WOW- what a great trip. We definitely made the right choice in Villa Karaway-wouldn't change a thing. Our 40th birthday celebration was perfect thanks to you.  Enrique [he's a character and a wealth of knowledge!], Elba and Gloria [both hard working and sweet].  Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us. I hope to return with my wonderful friends and bring some new ones too! I think you be hearing from some people in Chicago - as we have been raving about your bit of paradise Enjoy the following - we wrote this in the Villa's Guestbook.

We had a wonderful stay!  Gloria and Elba were great!  We tried to watch the Superbowl but ended up in the infinity pool to watch the waves and our boys loved playing in the warm water.  There are so many nice touches we can't mention them all.  This is such a special spot and our family will always remember your wonderful home here!!

What a great place!  The view, the cool ocean breeze, the sharks in the heated pool.  What more could one want?  Oh yes, the whales playing just offshore.  Heaven!... We hope to come back sometime to this perfect villa in a perfect spot here on earth.[NOTE: the sharks referred to above is not the real thing.  They are toys that glide magically through the water.]

This has been an unbelievable vacation at Villa Karaway.  We're already planning a return trip!  Sunsets!  Excursions!! Rest and romantic relaxation.  Elba's food kept us home every night!

Our month here has been wonderful.  I know that you are proud of Villa Karaway.  It is a wonderful place and your personal touch is obvious. All we could have asked for.  We have both loved Puerto Vallarta and it has been a great place for us to get a whole month with our two year old.  We have many pictures of him learning to swim in your pool.  Memories for a lifetime. 

What a breathtaking house surrounded by such a magnificent setting.  I now have a concrete vision of what heaven might really look like when I close my eyes.  I honestly don't think that it is possible to describe with mere words.  From the lush, green hillside to the sun setting into the ocean...from Elba's unbelievable Mexican feast to the kind smiles and welcoming faces of everyone we encountered...It is truly a memory that we will carry with us forever.

And another guest comment from Denver:
Thank you so much for the Puerto Vallarta vacation! Your property is simply amazing! We all had an outstanding time and for Joan and I it was easily the best vacation experience we have ever had. Enrique, Elba, and Gloria are terrific people, they made us feel like royalty! Thank you once again for an incredible time.

We have truly entered Paradise and "Queen for the Day" or should I say week?  I want to take Elba and Gloria (or at least Elba's recipes) home.  Great food, warm hospitality.  Don't miss the chicken enchiladas and chile rellenos - best I've ever had.  What a wonderful vacation!

Puerto Vallarta and Villa Karaway are living up to ALL of our expectations.  I've tried every trick I know to take Elba home with us, but she is much too loyal to the "Hardings"..... Just kidding; what would we do on our next visit?

We spent a wonderful 2 weeks here at Villa Karaway.  The Villa is lovely and so comfortable.  The setting and view are spectacular.  Elba [our cook] was a gracious woman and kept us well supplied with food.  Gloria [our maid] works all day to keep the Villa spotless!  Thanks for the boogie boards - CD player, laptop - they were nice to have to use. We hope to return here someday, sooner than later!"

Well, we are back at work in snowy Pennsylvania after spending seven wonderful days at Villa Karaway. I apologize that in our effort to spend the last few hours in the sun and get to the airport, we found none of us commented in the red guest book.

Let me start by saying that I held the belief that you, Wayne, were a really slick marketer. All the information on the web sites was so positive about both the villa and the staff. Could it really be this good?? When we looked at the pictures and saw this "mini" villa in the shadows of the huge Las Palmares resort we were concerned. We read glowing reports on the entire staff, Elba, Gloria, Enrique, could they be this good?

I'm very pleased to report, there was not one exaggeration in any of the material. In fact, maybe to the contrary. Could Elba's cooking be that good? The answer is, it was better.

Gloria, the same type of story. We, of course, wanted to make sure the staff had Christmas day off to spend with their family, so tried to send Gloria home at 2:00 PM on Tuesday. She told us she had a few more things to do and left promptly at 5:30PM as usual.

Enrique was out of town the day we arrived but made a special visit the next day with the wonderful gifts. He called and stopped several other times just to check on us, great service.

And finally, the facility is unbelievable. We have severely missed the sounds of surf since returning to Sacramento, Dallas, and Lancaster, PA. We had no fewer than three digital cameras recording the stay and are now all sharing the memories by e-mail.

Wayne, thanks again for your hospitability, we look forward to visiting again.

I'm back to the grim reality of the Monday morning workday after an idyllic stay at your wonderful villa on the beach. The website photos don't do justice to the gem that is Villa Karaway. The place, the staff, the ocean, the pool...........all first class.

