I would give a 5 star review but our villa had some things that are broken and in need of repair. The beauty, however more than made up it. Being able to come back to the Bella Vista after a walk on the beach or a drive into town was such a treat! Total serenity , so quiet after the noise in town and waves pounding on the beach, the place is amazing ! We decided we liked being up on the hill/ mountain better than being right on the beach. The repair man did come to fix the A/C that is in the upper master bedroom however we never needed it as the temperatures, humidity , breezes were just perfect. I even got cold at night! We were able to hear the ocean from our bed at times due to the ocean being so rough. For beach lovers ; you can walk for hours in one directions the beach goes on and on. You don't have to worry about getting thirsty as there are fellows selling fresh from the trees coconut , and pineapple drinks right on the beach during certain times of the year, and a lot of beach bars/ restaurants/ resorts along the beach to keep you happy! If you plan to drive into Las Terrenas be prepared, the drivers are crazy and it is an experience! We loved going into town and being able to purchase fresh fruit and eggs directly from the farm. I much preferred to purchase from the locals than at the sterile supermarket which has a ton of variety if you are looking for something specific. Also be prepared to brush up on Spanish . To our surprise since tourism is the main economy in the DO almost no one even knew a word in English. Even at the wonderful Restaurants many being owned and run by the French and Italians they didn't speak a word of English. It worked out fine for us as my husband did take Spanish in High School, and most of the time they would write down the price in Pesos on paper or show us on the calculator. We also found the best cigar shop in downtown Las Terrenas where they were actually hand rolling the cigars in the shop , you can purchase a GREAT cigar for $3-5 US!
Just a few suggestions to the owners who are WONDERFUL to work with and correspond quickly and are very helpful are: Have the help ( they speak no English) leave basic condiments in the house like salt, pepper various spices , cooking oil etc. plastic bags for garbage, and maybe some more comfortable seating / furniture inside the villa.