Hotel Puntarenas Beach

Like the location and the breakfast

This was most interesting stay on my Costa Rica vacation, a somewhat quirky but comfortable beach hotel. My room was clean, spacious, the AC was working well, and the poolside room helped make it pretty quiet (a beach bar was across the street playing music). The bathroom had a jacuzzi style tub with a hand shower, no standup shower which I much prefer. There is no light or switch by the bed, so my cellphone served as a temporary nightlight. The parking garage below the hotel would have been convenient, but when I drove down there another guest was parked in two spots (not the fault of the hotel) and I was forced to back out. When I went to reception to inform them, they did have a backup parking lot across the street, basically an empty construction lot but locked behind a secured fence…less convenient than the underground lot, but secure which was important. I received immediate assistance from reception staff to escort me to the parking lot to open the gate, both in the evening and at checkout, so no time was lost. The morning breakfast buffet was wonderful with views of the beach across the street. The staff was great and I enjoyed my brief stay in Puntarenas.

Good

The staff was very friendly, and helpful. The building is older, and maintenance has not been kept up. I got approached by a man drinking a beer, and begging for money, as soon as I walked out the hotel door. There is a police station, at the other end of the block. It was in a dirty area of town. The beach was across the street, but I wouldn’t recommend going there after dark. The free breakfast was delicious.