Lua Villas

Our stay at lua villas: the villas are beautifully located a very short walk to playa hermosa beach through a short walk through the jungle. This is ideal for surfers! There were howler monkeys literally in the tree to our villa when we arrived which was great to see. (They did wake us up early due to their howling but this is to be expected as you are in the rain forest!) The villas are situated in a small gated and secluded complex with the communal pool in the middle. Our stay felt very private and safe as the rich foliage and plants make viewing other villas difficult which adds to privacy. The pictures on the website are accurate. The villas themselves are equipped with a small kitchen, large living area bed, toilet and outside living area with a large lounging area and a table. You need a 4x4 car or at least to rent an ATV when you get to the villas as they are not located in the town of Santa Teresa but a 10/15min drive further up the coast on a very very bad road. This was not an issue for us as we had a car but might be an issue for some. There is very little besides a pizza restaurant and a corner shop within walking distance of the villas. Another issue we found is that they do not offer a 24 hour reception. Reception can only be contacted in working hours which may cause concern if you had an emergency as the place is very remote and didn’t seem very professional. Lastly, there are exercises classes that take place most mornings at 8:30 am seemed to be open to the public. This means that around that time the communal area is filled with what seemed like locals using the studio space and playing exercise music for an hour. This did take away some of the privacy, peacefulness and charm of the villas and left us disappointed. We were up early at the beach most days but if you did want a lie in you might be woken up by the public class, music and instructors.

After hours of driving arrived at Lua Villa’s that looked really nice online. We got studio amore and its horror. We are literally located between a parking lot at 1 window side and the other window is where all the guests can seperate their trash looking right into our bedroom. To have privacy you need to close the curtains on both sides leaving you sitting in the dark and feels like prison. As i want to always solve issues and hardly ever write a review I suggested we stay and pay 1 night and get the rest refunded. This on a stay of 2 days seemed to me very fair. Advertising with ‘beautiful balcony’ and then seeing this i find for the relatively high price ridiculous. Offering no other room, no choice to leave with refund or not giving a discount makes this to me the worst hotel experience in years. For me not even worth 1 star. Almost all reviews i write (very little) i write because of excellence with 5 stars not out criticism. But here i needed to inform the next clients as this room and service are below all level. Hearing from staff its 1 way view glass really pissed me off as offcourse you can see true this glass from both sides (See attached photos)

I truly cannot say enough good things about Lua Villas and the Playa Hermosa area. We stayed for one week in Villa Mar as a family of 4 with boys age 10, 14 and had the best time. Initial communication with Sofia at the time of booking was immediate and she became an invaluable asset to our time in the area. Any questions I had or bookings I needed, Sofia took care of immediately. She was my angel. Lua Villas is a group beautifully designed and decorated villas surrounded by tropical foliage with a centrally located pool that became our oasis during the heat of the day. We rented Villa Mar which was the perfect size for our family of 4 with a full kitchen, living room, twin bedroom and an upstairs suite with a King bed. The bathroom was large and beautiful with a private opening to the outside. The beach was just a short walk through a jungle trail that my kids nicknamed "the monkey jungle". Such a treat to hear and see the howler monkeys in the trees, just watch your head for thrown mangos! Once you arrive at the beach, be prepared to have your breath taken away. The beach, especially at lower tide was spectacular, huge and not crowded at all. Everyone at the beach was there to surf and the surf was perfect. I loved it because my husband could surf the bigger waves, myself the medium and my kids the small ones. I never worried about my kids in the water and we spent many hours enjoying its warmth. We went to the beach and played every evening to watch the most amazing sunsets! Playa Hermosa was just what we were looking for. Very quiet, not many people, two awesome restaurants (TP8 and Cafe Coulour) and one small grocery store. You can grab a surf board from Sofi or at the local surf shop if needed. We decided to rent a car and were glad we did. Santa Teresa is a must see with the bustling town and fabulous restaurants. We really loved returning 'home" to our quiet villa after dinner in Santa T. If you are looking for a quite oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Santa Teresa, this is your place. Look no further, you will not be disappointed. Counting the days until I go back again!

Lua Villas was absolutely a dream. Sofia was incredibly helpful with not only everything I needed for my accommodation, but also with advice on the area and how to get around. I stayed in Studio Cielo, which was spacious and immaculate. The pool + yoga area are first class, like what you'd find in a high end resort. I was traveling solo, and felt very safe with the gated grounds and overnight security guard. Oh and the natural, eco-friendly bath + kitchen products smell so good!