Casa Cola Ballena

14/04/2024

Vrbo 5/5
Paradise!!!
Our hosts, Sarah and Mark, were incredible. They helped set up all - ATV, Zipline, White Water rafting, and Adventure Tour at Corcovado National Park - all our tours/activities, such as FUN. The best part was returning home to Casa Cola Ballena. We lived at this incredible home set in the mountains and overlooking "Whale Tail" Beach for eight glorious days. It was an unforgettable trip, and now we have two forever friends in our hosts, Sarah and Mark. Thank you.

11/01/2024

We love our Casa Cola Ballena guests! And they love us too! Such beautiful words....

10/11/2023

Join us here for an amazing stay in paradise! 🦥

18/01/2023

A Slice of Heaven! 5/5
Stayed Jan 2023. Jennifer D.

There are no words to describe how amazing our stay was. If you are considering renting this home…. DO IT! The house was in a perfect location, wonderfully decorated and the view was absolutely priceless. We enjoyed coffee on the deck overlooking the whale’s tail and lounging by the pool. We found ourselves wanting to just hang out at the house. We even spotted some local wildlife from the deck. The house had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable. Sarah and Mark were beyond great! Sarah was kind and patient with all my questions and left no detail unhandled. All of our activities (booked by Sarah) were fun! Her insider scoop and relationships in the town were invaluable. Corcovado, off shore fishing, ziplining, horseback ride to Nuayaca Waterfall and of course the ATVs….we fit it all in. All our excursion guides were knowledgeable, kind, and did everything possible to make our day perfect. Sarah booked us the best of the best for all our activities. Sarah was on point on all her restaurant recommendations (Gusto!, Seba’s, Mosaic and Sibu were some of our favs!) and Chef William’s food was scrumptious! A perfect idea after our day at Corcovado. Mark and Sarah were always available when needed and were so helpful with troubleshooting anything that popped up. They made us feel like family. This trip topped our vacation favorites!
Published Jan 18, 2023

17/08/2022

Amazing house, amazing hosts 5/5
Stayed Aug 2022 Sara P.
Can’t say enough great things about the property and Sarah and Mark. House…. Beautiful view. Coffee with the toucans every morning. Well equipped kitchen. Great outdoor entertaining area. Sarah and Mark blow all other hosts out of the water. They are so attentive and will schedule/recommend the best activities. They really welcome you in as family. The best! Pura vida!

28/07/2022

55th birthday vacation 5/5
Stayed Jul 2022 Jenelle I.

Sarah is absolutely the best host. She provided excellent information several months before we arrived. Booked all of our excursions, dinner reservations, SUV etc and quick to answer any of our questions. Stayed in contact during our stay and gave us orientation to their amazing home.

Stayed up first night to assure we made it safe to the house.

The house and view are spectacular. Photos can’t do it justice. We were amazed everyday of the wildlife and landscaping around the home and in the jungle. We conquered the road daily, not bad once up and down a few times.

This was first time my sister has been out of the USA and I am grateful she experienced Costa Rica, Sarah and Mark's home and experienced such a great host. Oh, almost forgot, the massages were incredible. Thank you Mark and Sarah for a lovely vacation.

28/03/2022

Most beautiful view and fun time!
5/5 Stayed Mar 2022
Jessie K.
This property has a view more beautiful than anywhere we have been! Each sunset we took in over the Pacific Ocean in the jungle hearing the sounds of nature was a gift and a painting within itself! Sarah and Mark were the most helpful hosts and helped organize our excursions and secure a 4 wheel drive rental car necessary to get to the house and throughout many Costa Rica’s roads. This was by far one of the best trips our family has taken! Better than the pictures can capture, we will never forget this little bit of heaven this rental has to offer❤️

09/08/2021

Uvita, Costa Rica named as USA Today's #1 Travel Destination! Come see why!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2021/08/04/10-best-vacation-destinations-couples-us-and-abroad/5465910001/

Whether you share a passion for the outdoors, the beach or culture, you can enjoy a romantic vacation to any of these spots in the US or Caribbean.

