Standout rentals you can book on Airbnb in Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma in 2026, from $65 studios to $1,500 villas, with ratings, walk times to the beach, road access, fees, and when booking direct is cheaper.
The best Airbnbs in Santa Teresa are the named properties with hundreds of reviews and their own websites: Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas from $65 a night, Casa Calyx from $185, Pacific Azure in Mal Pais with ratings near 4.9 across more than 700 reviews, Peace Villa at 4.96, and Casa Colibri at 4.97. All of them can be booked on Airbnb, and most are cheaper or more flexible through their own site or WhatsApp. I link the property, not the platform.
The short version
Santa Teresa has thousands of Airbnb listings and a short list worth booking. Look for a rental that has its own website, a named host, a rating above 4.85 on at least 90 reviews, and a stated distance to the beach. Those signals separate the durable properties from a landlord's spare apartment. The listings also leave out the things that decide a week here: how steep the road is, whether you can walk to the sand, whether air conditioning is capped, and how many fees land at checkout.
Quick picks. Budget: Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas. Couples on a hill: Casa Calyx. Families who want to walk: Peace Villa. Mal Pais with a pool: Pacific Azure. Big group: Pacific Villa or Tanit Estates. Something unusual: the treehouses at Ecocoon.
Budget: under $150 a night
Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas is a small boutique property on a private hilltop with four ocean view rooms, a small apartment and a rooftop penthouse, run by a host with 16 years on the platform and rated 4.88 from 172 reviews on Airbnb. The host lists rates for two people with taxes included. From 1 May to 31 October: the Birdcage Apartment is $65, the Downstairs Room $90, the Upstairs Room $120 and the Rooftop Penthouse $175. From 1 November to 30 April the two rooms rise by $20, the penthouse by $10, and the Birdcage stays at $65; between 20 December and 5 January the range is $100 to $250. Each extra guest is $25, and there is a pool, air conditioning in each unit and 24 hour self check in. The property has its own site at surfvistavillas.com.
The catch is the hill. The listing says the beach is a two minute drive or a 15 minute walk up a steep hill, with free parking on site. Right for people with a scooter or quad. Wrong if you want to walk home from dinner at midnight.
Villa Fortuna is six apartments in the middle of town, 50 metres north of Super Ronny's and five minutes on foot to the beach, with a shared pool and 100 Mbps Wi-Fi. The two bedroom Oasis sleeps four adults and two children and needs no 4x4. Rates are on each unit page of the site. It is not in the Onda directory yet.
Mid range: $150 to $450 a night
Casa Calyx is a three bedroom jungle villa with an office and a 24 hour infinity pool above Playa Santa Teresa. It sleeps six, rents from $185 a night, and holds 4.93 from 28 reviews and Superhost status. Guests report about 10 minutes to town and a steep climb back, which is the trade for the view. Starlink backs up the fibre line, which matters if you work. Book on casacalyx.com or Airbnb. It suits two couples or a remote worker who rents a quad.
Pacific Azure runs a family of Mal Pais rentals under one Superhost operation, with its own website and a WhatsApp for inquiries, +506 8325 5658. The Pacific Suite and Pacific Penthouse each have three bedrooms for six and ratings of 4.91 from 356 reviews and 4.93 from 336. Pacific Cottage has three en suite bedrooms, its own pool and a 10 minute walk to Mal Pais beach. All have air conditioning, Wi-Fi at 100 Mbps and housekeeping included. Mal Pais is quieter and a drive from the Santa Teresa restaurants. Rates are not on the site; they show on the booking calendar.
Peace Villa is a three bedroom house for up to eight in a gated community with a 24/7 guard, about 300 metres from Banana Beach on flat ground, with a private pool and fibre internet. It holds a 4.96 rating and Guest Favorite status. PURE Vacation Homes lists it from $400 a night. It suits two families who want to walk to the beach.
Villas Santa Teresa is three two bedroom villas about 50 steps from the beach with a shared pool and daily housekeeping. Its website says booking there gets the best price; the villa sleeps five and rates are on the booking engine. Families like the second bedroom with three single beds.
Taru Rentals in Montezuma has studios that Airbnb guests rate at 4.93 from 246 reviews and 4.92 from 279 for the Sunrise Studio and the Ocean View Studio; see Taru Vacation Rentals. Montezuma is about 40 minutes from Santa Teresa, so book it if you want a quieter base for waterfalls and Cabo Blanco.
