13 Appréciation(s) 209647 Atenas, Alajuela

Hi Christopher,
Thanks again for a beautiful place! It was perfect for the 6 of us. What we like best:
The view,
The beautiful house layout
The views,
The setting in a small rural town with excellent views,
The comfortable beds,
The modern bathrooms with great shower heads,
The well supplied kitchen,
The hot tub,
the massage chair,
the tv and dvd player (to help entertain the younger set in the evenings),
the sitting areas,
The Uno game that was water proofed (played every evening)

5 Star accommodation. Beautiful chalet, modern and with all the ammenities. Nice to have high speed internet access and laundry facilities. Next time I would travel with less since all the conveniences of home (and more) are there. The location is centrally located and we were able to travel to the Carribean and Pacific sides from the chalet.

Best of all was the assistance and hospitality of Chris and Pilly. They do everything to help you with attractions and travelling within the country.

Speaking of attractions, we were able to enjoy: hiking in National Parks, snorkelling, horseback riding, volcano sightseeing, zip lines through the jungle(my favourite), and just enjoying the incredble scenery of Costa Rica.

Hope I am lucky enough to come back soon.

The Chalet was great. It was exactly as described and better. Chris Downey and his friends were very helpful starting with how to get to the chalet to places to visit. Eriberto met us at Grecia and guided us to the chalet after loading up at the local grocery store. We had a great time at the chalet with plenty of relaxation and fun. The chalet was very well maintained with all the amenities.The GPS provided by Chris was a godsend in Costa Rica and I could not thank him enough for that alone. We did write a more elaborate review in the guest book comments at the home. Bajo del toro amarillo was a quiet and beautiful place to stay and we enjoyed every minute of it. We drove extensively to all the usual volcano, waterfall and rainforest destinations. We did hire a driver for the trip to Jaco and Manuel Antonio national park. It was worth the money. The mountain roads of Costar Rica need a separate forum to discuss. We had thrills of our lives driving through the mountains. Costa Ricans (Ticos) are the most friendly people we've ever met. It was a very memorable vacation. Highly recommend this chalet for the location, unique architecture and value.
A lunch at the El Silencio lodge was the pinnacle of our trip. It was fantastic and is a must for everybody who stays here. Reservations are required, even though we showed up for lunch without one and were graciously accomodated.
Thanks Chris, for everything.

We were a group of 5 (it was a first time trip to Costa Rica for all of us). Our plane got in at night and on the scary drive up it starting raining and it was foggy and we could only marvel at the beauty of the inside of the house. The next morning every person awoke with the same expression...beautiful. The house is surrounded by mountains and the beauty of the area of Toro Amarillo is breathtaking. We loved every mintue of it.

The house slept all of us comfortably. The house is a modern thing of beauty surrounded by quaint country houses. I spent a fair amount of time cooking in the kitchen and all the appliances were modern and plentiful.

We had everything we needed at our fingertips from the internet to satellite tv to a hot bubbly jacuzzi. By the way sitting under the stars at night in the jacuzzi was simply wonderful. I can't say enough good things about this house and the entire country of Costa Rica.

The home was beautifully maintained inside and out; everything was just perfect.

This was our home away from home, and Costa Rica is definitely our new favorite destination.

Also the entire time we were there we had a driver from one of the local tour companies. Our driver was EXCELLENT (friendly, knowledgeable, bilingual)--driving would have been scary and confusing for us so having a driver was most beneficial--and I would definitely use a driver service while in Costa Rica.

We tried to see as much of the country as possible from the beach to white water rafting to caving to the volcanos to the waterfalls and we still feel like we missed a lot---this country has so many exciting and challenging activites to do.

Nos vemos pronto Costa Rica (see you soon Costa Rica!!!)

Tera & Gigi

This was our first trip to Costa Rica, and when I saw the chalet on the website, I knew this was the place for us. Our group ranged from 40-68, and we like off the beaten path. Staying at Baja de Toro was perfect for this group. If you like to be in the middle of the action, this place is not for you. 30 -45 minutes to groceries; many days we drove for several hours, but the drives were beautiful and part of the adventure of Costa Rica. The house was beautiful; waking up to the view of the volcanos/mountains was breath taking. Pilly was great--we met him in Grecias and we went to the market with him--and then followed him up and up and up to the chalet.