05/08/2021

Best Vacation Ever!! 5/5 Stayed Jul 2021 Beth F.
I’ve used VRBO exclusively for vacation rentals for years. We’ve had some amazing vacations but this was the best by far. The house is beautiful yet very homey and the pics don’t do the views justice. What really makes this place special are the owners. They go above and beyond to make sure you have the best vacation. Their restaurant and excursion suggestions are spot on. They booked the excursions in advance so all we had to do was show up. I highly recommend having William come in to cook on travel and excursion days. We did the ATV & Corcovado tours and they were wonderful! The trip up and down the mountain is an adventure but just part of the experience! Thanks so much, Sarah and Mark! Can’t wait to visit again.

19/07/2021

A dream come true! 5/5 Stayed Jul 2021 Kirsten K.

We have all fallen in love with Costa Rica. This trip has been a priceless gift for our family. We LOVE the drive up to this home--beats Indian Jones at Disneyland a hundred times over! We love this home...the kitchen, the pool, the outdoor shower, the VIEW, the landscaping, the wildlife, the accommodations. We all slept well, ate well, and soaked up all the beauty that surrounded us. Sarah and Mark went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and welcome. Sarah made sure we had food in the house for breakfast when our delayed plane got us in later than expected. She was SO attentive, great at communicating, answered my MANY questions. She was 100% interested in helping us have the vacation of our dreams. She is so organized and helped us with many of our activities and itinerary, where to buy groceries, help with car rental, travel, currency questions, COVID travel questions, etc. This was so valuable as it was the first time we have taken our family out of the country. We didn't want to leave! We felt like we made new friends. We are SO thankful and would highly recommend this home to anyone and everyone.

30/04/2021

An amazing month in Costa Rica!

5/5 Stayed Mar 2021 Sam W.

You know those trips where you go visit a close friend in a new city, and they make everything so easy? You feel at home, they take care of all the details, and all you need to do is show up? Well, that was our stay at Casa Cola Ballena! Sarah and Mark went out of their way to make our time in Costa Rica incredible, and our stay at their home wonderful.

Our family of 5 (2 adults/3 teens) stayed at Casa Cola for a month during COVID. Part of the trip was vacation, but the bulk of it we were working/going to school remotely. So, we wanted a chance to explore, but it was also important to have a highly functional house where we could all settle into work/school routines. Sarah and Casa Cola gave us all that and more.

For our excursions, Sarah took care of every detail…..so much so that I would completely space out about where/when we needed to be somewhere! Luckily, she was right there with all the details. And, for day-to-day life, Casa Cola had it all. Everyone had their own space to retreat to enjoy their time in CR. The kitchen had everything we needed, including all the pots and pans for the cooking that my partner & teenage daughters wanted to do (although there are so many great restaurants locally.) There are separate workspaces/desks for everyone (including high-speed internet), so we all were able to be in our own spaces without getting in each other’s way. And, the bedrooms/bathrooms are all ample sized. If your family is larger than 5, the family room may feel small, but worked out great for us on those nights when we wanted to watch a movie. The outdoor spaces/pool area are incredible, with an unbelievable view over the pacific. I worked outside most days and got to watch hummingbirds, toucans, and coati. The views from the house are exactly what you see in the pictures. Finally, the road to the house is not for the faint of heart……but nor are many of the roads in CR. It’s a 15-minute drive down a winding dirt road, so you learn to plan your trips accordingly. A 4x4 is a must.

All in, an amazing experience for our family, made so extra special by the concierge-level service from Sarah. I’ve stayed at many VRBO homes, and I can tell you that her service truly stands out, and made our time in Costa Rica so relaxed, enjoyable, and an experience that my family will always remember. The silver lining of COVID. Thank you Sarah and Mark.

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25/02/2021

What a wonderful message to wake up to today!

Beautiful home, incredible location, Sarah and Mark are the best hosts, can't wait to go back!

