We had the opportunity to stay at Villa Mashek in November of 2021. At the time of this review we've only been back a week...and already miss the amazing view! The view from the infinity pool is incredible! This was our first time staying in a private property out of country (usually do all-inclusives) and we can absolutely see the draw. The obvious cost savings are one thing but getting a chance to go out and explore multiple areas, restaurants, and beaches was great. We found some great restaurants (we'd recommend any of the Mosquito bars/restaurants) and never felt unsafe in the city. There is a great beach close by (Coson Beach, 5min drive) as well. The house has 3 bedrooms, a fantastic open living area, and a small kitchen. We had Carmen, the house caretaker, cook for us a couple times which worked out well (Google Translate was helpful!) and she does a fine job. There is no air conditioning but the bedrooms have ceiling fans and floor fans so it wasn't a huge issue for us. Our group of 7 could be a little needy but the Homeowner, Scott, was very accessible which we very much appreciated. He was also extremely helpful with restaurant/beach recommendations and helping us navigate the city. We really enjoyed our stay and are hopeful to get back soon!

We had a girlfriends trip to this Villa. The view was magnificent and I will never forget it. Bien and Rafael, the caretakers were wonderful and very accommodating. Everything necessary was provided so that we could have a great relaxing stay. We especially enjoyed the infinity pool.

When we arrived at Las Terrenas Paradise villa, we were absolutely overwhelmed! Wow! Look at that (infinity) pool! Wow! Look at this view! The villa is cleverly designed so as to have a tall, open togetherness area in the center and the bedrooms off to the sides. The location is ideal for a tropical get-away: off a semi-private road, on a hill overlooking the ocean, but only 10-15 minutes from town. We couldn't get enough of floating in the pool, well kept up by Rafael. For dinner Bien fixed yummy local dishes for us, or we dug our toes into the sand at a nearby beach, drank local beer, and ate huge grilled lobsters as the waves roared next to us -- Aaaah! Can't wait to go back!

This villa is absolutely amazing!!!! My family and I visited a few cities in the Dominican Republic during our 2 week stay and the time we spent in Las Terrenas was the best. I have been to the Dominican Republic many times (since my parents are Dominican) and this by far was one of our favorite and most memorable stays. The villa is very clean, the views are spectacular and the location is perfect. The in house service (Bienvenida and her husband) are so helpful, friendly and were willing to answer all of our questions. The owners (Mr and Mrs Mashek) provide a substantial amount of information and great directions. The best part of the entire trip was returning to the villa after sightseeing and going for a swim while taking in the amazing views. We look forward to returning very soon!

This is a beautiful home in paradise with an amazing view which you will not tire of. The owner Scott was extremely helpful with any questions we had before and during the trip. He has many recommendations on restaurants and activities. As others pointed out, we didn't do as much exploring as we thought we would as we were so comfortable at the home (and it did rain quite a bit!). Bien and Rafael helped make our stay comfortable, cleaning the pool and bedrooms each day, changing linens when needed. Bien is also a great cook and was happy to go buy the food and have dinner waiting for us at a very reasonable price. Walking to the beach is easy and you can walk for miles once you get there, stopping for lunch at several restaurants. Las Terrenas is a little busy for our liking but has two good supermarkets and many restaurants/bars. Walking through town during the day is a fun experience. Hiring a quad and going along the coffee and cocoa trail is a must for the more adventurous - ask Scott for details! Can't recommend this place enough, unless you want 5 star luxury service with no insects to be seen! There are critters (geckos, lizards, mosquitos, bats) but that is all part of the ambiance of the tropics.

We had the vacation of a lifetime at Villa Mashek! When we walked through the front door, it literally took our breath away! The home is right out of a movie. Gorgeous sweeping views from the open living room over the infinity pool. The staff was beyond gracious and accommodating and very patient with our limited/creative attempt to speak in Spanish. We were able to communicate everything we needed and never had a problem! Everything is close by, the lovely town of Las Terrenas as well as all the exciting activities in Samana. Scott and Jan gave us great ideas for horseback riding, hiking, local excursions...even zip lining! It was an extraordinary vacation! I look forward to coming back and will tell all my friends to visit Villa Mashek as well! Thank you for your gracious hospitality! Jennifer A. On a side note...when I went to post this, I saw the review by Heather and I must say that we felt completely safe and comfortable here. It always amazes me when people travel to a foreign country and expect that the entire world speaks English and has fences around pools. I would agree that it is always a good idea that your children can swim if you are staying ANYwhere there is a pool.

We did our homework and were super excited to travel to Mashek Villa in Las Terrances. However, our discomfort began on night one. We arrived late, but were greeted at the airport by a friendly driver which would have put us at ease if he spoke one word of English. He did not. When we arrived, after a long, dark drive with no sense where we were going, we were greeted by Bien, a warm, friendly housekeeper who again spoke VERY LITTLE English. Trying to use Google translate was a fail as well. The house was indeed lovely and looked exactly like the photos; however, what I didn't realize, is that the house is basically outdoor living. In addition to this being a little dangerous with the pool in the living room (or nothing to prevent the little children in our group from falling/swimming), we realized the only parts that can be locked up tight were the bedrooms. Each room individually by key or from the inside. With small children, we'd have to lock them in from the outside with the key, but then they wouldn't be able to get out if they needed us. So they would need the key inside with them, locking us out. Our stress was further heightened by a review of the welcome log, where one traveler described in detail how the home had been broken into and robbed by gun point while they were there. We spent two restless days and nights and finally decided we couldn't stay for the week. Our plight was further complicated by the fact that the vehicle we rented from Scott was broken down, which no one communicated to us until well into our second day. We were quite literally trapped in what should have been paradise. If we had been a large group, with teenagers or adults, this *might* have been okay as there is a sense of safety in numbers. But as a family traveling with three young children, it was unbearable. We moved on. The owner did NOT reimburse our rental fees. It is a lovely home, but not suitable for a family with young children. Be sure you speak the language and bring lots of bug spray!

