Beautiful property in an absolutely stunning location.
Finding the gated entrance was easy. Our host provided us with a code to show to the guard, and the guard gave us better directions to where we were going. From there it’s about a 15 minute drive in through oftentimes steep, narrow, and very winding cobblestone roads. The first time through was rather intimidating, especially since we arrived on a Saturday night and there was a ton of foot traffic of locals leaving the public Playa Mantas. Knowing a little Spanish helps as most of the guards spoke little or no English.
The condo itself was lovely. Located on the 2nd floor. There are elevators if you’re not up for stairs. We brought my parents and our 2 young children and there was plenty of room and bathrooms for everyone. Views from the balcony were amazing! I was concerned that the balcony railing was high enough for my 1 year old to slide under, so had to watch him like a hawk while out there.
Playa Blanca is a private beach controlled by the Punta Leona hotel. We were not allowed to enter using the main entrance. Rather, we had to travel about 200ft further down the road and use a secondary entrance. You can apparently purchase wristbands at the office to be able to use the hotel beach entrance/amenities. As far as we could tell, we were able to use the entire beach, but we stuck close to that entrance. The sand is soft white, and the waves were fun but gentle enough that I felt 100% safe with my 5 year old in with me. The water was very clear! We brought our own snorkeling gear and we had a blast discovering schools of colorful fish, and sea urchin on the undersea rocks.
Much of our time was spent at the condo pool. Absolutely gorgeous with a slide and little cave. Views from here are also amazing. Usually empty, but anyone who did show up was very friendly.
Jaco is close, and there is at least one restaurant, a small store, and ice cream shop on the gated grounds. I wouldn’t say walking distance, mostly because I wouldn’t feel safe walking on those blind curves with cars coming up. Renting a golf-cart is an option for $40-$60 a day (depends on who you get). We did use this option on beach days as we weren’t about to trek back up to super steep hill with beach gear and kids in tow.
Overall an unforgettable experience! We will absolutely be back soon! Pura vida!