Stunning Oceanside Hidden Gem, an Unmatched Vacation Experience

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2 bedrooms3+ bathroomsSleeps 8288 sq m

Explore the area

Playa Carrillo, Guanacaste Province

Carrillo Beach11 min walk
Samara Beach14 min drive
Playa Barrigona40 min drive

Rooms & beds

2 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Guest bedroom suite

1 Double Bed and 1 Queen Bed

Master bedroom suite

2 Single Beds and 1 King Bed

3 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 3

Toilet

Bathroom 4

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio

Porch or lanai

Kitchen

Balcony

Outdoor play area

Garden

Dining Area

About this property

This paradise villa is more than a home; it's an experience.

Nestled in the tropical rain forest 150 meters from the perennial Top 10 beach of Playa Carrillo, the feel and experience of Casa Hakuna Matata is unlike any other.

24/7 ocean breezes and views, this privately gated home is as comfortable as it is encapsulating, with unmatched ambiance and connection to the ocean and nature around us.

The ocean-centric, open space focus and comfortable, peaceful design of the home together combine to provide the foundation for among the most enjoyable vacation settings that can be experienced.

The home is uniquely designed to provide ideal gathering and bedroom experiences.

~ The living, dining, kitchen and breakfast-nook areas are often the center of daily activity. Upon opening the double hand-made wooden doors facing east and the entire wall of full glass doors facing west over the pool and ocean, and you will feel enmeshed in the beautify land feel of the rain forest around us.

~ The 2 family bedroom suites each have full courtyard and ocean views. Each is capable of hosting a family of 4 (8 total), has their own en-suite bathrooms, and generously oversized walk-in closets. The master bedroom is complete with a private balcony overlooking the pool, courtyard and ocean, the first floor suite has walk out access to the pool and courtyard areas.

~ The pool courtyard is so very unique. Surrounded by rainforest around us and the ocean slightly below, with occasional families of monkeys in the trees adjacent to us, it is especially inviting from sunup to well past sundown, so much so that it would be possible to have the vacation of your dreams without ever leaving the Casa Hakuna Matata private compound.

Add to these the ease of access via a small, quiet street, the excellent restaurant resources of Playa Carrillo, the shopping and additional dining universe of Playa Samara a 10 minute drive away, and the newly constructed private 3rd floor, full ocean view office with 200 MB high speed internet, and Casa Hakuna Matata becomes an unparalleled vacation and/or remote working environment experience.

Peace, privacy, connecting to nature combine, to one's self, or to or with those we love - the opportunities for each of these - and lifetime memories - are available at Casa Hakuna Matata.

Property manager

Erik

Languages

English, Spanish

Amenities

Pool

Kitchen

Washer

Free WiFi

Air conditioning

Outdoor space

Pool

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

House Rules

Events

No events allowed

Pets

No pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

As Costa Rica septic systems cannot process paper of ANY kind, all bathrooms have waste baskets for all bathroom paper and/or ALL non-human waste.

Due to minimum $800 repair cost of septic system damage in CR, security deposit will be assessed to guests who flush ANY non-human waste into toilets.

Indoor furniture and porch rockers are hand made with natural CR wood, and are NOT to be used if wet - repair costs will be charged if wood is damaged

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip

Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property

About the area

Puerto Carrillo

Playa Carrillo, Guanacaste Province

What's nearby

Carrillo Beach - 11 min walk
La Selva - 19 min walk
Samara Beach - 14 min drive
Buena Vista Beach - 34 min drive
Playa Barrigona - 40 min drive

Restaurants

Coco's Mexican Restaurant - 12 min drive
Microbar - 13 min drive
Roots bakery & Cafe - 12 min drive
Bar y Restaurante del Hotel Bahía - 11 min drive
Limey’s Bar & Restaurant - 13 min drive

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

Learn more

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

james b.

30 December 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay- highly recommended

We were two families of adults ranging in ages 18-60. Hakuna Matata was an outstanding place for us to stay. It had something for everyone in our group-- great pool that was the center of many of our afternoon activities after morning excursions swimming/morning walks along Playa Carrillo, surfing at nearby Playa Camarones with 3-5 foot waves, trips into Samara for food/farmer's market, and for me (a budding ornithologist) to sit nearby in the early am and identify and film amazing birds such as the motmot, Acari, green parrot, and monkeys. I have been fortunate to stay in many vacation homes and this is my top 2 for house pools. The house itself was great. Kitchen was well equipped and we cooked breakfast and dinners most of the time as two of our party really enjoy cooking (we got great ingredients at fair prices from the Saturday farmer's market which starts at 7am--- not 8am). each main room had its own AC which was needed as it is hot in this part of Costa Rica. Wifi was quite good and used by some in our party as remote work was necessary. There were boogie boards, chairs, and umbrellas which made heading out to the beach comfortable and enjoyable. We had an issue with a door knob and Fred showed up quickly and remedied the issue. Highly recommend Hakuna Matata--- great location, great amenities, at the end of a quiet street in Playa Carrillo area, walkable to the beach but it is a trek down a hill and up a hill. Great for beach goers, splendid sunset seekers....

