I loved the place!! is very quiet and comfortable,Walter and Carol are excellent hosts, very attentive and friendly...who care about your stay is the best

We booked this place based on the location and the comments and let me say that it didn't let us down. Since before booking Walter was available for any question !! And since the first da of being there we felt like home! The Casita is perfect and the hosts are amazing! Always there if we needed something and always ready to help us!! We left costa rica with amazing memories and even more amazing friends! !! Definitely coming back! Ps. Carol makes a delicious cheesecake ;))) I recommend the Casita to everyone! You will not regret it! Big thank you to Walter, Carol and let's not forget about Maya she is the cutest!!! Pura Vida!!!!!!

First of all, read the first review by Teresa because she says it all and we agree with everything she says. I will add a few more points. The apartment has large screened windows or sliding doors on all walls and every room so the cross breezes are wonderful on the warm afternoons and keeps the place comfortable all day long. Every view out the windows is lovely. Hummingbirds, birds, butterflies, flowers and tropical plants are the closest neighbors. The place has all sorts of thoughtful touches, from soap to lots of towels to spices and more. They even stocked the fridge with cold drinks and items for a first breakfast! It is an absolute fabulous place. A terrific value! The crowning jewels of the place are Carol and Walter. They soon felt much more like friends than Airbnb hosts. They did make us seek them out, even though they are very warm and friendly, they are also sensitive to the fact that not all renters want to interact much. We plan to move to Atenas and they were a wealth of information for us. Thank you so much Carol and Walter, our first new friends in Atenas.

You will not meet friendlier hosts than Carol & Walter, who are laid back and very easy to get along with. They go out of their way to help and the little house is clean, well equipped and situated in a quiet and colorful garden.

Staying at Walter and Carol was more like visiting long time friends than with strangers. They are extremely gracious hosts and what might have just been a vacation into a cultural experience. We rank them so much and I'm sure we will keep in touch as friends.

We spent an enjoyable two weeks at Walter's Casa del Rio. Right from our first contact, Walter was a stellar host with prompt responses, helpful information, and directions. He made it easy for us to get to his beautiful home. He even offered to pick us up. Walter shared maps, advice, travel tips, and an engaging sense of humor. The rental is a super set up where you have complete privacy in the comfortable rental unit, yet also can interact with the host in the main house if you choose. Walter is a warm interesting guy and we loved visiting on the porch. We arrived strangers and left as good friends, sharing Christmas and New Year's Eve with Walter, his wife, and other friends. The house is in a quiet, safe, scenic location. We slept well with cool nights and quiet breezes. No chickens or dog fights! Beautiful neighborhood and the home is secured with a stout gate. The apartment is very nice, built to high North American standards. Very clean, no bugs! Excellent comfortable mattress, quality linens and towels, kitchen well stocked with utensils, pans and the basics, and strong reliable wifi. The apartment has a great bathroom, new appliances, and a comfortable couch. Walter gives access to do laundry in a nice set up. We loved the beautiful pool and enjoyed the lounge chairs and rancho (sort of a gazebo). Casa Del Rio has beautiful landscaping that hosts birds and butterflies. We have been traveling Latin America for three months and were so happy to relax, enjoy, and play in this beautiful location. We did not have a car. Rental cars were difficult to get in Atenas, especially over the holiday. Walter toured us around and took us on a grocery store run. Just down from the gate is a bus stop that has hourly stops you can take into Atenas, which is about 5 km / 3.2 miles away. Taxis are about $6 and easily available if desired. We walked in occasionally to enjoy the great weather. Once in Atenas, buses and connections to San Jose and surrounding towns are readily available. We toured San Jose, Zoo Ave, and Poas Volcano with fun, cheap bus trips. Atenas has great grocery shopping, and smaller grocery stores are within a five minute walk of the house. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we hope to arrange a return visit! Stay here to get that wonderful combination of super host, apartment, and town!

Great place to have some rest, you can hear birds at morning. Carol & Walter were very welcoming.

This is an absolute steal. Walter and Carol are great hosts, and they have a great place. The cabina is a great fit for a couple (but not more people) with a bed, living/dining room and bathroom. The BBQ area and pool are also great. This is a great choice for anyone looking for a place to stay in Atenas.

To say that Vera (and daughter Lara) are welcoming is a total understatement! Not only did we immediately feel like 'family' but the extra touches were over and above: fresh chicken eggs, sharing special goodies from Brazil, and 'big' towels for my oversize hub. She's also worked wonders on this beautiful property - leaving nothing wanting: like walking sticks for the many trails, a laundry line to dry wet bathing suits. About the place and space: clean, well-kept and not a bug in sight. Humming birds were our visitors every day. Amazing views from the room and from the pool. Vera had answers to all our questions: supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations.

