puppy and a 1 day old pigglet... Heaven for 2 little city girls!!
Our "big one" learned to snorkel and fish with a line and a hook with the resort's children who took them under their wings.
Also we had 3 days of heavy heavy rain, with spectacular thunder storms at night, unforgettable... and it didn't refrain us from swimming during the day. It was the end of the rainy season, so we knew it could happen, and it was interesting to see the water change colors and see the thunder over the ocean!
Another unforgettable moment, was to see the luminous plancton on the dock, sitting with our little ones and moving the water with our feet to light up the water, under the sky lit up with stars... come on...
We didn't get to scuba dive since we had the kids, and didn't want to make 2 groups but this will definitely be on our list for next time.
THE PEOPLE
if all of the above wasn't enough, what we think makes this place incredible is the people. We didn't get to meet Michel, the owner, but he seemed great over emails and from all the stories we heard... But we fell in love with his partner and chef extraordinaire Vincent, and his family. The food he served was just exquisite, simple yet sophisticated, there's nothing we didn't love, and he always adjusted the meals so our little ones were happy as well. Also Frederico and Abdner, who take care of all the everyday operations, the diving center, and the cocktails at night... 2 great guys all around. We just can't wait to see them again. The rest of the staff was extremely friendly, and you can tell everyone is treated with respect and consideration, it shows in the overall atmosphere. It's simply GOOD PEOPLE ALL AROUND.
Also most of the other guests were super nice and interesting - since this isn't the typical "resort", it does filter the kind of tourists you will find there, in a good way (in our opinion).
BOTTOM LINE
We've been back in New York for 2 months, and we already have our plane tickets to go again in February. And this time, we'll go in a hut with our girls. We want the full pension experience, and we can't wait to spend time with our new Al Natural Family.