Ten-bedroom ocean view villa with three pools and a chef included

Ten bedrooms, three pools, and a chef for two meals a day

MAE-01 is one of the biggest houses in Manuel Antonio: about 10,500 square feet over five levels, with ten bedrooms and room for up to 26 guests. It is also close enough to town that you can walk to restaurants, bars, the beaches, and the national park, which is rare for a house this size. It is always booked by one group, and the managers open it from five or six bedrooms upward, so a smaller family does not pay for rooms it will not use.

The main floor is one big great room: a kitchen with a long breakfast bar built around a tree trunk, a handmade dining table for twelve, and two lounges, all opening onto the pool terraces. The ocean views are from this floor and from the roof, looking out over Manuel Antonio Bay and the Pacific. Most bedrooms look into the jungle instead, and monkeys, toucans, and scarlet macaws come through the trees around the house.

There are three pools. The main one is a lagoon-style pool with two waterfalls in the garden below the house. A smaller splash pool with an ocean view sits off a terrace with loungers and a stone sectional. The third is indoors, in a game room that also has a pool table, foosball, a TV, and a wet bar. On top of the house, a sky deck of about 1,000 square feet has sun loungers and a thatched rancho with its own bar.

The rate includes a private chef for two meals a day; you pay for the food and drinks. The managers note the chef is not included on last-minute discounted rates within 60 days of arrival. Daily housekeeping and laundry service are part of the stay too.

Beds, as the managers list them: six bedrooms have a king, two have a double, and two have three singles each, two of which lock together into a king. Those two triple rooms are in a separate guesthouse a few steps from the main house, with a stone bathroom and an open-air rain shower. Every bedroom is air conditioned and has its own bathroom. Exterior stairways connect the five levels, so expect stairs between rooms and pools, and ask us before booking if anyone in your group has trouble with steps.

What is included

• Three pools: a lagoon pool with two waterfalls, an ocean view splash pool, and an indoor splash pool in the game room
• Rooftop sky deck, about 1,000 square feet, with a thatched rancho and bar
• Private chef for two meals a day, included in the rate (food and drinks extra)
• Game room with a pool table, foosball, a TV, and a wet bar
• Separate two-bedroom guesthouse
• Ten bedrooms, each with its own bathroom
• Air conditioned bedrooms, ceiling fans throughout
• Full kitchen with dishwasher and a breakfast bar
• Barbecue grill
• Daily maid service and laundry service
• Safe
• Off-street parking, limited, so ask us how many cars fit
• Walking distance to restaurants, the beaches, and the national park
• Concierge for tours, transport, and dinners out

Rates

From $700 a night. The managers price by the week and by season, starting from six bedrooms for up to 12 guests, with each extra bedroom added on top and a fee for each guest over 20. They have also quoted it to us as a private five-bedroom booking. Christmas and New Year weeks are priced for all ten bedrooms. The chef is in the rate, the food is not, and local taxes are added on top. Tell us your dates and group size and we will send you the current total before you book.