Our family of five (2 adults and three kids ages 13, 13, 15) stayed at Villas Playa Maderas (Palmeras) for a week in March 2016. Our experience with this rental well exceeded our expectations in every way (and we had high expectations). To start with, Richardo was excellent to work with on the booking and payment. He was very accommodating and offered advice about the best time to come, transportation, meals, etc...the villa itself is exactly as described in the posting - yet, in many ways it is indescribable. The sunsets, the warm breeze off the water, the view, the sounds of the breaking waves, etc... Are difficult to put into words. The house was perfect for us in every way. It's open design was nice and yet everyone had their own privacy. The pool was absolutely perfect, clean, and refreshing and the view...is epic. Sharing the pool with another villa is no problem at all - we had a couple of neighbors and had a nice time getting to know them. And, the pool is plenty big. The location of the villas is fairly remote yet perfectly positioned between two fantastic beaches. The walk to the sand is 144 steps down the hill to the water. Maybe 2-3 minutes. Playa Maderas is only a short beach walk away where there are a couple nice restaurants with good food and cold beer. The beach is clean and beautiful. The surf shop at playa Maderas rents surf boards and most people go there to surf. We rented boards for about $5 for a couple hours. Lastly, the villa staff are really what makes the villa an amazing place to stay. Marie was very helpful / friendly and responded quickly to every request. She arranged for a couple of different staff members to cook for us for four nights - this was such a treat. The food was fantastic and very Nica authentic. Freshly caught fish, beans, rice, fresh veggies...wow. The security staff are very professional and friendly although their English is not very good - I tried to practice my Spanish pretty much every day and we often had a good laugh at my poorly articulated words. We felt very safe at all times - never a concern for us at all.
Also, SJDS is a short taxi ride away and there's lots to do and see there.
In general - I would highly recommend the Villas Playa Maderas for a family getaway as it really does have it all - the house, pool, beach, staff, and the view were all unforgettable.