BaliBala Beach Villas · Playa Matapalo, Costa Rica
A Wilder Way to Stay on Costa Rica’s South Pacific Coast
Four private, eco-conscious stays steps from Playa Matapalo — surrounded by jungle, wildlife and open coastline, with Dominical, Uvita and Manuel Antonio within reach.
Hosted by Linda & Bart, Airbnb Superhosts · On-site caretaker · Reservations completed through Airbnb
Why travelers choose BaliBala
Not a resort. A quiet collection of stays on a beach most visitors never find.
Playa Matapalo stretches for miles of palm-backed sand with barely a footprint on it. Swim, surf and walk for hours — most days you share it with pelicans, not people.
Sleep in the award-winning No Footprint House or a luxury safari tent: open-air architecture, private plunge pools and outdoor showers built to disappear into the landscape. When you’re ready, check live dates and prices on each stay’s Airbnb listing.
The Stays
Four private stays, one quiet corner of coast
Every stay is private, self-contained and surrounded by garden and jungle. Compare the spaces below, then check current dates and pricing on Airbnb.
Guest Favorite
Award-Winning No Footprint House
An internationally awarded, teak-built eco-home from the acclaimed No Footprint House series — open-air living, a private pool and the ocean just steps away. Best for couples and small families who want to stay inside a piece of world-class architecture.
Guest Favorite
Luxury Safari Tent with Pool 1
Canvas, hardwood and bamboo a short stroll from the sand, with a private plunge pool on the deck and two open-air showers. King plus a queen and twin. Best for couples and groups (ages 10+, the pool is deep and unfenced).
Luxury Safari Tent with Pool 2
The same beloved layout wrapped in jungle green, with its own private pool and star-lit plunge-pool evenings. King plus a queen and twin. Best for couples and groups (ages 10+).
Family friendly
2BR Safari Tent Hideaway
The quietest corner of BaliBala — the same two-bedroom tent design, without a pool, opening straight onto the garden. Ideal for families with young children and guests who want a peaceful, nature-immersed stay.
Planning a group stay or retreat?
All four private stays sit side by side and sleep up to 19 guests in total. Explore the individual stays on Airbnb, or message the hosts through Airbnb for help choosing the right combination.
The BaliBala Experience
Fall asleep to the waves. Wake up to birdsong.
Quiet beachfront living, jungle immersion, open-air architecture and slow evenings — the days shape themselves around the tide and the light.
“Sunsets included, every single night.”
At your doorstep
Playa Matapalo
An endless walking beach with lots of shade, surf peaks and what guests call the most beautiful sunsets in Costa Rica — just a two-minute walk from your stay.
It stays quiet because it stays off the beaten path. As one guest put it, Matapalo is perfect for travelers who want to avoid the busier spots like Uvita and Dominical while staying close to all the highlights of this coast.
Explore the South Pacific Coast
A natural base camp for the region’s best days out
BaliBala sits on the Costanera highway roughly halfway between Quepos and Dominical. Drive times are approximate.
Playa Matapalo
An endless walking beach with surf peaks and sunset horseback rides — two minutes from your door. Two restaurants and a small supermarket are about 15 minutes’ walk along the sand.
Dominical
The legendary little surf town: beachfront restaurants, a farmers market, supermarkets and the nearest ATM — about 15 minutes south.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Costa Rica’s most famous park — squirrel monkeys, sloths and postcard coves, roughly a 50-minute drive north. Go early, beat the crowds, come home to calm.
Uvita, Bahía Ballena & Whale’s Tail
Walk the famous Whale’s Tail sandbar at low tide and join a whale-watching tour in season. Bahía Ballena sits inside Marino Ballena National Park, and its calmer, more sheltered waters are a favorite with parents traveling with babies and small children, since the currents here are gentler than the open surf at Matapalo. Good to know: the sandbar is only fully walkable at low tide, so check tide times before you go.
Nauyaca Waterfalls
Two-tier canyon waterfalls with a natural swimming hole — reach them on foot, on horseback or by 4×4.
Sample Itineraries
Suggested ways to spend your days
Loose starting points, not fixed plans — shape them around the tide, the surf and how slow you want to go.
Slow Escape
- Settle in & beach time
- Zipline canopy tour & wildlife day
- Dominical surf & dinner
Coast & Waterfalls
- Playa Matapalo
- Dominical
- Zipline canopy tour
- Nauyaca Waterfalls
- Uvita, Bahía Ballena & Whale’s Tail
South Pacific Experience
- Manuel Antonio park
- Dominical
- Zipline canopy tour
- Uvita, Bahía Ballena & whale watching (seasonal)
- Nauyaca Waterfalls
- Local beach days
Suggested itineraries only; the hosts can help you arrange tours, transport, ziplining, surf lessons and horseback riding once you book on Airbnb.
Made for slow travelers
Who BaliBala is for
Couples
Private plunge pools, open-air showers and sunset walks on an almost-empty beach.
Families
The pool-free Hideaway welcomes younger children; safe fenced grounds and wildlife everywhere. For swimming with babies and toddlers, the sheltered, protected waters of Bahía Ballena and Uvita are a short drive away.