Breakfasts with Seleni were delicious--we had long days, so starting off with a hearty breakfast kept us going for hours before late lunches.

We hiked at El Silencio (and had the best lunch in CR there), went hiking at Arenal, visited a butterfly conservancy, toured a coffee plantation (Espiritu Sanctu), visited the Elyse Kunsler botanical gardens (where we had a private tour with the Director), volunteered at an animal rescue center, soaked in the thermal spas at Basque de Termales, hiked the Los Angeles Cloud Forest (and ziplined there) and drove the closed road to La Paz Waterfall gardens where we rode an ox cart and hand fed the hummingbirds. (You can ford streams with 4 x4's). We cooked at the house a few nights. Love the gas grill on the upper level.

The house was a good set up for 7 folks. Love the design! The kitchen and bathrooms are to die for. We only had a few issues, one of which the hot tub, which Pilly had repaired, but the repair did not work. Hot water can be a little finicky, but a little patience goes a long way. Internet dial up did not work, but I had my Blackberry from work so we had a connection to the web. (Plus who wants to spend time on the computer in CR??) Having the GPS was a lifesaver, since maps and road signs are optional in CR.

Chris and Pilly were really helpful as we planned out trip and Pilly checked in on us. Overall, we had a great trip and would recommend the house if you are willing to drive (or be driven) to the major attractions.

What can I say that Chris and Pilly do not already know about this place! I came to Toro for rest, relaxation and reflection. I achieved just that! Pilly you have been a great host. Thanks for everythying. Costa Rica is my favourite place outside home. When my life gets crazy and upside down, I will think of this awsome place.

Upon arrival, even in the late PM hours, was amazing. We were so delighted with the accommodations. Pilly had food stocked in the fridge and many local fruit choices. Each morning we had a delicious breakfast made by Selene and her sister Vivianna. We could not have asked for a more delicious and authentic start to our day.
The mountains and farms that surrounded us were so beautiful that words could never describe. We loved our drives through Zarcero and San Ramon. The churches were gorgeous. We cannot wait to send Chris some of our favourites.

Wednesday evening we were delighted to have the chef from El Silencio come and prepare a delicious dinner for us. Our kids loved watching him prepare fresh trout and tilapia. We loved all the organic lettuce and veggies. We finished with a wonderful berry, frozen mint and yogurt dessert.

On our hike through El Silencio waterfalls we were fortunate enough to see a troop of Spider monkeys and four peccary. Nature abounds in this lovely piece of heaven! We so appreciated all that was provided for us. We will be back!

We are just back after 9 days at the chalet. What a great trip. We are a party of three adults and a 12 year old.

First of all, the chalet is as described and pictured. However that does not begin to describe the location in the mountains which is spectacular. We were lucky to have sunshine most days, but even so, the cloud layers rolled in and out throughout the day and night to make the mountain view dramatic.

The location is at the end of a valley at about 5,000 feet surrounded by cloud forest. It is in a small village with a convenience store, a couple of restaurants and bars (and a police station). Rancho Typico is very good.

A car is essential IMO and the rental included a GPS (also essential). We managed just fine driving on our own, as long as you are OK with getting lost, travelling along roads that are closed (no singage), or driving narrow roads at night. To us it is part of the adventure but it is not for everyone (are you a destination traveller or a journey traveller?).

Closest grocery stores are in Zarcero about 30 minutes drive. We managed our own groceries and cooking and had no difficulties. The chalet has everything you will need.

There are a number of things to do close to chalet that are outstanding: eco hike at Bosque de Paz (reservations), hike to waterfall at Catarata del Toro, hike and dinner at El Silencio Hotel (reservations), coffee tour at Espiritu Santo (Naranjo - reservations). Other tourist destinations require a couple of hours drive: Volcano Poas (the shorter road is closed right now), La Fortuna, La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

Christopher was very helpful getting organized for the trip and Pilly was there on site to settle us in at the chalet and was available if we needed him.

A memorable experience by all.