 | Costa Rica Reviews | Tips 21 - 30 of 523 |  |
 From Second Floor Balcony by ABankerMU
Steps from the beach
No pool
Small grocery 50 ft away Theme: MotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: SE corner of townDirections: Follow main road SE as far as possible. Hotel is adjacent to Cahuita National Park.Other Contact: cgongaware@hotmail.com
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 Brilla Sol Hotel by BEETLE_VERTE
With only a web reservation, no credit card or money of any kind, they pick us up at the airport, even with our flight landing at 10PM. Large clean room very well equiped. The furniture was especialy nice, rich and big dark wood. Real big breakfast in the morning on the flowery terrace. Staff especially nice, even if some didn't speak english, we understood each other quite good!
We paid around 50$ for the night.
Second trip, we came back to this hotel. Same great service, location, furniture, etc. Renovated bathrooms. We paid 56$ a night.
We used the pool once. Patio furniture and flowering trees were great, but there was a lot of spiders and leaves in the water. And the water was cold... Well, we mostly used the patio furniture, to drink cold beers under the sun!
Third trip in 2006, we came back again. The hotel is still improving, better, faster, more efficient service. They upgraded the restaurant part and opened a gift shop. The room are still top notch, shuttle service still excellent, food, sun, trees and flowers... even the pool is still cold!! But they added a massage table. We left them luggage to care for while we were away on our 2 weeks vacations tour and got it back without problems when we got back. Paid 55$ a night. Still a favorite in Costa Rica.
Shuttle service at around midnight is more than welcome! Big tipycal breakfast in the morning. Nice surrounding and calm even in the middle of the city, so close to the airport.
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 a view of our room from
the pool by BEETLE_VERTE
We treated ourselves with a little bit of luxury for our last night in Costa Rica. We wanted a good hotel, a pool or jaccuzi and being close to the Poas volcano, the last thing we wanted to see before leaving. We got it. Except the pool was freezing cold. Really. We couldn't enter more than 2 steps, water up to our knees (and we're canadian, we know cold...!).
Our stay end up costing more than budgeted because the hotel is very secluded from anything and we had to get our meals there (very good food tho). Very nice clean and well-equiped room. Hot water all you want in the shower. Staff kind of slow but very friendly when you get their attention.
We paid I think 80$ including tax. Breakfast and shuttle to the airport included. We could also leave our luggage on the last day while visiting the volcano.
The view! You have to see the view! Up in the mountain, you look down on the central valley surrounded by mountains and the 3 volcano near San Jose. You can see this view as I captured it on my Alajuela page.
Mansion-like architecture, open terrace runs trough the backyard to catch the view. Beautiful trees and flowers.
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 Cacts by BEETLE_VERTE
At first, I have to say, the room is very disapointing and I wish I had listen to our taxi driver (saying this hotel was "no good"). The "regular" room we had was dark (the two windows giving on the inside of the hotel, one on the interior garden in construction and one on the hallway), dusty and not so clean (stained bedspread, dark corners, ...). The hot water was almost a dream as you have to run the water very slowly to get it hot.
But the staff wins all. I had to make a list of all the questions I had for the clerck since we had so many, but she took the time to answer everything very nicely for me, pointing on the map and recommanding cheap restaurant without lifting an eyebrow. And not trying to sell us any tours (which is rare).
And the rest of the hotel was finaly quite good, nice open terrace on the roof with a magnificient view for a nice (included) breakfast or sunbathing, lounge area with tons of books and tv, and very secure (fence and electric door, in front of the police quarter). We paid 49$ including tax, a drink and half an hour of internet.
Very very friendly staff, great view.
I would not recommend taking a "regular" room, even if it's more expensive, take the "de luxe" room (10$ more I think).
We came back to this hotel in 2005. Took the better room. Way better, brighter, two large beds, hot water, phone, tv,... paid 63$ this time, including phone call to Tortuguero and 30 minutes of internet. The service was okay, but not that friendly coop feeling we had the first time. The gallo pinto disapered from the included breakfast menu. And I get the feeling we could have stayed in a better neighborhood. I'm decreasing my Satisfaction Level from "very" to "satisfied"...
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 By the pool of Estrellamar in
Jaco by BEETLE_VERTE
This place is great and in restrospective, the best hotel we had. The staff is friendly and welcoming. The pool and jaccuzi are surrounded by a beautifull garden and little huts with hammoc and benches and the restaurant. The rooms are clean and well designed, and you get a fridge, C/A, tv, balcony, breakfast... or if you stay longer you can get a cabins for almost the same price.
We paid around 50S US for a night.
Second trip, we stayed here again while in Jaco. Found the same great accomodations, location, relaxing and fun spirit... Althought Bruno, the owner, was busy and distracted. Still of great service too us, he wasn't the cheerleader we used to know... maybe it was a bad week...
First and foremost, it's right on the beach (on the other side of the road) and in the center of the Jaco, but you don't hear a thing of the noisy canarvals that go on all day and all night! You feel lost in the forest, surrounded by trees, birds, flowers, but you're right there in the action.
Very good price for all you get. Top service, top staff, top accomodations...
An example: a fresh cut flower on your swan-folded towels when you arrive!
A secret difficult to reveal!
