Caribbean Rainforest Home at Samasati Nature Preserve!

Casa Elana is nestled in the heart of a tropical jungle. It is tranquil and peaceful. Many birds, howler monkeys, butterflies and more variety of insects than I could have imagined. Very little problem with mosquitos, One room is A/CSimple and adequate for a nice stay away from it all.A 4x4 is required to climb the 1000 ft mountain.

fabulous private location in vibrant old growth rainforest. Audio paradise with sounds of birds frogs and howler monkeys. road is steep but not rutted. must have contact with caretaker prior to visit as you have to get through gate ay bottom and won't find on your own

I stayed at Samasati from the 3rd through the 12th of August. I stayed at several other properties on Samasati, but the Yucca House is in the most beautiful part of Samasati's property. The best part of this property is that it is a nature retreat. It is a short 4 miles from Puerto Viejo. If you want to have total autonomy, a 4x4 vehicle is necessary because it is a steep gravel road to the top of a secluded jungle mountain. With that being said, you are totally immersed in the sounds and fresh aromas of the Costa Rican Jungle. The birds, flowers, and butterflies are absolutely breathtaking. If you want to see jungle life from your front porch, the Yucca House at Samasati is the place to stay. You hear the roar of howler monkeys every morning, and you might even get lucky enough to see Capuchin monkeys coming down from the trees. The bird life is incredible. Toucans are sighted every single day, and beautiful green parrots are camouflaged in the trees but can easily be seen with a pair of binoculars. The morphos butterflies come through this area often, but are nearly impossible to get a good picture of unless you have a camera with a fast shutter speed that can take multiple photographs per second to capture the erratic movement of this elusive butterfly. The yoga classes are some of the best I’ve ever attended. Max, the resident yoga instructor is tremendously talented. He is a German gentleman who is one of the original founders of Samasati. He’s been practicing yoga for over 30 years, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about yoga. His classes are fun, and accessible to all. He will modify each yoga session for his students, and he makes each yoga session deeply enjoyable for each student. Yoga and nature are great reasons to visit this scenic nature retreat. Beautiful hiking trails run throughout Samasati. The jungle is beautiful at any time of year. I was there during the rainy season, and the heavy rain was one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had. The views of the fog over the trees are incredible. Because you are staying on the mountaintop in the jungle, the view of the ocean is incredibly beautiful on clear days. But nothing can beat the sound of the rain on the tin rooftops and the sightings of all of the colorful jungle frogs. The vegetarian restaurant that is walking distance from this property is tremendous. Customer service at the resort was amazing.

The house was nice but a little dirty. The jaccuzi didnt work.There wasnt much hot water. It's a good thing it was just me and my husband and I didnt have my kids. The jungle setting was beautiful and peaceful. My biggest complaint would be the transportation getting up to the house. You HAVE to have a 4x4 or you wont be able to get up to the house and will be at the mercy of Samasati to get you up there. I needed a ride down the mountain and up again once a day. By the 3rd day I was there Samasati made it clear to me that they are not obligated to give us a ride but will do so if they already have a trip planned to go up or down. This made it very difficult to make plans because we were at their mercy for rides. My husband and I ended up checking out early because they made us feel uncomfortable even though we always gave a tip to our driver.Not to mention we would not have been able to make our flight home in time because we would have no way of getting down the mountain so early on Sat. morning. If your looking for a peaceful retreat and want to enjoy Samasati I would recomend this place but if you are like I was and want to go out exploring the country and the beaches I do not recomend this house. Unless you have a 4x4 vehicle.