I am seeking opinions about the safety of renting a house for a few days near Manuel Antonio Costa Rica versus staying in a good hotel with formal security. Also, any suggestions of particular rental houses or websites would be appreciated.

You might ask letiole for her perspective, as she has recently rented a house near Manuel Antonio. You can read her trip report (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376285).

Most of the Pacific coast of CR is pretty safe. Renting for less than a week might not be easy to do, though. It is the high season, so you might have some difficulty finding a nice place at less than top dollar.

This is the house I rented and the company I used. Houses were on a gated street with 24-hour guards. The community itself was safe, except from monkeys who came into the house each day and liked to take bathingsuits. On the beach, watch your stuff. This company does minimum one-week rentals, as I'd imagine most others also do. I loved the house option, BTW. The house was all open air and had sweeping views. After that, it would be tough for me to go back and have a small hotel room.

http://www.vivalasvillas.com/villas1.html

Thanks letiole. Those are four of the six houses we are considering. It looks like Alegria is the only one with full house air conditioning rather than just the bedrooms, but it apparently is not inside the gated area.

Thanks letiole. Those are four of the six houses we are considering. It looks like Alegria is the only one with full house air conditioning rather than just the bedrooms, but it apparently is not inside the gated area.

I wouldn't let that stop you. We had a/c in the bedrooms, but did not miss it at all in the main house. It was all open air and got a good breeze. Also, being in the hills and surrounded by trees, it was never what I would call hot. We were very comfortable.