deeolivia

Just wanted to provide an update to my previous post. We had our wedding reception at Villa Tranquila in Hacienda Pinilla a couple weeks ago. It was absolute perfection and I couldn't recommend it more strongly! The beauty of the villa far surpassed my expectations and the photos online don't do it justice in the least. I wanted to attach some photos of our reception set up for you to see, which I think shows its potential a bit better, but couldn't figure out how. You can see some on my profile gallery. The villa is perfect in that it is an easy (approx an hour) drive from Liberia airport, is in Hacienda Pinilla which offers resort ammenities, and can house 8 couples easily. Every bedroom has its own private bathroom and there are two additional powder rooms which are easily accessible by guests during the reception. The rooms are enormous and up to date, with four rooms being King beds and four being 2 Queen beds. There are also two huge common areas- one upstairs with a large bar, and one downstairs near the kitchen. The grounds are immaculate and offer a gorgeous tropical backdrop for a reception. I cannot express how beautiful a setting it is. Eugene, the owner was also accessible if we needed him but not intrusive, and was a wonderful host. Our guests also loved having easy access to the beaches and hotels on the property where they could make use of the restaurants, spa, beach club, etc. It's great to have some rental cars to get around the huge property, but there is also a shuttle you can call to take you anywhere within the resort if you don't have a car. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour on Playa Langosta which was roughly a 3 minute drive away, and then came back to the villa for dinner and dancing. It was simply perfect. Feel free to message me for more info. I think more people need to know about this place! P.S. If you want a completely custom, intimate feeling wedding, a Villa wedding is totally the way to go. I loved that I was able to completely design everything about my wedding without limitations you'd have at a more traditional wedding venue. It was super special too that our guests were the only people with us, and we didn't have strangers roaming around on our special day.

I wanted to give you all some info about my upcoming wedding since I found it pretty difficult to find info on villas when I started planning. I will be getting married next week on Playa Langosta and having the reception at Villa Tranquila in Hacienda Pinilla. You can see the villa here...http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3002402 We didn't want to rent a villa in Manuel Antonio since our guests would have a major hike from any airport, so we decided to get married in the Tamarindo area since it's only an hour from Liberia airport. There's much fewer options for large villas in Guanacaste, and this seemed perfect since it is part of a larger resort where our guests have access to other ammenities and anyone who we didn't have room for in the villa is able to stay at one of the hotels on the resort property. We haven't seen it in person yet, and the wedding hasn't happened, but I'll be sure to report back on how it worked out. Good luck to all the brides, and let me know if you have any other questions about planning a villa wedding!

Thank you!

Hi Billandstina! Thank you so much for your reply. We ended up deciding to go with a private villa instead, since we really wanted to maintain that intimacy factor at our reception. We also felt we'd have more customization options in terms of food, decor, etc. However...I will highly recommend the Diria to any guests who are not staying at the villa. FI and I have been to Costa Rica, as have my sister and her husband, so some of us are okay with going a bit more off the beaten path. I still wanted to have options for those who were a little less adventurous though. Thanks again!

Hi everyone! I am trying to decide whether to have my wedding at a small hotel, or rent a private villa. Right now, I have decided on either a private villa at Hacienda Pinilla, or some boutique hotels- Bosque del Mar or Bahia del Sol. I'm also considering Diria Tamarindo even though it's a bit larger. Does anyone have any information on those hotels, or opinions on doing a hotel wedding vs. a private villa wedding? Any info would be much appreciated!

Hello all! Just wanted to introudce myself. My name is Denise, and I will be getting married in Guanacaste, Costa Rica in January 2014. I'd love to connect with other brides who are getting married in CR, or any brides who are planning wedding receptions at private villas, since that is what I have decided to do. Good luck to you all with your own planning!

Hi Nathie! I too am planning a wedding at a villa, and I am looking for some general tips from others who have done this in CR. I have found some great possibilities, and think I've narrowed it down to a private villa in Haciend Pinilla. But I would definitely suggest to start by looking on vrbo.com and homeaway.com. You can search by location and then narrow it down to the size house you are looking for. You'll be overwhelmed by the options. Good luck, and please share your progress!

Hi Brides! I am getting married in the Tamarindo area in January 2014. Since we started planning, the idea was always to have a beach ceremony and a reception at a private villa for about 30 people. I'm working with a wonderful planner, and we're about to move forward with booking a large private villa in Hacienda Pinilla but I'm getting cold feet. I read some comments from a bride who had a villa wedding, and said her guests all changed out of their formal clothes and didn't dance once they got back to the villa. We want our reception to be small, private, romantic, yet FUN! I would consider doing it at a boutique hotel, but then I'm worried I won't be able to customize things at all. Ahh! Have any of you had a villa wedding? Or if you had a wedding at a boutique hotel, how much customization was possible? Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks lovelies!