Nights 1–3 · Mountains
Bella Vista Private Resort
An easy 80 minutes from San José. Four homes, an infinity pool, four private lit pickleball courts and a sunset over the Gulf of Nicoya every night.
✈ SJO → 1 hr 20 min
Costa Rica Private Resorts for GroupsBella Vista Private ResortThe Majestic LodgeJohnny's Beach Bungalow
Three privately owned estates for groups of 10 to 28 — a mountaintop resort, a lodge under Arenal Volcano and a bungalow steps from a Pacific surf beach. Stay at one, or move your whole group through all three.
★★★★★“We hosted our wedding here with 30 guests, 21 of whom stayed on the pr…” — Morgan Alford, Bella Vista★★★★★“Our family of 22 purchased the Presidential Package which provided us …” — Sharon, Majestic Lodge★★★★★“Johnny's Beach Bungalow was perfect for our multi-generation family re…” — Allison, Johnny's★★★★★“This place was amazing and a great fit for our large group of 26” — Chris, Bella Vista★★★★★“We had the whole property to ourselves for a multi-family vacation, an…” — Paul Nash, Majestic Lodge★★★★★“I highly recommend opting for the Presidential Package — our group lov…” — Andrew Keller, Johnny's★★★★★“Our family of 13 stayed at Bella Vista for a week and enjoyed every da…” — Cindy, Bella Vista★★★★★“I had the luxury of staying in this lodge for a mastermind event and b…” — Alexis Nielsen, Majestic Lodge★★★★★“This place is magical” — Elyse, Johnny's★★★★★“Patricia was most gracious, helped with transportation, cooked a few m…” — Doug, Bella Vista
Three private resorts · one planning team
Choose your favorite Costa Rica private resort. Or stay at all three.
Every estate is rented whole, to one group at a time, with hosts who live on site and cook for you. One planning team, one standard of hosting, three completely different settings.
The 10-day route
Mountains, then volcano, then ocean.
Most groups who plan a trip to Costa Rica for 7 to 14 days want to experience more of Costa Rica than just one area. That is where we come in. We specialize in providing the best experience to large groups of 10 to 28 people traveling in Costa Rica together. So if you want to experience the mountains, the rainforest or the beach, we can help you experience any of them, or all of them. We make it easy by coordinating your whole trip at each of our private resorts.
Mountains
Volcano
Ocean
Drive times are door to door in a group van.
Nights 4–6 · Volcano
The Majestic Lodge
Ten en-suite rooms facing Arenal. Zip lines six minutes away, hot springs at night, breakfast every morning on the big covered deck.
🚐 Bella Vista → about 2 hrs 30 min
Nights 7–9 · Ocean
Johnny's Beach Bungalow
Three minutes' walk to the surf at Playa Avellanas. Lessons in the morning, the pool all afternoon, dinner under the pavilion lights.
🚐 Majestic → about 3 hrs 50 min · then LIR 1 hr 30 min
Why groups book a whole estate
A resort's views. A home's privacy. A host's welcome.
Hotels split your group across hallways and floors. Here the pool, the kitchen, the courts and the deck are only yours — and you're talking to the people who run the resort, not a call center.
- Everyone under one roof (or one gate). Grandparents, toddlers and the night owls, together.
- Hosts who live on site. Patricia, Beto, Alberto and Karla cook, drive and fix things.
- One plan, three regions. We line up dates and transfers across all three estates.
- Book direct, save about 10%. No platform fees; returning guests get a little more.
26bedrooms across three estates
89guests could stay across all three at once
100wedding guests at our largest venue
4private lit pickleball courts
What are you celebrating?
Built for the trips people plan for a year.
→Weddings
Mountaintop for 100, beach for 70, rainforest for 50 — and your guests stay on site.
→Retreats
Yoga, wellness, corporate & church.
→Pickleball retreats
Four private lit courts, and courts at every stop.
→Family reunions
Every generation, one estate.
→Group trips
Birthdays, bachelor & bachelorette, friends.
→Surf camps
Schools and crews rent Johnny's for weeks at a time.
→Adventure base camp
Zip lines, hot springs and waterfalls from the Majestic Lodge.
Ready-made routes
Pick a length. We've done the driving math.
4 nights5 days
Mountains
With five days, the best group trip has one base, not two. Pick the estate that matches your airport and spend the time …
6 nights7 days
Volcano→Ocean
The classic week: three nights under Arenal Volcano, three nights steps from the Pacific. Fly into San José, fly home fr…
9 nights10 days
Mountains→Volcano→Ocean
Three nights at each estate is the route we recommend most: an easy first stop 80 minutes from the airport, the volcano …
13 nights14 days
Mountains→Volcano→Ocean
Two weeks lets each estate become home rather than a stopover: four nights in the mountains, four at the volcano and fiv…
Jon Schoeller tours Bella Vista — a $1.2M Costa Rica villa
See it before you fly
Walk every estate on video.
