The Coral Reef House

This unique rustic house is on Costa Rica\'s southeast Caribbean coast. Literally at the end of the road, the home is built on a 30-foot pedestal of coral rock only 50 yards from the beach. Outside Magazine (October 1999) has recognized the Manzanillo area as having “one of the most beautiful deserted beaches in the world.” The Coral Reef House is located inside the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. The refuge abounds with wildlife - monkeys, sloths, tucans, parrots, iguanas, anteaters, jaguarondis and dolphins off shore. To reach the house there is a (usually) small creek to cross and then it is 200 meters by trail. You may drive in to unload luggage and supplies, and then leave the car inside a private gated yard near the creek. If the creek happens to be too high to cross, we can arrange to get your luggage across.

The house has been remodeled to add a king suite on the main floor (photo at bottom of pate). The house itself is simple and rustic, perched directly above the beach and has 2 stories, now with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a full time manager/caretaker living on the property. The king suites have a king bed and one twin bed. The other bedroom on the main floor has a full size bed. The other bedroom upstairs has a single bed. There is a full bathroom on each floor.

The huge, perched deck is wonderful and is undoubtedly where much of your time will be spent relaxing to the sounds of the ocean and getting to know the monkeys and other wildlife in the tops of the trees, at eye level with the deck. Unlike many foreigners’ homes in the area, the Coral Reef House is a simple beach house of local style and built with native materials. While it still has the comforts you would need, it fits into the surroundings of the refuge and ocean environment in a unique and refreshing way.

When you need a little exercise, follow the steps down to the always 83-86 degree reef-protected ocean and snorkel with the amazingly vivid fish populations. There\'s even a small tide pool safe for kids. Take a walk to town and rent a kayak for touring the ocean or river estuaries or have Dolfi set up a jungle tour, a dolphin watching trip, or other favorite adventure. Bikes can usually be rented and are a great way to roll around the area.

The marine part of the reserve is one of a kind. Its waters are home to three species of wild dolphins, sea turtles, coral reef, and manatee. Sport fishing for tarpon, wahoo, mackerel, and kingfish make this area a sport fishing paradise. Also, scuba diving and snorkeling in the marine reserve can be arranged through the local dive shop. Kayaking is both easy and popular inside the reef and in the Gandoca lagoon. Trained guides in wildlife and bird watching, sport fishing and dolphin/marine tours are available for bookings in Manzanillo. Just ask our caretaker/manager for help in setting up tours.