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 Main rancho at Iguana Lodge
where meals are served by Suzie3
The lodge is located just 10minutes from the airport on a lovely unpaved road.
Just feet from Playa Platanares where you can walk for miles, sometimes without seeing another person. Golfito is just across the Gulfo dulce and just beyond there is Panama. It is a beautiful view from the Lodge.
Jose is a wonderful chef and dinner is served buffet style by candlelight on the upper floor. Breakfast is served downstairs and lunch is next door at their other hotel, Pearl of the Osa.
A great place to just relax and enjoy the peace. Theme: OtherPrice: US$120-180 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula Costa Rica
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 La Colina by BEETLE_VERTE
Very luxurious, we felt like royalty! The rooms are beautiful, clean and well equiped (tv, fan, safe, bathroom and hot water...). Breakfast included, which we had in the open air restaurant. We paid a little over 50S US / night. The real dispointing point about this place is the staff and the up charges for everything. We stayed 4 nights and no one could recognised us. The meals at the restaurant at night were astronomicaly expensive and not that good (good, but not for the price). They had to charge us high fees for everything (3$/day for a safe, 10$ for a load of laundry, 1$ for a local phone call, ...). We had a message left for us at the reception but we only got it when we went there for something else... We couldn't put our meals "on the room" and had to pay cash each time. It's a very nice place but these things get on my nerves pretty quickly!
The room and surrounding are breath taking. Perch at the top of the mountain sepparating Quepos from Manuel Antonio, the view on the ocean (and sunset!) is wonderful. Our room was beautiful and well equiped (tv, safe and most important shelves, dresser and closet when you travel with a backpack). Almost floor to celing wodden windows on two side. Hidden in the forest. Beautiful little wet bar in the pool. Great view from the thoughtfully decorated outdoor restaurant.
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 Pension Colibri by BEETLE_VERTE
When you get out of the bus at Santa Elena / Monteverde without a hotel reservation in your pocket, it's written on your forehead and you attract every hotel scalpers in town. We had to hide in a restaurant and take out our guide book to find something. You either get luxurious or crappy. Luxurious was taken... we went for crappy!
There's no "downtown" there and no way to be close or far from the action. But our bus dropped us off at the triangle of Santa Elena where you find close to each other a few restaurants, bakery, shops and hotels. By foot, I visited a few before we made our choice, more by necessity than anything else. They were booking quickly.
We stayed in the "deluxe" suite of this pension. No way to see the advertise cabins, but we saw an ungly room, dark and cheap and our room. Same thing, except it was lighter because of the 2 big windows. And we had a balcony. We busted our budget and went for it: 25$
We got hot water in the shower, but only 2 of the 6 times we used it.
You wont get excited over the decoration. "Frou-frou" as we call it in french everywhere: bedspread and bathroom covered with red and pink and flower patterns of way too much polyester fabrics. Almost clean (some spot on the bathroom carpet). Almost sturdy (we broke the bed before the first night, don't worry we fixed it... altought I wouldn't sleep on the top bunk bed if I were you).
But we got used to it. Nice private balcony with tons of flower. Hummingbirds and all kinds of small birds flying around. Loads of space and we used the bunk beds as shelves to unload our backpacks. Not so much on the road, calm.
A really stupid dog might interrupt your sleep at night, but it's all over the city, so it's not quite unique to this place.
Every night, we had a suprise visitor on the roof. We could hear its claw on the plastic roof. Could be a giant iguana or a squirrel. Quite unique! Theme: Pension/GuesthousePrice: less than US$20 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: Santa ElenaPhone: 506-645-5682Directions: On the east part of the triangle of Santa Elena, in front of Chunches.
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 bed and breadfast by quime
San Jose Located...
I´ve been more than 35 times in costa rica and i know what I am telling you!
unforgetable breadfast, include on the price.
nice gardens, free calls and internet.
very quiet.
you tell me after the trip! Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: Street 19, Av. 11 y 13, 200 m. north, 200 m West and 25 m South of the Santa Teresita Church.Phone: (506) 256-1825Directions: Located in one of the oldest districs of San José, it is away from the noise and smoke but still only a few minutes from downtown.Website: www.hotelaranjuez.com
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The Tabacon Resort is one of the most luxurious resorts in the Arenal volcano area. I could have spent a week here and been happy.
Tabacon came highly recommended and I can see why. It met or exceeded my expectations.
THE TRAVEL SLUT TIP: If their rates are a bit much for travellers on a budget, stay in a less expensive hotel or motel nearby and buy a day pass for the Tabacon Resort and spend a day enjoying all of the resort's amenities such as their hot springs, spa treatments, bars and restaurants.
http://www.tabacon.com
Tabacon's Ave del Paraiso (Bird of Paradise) restaurant serves delicious International and Costa Rican cuisine and their Los Toucanes is a gourmet restaurant located next to the Tabacon Lodge swimming pool and wet bar.
Swim up to the wet bar where you can enjoy a wide variety of tropical drinks and cocktails or delight yourself with CocoLoco at the Sun Deck areas adjacent to the naturally heated swimming pool. You may also enjoy their Happy Hour at the Palenque Bar located in the tropical gardens surrounded by hot springs and rain forest.
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