Date of Stay
April 20, 2013

My wife and I spent two weeks at Casa Caribaea and had an amazing time. The property has a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and Whale's Tail. The house itself is beautifully furnished and quite comfortable, and has a fully functional kitchen. We cooked a lot of our meals and slept very well! The grounds are amazing - Jason is constantly working on the landscaping and adding new rare and beautiful plant species. We spent a lot of time hanging out on the poolside patio and photographing the birds and wildlife. We saw an amazing variety of birds (tons of toucans, many raptors, hummingbirds, Great Curassows, just to name a few) on the property along with multiple types of monkeys. The location is also great, as it is convenient to numerous beaches and to the towns of Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal, each of which has its own unique character. Ojochal in particular has several very good restaurants. We were blown away by the quality of the food in the area, especially for such a relatively undeveloped region. The property is also right next to the Whales & Dolphins resort, which also has a good poolside bar for the sunset cocktail hour. Jason and Victoria were very helpful in arranging activities and recommending restaurants, tours, beaches, etc. I am a novice surfer and even though the waves during my visit were way bigger and more powerful than I am accustomed to surfing, Jason was able to show me a few breaks that were a good fit for my (low) skill level. I surfed nearly every day and caught a lot of fun waves. This is a great property for someone who wants to surf fun, powerful and relatively uncrowded waves every day! We highly recommend this property and the general area. It is an amazingly beautiful and relatively uncrowded part of Costa Rica. It boasts a stunning variety of outdoor activities, yet also has fairly good amenities. Casa Caribaea is a perfect home base for exploring the Uvita area and Jason and Victoria are awesome hosts.

Date of Stay
April 7, 2013

My wife, a couple of our good friends, and I went on a week-long Costa Rican vacation earlier this month. We spent the first few days on the Caribbean coast in Puerto Viejo and then headed across the country to Uvita for a four night stay at Casa Caribaea. We were blown away by this property and the friendliness of the Hughes family. The four of us stayed in Casa Caribaea, located towards the back of the property behind the main pagoda home and entertainment area. The living area, rooms, and bathrooms are located on the second story above the garage/storage area, with a nice view of the grounds and a bit of the Pacific. The place was immaculate and beautifully designed, constructed, and furnished. The pictures represent it well. There were even some essentials in the fridge upon arrival - eggs, juice, coffee, etc. Jason welcomed us with a tour of the gardens and adjacent primary forest. We enjoyed a starfruit right out of the garden…pretty cool! Jason and Victoria were both extremely helpful with excellent food and activity recommendations. They took care of all of our reservations. Victoria even drove us to a nearby waterfall and swimming area - a secret spot that we would have never found on our own. Jason let us rent one of his boards and gave us a surf lesson in Dominical. I had some trouble with an ATM at one of the banks in Uvita one day (my mistake), and Jason called ahead for me to grease the wheels – it helped a lot since his Spanish is much better than mine. Great folks. There are several beaches within a 5 minute drive – some good for swimming, some better for surfing. Plenty to do. I’d recommend the new Osa Mountain Canopy Tour near Ojochal – we had a blast. Although, I think our favorite time was winding down at the end of each day with a beverage by the LED-lit infinity pool. I highly recommend this place - and the other building on the property looked amazing too. Hopefully can we can return someday!

Date of stay

February 2013

We enjoyed a 4 night stay with the Hughes. We can recommend this place to people who want to enjoy Costa Rica's nature. Jason has created a wonderful garden, full of details and very colorful. There is a path that takes you around their property, which we really enjoyed. We were amazed by the amount of Tucans we could see, the pavons, the monkeys we could hear, a paradise! Victoria was always very helpful and kind...offering fruit, and some snacks at the pool! Thanks!
The house was big enough for us... 5 adults and a baby. We could make use of the kitchen not only in our house but also at the common area which has a breathtaking view of the pacific ocean...amazing sunsets! Doing the dishes with such a view was never so pleasant!
People coming to this place should know it takes a couple of minutes to get to the beach, which we actually enjoyed a lot because we were away of the noise of town. So a car is almost a must...4x4 would be perfect, but you can get there with an automobile too.
Gracias por tan bonita experiencia! Pura vida!

Date of Stay
January 18, 2013

It was our first time to Costa Rica, and it was a trip to remember. It was not only because of the natural beauty of the country, but also because of the couple my husband and I got to know, Victoria and Jason, the owners of the property we rented. As soon as we arrived, Jason and Victoria greeted us with big smiles and great hospitality. Just when we were taken away by the beauty of the amazing property, Victoria surprised us by taking us to a private tour around the property, which is located right in the middle of the rain forest. We thought the tour was much better than the tour we later on took at Manuel Antonio National Park, where we had to pay to enter. We saw so many white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys and hundreds of tropical plants, most of which we don't even know the names of. By the time we finished the draw-dropping tour and made it to our suite, we were again surprised by the elegance of the room decor and comfort like home. From every single detail in the spacious and beautiful 2-bedroom 2-bathroom suite, we could tell the pride of ownership from the lovely couple. During our 7-day stay, Victoria and Jason were so helpful and friendly, and we felt we were staying at an old friend's place, or better. They kindly offered suggestions to local restaurants(they have very different recommendations, and we had a lot of fun trying some of their favourite local spots), and they also helped to make arrangements for local tours, which was helpful because they speak fluent Spanish and we don't. Jason even offered to teach my husband surfing, but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to do so. Jason also told us about two "secrete" spots that we could buy fresh fish directly from the fishermen. We had the freshest and tastiest yellow-fin tuna at a such a low price that you wouldn't believe, and the experience of finding the hidden spots in a country without street addresses was priceless. We had such a wonderful vacation, and a big part was because of Victoria and Jason. We will be back again, because we have two friends in Costa Rica now!

