Hotel Reviews

Central Pacific

Club del Sol - (Jaco) - Why get a tiny hotel room when you can get an entire condo for the same price? Club del Sol Luxury Condominiums are the perfect getaway for a romantic interlude, a business retreat, or a family vacation. Their sixteen spacious one and two bedroom residences are located at the south end of Jaco, only a block from the ocean and just across from Carton Surf Shop. At night it is far enough away from the center of town to enjoy a tranquil evening and during the day you can relax by the pool and look up into the mountainous rainforest, catching glimpses of scarlet macaws and toucans in the trees while deciding which of the many adventures to do in the area. Read more..

Marea Brava Beachfront Suites and Villas (Playa Hermosa) - In the room where I stayed there was a complete kitchen setup with an oven, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, blender, full fridge and freezer, plenty of dishes, glasses, cookware, and even an outdoor barbeque grill. It was perfect for a group of six to load up with food and beverages at the local supermercado and then enjoy cooking fresh seafood right on the spacious front patio.

The Marea Brava has some great places for just lounging around. There's a shaded tent with lounge chairs right on the beach, and another palm frond palapa set back by the pool. There is actually two pools, a shallow one for the little ninos and another for the big kids, with floaties and boogie boards for guests to use along with a swim up bar serving tropical libations. If you want to get uber-relaxed, try out their professional messages which they do in a private cabana right off the sand. I ended up in one of their many double hammocks, shaded by the palms all around me. The hammocks were not the typical threaded ones, but had a soft cotton weave that made it nearly impossible to get up from.

They offer kayaking, white water rafting, jetski rentals, ATV tours, horseback riding, and zipline tours. They can arrange a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park, located only an hour's drive away. They can customize the activities for one day or for the whole trip. And they pick you up right from the front office, so you don't even need transportation.

A regular room from the second floor had a nice ocean view. They had minifridges and a microwave, with a queen sized bed. The next larger room was a suite which would fit a four person family quite nicely. It had a double bed in one bedroom and a bunk bed in the other room. There was also a small sitting room that included a microwave and refrigerator. And then the last one floored me. It was the penthouse, a third floor ocean view to dream of with all the features of their other two bedroom villas - the huge kitchen, entertainment centers, back and front patios, and enough beds for six guests. And every room had its own A/C unit, so those who need it cool can it keep it cool without freezing the rest of the family. For the surfer who is traveling solo they have a 12 person air-conditioned ranchero with six sets of bunk beds. There are three full private bathrooms to share among the guests in those quarters and a safe in the front office to keep valuables and passports. So everyone is taken care of at this hotel, and you can stay in the ranchero for as little as $35 a night.

The other rooms are still quite affordable. l/s = low season and h/s = high season. For the two person room ($107 l/s, $133 h/s). The four person suite ($133.00 l/s, $158 h/s). The two bedroom villas that fit six ($158 l/s, $210 h/s). And the penthouse two bedroom villas ($185 l/s, $266 h/s). Remember to add the 16.39% room taxes and double check the dates you want to reserve since certain times of the year the cost of the rooms will be higher. You can get all the details and make a reservation by going to their website or calling them toll free - 1.866.727-2577.