We stayed there as a party of 6 persons (2 couples and 2 cousins being both 7 years old girls) for a week. As previously mentioned in other reviews, this is not a house for very young toddlers so I would recommmend it for kids that are at least mature enough to behave with an open area pool. Ours were totally fine. Also, for the same reason, I believe 6 people is really on the rooms side what is confortable. Unless someone wants to sleep on the very nice covered patio sofa outside (which is fun but probably not for a long stay). The 2 "main" rooms, on the same floor where is the pool, are really nice, spacious, etc. The 3rd one is smaller and on a lower level so it means taking a short stair that is directly on the hill so not ideal if you plan to put there again younger kids if they are not used to stay in bed full nights on their own (but being right below one of the main rooms, you can easily talk to the occupants above if needed so again, for us that was not at all an issue). Location is very secluded and could be hard to find on arrival so I recommend to arrive during daylight. Also, if you are driving a larger car, the parking is just large enough to turn around so nervous drivers are better to let other people drive back and forth (which is true anyway for most of DR!).If you speak a bit of spanish and get lost, just call Bien and she will send Raphael to join you on the main road on arrival (we did that and that worked nicely). Las Tarranas first groceries store is 2.5Km away from the house, but really the most part is about 3.5Km like restaurants and banks. It is walkable but over time you are better off with some kind of vehicule. Unless you want to stay put at home most of the time and get groceries and cooking done by Bien which is an option as she does these perfectly. She is also available to take care of the kids shall you want to go out. The beach in front is also very secluded, very quiet (no more than 5 guests seen on any day for kilometers of beach!) but is a 1.5KM walk. And when you come back, it is quite hilly. I ran there a number of times, but for those not in sports, might be better to drive to another access as this one has no parking from what I saw. Would be a 10-15 minutes drive depending where you go. But shall ou just walk at the beach, be aware that the closest restaurant, Luis, is another 2KM or so. We walked there, it is doable but again, maybe not for everyone taste if you do not like to walk. So this is a real quiet nicely located well equiped house, serviced by great people. We were lucky to have with us some spanish speaking people otherwise might be a good idea to have a dictionnary or a translation device with you (in fact, in all DR, except for the restaurants and bars, it is spanish almost exclusively). Also on the plus side, the WIFI worked nicely and almost all the time, something that is pretty rare even in the best hotels in DR. And the pool temperature was ideal. We would like to thank the owners to make such a special place available to others as it permits to build life long memories even on a short one week stay. We will gladly recommend it to anyone wanting to visit that lovely part of DR and also will be offering answers to any question. Regards.

We encountered some issues at the airport when our group (which included 4 children) were told our van wasn't available. I called Bienvenida to let her know that we would be late and not sure what time we would arrive. After speaking with Bienvenida and Rafael I felt this vacation would be the best ever. Yes despite finding ourselves with no transportation two hours away from our final destination. They assured me everything would be fine and they would assist in getting us transportation once we arrived to the home. We finally made it to paradise and Rafael and Bien welcomed us like family! The view was breathtaking, even after 7 days it would still take my breath away every morning, waking up to witness the skies, sunshine, nature, simply breathtaking. Rooms were perfect. I loved the kitchen it reminded me of my childhood home. Bien cooked an amazing meal when we arrived. The kids loved the pool. Some nights they just slept by the pool. This home is just that, a home in the middle of paradise. No resort just homie and when I asked my kids what they liked the most of all our adventures in Las Terrenas they say it was the house. We pray that we can come back again and often. We've told our friends about this home and this town with so many friendly and welcoming people. Scott was so helpful providing directions to airport, dining, tours, well everything to make our stay enjoyable and memorable. I'm in love with Las Terrenas!

Wir (2 Paare) verbrachten insgesamt zwei Wochen in Las Terrenas, wobei wir eine Woche in diesem Haus lebten. Es war einfach Perfekt. Es hat uns an nichts gefehlt. Das Haus liegt leicht erhöht auf einem Hügel mit atemberaubendem, direktem Meerblick. Wir waren mit einem Allrad-Pickup unterwegs, wäre aber nicht nötig gewesen. Die Zufahrt zum Haus ist auch mit einem "normalen" Auto problemlos zu meistern. Mit dem Auto ist man in 5-10min direkt am Strand (auch zu Fuss möglich). In ca. 10-15min ist man in Las Terrenas. Das Haus ist so gelegen, dass man den ganzen Tag die Sonne geniessen kann. Die Sonnen auf-/ und Untergänge sind einfach traumhaft. Wir haben oft selber gekocht und einfach das schöne Ambiente genossen. Gleich neben dem Haus lebt ein einheimisches Paar, welches sich bei Bedarf um die Gäste kümmert, das Haus sauber hält und für die Arbeiten rund um das Haus zuständig sind. Die Beiden sind wirklich sehr liebenswerte Menschen. Für uns ist eines klar: Kommen wir wieder nach Las Terrenas, dann in dieses Haus!