Travel creator Jon Schoeller and his family toured Bella Vista for his million-subscriber channel. Our own walkthroughs show every room of all three estates.
Bella Vista Private Resort walkthrough
The Majestic Lodge walkthrough
Johnny's Beach Bungalow tour
344 reviews · 4.9 average
Groups say it better than we can.
★★★★★
“We hosted our wedding here with 30 guests, 21 of whom stayed on the property, and it felt intimate, special, and truly unique. The setting is magical, the privacy is unmatched.”
★★★★★
“Our family of 22 purchased the Presidential Package which provided us with two wonderful cooks/housekeepers and transportation to and from the airport in San José. The best part of our stay was the hospitality and care we received.”
★★★★★
“Johnny's Beach Bungalow was perfect for our multi-generation family reunion. The proximity to the beach and Lola's was a definite highlight of the trip. Karla and Alberto were incredible groundskeepers, drivers, concierges.”
★★★★★
“This place was amazing and a great fit for our large group of 26. Amazing pool and pool house, perfectly in the middle of Poás Volcano, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio. Patricia was great and prepared us multiple delicious meals!”
★★★★★
“We had the whole property to ourselves for a multi-family vacation, and it was amazing to have everyone together but each with their own master suites. Ziplining is a 6 minute drive, and the lake is a 3 minute walk.”
★★★★★
“I highly recommend opting for the Presidential Package — our group loved everything about it. From being picked up at the airport, to the delicious home-cooked meals, to the activity planning, we all felt, well, presidential.”
When to go
The weather is different at every stop.
July can be drier than June, and the Guanacaste coast dries out weeks before Arenal does. Tap a region, hover a month.
DryMixedRainy afternoonsTypical year — weather varies.
Free · 18 pagesThe Costa Rica Group Trip PlaybookCosta Rica Private Resorts
For whoever is organizing this trip
You're planning for 20 people. Here's the shortcut.
- Three proven routes with real drive times and the airport trick that saves 4 hours
- A per-person budget for groups of 10–28 (lodging, food, transfers, fun)
- How to collect deposits from a big group without chasing anyone
- What to pack for volcano, mountains and beach in one bag
Check dates
Tell us about your group. We'll check all three estates.
One message reaches Karen, who handles bookings for every estate. She'll come back with availability, a quote and a suggested route — usually the same day.
📞 +1 (602) 430-2232 (call or text)✉️ hello@bellavistacostarica.com
What is Costa Rica Private Resorts?
We're the team behind three private group resorts in Costa Rica: Bella Vista Private Resort in the central mountains, The Majestic Lodge at Arenal Volcano, and Johnny's Beach Bungalow on Playa Avellanas. Each is rented whole, to one group at a time, with on-site hosts who live there.
How many people can stay?
Bella Vista sleeps 28 across four homes, The Majestic Lodge sleeps 33 in ten en-suite bedrooms, and Johnny's Beach Bungalow sleeps 28 in six suites and a tiki hut. Groups of 10 to 28 fit best: Bella Vista and The Majestic Lodge each have 10 bedrooms, so a group of 10 can give everyone a room of their own.
Can we stay at more than one estate on the same trip?
Yes — that's the reason this site exists. Most groups of 7 to 14 days split the trip between two or three estates (for example volcano then beach). We coordinate the dates across all three and our hosts can arrange the van transfers between them.
How much does it cost per person?
Whole-estate rates start at $1,250 a night at Bella Vista ($950 in May, September and October), $1,350 at the Majestic Lodge (breakfast included for 16, then $20 per extra guest) and $1,360 at Johnny's (breakfast included for 16, then $20 per extra guest). For a group of 24 that's roughly $52–$63 per person per night for lodging. The trip builder shows the exact math for your group.
How far apart are the estates?
Bella Vista to the Majestic Lodge is about 2.5 hours, Bella Vista to Johnny's about 3¼ hours, and the Majestic Lodge to Johnny's just under 4 hours. Times are door to door in a group van and vary with traffic and stops.
Which airport should we fly into?
For a multi-stop trip, fly into San José (SJO) and home from Liberia (LIR). Bella Vista is 80 minutes from SJO and Johnny's is 90 minutes from LIR, so neither end of the trip starts or finishes with a long drive.