I'll have to put in regular gym visits this week to get the extra pounds off, but I didn't want to miss out on any of Elba's great meals. The family had several favorites that were repeated during the week......tortilla soup, chicken salad sandwiches, flan, barbecued chicken, assorted kabobs and, of course, those great mashed potatoes.

We had baby Julia's first birthday there complete with birthday cake, presents, and a piñata. She even had a traditional Mexican dress on.

There was so much to see and do, but we also had laid back time and enjoyed not only the big pool but our own little pool every day. I don't think I'll ever hear Jimmy Buffet again without an image of Villa Karaway coming to mind.

Can't wait to get back again someday soon!

Dear Wayne and Karen:  We would like to take a moment to thank you for the use of your beautiful Mexican casa.  Each morning we awoke to the sound of waves, a stream of sunlight across our private veranda, and the refreshing smell of salt air.  I only wish we’d had a month, not a week.
Your casa is a wonderful architectural mix of the local vernacular style with first world amenities.  The flow of spaces from the dining, down through the indoor living to the outdoor living and the private pool creates a naturally comfortable family environment.
As an architect, I especially enjoyed the thickness of the walls, the light filled niches, and the generous volumes of the rooms.  It was a pleasure to simply walk through the casa, feel the tall, narrowness of the hallways, the contraction of an entry space, and then the release into the grand, central living space.
Thank you also for the recommendation of your cook.  Elba is one of the warmest, most genuine people I have ever met.  My kids fell in love with her, and her cooking is a delight.  In the morning we would wake to a heaping dish of fresh fruit, in the evening she would spread before us feasts of local fish or chicken cooked with a Mexican flair, and in the day a steady stream of tostadas, fresh guacamole, nachos and salsa would stream from the kitchen.
Please pass on our recommendation to others who may be interested in renting Casa Karaway and feel free to have them contact us for a direct reference.  The house is beautiful and comfortable, the beach was safe for my children (ages 6 and 8), and the short bus ride into town (10 minutes) was an enjoyable adventure for the whole family.
-Guests from Vancouver, BC Canada

"What a marvelous place to come and visit.  We just don't want to go home.  God's seam between land and water, and right in the middle is your beautiful casa."        -Guests, Denver, CO
"Absolute Paradise!"         -New York City
"WOW!"        - Austin TX
"If you don't love this - give up!  You won't be happy in heaven!"        - Chicago, IL
"We left your lovely home today and just wanted to thank you! We had a delightful stay, and your home is charming, warm and so inviting. Our three guests felt right at home, as did we, from the moment we entered the front door. One even tried to rent it for Christmas this year, but it's already booked."        - San Diego
"We loved the grounds and the proximity to town.  The food was great!"  - California
"What a fantastic place!  We'll be back as soon as possible!  Elba [our cook] is the best!!" - Missouri
"Aye, Aye, Aye! Magnifico! Whomever decorated this flawless architectural masterpiece should be doing the same at my home!  LOVE it here!  We hope to back soon!"  - California and Colorado guests
"Talk about a WOW experience.  This was it.  Fabulous place and Elba's cooking is to die for."  - Colorado
"Awesome!  We are so grateful to have been able to stay in your beautiful 'casita.'  Out of this world..."  - Madison, Wisconsin
"Fantastico!  Magnifico!"  - Baltimore, Maryland
"This is the complete experience.... sunshine, beach, food!"  - Austin, TX
"What a great place! The pictures don't do it justice. We had a wonderful time-weather was great, a super lightning storm one night. (We Californians were quite entertained.) Elba's cooking was fantastic. We spent most days going between the pool and the patio and the beach. Everyone was ready for relaxing and Karaway was perfect. We are already talking of next year.  Thank you for sharing your villa." - C.H. from California
"Just got back Sunday morning (2AM) after a week at Casita Karaway. It was the most relaxing trip to Mexico we have ever had. My brother Walt has been to PV at least 12 times and he commented this was by far the best place he has stayed. Thanks for sharing your casita with us, it really felt like we were staying at a friends home. Hope to be back next year."  - S.F. from Dallas TX
"The weather was beautiful - we watched dolphins every day - saw whales & turtles too!  What more could anyone ask for!!" - N.O. from Denver CO
"The location and home were fantastic. Also Gloria and Adele were like family members. The food and service were always the best. We really also liked having the computer available. We took some great quick trips, but mostly just enjoyed hanging out around the house and going to the beach. The booklet you gave us was of tremendous help and everyone at the resort was very kind."  - P.P. from Santa Rosa, CA
"The Villa is absolutely Heaven!" - L.D. from Kansas City, also from K.C. "Villa Karaway is a wonderful 'Paradise,' so relaxing."
"Excellent!  Elba is magic." - L.K. from Kansas
"Everything was perfect for a week of relaxing and fun in the sun.  We'll recommend it to everyone.  PS - ahhhhh." - J.L. from Denver