Frequently-Asked-Questions
Why did you build Stealing Time?
Many luxury options are behind gates in manufactured areas, where visitors have limited exposure to the ‘pura vida’ lifestyle, which is the magic of Costa Rica.
At Stealing Time, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in this beautiful country and its wonderful people, while stealing time for yourself.
Can I just book one apartment?
No, Stealing Time is a private resort, so each booking has the whole place to themselves.
Why would I pick it over a luxury resort?
The entire facility is yours, and is completely private. Walk around in your jammies, wear your bathing suit at dinner, go the whole day without speaking if you want. You won’t have to deal with any other entitled guests or snooty maitre d’s.
Every area, from the apartments to the gym, the cold plunge hut and treatment room, has a stunning ocean view by day and a sky full of stars at night. It has all been immaculately designed with your comfort in mind.
On the property we often see macaws, toucans, hummingbirds, butterflies and yes, the occasional sloth. It’s magical.
But mostly, because you’ll enjoy an authentic Costa Rican vacation, not brought to you by MegaHotelCorp, where each room and each resort is exactly like the next.
And why would I pick the luxury resort?
If you love an all-you-can-eat buffet on-site, the resort is your better bet. 🙂
Each apartment at Stealing Time has a well-equipped kitchen, and local markets are not far. We can arrange for groceries to be delivered to you at the resort, and we can even bring in a chef if you’d like.
We encourage you to walk five minutes down to the beach for breakfast at a local ‘soda’, where you can meet the chickens that laid your scrambled eggs. And there are several restaurants we can recommend in town, from ‘very casual’ to ‘very casual with excellent food’.
Is it really like a resort?
Other than the buffet, that’s what we’re aiming for.
We have all the amenities of a 5-star resort: an air-conditioned gym, covered open-air yoga shala, salt water pool, cold plunge, treatment room (with waterfall!), daily housekeeping service and Brayan, your personal concierge.
We can arrange and equip you for local outings, day trips, in-resort services and beach time.
Everyone I know goes to Nosara, Tamarindo or Santa Teresa, shouldn’t I just go there?
Certainly, they’re all lovely destinations, if that’s what you’re looking for. You’ll have a larger selection of things like restaurants and gift shops in those towns.
Esterillos Oeste is, as yet, largely undiscovered by tourists, so you can walk the Blue-Flagged beach for 5km in either direction and see almost no one, and the area is still awash in wildlife.
That said, we have a few terrific restaurants in town, and Jacó, a bigger town 20 minutes away, offers a lot of restaurants, bars and entertainment.
It just depends on your priorities.
Tell me about the location.
In perfect conditions, it’s about 1¾ hours from SJO, so say two hours.
The area is called the Mid-Pacific Coast, in the canton of Parrita.
Manuel Antonio, CR’s most popular National Park is less than an hour south, and Dominical and Uvita, with its famous Whale’s Tail beach is just a little further.
Is it safe?
Yes, it’s a safe area, and there’s a neighbourhood guard on duty, based at our gate 6pm-6am, for further peace of mind.
Is there daily maid service?
We have a full time housekeeper who’ll only be working for you, so you’re welcome to set any schedule that you’d like.
I wish it could accommodate a few more people.
There is a second house with three bedrooms on the contiguous property that may be available for your dates. This would provide accommodations for up to 14 people.
Can I bring my children?
Absolutely, but please note it was not designed with children in mind. There are areas where falls are possible, and of course we don’t provide supervision for the pool. We do have pool and beach toys for everyone’s use.
Would I be able to check in early or check out late?
We will do our utmost to accommodate your arrival and departure times. The resort allows at least one day between reservations for refreshing, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Let us know when you’re booking.
Is it expensive? It sounds expensive.
Well… since you won’t be sharing the facility, you won’t be sharing the cost, so it’s not cheap. Think four rooms at a luxury resort.
That said, the price includes everything we offer. No resort, destination, cleaning, parking or other fees. If you want services like a massage, yoga teacher, or trainer, we’ll set you up with them, and you can pay directly. We don’t want to profit off the locals.
We think you get a unique, relaxing, authentic and brag-worthy escape for your money.
It’s a new place. How do I know that it’s going to be all you say?
While I’ll admit there’ll be a leap of faith on your part, you can read the 42 five star reviews we received when Stealing Time was a more modest Airbnb here.
Questions or Comments?
Just shoot me an email at
info【at】stealingtime.com
and I’ll get back to you
as soon as I can.
*The first few guests will be offered
a discount for leaping.