Lapas Paradise

Lapas Paradise is a modern two-story house in a residential inside Punta Leona, a ten-minute walk from the beach, with air conditioning in almost every room and a saltwater pool and rancho behind it that you may share with the house next door. It is one of a pair of houses: Natural Leona is next door, the two share the pool, the rancho, a half bath and the garage, and you can book both together as Lapas Leona Home. It sleeps up to eight in two bedrooms with five beds and two and a half bathrooms (two full, plus a half bath by the pool shared with Natural Leona next door), and it suits families who want a beach house within an hour of San José.

Downstairs is an open kitchen and dining space under a double-height ceiling: a black island with an electric cooktop, an oven, a side-by-side refrigerator with water dispenser, a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster, a rice cooker and a lit wine rack. A round rattan dining table and a hanging egg chair sit by the glass doors to the terrace and the pool. Upstairs, two bedrooms hold five beds between them, doubles and a loft bunk by a window; the third bedroom stays locked. Each room has a split air conditioner and a ceiling fan. There are two full bathrooms, and by the pool and rancho a half bath shared with Natural Leona. You also get an outdoor shower for the sand, a washer and a paid dryer, some exercise equipment, and Wi-Fi measured at 126 Mbps. A smart lock handles self check-in.

Guests praise the pool and the back terrace first, then the air conditioning, the like-new modern interior, and the walk to a beach that feels private and is calm enough to swim. Communication is quick, and during one stay we kept in touch through a tropical storm. Several mention the supermarket, the ice cream shop and the restaurant nearby, and one guest timed the walk to the beach at ten minutes.

The pool is shared, so read this before you book. When the neighboring house is booked on the same nights, both houses use the pool and rancho. A guest who expected it private was disappointed, so ask us about your dates before booking, or book this house and Natural Leona together as Lapas Leona Home for a private pool. Hot water in the showers comes from a system we keep set to warm rather than hot; if you like it hotter, say so when you book. Arrival directions matter more than the pin: guests found the entrance confusing, so read the instructions and arrive in daylight the first time. Raccoons live in the neighborhood; keep the back doors closed. Quiet hours run 21:00 to 08:00 and pets are not allowed.

Check-in is from 15:00 by smart lock and check-out at 11:00. We send directions and the code before you arrive, and we answer on WhatsApp with tips on where to eat and how to reach Playa Blanca, on foot along Playa Mantas or with a paid club bracelet.

Punta Leona is on the central Pacific coast, about one hour by car from San José airport (SJO) by our estimate; guides put it at around 90 minutes with traffic. The road is paved the whole way and no 4x4 is needed. Enter Punta Leona by the main access road, not the hotel entrance, which charges a fee to non-guests. Inside, the residential streets are not named on every map app and several guests were sent to the wrong block by their navigation, so follow the directions we send rather than the pin, and arrive in daylight the first time. Airbnb shares the exact address after booking; the lock code and directions arrive by message before check-in. You will want a car for supermarkets and restaurants beyond the walkable few.