This was our second trip to Costa Rica and this time we stayed at The Palm House with our family and a friend. It is an excellent place for a vacation. The place is exactly like the pictures, except that that the view is much better and the bathtub in the upstairs master bedroom is big enough for 4 people.

We flew into Liberia airport and had rented a car ahead of time. The drive to the villa took about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The villa is located in a very private estate with a gate and it sits near the top of the hill overlooking the valleys around Tamarindo. To get to the villa I would recommend renting a 4x4 as the last 200 meters up the hill are very steep. We've had friends drop by one day in a regular sedan and they made it up and down, but I'd rather not try that in the rainy season. The enclosed courtyard on the front of the house offers ample parking for two cars.

The drive to or from Tamarindo and its beaches takes a good 15 minutes, partially over very uneven gravel roads, but the trip is worth it. And Tamarindo offers ample shopping opportunities, both from a touristic perspective as well your typical grocery needs. But groceries we felt were price wise on par with what you see in the US.

The layout of the villa is ideal with one large bedroom with a King size bed and 2 showers downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs (each with their own bathroom). Plus there is a half bath downstairs.

We spend most of our time in the outside living space that has a large dining and seating area and overlooks the pool. We traveled with our 8 month old and 3 year old sons and it worked perfectly for them too. There was a nice shallow 2 inch deep part of the pool, followed by easy steps in to the deeper water. two sets of patio tables and chairs IN the shallow end of the pool made for enjoyable relaxation even for those that didn't want to dive into the water. Various times per week somebody would come to service and clean the pool.

The kitchen is equipped with everything you need. I would say it offers much more than you would find in a typical vacation rental. This was / is as if you have everything that you have in your own home.

The rest of the house is equally well equipped. Free wifi (3G based) and the router seems to be able to handle about 3 devices at a time. A skype phone with a US number. Well working AC in all rooms as well as ceiling fans. TV's in the two main bedrooms. Stereo equipment in the indoor living area.

The villa also has an electrical BBQ, offers beach chairs, bikes, umbrellas, etc.

Oh, obviously there are dedicated towels provided for the pool area. And every day except Sundays the housekeeper comes to clean the house and where necessary provide new / cleaned bath towels.

Speaking of the housekeeper; Martha, we arranged with the home owners that she would help us with meals as well. And that worked out perfectly. Every day she came a bit early to prepare, serve and clean up breakfast. Next she would clean the house and by the time we were tired from reading or jumping in the pool she would have lunch prepared. Same thing again in the evening. In one word she was excellent and cooked very creatively and enjoyable food with lots of fresh local products.

It made our stay even more perfect and we can highly recommend the Palm House to anybody that wants to enjoy this area of Costa Rica.