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

William A.

19 December 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Exceeded All Expectations

Hi Eric. Thank you for giving us the opportunity of enjoying your home. It exceeded all of our expectations! The sound of the surf, nights in the pool gazing at the stars, the comfort and beauty of your home, Carrillo beach (the best kept secret in Costa Rica), barbequing fish and hotdogs at the beach and finally your exceptional team who took such good care of us! Thank you! We will return. Five plus star rating. Bill and Julia

Stayed 30 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Cabrina L.

23 October 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Paradise!

Our stay at Casa Hakuna Matata was so memorable. The hosts made everything so easy. The accommodations were extremely comfortable and the pool and ocean views were unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The people and restaurants were wonderful, and the local access to grocery stores provided everything we needed. We were able to horseback ride, deep sea fish and surf. It was such a great vacation. Our family be returning again as soon as we can

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

William A.

28 March 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Exceptional property, great host, outstanding maid service.

The home is very unique, special and very well appointed. The pool, ocean views, gardens, jungle and overall experience are truly 5 star! Every aspect of our stay was more than we could have asked for. Carrillo beach is one of the top 5 beaches in Costa Rica. Thank you Erik, Flor, Fred, Efrim and team!!

Stayed 45 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

19 December 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Unforgettable view

The PM Fred and owner Erik were both great. The pool, views and wildlife in the yard are all unforgettable. Beautiful jungle pathway just up the road down to the port where you can snorkel (depending on the tide) and collect shells with the kids. Casa Hakuna Matada is a magical place and we would like to come back again.

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

About the host

Hosted by Erik

This picture of Erik and Damaris is as we were returning from a wildly successful dolphin and whale tour leaving from the beach in front of Casa Hakuna Matata on the incredibly beautiful Pacific Ocean beach of Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica.

Erik had long dreamt of owning a home within meters of the ocean. Built in 2008, Damaris and Erik bought the home in 2020 and have invested endless time, resources and tender, loving care remodeling the home from top to bottom, inside and out, to make it the warm, comfortable, inviting villa experience as it exists today.

We believe that dreams are meant to be shared, and it is for this reason we welcome kind, caring, and respectful guests into our home.

Why they chose this property

Beyond the ocean and beach proximities, our goals for our home included all of the following we found within Casa Hakuna Matata:
~ Stunning views, including sunsets
~ Multiple especially comfortable living/gathering spaces inside and out, ideally perfectly melding the inside and outside areas together
~ Spacious, while still a feel of warmth and cohesiveness
~ 2+ family living suites capable of sleeping 4 people each
~ Safe surroundings, a quiet community, and, ideally, gated safety for our property, while still being fully open to the nature around it
~ A sizable outdoor/courtyard area that a family could spend an entire vacation in
~ Located within 2 hours of an easily accessible airport
~ A place you would never want to leave, and always want to come back to if you did

Our vision of all these things, and so very much more, is what we held on to from the moment we first saw the property, until it came to life as the final piece of our remodeling project, adding the 3rd floor, ocean view, private office become complete in March, 2022.

What makes this property unique

The ease of access to our home, the quiet street it's located on, the privacy of our gated property street side, inability to see a single neighbor from our home, with complete openness to the rain forest of Costa Rica around us, and Pacific ocean in front of us, the feeling of peace and tranquility that envelops you when you enter the gated or the home, the amazingly comfortable and open courtyard area. the connections of the front and back porches to the mail living/dining/kitchen and breakfast nook areas, the nature of the iguanas and monkeys that stop by for their visits, the seeming "rush hour" traffic in the busyness of the varieties of birds flying in and out of the tops of the royal palm trees that flank the property, the views of the courtyard and ocean from virtually every room of the home, the endless stars you can see at night due to the lack of a dome of light like most cities have, all of these together combine to make Casa Hakuna Matata an experience that is truly unlike any other.