5/5 Stayed Feb 2021 Spencer J.

I initially booked this property for April 2020 for my family of 6 to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday. Sarah was incredibly helpful in planning all the details of our trip: rental car, recommending and booking excursions, directions to everywhere, best places to eat, best beaches, etc. Everything was ready to go...and then Covid happened. Just a few days before our trip, Costa Rica shut its borders and our trip to paradise was off. We were all depressed, but Sarah was so accommodating and we stayed in touch until we were finally able to rebook for February 2021. Well, good things definitely come to those who wait! Costa Rica was incredible. Sarah and Mark's home is just beautiful. The pictures on the website don't do it justice. The house has all the amenities you need. The home is high up on the mountain above Uvita and the views of the whale's tail, the ocean, the sunsets, and the surrounding jungle are simply stunning. The road up to the house is steep, bumpy, and unpaved, so you definitely need 4x4. But its fun and adds to the adventure and feeling of isolation! The sounds of the jungle around the house are so cool. Every day we were treated with toucans singing up in the trees and howler monkeys in the distance (we never saw the howler monkeys but you can hear them!) The jungle is teeming with life and we loved all the unique critters we found around the house. Our favorite was the resident pizote that came to visit on a daily basis. The sparkling pool is beautiful and we all loved jumping in the cool water after a long day of adventuring in the hot sun. The outdoor shower by the pool was also a big hit. Plenty of hot water and a view to die for! We definitely used the outdoor shower more than any shower inside the house. Sarah is an amazing host and helped us plan an incredible trip. We went ATVing, ziplining, horseback riding to Nauyaca falls, and visited Corcovado National Park. All of the excursions were tons of fun. We also loved just exploring the local beaches, surfing in Dominical, and relaxing and eating out on the patio (we had Chef W***y cook for us twice which was really nice). This trip was just amazing and we cannot thank Sarah and Mark for sharing their beautiful home with us and being such great hosts. Our only regret was that we could not stay longer, but we will definitely be coming back to Costa Rica. Pura vida!

24/01/2021

Two Weeks in Paradise!!

5/5 Stayed Jan 2021 Dawn H.

Casa Cola was a wonderful property from the moment we arrived. The views of the Whale Tail are stunning. You are perched high above town with uninterrupted views. If you're out on the deck, you will be able to just hear the waves rolling into the beach. The area is very private and quiet. We were visited each day by toucans and many other beautiful birds and butterflies. We could hear the howler monkeys each day, but we never saw them in person. The house had plenty of indoor and outdoor space to spread out, and was fully stocked with games, movies, beach towels, coolers, etc.

From my first communication with Sarah, we could not have asked for a better experience. She worked wonders in the weeks leading up to our trip to help us schedule excursions, book private chefs and even a realtor who helped us see some lots and houses while we were there. When the trip dates had to be adjusted due to COVID airline changes, Sarah acted quickly and without hesitation to adjust our dates. After our arrival Sarah met us in town to welcome us and show us how to get up the hill to the house - 4x4 is an absolute must as some of the sections are very steep with switch backs to navigate. She and Mark continued to be available to make our stay memorable and comfortable in every way. They are wonderful hosts and very special people.

We hired Chef William and his lovely wife, Alicia to cook for us twice. William made us so much delicious food, and we had plenty of leftovers, which our teenage sons enjoyed! We also hired chef, Manrique and Vera. They went above and beyond to incorporate the fresh fish my husband and sons caught that day, despite this not being part of the menu we had planned. Fantastic!

We have several excursions we can recommend - My husband and sons enjoyed their fishing trip, and caught a bunch of tuna and wahoo. Our family had a blast on the ATV tour. We not only got to see the area, but we were able to visit a local coffee farm and learn about the process. My husband and I loved the horseback riding to the Nauyaca Falls and our day trip to Corcovado - beautiful! We also got to see humpback whales as we made our way across the ocean to the park! All in, this was one of the best vacations our family has ever had.