For reference, Villa Esmeralda
is located roughly half way between Quepos/Manuel Antonio and
Dominical. The nearest village with stores and restaurants is
Matapalo which is very near Playa Matapalo.
We would be glad to book any activities that you wish to schedule in advance. If you would like specifics of locations/times/prices for any of these let us know and we will forward details to you.
Villa Esmeralda
Completed in November of 2007, Villa Esmeralda is newly constructed and, as you would expect, has top of the line kitchen appliances, linens, and furniture.
We are surrounded by primary rain forest here and it is very magical to see the flora and fauna. At 500m (1,500 ft), we are up a bit from the beach. We are in a unique site that always has a cool breeze blowing, which keeps the air fresh and the temprature pleasant.
To begin a vacation adventure that you will treasure forever, visit our Reservations page.
Hills of Portalon
Hiking and horseback tours are available in the immediate area and in other sites up and down the coast and on the beach.
This pair of Macaws will occasionally fly overhead
Quepos Quepos is the largest town nearby, with a small airport that has scheduled flights from San Jose (via Sansa and Nature Air). Otherwise it is a four or five hour drive from San Jose. There are many restaurants, shops and tours here including deep sea fishing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking, rafting in nearby rivers, and nature tours such as rain forest hiking and canopy "zip-line" tours.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio, near Quepos, is the second most popular park in Costa Rica. There are many wonderful restaurants, shops and additional tours available, including a self-guided walking tour of the park itself.
Matapalo and Playa Matapalo
Matapalo and Playa Matapalo are rustic villages 10 or 15 minutes down the road from Villa Esmeralda. There are some restaurants and markets with good fruit, vegetables and a great meat market. The beach at Playa Matapalo is exceptional. There are horseback tours available either on the beach or in nearby rain forest. We can also arrange horseback tours of the rain forest around Villa Esmeralda/Hills of Portalon.
Dominical
Dominical is to the south of Villa Esmeralda and is smaller than Quepos. It has restaurants and some shopping. There is surfing here. There are other tours available here and in towns further south including river rafting, sea kayaking, deep sea fishing, SCUBA diving and snorkeling.