Hotel El Velero

Staff were great. Gabrielle on the front desk was exceptional. Good location.

Nothing

The room was a big, clean and comfortable. It had a microwave and a fridge. The bathroom looked recently renovated. The restaurant was incredible! Lots of food and delicious. The hotel is beachfront with chairs and hammocks.

The pool looks old and definitely needs maintenance. It looks old and kind if dirty. It's weird because the rest of the hotel is the opposite. Also, when you park, yo can see the main entrance, also lacking care and maintenance. There wasn't a hairdryer in the room.

Overall, we had a very good stay at Hotel El Velero. Our room was comfortable and felt nicely updated, particularly the bathroom. The fixtures seemed quite new and the shower had an almost spa-like feel to it, which we really appreciated. The hotel itself has a charming, colonial-style atmosphere and a relaxed feel. The staff were friendly, polite, and attentive whenever we needed anything, especially the staff at the restaurant. The food at the restaurant was also very good, parking was easy, and everything about our stay felt pretty straightforward and convenient. The location is definitely one of the hotel's biggest strengths. It's right on the beach, so you can walk straight from the common areas onto Playa Hermosa. Beach towels and outdoor showers are available, and having the ocean right outside the hotel is hard to beat. We stayed here for our final two nights in Costa Rica because we wanted to be relatively close to the airport, and it worked out perfectly for that.

There were two things that could use some improvement. We noticed an unpleasant sewage-like smell around the staircase on several occasions. It wasn't a major issue at first since it seemed confined to that area, but during both nights of our stay I woke up and could smell it in our room as well. I'm not sure what was causing it, but it was noticeable enough that I think it's worth mentioning. The pool could also use some TLC. There were quite a few leaves, bugs, and debris in the water — some of which is obviously unavoidable with an outdoor pool — but overall it didn't feel as clean or well maintained as it could have been. The water also looked a little murky, although it was difficult to tell whether that was the water itself or simply the age and condition of the pool. Those issues aside, we enjoyed our stay. Hotel El Velero is comfortable, charming, and incredibly well located, with friendly staff and the huge advantage of being directly on the beach. With a little more attention to the pool and the odour issue, it could be an even better place to stay.

Location and the staff

The pool needs some Professional help with the filtration and cleaning process, sorry but it’s a fact.