Families, Children & Multi-Generational Travel

Is It Good for Families?

Grandparents, parents, teenagers, toddlers, and babies all under one roof, with a pool in the middle and a kitchen big enough to cook for everyone — that's exactly what these homes are built for. The one thing that matters most is choosing the right home for your particular group's ages and mobility, because the homes genuinely differ. That's where the team comes in: tell them who's coming, and they'll match you well.

Babies & Toddlers: Gear

This is one of the most common questions the team fields, and the answer is to tell them early. Some homes keep a crib or pack-n-play on hand; for others, the team can source one for the stay. High chairs are the one thing we don't provide — for liability reasons we leave those to you, and we're glad to point you toward a local baby-gear rental if you'd rather not travel with one. The kitchen is easy to set up too: send a list and the team will pre-stock the house with the right milk, snacks, and baby essentials so you walk in ready — the details are in the Food, Groceries & Eating Well guide.

Pool Safety: The Honest One

This is the single most important thing for families with young children to plan for, so we say it plainly: the pools are a highlight, but they're not childproofed, and an infinity edge looks like a lot of fun to a toddler. With attentive supervision they're perfectly safe — children love them, and most of our happiest family reviews mention the pool. If you're traveling with very young kids, tell the team and they can point you toward homes with a gentler, more enclosed pool layout, and help you set sensible ground rules for the week. Never a worry when it's planned for; just never something to leave to chance.

Private swim lessons at the villa

Here's an option that turns the pool from a worry into a highlight: a wonderful local swimming teacher who comes to the house. We've watched our own two-year-old go from cautious to swimming like a pro with her — she's endlessly positive, builds the basics gently, and grows a child's confidence in and around the water. Just as valuable, she builds the parents' confidence: separating the water-safety urban legends from what actually works, showing you what to practice, and leaving you with a clear sense of the next steps for your little one. If you're coming with young children, just ask — we're glad to introduce you to her personally, and it's one of the best things a family can add to the week.

Stairs, Levels & Mobility

The same elevation that gives these villas their views often means steps between levels and open terraces with a view straight down the hill. For a sure-footed family that's no issue; for a crawling baby or a grandparent who'd rather avoid stairs, it shapes which home is right. There are homes with bedrooms on a single level, gentler access, and fewer steps — if mobility is a factor for anyone in your group, say so, and the team will steer you to one that fits. The villa page notes the layout for each home.

Wheelchairs & special needs

Let's be honest first: none of the homes we manage is truly wheelchair-adaptable the way a purpose-built accessible hotel would be. But that is rarely the end of the conversation. For a recent 70th-birthday celebration, the guest of honor — a grandfather who uses a wheelchair full-time — spent a wonderful Easter week here, because the team imported and sourced high-quality gear for him: shower and toilet aids, and walking-assist equipment. Our real advice is simple: if anyone in your group has a special need, give us a howler. You'll be surprised how far the team will go — advising what's realistic, telling you honestly which homes are a no-go, and importing or sourcing locally whatever gear would make the stay work.

Big Groups & Reunions

Groups of a dozen, fifteen, even more have celebrated here, sometimes across a main house and a smaller one on the same property, sometimes across two neighboring villas. One team coordinates the whole thing — arrival, the chef, the housekeeping, the tours — so a big group feels organized rather than chaotic. A private chef cooking for everyone at the villa is often easier than seating fifteen people at a restaurant, and the long table with a sunset behind it tends to be the night the whole family remembers (see Food, Groceries & Eating Well).

Several Families? Combine Neighboring Homes

It's worth saying plainly, because we don't really market it this way: a single eight- or ten-bedroom home, with one kitchen and one pool, isn't always what a big group actually wants. Families like to be together — and they like their privacy too. Pairing two homes close to each other gives you both: a place for everyone to gather, cook, swim, and eat together, and then separate front doors to go to sleep behind. Each family keeps its own kitchen, its own pool, and its own rhythm — naps, bedtimes, early risers, dietary needs, the inevitable toddler meltdown — without it spilling onto everyone else. It's also easy to match each home's size to each family and to share the planning across the group.

We manage several pairs that work beautifully for exactly this. A few of the combinations worth looking at:

• Casa LaVista & Casa Colibri — about a 2-minute walk apart.
• Casa Frenchie & Villa Vista del Mar — about a 1-minute walk apart.
• Casa Amigos & Casa Frenchie — about a 2-minute drive apart.
• Casa Ola Vista & Casa Solaz — about a 3-minute drive apart.
• Casa Bella Vina & Casa Ola Vista — about a 5-minute drive apart.

You won't find these packaged together anywhere — but if you're planning a trip for several families, they're well worth asking about. Tell the team your group and how close you'd like to be, and they'll suggest the pairing that fits.

Getting Around With Kids

Car seats can be added to your rental — the team works with Alamo and National and can help set it up (see Roads, Rental Cars & Transportation). Most homes need a genuine 4x4 for the hillside access, and your host meets you at an easy landmark to lead you in on arrival, which takes the stress out of finding the house with tired kids in the car. Because beaches are a drive, a beach day is a small outing — pack the car and go.

What Children Love Here

• The wildlife — howler monkeys at dawn, toucans at breakfast, geckos on the wall (see Wildlife & Living in Nature).
• Surf lessons at Playa Dominicalito — gentle waves ideal for kids and teenagers.
• Baby sea turtle releases at Playa Hermosa, when they're happening.
• Reptilandia and Hacienda Barú — a sure thing for animal sightings (see Beaches, Parks & Days Out).
• Horseback riding on the beach and through the rainforest, for all ages.
• The pool, and the river down the road — often the simplest pleasures win the week.

Making It Effortless

Traveling with little ones is intense enough; the point of staying here is to take the logistics off your plate. A chef for a few of the dinners means no wrangling everyone out to a restaurant; a pre-stocked kitchen means breakfast is ready on day one; and the team books the surf lesson, the horseback ride, or the sailing trip so you don't have to research it. Ask in the group chat and it gets handled.

Choosing the Right Home

Everything in this guide comes down to one move: tell the team who's coming. The youngest and the oldest, anyone with mobility needs, how many of you, and how you like to travel. With that, they'll point you to the home that fits — a gentler pool, fewer stairs, bedrooms on one level, a layout where the teenagers and the grandparents each have their own corner. It's the part Shannon, who grew up here and has matched countless families to homes, does best.