Wow, wow, wow! This was actually my very-first-ever VRBO booking... and it will be remembered until my dying days! Here's what you can expect... 1) you will think you are going the wrong way as you wander uphill along the bumpy, muddy, curving road, 2) just before you arrive, you will be certain that you are lost and should turn around, 3) you will fear that you are too far from civilization and are at risk, and then 4) you will pull into the driveway of a perfectly manicured oasis! It truly is magical! You will laugh at yourself for worrying. And then you will realize that the sketchy drive into the mountains was required to obtain the beauty in front of you. Here's what you will find... 1) wife / husband owners who live on-site 2) their residence and a quaint front-porch al fresco dining spot for breakfast, 3) an infinity pool that feels like you are living in a Hollywood movie... set aside from the other structures, and facing a rainforest vista *just like in the pictures*, 4) three delightful and comfortable bungalows *just like in the pictures*, 5) painstakingly maintained grounds, expansive and lush with a canopy of towering trees, tropical plants, flowers, and neatly organized ground-cover, and 6) abundant wildlife; parrots, howler monkeys, etc. When I was there, I happened to be the only guest... and I could have stayed there forever! I was seated in the lap of tropical luxury!!! A few helpful notes: 1) plan to arrive *before* sunset and you will need an SUV / truck to reach this location -- a 4-wheel drive is probably necessary if you visit in the rainy season, 2) the WiFi is fast (which is counterintuitive given the remote location, 3) you are 40 minutes from a "real" grocery store in Tamarindo, but only 15 minutes from a sundries store in Pinilla, 4) the owners are splendid, wonderful, kind souls, but be prepared to have a translator option (maybe an app?) to communicate (their native language is French), and 5) make sure to have WhatsApp installed before your trip since that is the easiest way to communicate with the owners. Friends, you will not be disappointed. If you envision a quiet, private retreat, an escape from this hectic world, a sabbatical from the agony of modern life's pace, this property is a slice of heaven on Earth. Book it! Go! Be transported to this "Secluded Oasis" in the mountaintop canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest!!! ENJOY BALIYANA LODGE!!!!!
