We found just what we were looking for in Costa Rica at Casa Chameleon! We drove down from Tamarindo and enjoyed the incredible scenery along the route. We had been disappointed at the development in Tamarindo. Mal Pais was surprisingly undeveloped and looked more like the Costa Rica we had dreamt of. We were incredibly impressed with everything we experienced in our 8 lovely evenings at Casa Chameleon. We began in Villa Vista which was enchanting-and well appointed in a very tasteful manner. It is a little "house on stilts" as I had read in TATLER. The view was extraordinary and we never tired of watching the waves and animals in the trees. The stone shower with sea view-exotic! David was perhaps the kindest and most helpful concierge we have every encountered. It was quite helpful having him at the front to give us advice, maps, towels, anything we may wish on our way out. His suggestions based on the weather, tide, or particular day were invaluable.

We moved to the LUXURY POOL VILLA and decided to order the chef services for two full days. This was PURE HEAVEN. The cuisine was decadent and the chef even made home-made coconut ice-cream after I told him of my love for coconut. The swimming pool was suspended in the air and the furnishings and design were spot on! There was every seating option one could think of-including waterproof bean bag chairs. Very hip-modern -chic -tropical . Lovely! There are many stairs and Anthony, the owner joked of putting in a lift with a palm roof. Although each time we walked up or down we were greeted with a variety of birds, lizards, and on one occasion the monkeys were crossing overhead. We sat and watched them as they watched us-PRICELESS!. I've enclosed photos. However, one must experience the beauty that photos are simply unable to capture. We truly hope that Mal Pais and Casa Chameleon stay as special and unique as we were fortunate to experience!

Have you ever felt like you walked right into your precise idea of heaven? Where the weather was just the right temperature, your accommodations were tweeked just so to fit your every desire? And the service was designed to cater to your every whim? How about the food? Did you picture every taste, smell and texture to be succulent and divine? I dreamt of this place and I dreamt big. I researched for months on end. Checking through trip advisor, emailing past travelers to hunt down my idea of the perfect honeymoon. I was told this place had to be too good to be true. That it was too risky, that something might happen. Well to all of you naysayers, I found paradise.

Now I know my ideas of paradise, my husband’s ideas and perhaps your ideas are differing. You may want something like the Marriot in San Jose. A giant compound with gated doors, security guards, five restaurants, 500 employees, (with two guests to each employee) hot showers in air-conditioned rooms and television with the Simpson’s in Spanish.

Or, on the other hand, you might want something…out of the ordinary. Something you couldn’t get in every corner of the world, cookie-cut and exact. Someplace that is unique, someplace that offers you the chance to experience what the naysayers are still dreaming about.

My fellow dreamers, Casa Chameleon offers the adventurous traveler a glimpse of paradise. It is a hotel of a different culture, so to speak. Instead of walking into a resort you might find in Mexico, Florida or Hawaii, you enter a Costa Rican heaven. One of the allures of Costa Rica is its unique attention to simplicity and beauty. Where there is no need for TV, window screens and indoor kitchens—not even shoes. Casa Chameleon truly embraces the finer ideals of Costa Rica—taking so little and making it immensely beautiful.

So get to it right? What would make you want to come visit this hidden gem? Here it is my fellow explorers who enjoy pampering: the top two reasons to take a chance on something “off the beaten path”.

1) Hands down, the best service I have ever experienced in my life. And being a waitress for all of my college career… I am not an easy person to impress. David (the concierge) and Keith (the chef) took time to listen to what my husband and I needed…when we didn’t even know we were telling them. Keith knew to cook more exotic fish dishes (such as an elegantly grilled tuna filet, still pink and warm in the middle) for my more adventurous palette and to take the basics like pork and brie blue cheese to cater to my meat and potatoes husband. And don’t even get me started on Keith’s breakfast entrees. I woke up each morning giddy with excitement and curiosity over what he might do to top his vanilla cinnamon crepes with fresh pineapple preserves. And yet, this is just a tiny portion of the 7 days of catering my husband and I experienced. The coup de grace of service on our trip was when my husband and I had problems accessing our money via ATM. David went so as to A) offer us cash so we could do what we desired. B) Billed us for full payment later, so we could use the remaining cash we had at our will. His instructions from the owners’, Bobby and Anthony, were to simply “make sure they enjoy their stay, no matter what.” Who does that in this day and age, where we trust no one? Casa Chameleon does, that’s who. Enjoy we did. Sans monetary worries.

2) My husband and I felt as though the entire hotel, country and time was ours and ours alone. Not once did we have to “worry” about planning anything. If we wanted to ATV, David made the calls and had it delivered. If we wanted a restaurant to try, David armed us with maps and a number of places to visit, giving us tidbits on which places had the best food. If we demanded adventure and the best views of Costa Rica, David set up the tours and made sure our lunches were included. We never had to worry about what days were open to do what or having to plan ahead of time, because David took care of every detail for us. Plus being in Costa Rica during the “rainy season” we rarely were bombarded with obnoxious hordes of tourists. I almost forgot to mention that your private villa reminds you that you need nothing more than 1 large room with a little kitchen, a fantastic shower, open windows and a balcony equipped with a hammock to truly experience the wonders of the simple life.


I have never in my life felt more at peace than I did when I was at Casa Chameleon. I knew everything I wanted and needed would be taken care of. I loved being able to come up the hill at the end of the day, to an open gate and an open staff that seemed more like old friends. Funny thing too, I read that some visitors felt “scared” during their stay. My question to them is, “How dangerous would anyone be after climbing up that mountain of a hill?” I for one could barely stand let alone cause harm. Not to mention that every Costa Rican I met was more than helpful and exceedingly friendly. Also if a country was so dangerous…why would they abolish their army and have towns with no police? I would say we are probably more of a danger to this peaceful country.

