Hostal Donde Alcides

That sewage smell in the rooms was overwhelming at times, and two nights was enough for us. We wish them well, but they really need to deal with it. Staff were often unfriendly and made us feel like a bother, the food was terrible, the power cut out briefly every night, and one day there was no bottled water. My friend and I got food poisoning and had to walk along the beach to find water. Later, I used Google Translate to ask for water for our dehydrated bodies, and someone by the pool finally offered some for sale. No problem, we just needed water. We think ice in the fun cocktails may have made us sick, so stick to beer, wine, or bottled water, and brush your teeth with bottled water too. The shower only has cold water, which felt refreshing after a hot day. There are plenty of beach cabanas, but bring a travel towel. Getting there by boat is fastest, around 30 minutes if you don’t mind getting a little wet. The van took about an hour and a half. By car, expect to walk about a mile along the beach, which is manageable unless you’re leaving while ill. My friend speaks some Spanish and I’m quick with Google Translate, so communication wasn’t the problem.

Mostly families and couples stay here, and it gets really quiet after 10 pm, so it’s a good beach spot for relaxing. The staff were friendly, the rooms comfortable, and the mattresses great. It’s one of the few places around with A/C, though you may not need it at night. The Wi-Fi is incredibly slow. If you’re coming here to work, you’ve got other problems to deal with. Highly recommend!

The service staff were friendly and helpful, but the manager said he’d meet us the next day to discuss our complaints and didn’t show. The beach view would have been lovely without the boats and jet skis close by, or the petrol fumes reaching shore. Music played loudly from 10 am until 8 pm beside the seating area and pool, so there was no chance of a siesta. Our lower-level tent had A/C, but it was noisy and there was no sound insulation. The hotel is about a kilometre from the nearest place a taxi can reach, so you have to walk or pay for a boat. Walking means dragging luggage over sand through the narrow bit of beach left for pedestrians. Playa Blanca itself is narrow and crowded, which made it feel claustrophobic. If you want a calm, pleasant stay, I wouldn’t choose Glamping Geronimo in Barú.

This is one of the cleaner cabanas you can find in Baru, and with more attention to detail it could be a 5/5. The glampings looked cool, which is why we booked, and the views are astonishing, like at any cabana on this beach. But the rooms are hot. There’s a portable AC and a fan, and neither does much, especially at night. The “AC” doesn’t blow cold air. Our first toilet wouldn’t flush; after several back-and-forths with the front desk, they moved us to another glamping, but it was still hot. The Wi-Fi is horrible. Food was okay: my burger was dry and the fried egg I asked for was missing. There were no pancakes available when I tried to order them for the kids from the breakfast menu.