Once you arrive in Mal Pais, your adventure begins with the most incredible drive up the mountain to Villa Katino that you may ever experience! Villa Katino was everything my family hoped to experience x ten! The layout and amenities of this incredible home maximizes every square inch for your eyes to bathe in a view unique in all of the world! The Costa Rican forest, beaches, monkeys and million dollar estates will take your breath away! Thank you Tino, for your meticulous care and passion for our vacation. Every expectation was exceeded!
Villa Katino is the nicest all-around rental property in Mal Pais. I have stayed there several times and live part-time in Mal Pais as well. I have seen most of the rental properties on the market and believe that Villa Katino provides the best experience for almost any traveler.
Set atop the hills of Mal Pais, the house commands a 180 degree view of the ocean and valleys below. The views are simply the best on the peninsula and gave me a feeling that is hard to qualify: some combination along the lines of divine, uplifting and pacifying. There is the immediate sense of relief and wonder as you first ascend the driveway and are greeted by the uniquely composed vista. The infinity-edge pool with it's beach entry give the impression of being on the beach even as you are 500 meters above it.
The house is comfortable with all the amenities of home: wireless high-speed internet, television and a gourmet kitchen. The entertainment area has a jacuzzi, a barbeque and couches and hammocks for lunging.
The property is ideal for families or groups of friends looking for an amazing home base from which to explore the wonders of the peninsula. The breeze is crisp at nights and the slight elevation makes sleeping much more comfortable. The foliage is immaculately manicured all the while maintaining the sensation of being in the jungle.
Tino is a most gracious and accommodating host whose charm and concern added to our experience. I unequivocally recommend Villa Katino for an amazing vacation.
To celebrate our son"s graduation from the United World College we rented Villa Katino for our family/friends group of 9 (ages 13 to 77) for a couple of days in May 2010. Tino, the owner of the property, provided every bit of information needed beforehand to get us to Villa Katino safely, including ferry times and a precise road map with instructions to the house. This turned out to be very helpful, since the weather god was not on our side and we had to travel in torrential rain and the last stretch through the jungle and up the hill was quite adventurous to put it mildly (we had to cross two river beds, and they were NOT dry!!!). A good 4x4 car is absolutely essential! Once we reached the top though we were rewarded with the most spectacular views! The house and grounds are beautiful and very well maintained and the pool area with hot tub is absolutely stunning. The "adults" stayed in the main house and the "kids" took over the pool house and outside lounge area, which worked out perfectly. The rooms were very nicely furnished, the beds comfortable, the baths very uniquely designed and big (with plenty of towels) and the kitchen furnished with everything one could possibly need (including a laundry room with washer & dryer). There is cable TV, wireless internet and shelves full of books and games. Tino lives close by and is there at all times with great tips and help if needed. Also, a maid came every day to clean the kitchen and baths, which was pure luxury.
Every day howler monkeys would wake us and an array of exotic birds could be spotted right around the house. On the one day that the sun finally came out we drove down the hill and spent a day at the beach which we basically had to ourselves. It takes about 15 minutes to drive into "civilization", meaning Mal Pais and Santa Teresa, where there are plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and fun entertainment. We enjoyed the fact that we were way "above" all the action but had it close enough if needed.
We will definitely be back at Villa Katino for a hopefully sunnier vacation and we recommend it to anybody that is looking for pure luxury in one of the most amazing spots Costa Rica has to offer with unspoiled nature and a very "bearable amount of tourists"! We were only there for 3 nights, but can easily imagine spending a whole week or more in this paradise!
Thank you for the opportunity to stay in Mal Pais in your wonderful house. I had glorious days at your hilltop house - it was everything (and more) that I could have hoped for. The view of the house is extremely special and the house makes for a perfect holiday. The surroundings are stunning. The layout was perfect providing great social areas as well as privacy for times you just wanted to read a book and relax. I loved cooking and dinning in the villa. All amenities were provided. I felt like I were in a 5 star home with incredible views of the ocean. The panoramic views from the villa were breathtaking. I would highly recommend this property. I will never forget the view!
Very highly recommended and looking forward to more vacations there!!
This privately owned house is a great value for the money we paid! The grounds at the house were very well maintained and the house's interior was clean, updated and comfortable. The pictures are great but don't really do this house justice, we got there and we're blown away.
The house is immaculate. Its unique stile provides a great contrast with the incredible, well tended garden of tropical flora that surrounds the house. Everything inside and out is top notch. More importantly, the view is mind blowing. Whether you drinking your morning coffee, catching some afternoons in the hammock or floating in the pool at sunset. If an inside evening is called for, there is a big TV with lots of channels, and relaxing in the house with the doors open and the breeze blowing through is awesome.
The house is beautiful located, and gives you the feeling that you are all alone, monkeys and all sort of wildlife coming to visit. Plenty of space, great kitchen and nothing like sitting by the pool with a glas of wine, with monkeys napping in the trees. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Villa Katino. We could have just stayed at the house most of the time without our excursions and had a delightful time. I could go on and on but would summarize it by saying that this was one of our most memorable trips and our stay at Villa Katino was a very big part of it.
Simply the BEST! Thanks so much and it will be not the last visit to paradise!
hi all from canada !!!
my familly and a bunch of friends went to santa teresa - costa rica for two weeks in april 2010 for a surf trip. we had the incredible chance to stay at the best spot in the area : VILLA KATINO.
such a beautiful house, lots of space, beautiful rooms, daily maid service, warm sunny weather, crazy pool and chill out lounge, and .... on top of the world !!! AMAZING VIEW on mal pais and santa theresa beaches.
i've been travelling to central america and mainland mexico for about 10 years, never been to such an amazing place !!
thanks tino for everything, so many souvenirs, we'll be back soon !!!!