Splurge: $800 and up
Casa Colibri is a three bedroom, three bathroom home for six in a gated community in north Santa Teresa across from Rocamar Beach, with an infinity pool and air conditioning in each bedroom. It holds 4.97 from 95 reviews and Guest Favorite status. An agency that rents it lists $813 a night from September to mid December and $1,500 at Christmas, plus 13% tax, a $135 cleaning fee, a $40 administration fee, a $70 processing fee and a $500 damage deposit, with a 3 night minimum and 7 over the holidays. The Airbnb listing recommends a 4x4 or quad, and it bans parties. See Casa Colibri.
Pacific Villa, six bedrooms for twelve with a pool and jacuzzi, and Tanit Estates, five bedrooms for twelve on 3.7 acres with an 18 metre saltwater pool and staff, are the group options. Neither publishes a rate outside the platform.
For a couple, the Ecocoon treelodge (its Airbnb listing is titled The Nëst Treelodge) lists a "Honeymoon Escape" for two with a queen bed, a private plunge pool and shared use of two wood fired saunas, a cold plunge and a yoga shala, 6 to 8 minutes from Playa Hermosa and about 15 from town. The host recommends a 4x4 in the rainy season. The retreat has also been advertised for sale as a going business, so confirm it is open for your dates.
What the listing leaves out
Road access. Many hill rentals end on a steep dirt or rock track. Casa Colibri's own listing recommends four wheel drive, Ecocoon says the same in the rainy season, and Surf Vista Villas admits a steep walk. Ask for the last 300 metres: surface, slope, and whether the host will pick you up. See getting around Santa Teresa without a car.
Walk to the beach. Airbnb shows a pin, not a slope. Villa Fortuna and Peace Villa are flat and close. Casa Calyx and Surf Vista Villas are steep. Pacific Cottage is a 10 minute walk to Mal Pais beach.
Air conditioning and power. Check the house rules, since some budget rentals charge $10 to $20 a day for air conditioning. None of the properties above publishes a cap, so ask whether it is unlimited.
Water and power outages. Green season brings outages, per our monthly rentals guide. Ask whether the house has a tank and a pump.
Fees. Airbnb is moving most hosts to a single 15.5% host paid fee, which guests see folded into the nightly price, so compare totals with tax and cleaning rather than the headline number. Some owners list rates with tax included, as Surf Vista Villas does; others add 13% on top for stays under 30 nights. Casa Colibri's agency fees show how a cleaning fee, administration fee and deposit can add roughly 10% to a three night stay before tax.
When booking direct is cheaper
Pacific Azure, Villas Santa Teresa, Casa Calyx, Surf Vista Villas and PURE all run their own sites, and one of them states that its website gets the best price. A direct booking avoids the platform fee, lets you ask the questions above. The trade is protection: Airbnb holds your money until check in and mediates a dispute. For stays of 28 nights or more, compare a monthly rental; Casa Calyx offers a long stay discount and the monthly rentals guide covers the rest.
Ask the host for the ICT registration number. Rentals here must register under Law 9742, and our property management guide explains why. For more villa choices, see best villas, family friendly stays and where to stay.
Browse all rentals in the /directory/stay hub.
FAQ
What is the best Airbnb in Santa Teresa?
For value, Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas, from $65 a night. For a couple, Casa Calyx. For families, Peace Villa. For Mal Pais, Pacific Azure. All have 4.85 or better ratings on 28 to 356 reviews.
How much does an Airbnb cost in Santa Teresa?
Studios and rooms run $65 to $175 in green season, a three bedroom villa $185 to $450, and a gated three bedroom house near Rocamar $813 to $1,500. Add 13% tax on stays under 30 nights unless the host includes it.
Do I need a 4x4 for an Airbnb in Santa Teresa?
For hill rentals like Casa Colibri and Ecocoon, the hosts recommend it. For Villa Fortuna and Peace Villa, no. Ask the host for the last stretch of road.
Is it cheaper to book Airbnb properties direct?
Often yes, because the owner avoids the platform fee. Villas Santa Teresa says its website has the best price. Ask for a quote on both and compare totals.
Can I walk to the beach from most Airbnbs?
Only the flat ones near the centre or Banana Beach. Surf Vista Villas is a 15 minute climb, and Casa Calyx is about 10 minutes down and a steep walk back.
Are parties allowed at Airbnbs here?
Usually not. Casa Colibri bans parties, and quiet hours apply. See the party villas guide.
