Casa Holanda Costa Rica

I arrived at Casa Holanda as a first time visitor to Costa Rica and first time B&B visitor. The experience was great. Room and house decor/atmosphere was very colorful and authentic. I felt at home. James and Roy were very helpful in every way, including tips about the surrounding area, great meals, and friendly hospitality. I also took part in one of the in house tours and was at ease throughout because of their extensive knowledge. San Pablo and Santo Domingo are within walking distance and are charming little towns. I felt safe walking also. I also met other friendly and interesting people who were also staying at Casa Holanda. I will definitely do the B&B experience wherever i go in the future, especially when traveling outside the country and want to have a real cultural experience, not just a tourist trap. Thanks again guys!

One of the best B&B I've had the pleasure to say in. James was the perfect host and I enjoyed my stay there very much. Beautiful back yard too!

Spent our last night here since it is close to the airport. AND!! I was absolutely thrilled, as was my girlfriend. ...Costa Rica can be a bit "crazy" with the roads and language barrior and culturqal differences. And the Casa Holanda was just what we needed to wind down and truely relax. It really felt like "home". James, the owner and American, was absolutely wonderful and meet to our every need. If you're planning to stay around San Juan, the stay here is an absolute must do..... PS -Also spend the couple extra bucks and do the Honeymoon room. You don't even have to be on your honeymoon, but it'll feel like you are.

The 2 nights that we stayed at the Casa Holanda was very enjoyable. We had originally planned on staying for 4 nights, so when we decided to change our plans, James was very accomodating. He even came and picked us up from the bus station-which he stated he has never had to come to the bus station before to pick up clients. Our last night there, James and Roy cooked us up a very enjoyable supper, and after supper, James entertained us with some very fine piano playing. I would definately recommend the Casa Holanda to anyone who is planning on going to Costa Rica for a visit.

James and Roy are the perfect host. They go out of their way to make sure that you are comfortable and made to feel at home. The tours are like NO where else in CR. We saw sights that I have never experienced in any of my other trips here. Would recommend to family and friends without hesitation.

Casa Holanda was a wonderful place to stay. It is close to the airport and James sent us excellent directions. The food was delicious, the host very nice, the garden and fire place were delightful. A very nice experience altogether.

Hi James, Thank you so much for your warm and attentive hospitality during my stay in your elegant and charming home. I really enjoyed eating in the wonderful garden while watching the humming birds and then hearing your piano-playing swirling through the house after breakfast. However, the highlight for me was definitely the food! James - you are a great cook, and I would recommend anyone staying at Casa Holanda to take advantage of this and eat in-house for dinner or lunch. I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes from your book. Thanks also for emailing such great directions to your house ahead of time. It made it very easy to find you even in the dark after a long flight. I have kept them as I know I'll be back! TW New Hampshire, USA

My one regret about Casa Hollanda was that we had only one day and night left in our Costa Rica vacation when we got there! We booked it because we wanted to stay within reasonable range of the San Jose airport for an early morning flight home. Little did we know that we'd be sorry we couldn't stay at this lovely B&B longer. We were completely charmed by the personal walking tour of nearby San Jose, the local insights of our host, and the fabulous dinner in a beautiful private garden. It couldn't have been nicer.

The beautiful accommodations, welcoming and calming atmosphere along with excellent food come together to make for a relaxing and truly pura vida Costa Rica experience!!

Casa Holanda is a gorgeous house in Heredia, Costa Rica, just north of San Jose. James is a wonderful host, and his home is gorgeous and inviting. My boyfriend and I stayed there in April 2009, and we had a wonderful time. The room was clean, comfortable, and beautifully decorated, and James's service was unbeatable. He caters to your individual needs to make sure you have a great time. Many of the tourist destinations are only a 35$ flight out of San Jose, and James will drive you to the airport. His cooking and piano playing are out of this world! Stay here if you get the chance...you will NOT regret it!

We stayed with James for the second week of our trip to Costa Rica, and wished we could have stayed longer! The house was beautiful and very clean and the rooms were so comfortable. It is situated on a quiet side street within walking distance to the city of Heredia. We really enjoyed our time there. James was a terrific guide, his knowledge of the surrounding areas was excellent. We had some fascinating conversations about the people and countryside of Costa Rica as we drove. He knows exactly where to go for the best pictures and he took us to some delightful places to eat lunch (that we would have overlooked on our own). Speaking about food, James is a superb cook, what he calls simple meals would be gourmet at my house! We stuffed ourselves at every meal, it was all so good. He was very considerate of our likes and dislikes in food, and mixed some local foods in with more Americanized fare. If we should go back to Costa Rica, we will definitely stay here again, and we would recommend staying here to everyone.

Last February 2006, I was one of the first guest to stay in this lovely place. Last week, I was the first repeat guest. The owner James, is an amazing host, always willing to please his guests, in this immaculate and beauteful bed and breakfast. The food was outstanding and so was the personal attention. It was also a pleasure to discover the personal improvements James undertook in the garden; In fact I spent most of my time there, in this gorgeous patio, working on my laptop thanks to the complimentary broadband service. I travel a lot on business, staying in hotels, but whenever I have the chance to stay in a B&B, I do so, in order to feel at home. And this is what Casa Holanda gave me. One lovely feature.....The owner is a music composer and a famous pianist.....So it is very nice to receive a free concert when James rehearses! That make Casa Holanda a magic place.

If you like classical music, this is the place for you. James is an excellent host who gave us personal attention. The house is different with no right angles in the architecture. Breakfast was descent too. I especially enjoyed the Poas Volcano tour and all the little things that James pointed out about Heridia town and flowers.