Vera and Lara were excellent hostess' and had an absolutely beautiful home and property! They are very knowledgeable about Costa Rica and were helpful in providing recommendations to me as a first time traveler to the country. In addition, the on site yoga studio and option to book a massage was a great added benefit to the property. I got my first thai yoga massage upon arrival and I can't think of a better way to unwind from a long flight. Whether you are just looking to escape for a while or want a great mix of authentic Costa Rican culture in a beautiful atmosphere, I would strongly recommend Vera and Lara's property. One important note - if you don't have a car, be sure you're in good shape if you intend to walk into town and back :)

The house was well prepared and very nice for the weekend. I loved the view from the balcony and the freedom we had to wander around the property. It was the perfect place for a relaxing weekend.

Vera & Lara have an amazing place. I only met Vera and she was very nice. The home was just as pictured and beautiful. If I stayed in that area again it would for sure be there!

The only bad thing is we leave today! Vera was absolutely lovely! The place was just as in the pictures and the views were outstanding! I thought from the pictures that the pool might be quite a ways away, but it isn't. It's just a few steps and the view from the pool is spectacular!

My stay at the Casita was wonderful! The place was very clean. The kitchen is stocked with everything you need to cook for yourself. The view is absolutely breathtaking! Great place to have a cup of coffee and relax and enjoy nature. The property is stunning and surrounded by beautifully maintained plants, flowers and trees and little walking pathways throughout. I felt very safe at the Casita, and had a lot of privacy, but the hosts were around if I needed anything or had any questions. Vera & Lara were terrific hosts, both extremely kind, and helpful. Vera made arrangements for me to get to and from the airport safely, and also took me to the grocery store when I first arrived. They helped me out getting into town, figuring out buses, and making sure I knew what to tell the cab driver in order to get home (my Spanish is not great). Atenas is a charming little town and off the beaten path of the tourists, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends, family and fellow Airbnb'ers. I will definitely be back!

We stayed at this listing for 11 nights and had a good experience. The inside of the property is as shown in the pictures, very tidy and clean. While the couch provided is pretty basic and not too comfortable, the bed is lovely, and provides for a very good night's sleep. The kitchen utilities are sufficient to make pretty much whatever you would like. The gym was well-stocked for your workout, and we enjoyed using that, and the pool looks very nice, but note that it's attached directly to the host's house, not yours or somewhere in the middle. Our favourite part of the day was waking up early early in morning (around 5) and watching and listening to the birds chirp and fly about. We were able to see several tropical and colourful birds, including some toucans! The outside surroundings and the views of the jungle area are better than the pictures provided. Be aware, as it's the jungle, there are plenty of mosquitos and bugs at night, so be prepared for that, but thankfully, the listing is very well sealed, so that you don't have many bugs coming into the house. Vera was extremely helpful with anything we asked, including driving us to the grocery store for food, arranging to buy a SIM card, and arranging transportation with a friend of theirs from the airport to this listing, and from this listing to Jaco Beach. Overall, I would recommend this listing if you're looking to get a taste of the Costa Rican jungle.

I don't know where to begin. As I reminisce being on a high point of a mountain all I can simply say is that this place is incredible. The scenery, incredible. Vera is incredible. Lara, incredible. The pictures of this place on AirBnb are cool and very true to reality, but actually being there is a far more elevated experience of surrealism. My girlfriend and myself stayed here for 5 nights and waking up every morning was a true breath of fresh clean air with unique tunes from all sorts of bird hymns. So much nature, so much scenery, so much pure life. This place is very cozy, very clean, very comfortable, and well put together. The kitchen was spacious and cozy as well. We cooked breakfast every morning and everything that was necessary to be used was easily accessible. The bathroom is super ideal to have even at my own home. The bedroom was warm and cozy with views of the mountainous terrain. The balcony is huge and has a hammock readily available at your leisure (super comfortable by the way). The host, Vera, was supremely efficient in making the place a warm and loving welcome. Needless to say, she helped me out big time in assisting me with surprising my girlfriend with beautiful flowers, wine, and a card via communicating with her while I was still in the states before our trip. I mention this to say that Vera is extremely reliable. Vera truly has a beautiful spirit and it shows the moment you have your first conversation with her. Aside from Vera, Lara was also very resourceful with information for our journey. We also learned that she is a veterinarian and hosts her own acupuncture practice on the property as well which we thought was really admiring. The animals on site were very friendly and beautiful energies to encounter with. We were greeted by one of the 7 dogs, Terere, every morning, and he showed SO much love and quickly left after his greeting. Vera and her place were definitely elemental to our Costa Rica experience. We are definitely planning a future for here again thank you for everything.

