I would like to address this guest's comments to provide context for future guests. He was informed multiple times in writing in our check in instructions provided to all guests and in advance by email and again during his stay that Dauly is our full time local property manager and point of contact during his stay. I explained to him multiple times when he asked that Prashant is not the local point of contact or the home property manager. He arranges services the guest requests separate from the home rental. The guest complained about inflated pricing for a boat tour but fails to mention that the price he was given was for a private boat tour and included transportation. This was suggested as they had a large group. Obviously a private boat is more expensive than a boat tour shared by others. The Guest initially requested professional chef services but decided that was too expensive so was instead offered lower pricing for a cook as an alternative. We have many guests use the services of our cook who prepares more simple meals and they are very happy with her cooking. This is the only guest who has complained about our cook. The guest complained that a professional chef was not provided (even though he did not pay for one) and he did not like the cook. The guest unfortunately expected premium services like a professional chef for the price of a cook. He was provided a refund for the meals he was unhappy with. The guest was also told before his stay when he complained about pricing that he was under no obligation to arrange any services through our concierge. He said he could arrange services like the boat cheaper on his own and I encouraged him to book on his own but he still decided to proceed with booking services through our concierge. I offered for Dauly to arrange services for him there on site if he preferred but he chose not to do so as his primary focus was to get the cheapest possible price. There is a wide variety of pricing for services as it depends on exactly what you are getting such as a private versus a shared boat tour or a private professionaI chef vs a cook. I knew in advance he would complain no matter what was done. The guest was advised multiple times that all services are separate from the property rental which is what is advertised and reserved through VRBO. It is important to note that the guest indicated that our property manager Dauly was good and he had no issues with the home which is what is actually rented through this site.

Thank you for the kind words Selina! We sincerely appreciate it and are glad to hear you had a wonderful time. We look forward to hosting you again soon.

We enjoyed hosting your group and thank you for your comments! Yes we have upgraded all the interior, including painting and new furniture and decor recently and will be painting the outside spaces and redoing the pool once the rainy season is over in early November. Refreshing two of the bathrooms this week. The home's beachfront location is really hard on paint but this will all be repainted soon. We decided to retile the entire pool instead of just patching the few areas where tile has been lost as we wanted everything to look nice and match. The pool is still completely functional. This work is already scheduled for November when the weather will accommodate it. We will also be adding more landscaping around the home entry. Our previous landscaping was destroyed by recent work on the road in front of the home and we needed to wait till that was completed before redoing it. I do appreciate your feedback and continue to try and improve everything for guests! Also just added new dishwasher and new washer and dryer for the home. Thanks, Sharon

Thank you for the feedback. Just a few comments. I visited the home 8-10-22 to review all practices as I was concerned with recent comments. I want guests to have a good experience. I have made these changes. Hired a full time property manager/ concierge (Dauly) who is taking over management and concierge services for future rentals. He previously worked at a successful local tour operator so is very familiar with arranging all services and is very responsive. Set up new increased cleaning schedule with 3 cleaners coming every 2 days during a stay at no increase in costs to guests, a change from 2 cleaners every 3 days. Rehired prior cleaning crew and reviewed all expectations with them. Intensive deep cleaning of the home done. Cleaning cost includes cleaning before check in, during the stay and after check out. We also do guests laundry if needed. Ensured that all toiletries will be provided for guests. Had inventory done and any damaged towels/ sheets removed and replaced. New dishes, glasses, utensils etc purchased for 30 persons. Put new policies in place regarding towels for guests and ensuring hand towels available and provided. All outside showers refurbished in August with new fixtures, tile, teak floorboards under the showers, and new drains. New laundry machine purchased and installed. All AC serviced. Home interior will be painted in Sept. Working to get pool retiled but waiting on contractor availability. The pool is completely functional but I want it to be in excellent shape. The pool light will be replaced at same time. Adding more lighting outside in Sept around pool and at gate. There is currently lighting in all outside spaces like the decks and rancho. Dishwasher functions but has been stained from hard water.& will be replaced in Sept. Swimming- people commonly swim on the beach 2 min walk from the house but yes sometimes there can be riptides on beaches in Costa Rica.. Usually swimming is fine there but there is also good swimming on Tamarindo beach, a 2 min drive or 7 min walk. Surf conditions vary from day to day at each spot.There are multiple surf spots 2-8 mins walk from the home with differing levels which makes it an extremely popular surfing area. Cost- you paid $73 pp + tax which is very reasonable for the area and significantly less expensive than the pp cost for the home where you had 12 persons stay. We were not expecting you to have 26 persons which exceeded maximum capacity which is why you were short on towels. We request guests notify us of changes in numbers in advance esp if over capacity.

