On the basis of glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, my wife and I decided to spend 3 nights (out of 14 in Costa Rica) in the luxury villa at Casa Chameleon to celebrate our 40th anniversary. When I got back and wrote down my thoughts, I realized how many other guests had had the same experience.

There IS magic here! You hate to leave the villa, even for a meal. Kevin's cooking is inventive and absolutely first class (we had two breakfasts and our anniversary dinner). David (the manager) made us feel right at home immediately and responded quickly to everything we asked. Bobbie and Anthony (the owners) were out of town until our last night, but they made a point of spending some time talking to us and even got up early to say goodbye when we took the taxi back to the Tambor Airport - they have to be the most friendly and gracious people I have ever met! It was like being with old friends a few minutes after we met them.

The villa itself is deceptively simple, but everything has been thought through. You have a view of the pool, the forest and the Pacific from the bedroom, kitchen and dining/living room. Every effort has been made to make people comfortable. (Just as an example, around the pool there are 2 chaise lounges, 2 Adirondack chairs, 2 bean bags, and 2 pool floats -- choose your favorite!) The kitchen is big and functions as well as a kitchen back home. There’s a stove, a full-size refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, a blender, dishes, cutlery, glasses, pots and pans. On arrival, you find complimentary snacks and a bag of ground coffee on the counter and bottles of water, beer (or soda if you prefer) in the frig. There are several small grocery stores not too far away (we liked Super Ronnies best) so if you want to cut down on eating out and almost never leave the place, it’s totally doable! However, you should make an exception to get a great thin crust pizza at Pizza at Playa Carmen (on the beach at the boundary between Mal Pais and Santa Teresa).

The total privacy (you can't see another soul from the open side of the villa or from the pool) and the absence of any sounds except the birds, the wind, and the surf makes the experience incredibly special and perfect for a honeymoon or anniversary. Add in an exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly staff that seems to anticipate your needs and the bottom line is it's simply wonderful!

Anyone coming to Casa Chameleon should be aware of a few snags we hit in Mal Pais. Both the ATM and the bank in town can ONLY process cash advances against a VISA card. You can't take money out of your own bank account as you can with ATM's elsewhere. Also, since you really need some way to get around, we had arranged to rent an ATV. Unfortunately, at the end of March it was very very dry and dusty, so every time we went out, we came back covered in white dust. (Just another excuse for showering off and jumping in the pool). They just began paving the main road, so this may not be a problem next year.

Finally, for all of you who have emailed Casa Chameleon but not received a response: be sure to check to see that your email did not bounce back with an error. I found that their hotmail site refused to deliver some of my emails after we had booked the villa and one of their responses went into MY spam folder. Other than those instances, responses to my emails were quite timely. Also, once you have booked a villa, they'll send you a telephone number to use if you need to talk to someone quickly. It's a little harder to book a villa at Casa Chameleon than at some other places, but once you get there, you'll know it was more than worth it.

Liked: Privacy, Solitude, Views, Friendliness, Service
Disliked: Having to leave the villa at the end of our stay
Recommended for: A honeymoon or romantic getaway

My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Costa Rica at Hotel Casa Chameleon and we can honestly say there was not a bad thing about our trip! When we arrived, we were greeted by Dave- a young, enigmatic, wonderfully kind host. We were given a tour of the grounds that night but we had no idea the marvels we were to awake to in the morning. The scenery was enchanting. The sound of the ocean as soothing as the touch of your loved one you're enjoying it with. The villa was spectacular. We enjoyed the large opened doors that allowed us to listen to the abundant wildlife that made it seem like were living a dream. The food- indescribably decadent. Our pallets were never lulled to sleep with mediocre food or beverage. It was so relaxing. When we arrived we saw another couple for about 5 seconds and barely saw another visiting soul until we left. It felt like we were the only people on earth that they were concerned about. And for those nights that we wanted to take it especially easy- the cooler had wines and other beverages and we just wrote it on a slip of paper and it was added to our bill later- we just relaxed with the hammock and some wine in our villa. Money was never a source of anxiety either. They just want you to relax and not worry. The last day or so that you're there you receive and invoice so that the rest of the time you don't have to carry cash with you while you're in the resort. That was great. The pool is beautiful, and its surrounded by an ever-changing and growing variety of plant life. The soil is so lush and rich that the plants and flowers just grow like crazy. Everyone is so down to earth, it makes the visit that much more relaxing and wonderful. And for when you're ready to get out and explore, Bobbi, Anthony, and Dave never run out of spectacular ideas. There is not a bad thing to write about this wonderful spot on God's green earth. All correspondence is via email and you pay with wire transfer. They walk you through it if, like us, its your first time with wire transfer. Its a lot easier than we expected. If you're blessed with a chance to visit, you've got to take advantage- you'll not regret it! Happy travels!

We read some reviews before visiting here so I figured it fitting to add some feedback. Even after reading about this place it was better than expected. First, I must emphasize that this is NOT YOUR REGULAR VACATION. If you are someone that just has to have typical anything, you are better off at a Marriot or Four Seasons. If you really want to see a place that hasn't been overly americanized and have a unique experience, this could be for you. The roads are rugged and this is a very natural place so be ready to explore.

What I loved about CC is that it is luxurious in a natural way. It's not overbuilt or overdone, but has a great sense of fitting in with the surroundings. The design of the room(regular, not the honeymoon suite) was perfectly situated in the jungle, with great views. The jungle is all around and the room, or villa rather, is completely separate offering great privacy. The details are what I particularly enjoyed. There was a basket of things I found useful such as binoculars, books, and other bits and pieces that were a great touch.

The service is exceptional and David took care of every need without ever imposing. My husband played soccer with Jorge at the most amazing soccer field I've ever seen. If you speak any spanish, it is such an added experience to enjoy some local activities. Jorge helped build the hotel and is just a sweetheart! This was a perfect place for us because it has that something special without being detached from the local flavor of the area and Costa Rica.

I must also add that having the private chef was a real treat! We also enjoyed the local restaurants, so it really depends on your tastes. We thought having a special dinner one evening and trying the restaurants the other 4 days was a perfect experience.

Also, their recommendation to rent a car was very helpful. To really get through the rugged roads and see the area this was necessary. The hill to the hotel is steep, but once you do it once it's a piece of cake. It's well worth it to have the views. I thought the location was terrific because it is actually in Mal Pais which is a nicer area . It was ideally centered for all of the activities and restaurants we enjoyed.

It was tough for us to get a booking here because they only have 3 villas and have a lot of return guests, but it was worth the wait . They were also kind enough to forewarn me about the ruggedness of the area due to some of my initial questions. I appreciated the candor and found it refreshing that they didn't want me to book if we weren't going to enjoy it. They actually underplayed how great it is, which is probably why they get such favorable reactions. We hope they'll have us back and we will stay longer next time!

This was our first location on our honeymoon and we were spoiled for sure! It was the first time either of us have left the states and we were well taken care of! We were both excited and nervous on the bumpy roads in but boy was it worth it! We had the villa with private pool and I've never seen anything like it. I knew people said it was private but it was PRIVATE. Our view was of just the ocean with jungle trees around. The villa was HUGE and the pool started only a few steps from our bed. It was tough to even leave since we were served meals in our room whenever we wanted to. We did breakfast, lunch and dinner TWICE. But we finally went out and Mal Pais was great! It was supposed to be their "busy time" but we had beaches to ourselves. This place is everything it's cracked up to be and MORE!