I stayed here with my wife and two young girls in April 2017. The location was good, a 10 minute walk into Atenas, along pavement most of the way. The apartment is set within a three storey block of apartments, all very friendly and quiet, occupied by both expats and Ticos, never busy. The apartments are set within bigger grounds that the children liked exploring. The pool and pool area are excellent, girls loved the slide and my wife and I were able to swim lengths (pool has a 25m lane!) There are two friendly employees on site, Rudy and Andrea, who were always on hand for questions or problems. We organised car hire through them, and also found out about amenities in Atenas. They will also come and do housekeeping on request. Apartment was very clean, spacious for a small family, nice view from balcony. We also used TV, Internet, aircon, Washing machine, hob, microwave, coffee machine - no problems. Simply excellent value.

the apartments are very clean and have a wonderful view...The pool is perfect to lounge around and cool off....

The apartments are ok. a bit out dated but for Costa Rica still really nice. the place if for sale and the owner is not there, has really nice care takers, you must speak Spanish other wise nothing can be arranged as they only speak Spanish. The resort is in a minimum maintenance state, the pool is nice, the waterslide was turned on once during our 12 days there. not many guests around in March which is nice. We had to leave early as we had people downstairs who smoked on the balcony, I am asthmatic we could not stay longer. Also if everybody runs the A/C its is really loud. The view is really nice. the main road is going past the property and the cars and trucks starting at 5.30 am until 11 pm endless traffic and very noisy at times. There is no cleaning service available, and you need to maybe buy some stuff for the kitchen if you start cooking. we bought some good knives and a scissor. The washing machine is perfect. Bring your own pool towels and some shower towels, hand towels and face cloth, cleaning cloth.

Andrea fue bastante colaboradora para que nuestra estancia fuera placentera. Agradezco mucho la colaboración brindada en todo momento.

Nous avons passé une très bonne semaine tranquille et calme. Tout s'est bien passé. La description est conforme à la réalité. C'est propre avec la climatisation. Il faut juste savoir que l'eau chaude fonctionne uniquement les après midi avec la chaleur du soleil. Je recommande sans hésitation cet airbnb qui fait parti des meilleurs que nous avons connu au Costa Rica !

Absolutely love this apartment. Everything as advertised. Clean and fully supplied. Back yard was delightful. Irene and her Madre very helpful. Walking distance to everything. Will stay again perhaps for long term rental. It is that nice.

My wife and I had a great vacation. Irene and Lucia were the perfect host, made us feel very welcomed and always went out of there way to accommodate us when needed. The place was perfect for us since we wanted to immerse our selves in Tico culture and also see the expat influence on the town of Atenas. Did not need to rent a car since everything was so close especially the nearby bus station which took us everywhere (Alajuela, San Jose & Jaco). Restaurants where very good especially "Antano" we had breakfast & dinner there both were excellent, also went to La Finca for the best thin pizza you can find. The cozy quiet and safe area was a big plus. The proximity to the Atenas Parque Central was also ideal we took walks and sat in the park almost every night we where there. We also went to a place called "El Balcon del Cafe" owned by German expats where we met many expats from various areas (Europe, Canada, etc..), also went to "Kays Gringo Postres" a local hangout for expats as well where we gathered a lot of research and feedback. We had the best of both worlds (Tico & Expats) and Irene's place is perfect to explore both. We also went to the local markets and cooked a few home meals as well and were not disappointed on the quality of the produce , meats, condiments, pastries, especially the bread. I think we gained a few pounds on something called "Trensa Salada" a fluffy soft baked bread with butter which melted in your mouth. It felt like we could find everything we needed like back in the states. We would definitely recommend anyone looking for a similar experience to stay at Irene's apartment, she also has other rentals in other areas as well. We only wished we had more days to spend there and keep exploring. We are from LI NY and this trip was the beginning of our search to eventually retire in Costa Rica in the future. Pura Vida!

Stayed there for a week and it was everything you could ask for; downtown, private, clean, close to whatever you need. Apartment was the perfect size and exactly as pictured.

The house is very elegant, a little studio attached to the back of the house. The kitchen us everything you need. The location is perfect and Irene and her mom were great hosts! La casa Es may elegante. La Covina tiene todo lo necesario para cocinar. La ubicación es perfecta. Y Irene y la mama estaban ahí por cualquier cosa.

Cute Downtown Atenas (Apartment)