To address the comments made. This guest expressed concerns about furniture in the two casitas. New furniture and decor was installed in both casitas in late June- early July 2022. A new photo taken in August was posted to show this change. Additional photos will be added. New furniture and decor was added throughout the house in late June- early July including new dressers, new rugs, new lamps, new nightstands, new art, new pool chairs and a new sofa set for the upstairs deck. Both casitas have a king bed in the bedroom and a queen sleeper sofa in the living room. The room with the bunk beds has two bunk beds which can sleep 4 kids not 6. The listing provides accurate description of the bedding and sleeping capacity in each room and this was shared with this group. We do estimate 2 persons for each king bed and queen bed which is standard for rentals but of course if you only have 1 adult per king or queen sleeping capacity is less. We will be adding an additional sleeper sofa to the cabina in August. There was a comment about a safe in the casita. The safes in both casitas are present and working in August as were all the acs in the entire home. All ACs were recently serviced and maintained and this is done at least twice a year and as needed if problems arise. We check the ACs regularly and if any problems are noted they are addressed asap. We will be installing a different colored striping to try and address the trip hazard you noted around the pool. The beach gate has been replaced and a new gate installed in June. A comment was made about the beach, yes the beach is public. There are no private beaches in Costa Rica. In terms of services for weddings I am currently working to set up wedding packages with two wedding planners in the area to facilitate this for groups in the future. I have also hired a new manager for the home who will be assisting with arranging other services in the future. I will also be developing a list of vendors in the area to share with groups if people want to make their own arrangements. Laundry- our cleaning staff do laundry for the guests. This is an included service at no cost. All lights were thoroughly checked to ensure they are functional and new bulbs put in if needed. Also new lamps were added to all bedrooms with the new decor in July.. It is a big house and yes there are a lot of light switches due to the size. We will look at labeling these where possible for future guests.

I am sorry this guest was disappointed. However he was unhappy before arrival as he tried to pressure us into giving him the extra casita free as he made a mistake with his booking and became quite belligerent when I refused. It is clearly noted in the listing that there is an extra charge for this. I was polite even when threatened. A few points- complaints about towels, linens and furniture. New high quality towels (hand woven and imported from Turkey) and bed linens for the entire home were purchased and made available 2 weeks before this groups stay. $50,000 of new furniture was added in june and early july before this group arrived including new pool chairs, new lamps, new dressers, new cushions for outdoor couches, new dining chairs, new dining tables for the casitas and many more items. These were available for this group and will be available for future groups. New rugs, a new sleeper sofa and more furniture expected in August. The pool is saltwater but that doesn't mean chlorine is never used. We provide laundry service where laundry is done by the cleaning staff as water use is strictly regulated by the municipality. We provided extra cleaning days for this group to do additional loads of laundry for them at no cost. We are sorry the trash was not picked up by the municipality. The home is located in Costa Rica and sometimes services are delayed. This group had 24 guests stay and paid 2075 a night for all 10 brs plus tax. Before tax that is 173/ night for 2 persons which is much cheaper than a hotel room in the area + you have a private pool and its beachfront. We feel the home is very cost effective for large groups and is well priced. Concierge services are at an extra cost. They do cost more than if you make arrangements yourself as you are paying for the convenience and time of the concierge. I will collect menus from the chefs for future guests. I am visiting the home this week and meeting with maintenance to check all systems to make sure everything is functional. Toilet seats are standard as in the US but if any are damaged they will be replaced. The pool tile is being fixed this month.. The previous tile job was not good so we have lost some tiles but the pool is still functional. The room safes are standard hotel safes that are 1.5 years old but I will check and replace any that are not functional. We take great pride in the home and will address all valid concerns. We have many positive reviews from satisfied g.uests.

We are very sorry you were not happy with your stay and felt the home was not in good condition. We are aware that you had difficulty with one of the ac units. It was serviced when you reported a problem and we have subsequently replaced the unit with a new one. We have also already instituted more frequent cleanings at no additional charge for guests. We have followed up with our local management staff to see what other concerns you had so we can make sure any issues are addressed. We want our guests to be happy with their stay. As owners we do try and address any issue as soon as it’s brought to our attention. We will address any additional issues we learn about from our staff immediately.

