Self Catering not a hotel. Everywhere was booked up when we arrived, we wanted to stay in Banana Azul but they too were booked up, but they let us know about this place. We had no option but were thrilled with the find, very cheap and a perfect base. Beach is at end of the garden across dirt road, not too spectacular but very handy and not crowded- most time we were only ones there. Banana azul is two minutes away. Taxi or hire bikes to get around. We loved it, kept costs down by filling fridge and we could then splurge on VIP accomodation elsewhere in C.R i.e Peace Lodge.
House is very very small, but has porch so extended living area and cool as there is only a fan in the accomodation. Sea breeze is lovely we stayed in Sept 08 and weather great. Would definately recommend and was nicer than some hotels we stayed in...but that is another story!!

Only downside crime was a concern, nothing happened to us but conscious to ensure gate was always locked, and we kept everything in the safe. Best Taxi driver Sandro, if at all possible try to find him and let him know Ireland says hi!!!!!!

We loved Magic Moon house! Checked in at Banana Azul and were taken to the house by the caretaker, Susanna. We were shown the ins and outs of the place, then left to relax. The house had three bedrooms (2 up, 1 down), an awesome deck overlooking the gorgeous property, kitchen, 2 bathrooms......Beach across the street. Gate to keep out any uninvited people. The house has no AC, but the fans in the bedroom kept it cool, and the deck always had a welcoming breeze. Towels were plentiful in the bathrooms, and the maid who cleaned one time while we were there was great and super nice. I highly recommend staying here, SOOO much better than staying at a hotel.

The bungalow was beautiful! We stayed there for 5 days. It's not fancy, it's not five star, but that's not what we were after. Everything was a little rickety and old, but we didn't have any problems at all. We didn't really use the kitchen, we just stored beer, water, and snacks in the fridge. The bed was comfortable. We slept with the windows open and used the mosquito net. I was fairly afraid of bugs at night since the windows didn't have any screens, but we didn't have many problems. I did see one tick & one roach...but hey, you're in Costa Rica, so I didn't think that was too bad.
The grounds were absolutely beautiful! We spent a lot of time hanging out in the hammock. The beach is just feet away and Banana Azul is a very short walk. We ate many meals at Banana Azul and the food was fantastic! In fact, we didn't have a bad meal the whole time we were in Puerto Viejo.
The first morning that we woke up, there was the cutest little puppy at our doorstep! She belonged to the neighbors, but she came to see us almost everyday and I would have taken her home if I could have. We named her NuNu, and give her a scratch from us if you happen to see her there!
All in all, we would definitely recommend the bungalow for young, adventure loving couples like us. It's not fancy but if you just need a place to crash, then this is the place for you. I loved that it gave us more privacy than Banana Azul, yet we had the benefit of using all the amenities there. We love Magic Moon!

I stayed at the Magic Moon Bungalow with my boyfriend for two nights because we could only stay at Banana Azul for four nights. Coming from Banana Azul makes going to MMB kind of a let down. While the front porch view and gardens were absolutely spectacular, inside was kind of dark and depressing. Because there are only wood shutters you have to open them up to get any light in the bedroom. In addition, our first night there we saw two large spiders on the wall of the bedroom (probably wolf spiders) and then we we got in bed we had to brush off many tiny spiders from the sheets. We tucked in the mosquito net and hoped for the best. I think that the place may have not had any guests for a week or two and I noticed that the bug repellant needed changing. The second night was not so bad. If these things had not been the case I'm sure we would have had a different experience (it is Costa Rica and the Carribean after all, there are going to be bugs if people aren't there to scare them off). I could see how, minus the spiders, this could be a special place as all of the comments in the guest book were very positive.