Issimo Suites Boutique Hotel and Spa

The staff made our honeymoon feel special. They went above and beyond, even remembering which drinks we liked each afternoon. We loved watching monkeys around the property, another great touch. The food was delicious, the massages really relaxing, and the location was fun and convenient. We had an amazing stay at Issimo Suites. Highly recommend for a romantic getaway!

The views and wildlife were lovely, with monkeys right near the hotel, but there wasn’t much else to like. For the price, the amenities were poor. The rooms were dated, and ours had a large crack between the sliding door and its frame even when shut, letting creepy crawlies in from the jungle. The restaurant food was decent, but nowhere near what I’d expect from a high-end or luxury place. There were several safety problems. As another reviewer mentioned, the stairs to the downstairs rooms were uneven and an unusual height. My parents’ room had a hot tub with steps leading into the shower and no handrails or warning signs. Steam made the steps extremely slippery, and my father slipped getting out and fractured his collarbone. While we were staying downstairs with other occupied rooms around us, the hotel unexpectedly installed hardwood floors, using strong-smelling wood glue and exposing us all to fumes. Management refused to take responsibility for these issues during our stay. Restaurant service was decent, but reception and management were disappointing before and during our visit. We had planned to come in November 2024, but canceled our Costa Rica trip because of storms and hurricanes in the area. Other hotels refunded us; this one would not budge and only offered to reschedule, so we went in November 2025 instead. After my father’s accident, no one at reception checked on him or asked how he was, even though they knew about it because we’d asked where the nearest emergency room was. This is a poorly designed and poorly managed hotel that passes itself off as luxury on the strength of its views and location.

On our honeymoon, our trip around Costa Rica had been amazing, with this hotel meant to be our last of five stops. Instead, we had our first bad hotel experience. We couldn’t even check out properly, and the owner was the problem. The room smelled strongly of chlorine as soon as we entered, and it wasn’t the one we had booked. Reception said they were fully booked and couldn’t give us our reserved room for all four nights, offering an upgrade for only one night. We refused that offer and asked for a refund, but they wouldn’t give one, even though we’d booked just two hours earlier. We asked for a letter describing what had happened, since Expedia would want to know if we’d tried to resolve it with the hotel. Staff initially agreed, but changed their answer after contacting the owner. The problems weren’t the staff’s fault. The more the owner communicated with them, the worse the customer service got. An Expedia representative called the hotel through the website. Staff admitted they’d given us a different room because our booked room type wasn’t available. They told the representative we’d been upgraded to a honeymoon suite for all four nights, which wasn’t true. The owner was on the premises but never came to speak with us. Instead, staff were told not to discuss it further. We asked to check out, handed over the room key, and removed all our belongings, but were told the computer system could only check us out after the four booked days. Fortunately, the Expedia representative was on the phone and noted this in the report. The chlorine smell was so strong that we had this whole conversation in the lobby because we couldn’t stay in the room. Even the front desk staff had acknowledged the smell before the owner instructed them to stay silent and not comment. We’re now at another hotel a few minutes from Issimo, and things have worked out for the best. It was still unpleasant to deal with this on our honeymoon.

The staff were the best part of our stay, kind and helpful throughout the week, and they couldn’t do enough for us. We ate at the restaurant a few times and everything was good and reasonably priced. Breakfast was good, too, and changed each day. We didn’t try the spa, but the hotel helped book tours without what felt like a hefty markup. A complimentary golf buggy shuttle around the area was a welcome surprise, and made getting around easier since some walks are steep. The wildlife was everywhere. White-faced monkeys ran across the balconies almost daily, and toucans and macaws flew by. The pool was excellent and impressively deep, which was fun, though a footbridge across part of it interrupts what could be a perfect pool-and-view moment. A few small adjustments could take the place from really good to wow. We stayed eight days, seven nights, in separate Junior Suites with sea views and private balcony hot tubs. The rooms were clean, well serviced, and stocked with what you need. Housekeeping came daily; beds were comfortable, towels and robes were fresh, there were plenty of places to sit, and the mini fridge was well stocked. The hot tub was the highlight, though it took a while to fill. A candid note: the hotel calls itself “luxury,” but I’d describe it as a quality boutique stay with some rough edges. The shower could spray water onto the floor with no real way to stop it, and my friend’s toilet door was saloon-style, with little privacy. My AC dripped a lot and got noisy one night, but staff seemed to notice and fix it without me reporting it. They adjusted what was underneath, and it didn’t bother me again. If you want an adults-only stay with great staff, strong views, wildlife, and a private hot tub, this place delivers. We’d happily return and will remember it for a long time.