Our Response

Thanks for the kind words Heather and Jeff! I was just buying some fresh Yellowfin tuna the other day and was thinking about your various recipes as you definitely inspired Victoria and I to use the BBQ more. More importantly, we had the pleasure of your kind and courteous decorum and it was to my regret that Jeff and I only realized during your last evening here that we share a very similar framework for looking at the world and I had one of the most interesting conversations in my life. I thank you for that and can't wait to see you guys again. By the way, we just imported twenty new varieties of palms from Hawaii this week (including a very rare yellow crown shaft form of the famous Betel Nut Palm) so we now have over 230 different species now on display. Thanks again, Jason Hughes

Date of stay

December 2012

This comfortable and stylish two-bedroom, two-bath mountainside cottage in Uvita made for a wonderful Costa Rican Christmas for our family. I highly recommend this cottage.

We arrived later than expected but were still welcomed by our hosts who showed us around the cottage and the property. She had seen to all the details: There were lovely tropical flower arrangements in all the rooms including the bathrooms, the refrigerator was stocked with staples for easy cooking, a huge platter of fresh fruit adorned the counter, and comfy beds and large stone-tiled bathrooms were precisely made up for our arrival. The cottage decor is comfortably elegant.

While enjoying all the amenities, we still felt like we were in the jungle. We saw white-faced monkeys that came to check us out on Christmas. One morning we were awakened by the otherworldly sound of howler monkeys - a mother babies in the trees right behind the cottage. I saw toucans every day -- on Christmas Eve there were too many toucans to count. The sunsets from the entertainment area and infinity pool were picture-perfect, overlooking the Pacific and Uvita's distinctive Whale's Tail. The grounds of the property are literally an arboretum, landscaped with rare palms and exotic tropical flowers. Perched on the side of the mountain, the property catches refreshing breezes in the evenings and we experienced no problem with insects. We used the cottage's air conditioning only occasionally.

When we visited with local friends in Uvita, they told us we had made the best choice by renting from the Hughes. Along with its style, amenities and view, it also is in a convenient location. While perched on the mountainside, it is close to town and the main coastal highway. The road to the property is paved for its top curvy part, making for a quick drive to the market and restaurants in Uvita in less than 10 minutes. There is a gate at the entrance so we always felt like our belongings and car were secure.

Date of Stay

November 16, 2012

We would greatly recommend this villa to a couple or to a family. We stayed with our two young children. The villa is warm, clean and beautiful. The entertainment center is gorgeous with beautiful views of the ocean and the mountains. The infinity pool is so beautiful and refreshing. The villa is very private and at the same time our children were never bored. There are so many fun activities to do. The owners were wonderful and honest. When we arrived we had all the essentials needed for the next morning, e.g. delicious fruit, coffee, eggs, drinks and more. Our stay exceeded our expectations, the villa was warm and beautiful decorated. The owners were very helpful and warm with any of our needs and made us feel at home. There aren’t enough words to express our gratitude to the owners. We can't wait to be back again!

Our Response

Thank you Eric, Veronica, Erica and Bianca! I get a little teary eyed when I think of your wonderful family and the pure joy that you brought to our home. We often reminisce about your visit as you guys truly are an example of a family that is living a thoughtful and joyous life. From the day down at the river teaching us the basics of fly fishing (which I'm still not very good at) to the follow up visit after you guys left for Manual Antonio, it was just a wonderful time. The smiles on your daughters faces told it all and my youngest son still fondly mentions Bianca's name on a regular basis. I can't wait to see you guys again. Thank you Yoos family, Jason, Victoria & Family

Date of stay

October 2012

El lugar es perfecto para relajarse y pasarlo bien ya sea en familia o con amigos, esta cerca de todo, tiene una vista muy bonita, muy cómodo,limpio y agradable.
Jason y su esposa Victoria son muy hospitalarios para recibir y nos ayudaron con para coordinar el tour para ver las ballenas.
Lo recomendamos para pasarlo bien y disfrutar de este fantástico lugar en el pacifico sur de Costa Rica.

Date of stay

September 2012

This condo was perfect for our family (couple with a 1.5 year old) and our host were a great part in making our vacation a lot of fun. The condo is clean. comfortable and beautifully decorated. The kitchen is fully furnished and we enjoyed the complimentary fresh fruits and beer Jason and Victoria prepared for us. The entertainment area has a stunning view of the ocean and and we thoroughly enjoyed lounging around the infinity pool. Our son also had a wonderful time and we would recommend this condo to anyone!!