Groups & retreats
Four private stays side by side sleeping up to 19 — book each on Airbnb, or message the hosts.
Nature lovers
Sloths, capuchin monkeys, macaws and 25+ bird species reported on the Merlin app most mornings.
Amenities
Thoughtful comforts, straight from the listings
Sleeping & comfort
- King, queen and twin beds
- Ceiling fans & mosquito nets
- In-room safe for valuables
Kitchens & dining
- Fully equipped kitchens
- Open living, terrace & dining
- Optional breakfast on request
Outdoor living
- Two open-air showers, hot water
- Lounge chairs & hammock
- Beach towels & chairs provided
Pools & beach
- Private pool at the house & two tents
- Beach access, steps away
- Pool-free Hideaway for families
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi at every stay
- Dedicated workspace
- Free parking on premises
Support & access
- On-site caretaker & 24-hr security
- Self check-in with lockbox
- Fully fenced, gated entrance
Amenities vary slightly by stay. See each Airbnb listing for the full amenity list (50–53 amenities per stay).
Architecture & Sustainability
Stay inside a piece of world-class architecture
The teak-built No Footprint House is part of the acclaimed No Footprint House series — winner of 50+ international awards and featured in The New York Times — designed to blend seamlessly with nature.
The luxury safari tents carry the same philosophy into canvas, hardwood and bamboo: open-air, low-impact and built to disappear into the jungle, so a sustainable stay never means giving up comfort.
Your hosts & local support
Hosted by Linda & Bart, Airbnb Superhosts
Originally from the Netherlands and now on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast, Linda and Bart built BaliBala to show that a sustainable home can be genuinely comfortable. They hold Superhost status with a 100% response rate, usually within an hour.
On the ground, caretaker Flory and Tigra the dog help guests feel at home — and the hosts are happy to arrange tours, surf lessons, horseback riding and restaurant reservations, all coordinated through Airbnb.
What guests say
“A special getaway that we will visit again.”
Raquel · May 2026 · Airbnb guest review · translated from Spanish
Close to the ocean, with a private pool and surrounded by nature — we saw monkeys, squirrels, sloths and many birds, and slept to the sound of the ocean. The cleanliness was spectacular and the outdoor bathroom unbelievable. Linda and Bart were attentive, and the caretaker on site — plus Tigra the dog — made us feel like family.
About the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been on is right across the street, and almost no one is ever on it. The Merlin app identified over 25 different birds most mornings, and a pair of capuchin monkeys stopped by. Wonderful open-air shower with plenty of hot water.
This house is absolutely spectacular — spacious and completely open, immersing you in nature with real comfort and privacy. You hear the waves all day and it’s a two-minute walk to the beach. Host Flory even organized surf classes and a family horse-riding tour.
Waking up to the sounds of the jungle and the lapping of the sea: fantastic! Gazing at the starry sky from the plunge pool: amazing! Sloths in the tree above your terrace: Pura Vida!
Verified Airbnb guest reviews, translated where needed. See each stay’s Airbnb listing for full ratings and every review.
Booking, the simple way
Reservations are completed securely through Airbnb
No forms, no back-and-forth — live availability, transparent pricing and Airbnb’s trusted checkout.
Explore the stays
Compare capacities, pools and layouts below.
Open on Airbnb
Click through to that stay’s exact listing.
Check dates & price
See live availability and total pricing.
Reserve on Airbnb
Book securely; the hosts help plan your arrival.
FAQs
Good to know before you book
On Playa Matapalo in Savegre, Puntarenas — a quiet beach community on the Costanera Sur (Route 34), roughly halfway between Quepos / Manuel Antonio and Dominical. The beach is about a two-minute walk from your stay.
About a 50-minute drive north, according to the Airbnb listings.
Dominical is about 15 minutes south; Uvita and Marino Ballena about 30–35 minutes.
A car is recommended to reach the beach community and the day trips along the coast. The stays include free parking on premises.
Steps away — guests describe a roughly two-minute walk to Playa Matapalo.
Every stay has Wi-Fi and a dedicated workspace. The tents use ceiling fans and mosquito nets rather than A/C, and cool down at night; see each Airbnb listing for the full amenity list.
The pool-free 2BR Safari Tent Hideaway is ideal for families with young children. The house and the two pool tents note that children under 10 are not allowed because the pools are deep and unfenced.
Playa Matapalo itself has an active surf break, so it is better suited to older kids and confident swimmers. For babies and small children, most guests head about 30–35 minutes south to Bahía Ballena and Uvita inside Marino Ballena National Park, where the water is calmer and more sheltered, or to the shallow edges of the Whale’s Tail sandbar at low tide.
Guests commonly report sloths, capuchin monkeys, macaws and 25+ bird species (identified via the Merlin app). Sightings are never guaranteed.
Choose your stay below, click through to that stay’s Airbnb listing, then check live dates and pricing and complete your reservation securely on Airbnb. Cancellation terms are shown on Airbnb before you book.
Find the BaliBala stay that fits your trip
Explore each private stay, compare its spaces and amenities, then check current dates and pricing through Airbnb.
Playa Matapalo, Savegre, Puntarenas · Reservations completed through Airbnb