We take seriously and appreciate all guest comments and strive to ensure the home is in good condition. We have reached out to our local staff to ensure that the comments raised are addressed. A few comments with respect to the points raised. All external doors to the home are lockable and functional. The front door was left unlocked for access as the group arrived extremely late beyond the normal check-in hours. We have already instructed our local staff to manage this differently in the future. The doors the guest was referencing go to enclosed walled in seating areas off some of the guest bedrooms that are internal to the home and require keys for locking. Other groups have not felt the need for locking those doors but we will ensure that future groups are provided those keys. The property is very secure and safe. All beachfront properties in Costa Rica cannot restrict access along the beach as all beaches are public. We have a security alarm system in place that is monitored 24/7 and combination safes in the bedrooms. We are also adding an intrusion detection system along the beach side of the property that can be armed at night and when guests leave the home to provide additional security and we have a security guard who patrols the outskirts of the property at night. All of these measures are preventive as we have NEVER had any problem with security at the home but we want to ensure guests are comfortable. Just to emphasize the town and surrounding areas are very safe but as a tourist area in any country including the US we take security seriously, In terms of the master bath window being dirty, the window is slightly frosted to prevent anyone looking inside from the deck for privacy. It is not dirty. We have already contacted our cleaning crew and added additional hours and staffing to ensure cleaning is thorough. In terms of scuffs/dents on the walls, we routinely have large groups often with large numbers of children that can cause minor wear and tear on the home. We have already contacted our maintenance staff to ensure that all identified issues are addressed as quickly as possible. We have had difficulty obtaining parts due to supply chain issues for the 1 burner on the 5 burner stove that is not working but will make this a priority for repair. If necessary the entire cooktop will be replaced but 4 out of 5 burners currently work. We will ensure that all other issues such as the loose toilet seat or loose outlet will be addressed this week.

We really appreciate your kind words and great feedback on the property and service! Prashant really enjoyed meeting your group and we would love to welcome you back in the future if your schedule again provides the opportunity for you to visit Costa Rica. I am glad you got to experience some of the great wildlife that can be spotted from the home.

We are glad that the guests enjoyed the location and setting of the home. It is definitely a special place. We are sorry that this group felt that their privacy was intruded upon. We strive to make sure that full privacy is maintained for guests while at the same time promptly and diligently attending all requests or questions made by our guests. We did note that communication was difficult with this group; however we do not want any group to feel that their privacy is impacted in any way. We offer to set up services for guests strictly for their convenience but groups are always free to make their own arrangements. We noted the comment on cleaning and are always happy to have cleaners come in for extra cleaning if any concerns are noted during the stay. Concerns with cleaning were not reported during this stay by the group, but we have already discussed this comment with our cleaners and added on extra cleaning staff to ensure that thorough cleaning is done of the home prior to check in. We have also recently transitioned to off site management staff so the managers would only visit the home to address guests concerns. Both owners will coordinate with the management staff to address any concerns locally. We also note that following this stay we have had several 5 star reviews with the groups being extremely happy with their stay and the service provided.

We have had many groups rent the home that have been very happy as reflected in the previous positive reviews . The home was fully prepared for the guests arrival. With respect to the comment about the home not being ready as beds had not been moved, we do not move furniture for groups and guests are not supposed to move the beds. Pool at check in was in perfect condition. We have staff come several times each week to clean the pool and check chemical levels. This group had small children and one of the children had an accident in the pool. which caused an overgrowth. This requires special treatment which takes 1-2 days to fix. When the guests notified us, our staff started work the same day.. Each guest is provided 2 towels on check in and. towels and sheets are replaced after 3 days. Guests can access extra towels and sheets from 2 linen closets at any time. Outside showers all work and were cleaned prior to guests arrival. Outside showers have trees and plants overhanging the area. Leaves and debris can drop into the areas especially if there are strong breezes. Our staff cleaned these areas twice during the stay. The ice machine is brand new and. was working correctly. The guests changed the settings trying to get it to make ice faster, thus rendering it temporarily, non-functional. Out staff adjusted the settings the same day which fixed the problem.. Guests reported in their review that the fridge and dishwasher in the casita were not properly cleaned. The guests never informed us of this issue or we would have had staff come the same day to address it. The 1 loose toilet seat was tightened. It is correct that the cabana bathroom does not have a door, but you cannot see inside from the bedroom and it is very nice.. The hot water was working fine prior to check in. When the guests reported a problem we sent staff to check it but guests were not at the house and staff could not gain access for 3 days.. Staff adjusted the hot water heater setting which fixed the problem. It would have been fixed the same day but guests denied access to the home without their presence. No notice was provided to us of any problem with chef services. Concierge did provide information when requested but guests preferred to make their own arrangements. Guests changed and canceled service which they had originally confirmed. Outdoor furniture is regularly inspected and replaced as needed and staff will inspect to see if it needs extra cleaning to maintain it properly

I am glad that you enjoyed your stay at Villa Concha! We do try and keep everything in perfect working order but with such a large home and large groups, unexpected problems do occasionally arise. I am glad to hear that the problems were resolved for you promptly. I am following up with the on site managers to see if additional items need to be addressed. If so they will be taken care of promptly. We hope you will consider staying with us again in the future! Best regards, Sharon