And to the others that left any negative words about this paradise of Costa Rica or more specifically Casa Chameleon. You are entitled to your opinion. But I have found anywhere you might go or any person you may encounter will be exactly what YOU make it out to be. If you go to another country fearing the people, worrying about the climate, depending on others to “make” the vacation for you, you will be scared, disappointed and let down. But if you open your mind, embrace the country and everything it has to offer, you may come away with more than you ever imagined. You may discover your idea of heaven.

We were extremely disappointed with the service provided and our experience at Casa Cameleon. After reading such amazing reviews on tripadvisor.com we were so excited to spend the last part of our honeymoon there.

When we arrived David (the manager) was very sweet and accomodating to us and got us settled. First he sent us to a restaurant to eat since the room was not ready which was great. He sent us to a place that was closed however. Once we got in the room we started hearing a loud banging noise that after a bunch of searching realized a tree was banging the roof of our hut. It was a constant annoyance (hitting the roof at least every few minutes) and made it really difficult to sleep or enjoy the solitude of the place. The air conditioning didn't seem to work nearly at all. We tracked down David and he checked and said it was fixed. Later when we had closed the windows for a couple of hours and got home it was still swealtering in the room. We would have just opened the windows for air but we had found a tarantula a few feet outside of our front door and I did not feel OK with doing that at all. We were miserable all night in the heat of the room. I woke up every hour to restart the airconditioning that kept turning off on top of it all.

The biggest thing for me however, was that I have traveled a lot in my life and I was astounded that there was no contact from the room to the front. We tried the walkie talkies several times to see if they worked and later was told by David they are only to order breakfast from 8-10 in the morning. What if something happened and we needed help? Or were hurt? Adding to that David and the Chef twice during dinner went sprinting up to the front thinking someone had snuck in because they saw shadows...that didn't make us feel safe and secure.
Also with no communication we had to try to track down David personally every time we had a question.

I had read about the service over and over and quite honestly I felt like we had rented a room and nothing else. We might as well had rented a simple cabin with nothing but a key. I understand it is a place known for privacy which was a huge draw in picking a place for our honeymoon but I did not realize it was an "every person for themselves" kind of place.

Lastly, we did decide to have dinner there in the evening with your chef and again were very excited after all the wonderful reviews to try it. We both had the filet and my husband also had the tuna. The steak was so tough it was nearly impossible to chew. I thought it may be just mine but my husband had the exact experience. His tuna was not good at all.

I have to tell you I am so upset that we spent so much money to book a room and to be so disappointed on such an important trip for us. We ended up leaving after one night and found another place that really topped off our honeymoon in a wonderful way.

On the basis of glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, my wife and I decided to spend 3 nights (out of 14 in Costa Rica) in the luxury villa at Casa Chameleon to celebrate our 40th anniversary. When I got back and wrote down my thoughts, I realized how many other guests had had the same experience.

There IS magic here! You hate to leave the villa, even for a meal. Kevin's cooking is inventive and absolutely first class (we had two breakfasts and our anniversary dinner). David (the manager) made us feel right at home immediately and responded quickly to everything we asked. Bobbie and Anthony (the owners) were out of town until our last night, but they made a point of spending some time talking to us and even got up early to say goodbye when we took the taxi back to the Tambor Airport - they have to be the most friendly and gracious people I have ever met! It was like being with old friends a few minutes after we met them.

The villa itself is deceptively simple, but everything has been thought through. You have a view of the pool, the forest and the Pacific from the bedroom, kitchen and dining/living room. Every effort has been made to make people comfortable. (Just as an example, around the pool there are 2 chaise lounges, 2 Adirondack chairs, 2 bean bags, and 2 pool floats -- choose your favorite!) The kitchen is big and functions as well as a kitchen back home. There’s a stove, a full-size refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, a blender, dishes, cutlery, glasses, pots and pans. On arrival, you find complimentary snacks and a bag of ground coffee on the counter and bottles of water, beer (or soda if you prefer) in the frig. There are several small grocery stores not too far away (we liked Super Ronnies best) so if you want to cut down on eating out and almost never leave the place, it’s totally doable! However, you should make an exception to get a great thin crust pizza at Pizza at Playa Carmen (on the beach at the boundary between Mal Pais and Santa Teresa).

The total privacy (you can't see another soul from the open side of the villa or from the pool) and the absence of any sounds except the birds, the wind, and the surf makes the experience incredibly special and perfect for a honeymoon or anniversary. Add in an exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly staff that seems to anticipate your needs and the bottom line is it's simply wonderful!

Anyone coming to Casa Chameleon should be aware of a few snags we hit in Mal Pais. Both the ATM and the bank in town can ONLY process cash advances against a VISA card. You can't take money out of your own bank account as you can with ATM's elsewhere. Also, since you really need some way to get around, we had arranged to rent an ATV. Unfortunately, at the end of March it was very very dry and dusty, so every time we went out, we came back covered in white dust. (Just another excuse for showering off and jumping in the pool). They just began paving the main road, so this may not be a problem next year.

Finally, for all of you who have emailed Casa Chameleon but not received a response: be sure to check to see that your email did not bounce back with an error. I found that their hotmail site refused to deliver some of my emails after we had booked the villa and one of their responses went into MY spam folder. Other than those instances, responses to my emails were quite timely. Also, once you have booked a villa, they'll send you a telephone number to use if you need to talk to someone quickly. It's a little harder to book a villa at Casa Chameleon than at some other places, but once you get there, you'll know it was more than worth it.

Liked: Privacy, Solitude, Views, Friendliness, Service
Disliked: Having to leave the villa at the end of our stay
Recommended for: A honeymoon or romantic getaway