Punta Leona Paradise
by puravida21404 about Punta Leona Beach Resort
Staying at Punta Leona was probably the most luxurious part of my trip. It has all the necessities: A clean and clear pool, a nice sandy beach, a bar/"discoteque", and it's surrounded by thick forrest that's full of trails and wildlife. All of the rooms come equipped with a television and phones, and most have mini-refrigerators as well. You can also set up day trips to some of the parks, white water rafting, canopy tours, river cruises, visits to the Arenal Volcano and more! This place has come very expensive rooms, but you can also reserve the cheaper accomadations if you have a low budget. Plus, the food is excellent. You could stay at this hotel the whole time and never get bored Pool, beach, club setting, trails, mini-golf course, scuba diving opportunities, volley ball, tennis, ping pong.....the list goes on! And it's not too touristy either.
Punta Leona
by whitneyone about Nice and Affordable
This hotel has gone through some very nice upgrades since '95 when I visited. A lovely pool they were working on is finished now. Back then it was an above ground pool which was just fine for cooling off and watching lightening over the ocean.
Punta Leona is about 2 hours north of San Juan, close to the ferrys, with easy access to the road that leads to Manuel Antonio Beach.
Duplex cottages, nice food, beautiful grounds. I saw a blue iguana, when i was walking, like a fool, without my camera.
Pacific Beachside Hotel
by soundsgoodtome about Punta Leona
Located near the city of Jaco, Punta Leona is a large hotel complex both on the Pacific coast and in the rainforest, offering the best of both worlds in this beautiful country. Although a very touristy place, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here, with great rooms and food, wonderful scenery, lots of nature, and friendly service. As with many big tourist resorts, most of the employees speak English for those that don't know Spanish. The resort has about 750 acres of rainforest, and they offer free nature tours throughout the day with knowledgable guides. I recommend going on the sunrise walk, even though I didn't see much wildlife on mine. It was still very informative and enjoyable. They have a couple of restaurants and bars, one of them on the beach, along with pools and lots of recreational activities. There is also lots of information provided about other day trips that you can take. I went on a half-day boat tour into the rainforest, and it was magnificient! I saw more wildlife than I could have imagined. The guide was great, and it was reasonable priced. I highly recommend this activity or similar ones. See my travelogues for more pictures and info on the hotel and my rainforest tours.
a little place halfway between...
by whitneyone
a little place halfway between punta leona and manuel antonio beach, in a surf town, called 'THE FABULOUS'.
Now, we're going back a few years here, but at that time you could get three whole lobsters with the works for 10 bucks!! It was like the porch of someone's house. Shack-like, funky, and great food! I also remember a little place on the main road close to Punta Leona called something very american , like David and Lisa's. I'll just never forget how good they made a simple dish like chicken and rice. Arroz con Pollo. I have tried it all over my home city, and nothing even comes close.
Punta Leona and the Pacific
by soundsgoodtome
My trip to Costa Rica was also my first trip to the Pacific Ocean. Here is a beautiful picture of it on a wonderful summer afternoon. The water was crystal clear and the sky was magnificient. What's funny is that I didn't even get in the water, just walked around and enjoyed the views.
A nice picture of the beautiful Pacific shoreline, part rocky, part sandy, with the rainforest in the background.
Another picture of the Pacific shore, both sandy and rocky.
Another picture of the beach.
This is the foot of a 400 year old tree here at Punta Leona which was saved in the building of the hotel due to its large size and old age.
One of the many interesting flowering plants found in the rainforest here, the birds of paradise, as they are called, are everywhere.
Here you can see my tourguide clearing the path through the forest on our morning walk through the rainforest. The walks are given daily beginning shortly after sunrise, and you can see lots of birds at the very least, perhaps other animals if you're lucky.
All throughout the resort there were many wild iguanas. Every day you could walk out your hotel door and be greeted by a couple, or you would eventually see at least one on your walk to wherever you're going. Most of the time they hang out in groups of 2 or 3, and are often seen climbing trees.
Photos
some of the rooms at Punta Leona
Hotel
Waiting
Vista plaza de artesania
Forum Posts
Hotel Punta Leona
by lacy3
I have planned a trip to hotel punta leona in Costa Rica for two weeks at the end of December. I would like to know about the resort from someone who has stayed there. What are the chalet (apartments) like; where to go to eat cheap (I have not booked all inclusive) How far is Jaco by car?
Where is a good place to ring in the new year - Jaco or San Jose or somewhere else? What is the best tour to do?
Thanks for any insight.
Re: Hotel Punta Leona
by trywillmc
hi
i dont know much about the resort that you are refering to but i thought that i would tell you about a good place to ring in the new year. i have never really spent much time in jaco, just driven through really. i think that jaco is a popular destination because it is the closest beach from san jose on the pacific side. just south of jaco is a place call maneul antonio and it is a very beautiful place to visit, it has a national park and i have spent a lot of time there. it is a really great place to visit and has awsome beaches, i recommend visiting and possibly spending new years there. i would avoid san jose as much as possible. i remember one year i had to meet my brother in san jose on christimas and it really sucked because everything was closed, i dont know if it would be the same for new years.
Re: Hotel Punta Leona
by franar
well i can't tell you if you at punta leona is expensive or not, but i think that's no problem because jaco is so close so you can move in 10 minutes, and about the end year in jaco i must say it's great time, but there is a lot of good places else the pacific, by example puerto viejo, limon it's amazing place to party, and san jose as a capital maybe dangeous but you must choose well where to go, but one thing it's true san jose has good parties too
Re: Hotel Punta Leona
by renate7
Hi, I'm just visiting this page for the first time, and I'm planning my first trip to Costa Rica. Did you already return from Punta Leona Hotel, if yes, I hope you enjoyed your stay?
I would appreciate informations from you, whether you recommend this hotel or not.
Especially, are the rooms in a good condition (Selvamar Bungalows), and are the beaches crowded as stated in some reviews?
Thanks in advance,
Renate, Austria
Costa Rica Honeymoon
by meganmurphy5
We are in the process of planning a Costa Rica Honeymoon. We are interested in doing some of everything. I'm not really worried about finding a company to do excursions through, but I am wondering what part of the country I should be looking to stay. We are interested in being near the beach, but there are SOOO many. We are looking for an area where we will feel secluded and can relax, but we also would like to be able to go into town for some shopping and barhopping. Some of the places that i've looked at and have liked appear to not have much of a nightlife nearby. We aren't looking for a big club, but someplace where we can sit and have drinks. What town or beach should i be focusing on.
Re: Costa Rica Honeymoon
by arnospie
Consider Punta Leona, 12 km from Jaco
Punta Leona is a friendly resort with 2 beautiful white sand beaches.
Punta Leona is very central for interesting daytrips.
Jaco is a partytown where you can find a lot of bars and restaurants etc.
For more info about Punta Leona take a look at website www.123hjemmeside.no/costarica or contact me arnospie@start.no
I am in Punta Leona once a year.
Re: Costa Rica Honeymoon
by SunnyLee73
I would stay away from Jaco if I were you...quite seedy at night.
A little further south you will find the most amazing stretches of beach. I am talking around Uvita and Dominical and even further south towards Ojochal. Their are some nightclubs around Dominical.
The activities of the day will wear you out enough that you will be happy. Check out Cristal Ballena hotel for a nice place to relax in the evening.
Pura Vida
hotels recomendations
by chuckaboo
Planning a vacation in Costa Rica in April for 3 weeks . Wondering what playa Samara was like and the hotel Las Brisas del pacifico?
Has anyone stayed at punta leona hotel and resort in playa blanca and would you recomend?
We are lookig for places wih not to heavy of surf that is good for swimming any recomendations?
Re: hotels recomendations
by Suzie3
Have seen lots of reports on the Punta Leona Resort. None very good. I am planning on checking out Samara myself this year because I have heard from several people that it is a quiet, safe beach. I am older and didn't want to be in an area with a lot of young partiers so asked around about the parties there. What I learned was that it was a lot of families looking for a quiet, safe place for their kids. Still checking on it but 2 people have answered my questions and both were similar in their responses.
Re: hotels recomendations
by SivanG
Samara is gorgeous and not terribly crowded. I liked it much better than the popular places such as Tamarindo. The waves are perfect for swimming- not too strong, not too weak. Of all the beaches in Costa Rica, this one was my favorite.
Re: Re: hotels recomendations
by Suzie3
Thanks for your response. It makes me even more sure that I have made the right decision to go there. Will be there in exactly a month from now.
