Ojochal Gardens Villas

We stayed in a two-bedroom villa with a basic kitchen, which was handy for making breakfast or a simple meal, though we didn't use it much. There are several fabulous restaurants right next to the hotel, plus a juice bar, a well-equipped market and deli, a coffee shop, and a bakery. Ojochal and Uvita are a short drive away, with great restaurants, waterfalls, beaches, and amazing sunsets. The service was top notch: daily cleaning, same-day laundry, and knowledgeable concierges. From booking onward, staff were available to help with recommendations and activities, and the accommodations were comfortable and clean. We don't play pickleball, but the courts are there and it's easy to join a game. We worried the noise might carry, but the courts were far enough away that we couldn't hear it. We'd definitely come back.

There was active construction during my stay, with workers arriving around 0630, though they were quieter earlier on. The first thing you see on arrival is a partly built structure, so I think it would be helpful to make the building work clearer beforehand. I didn't spend time at the pool, and there were no views from the rooms. Still, the location is handy for Ojochal's plentiful, good-quality food options. The villas have nice bedrooms and showroom facilities, plus a fridge and coffee machine. Service was friendly. Breakfast is ordered the night before and delivered to your villa by a nearby restaurant.

We had a really bad stay. The place smelled moldy and made us sneeze, the power went out for 2 hours, and the AC didn't work for 2 nights, so we struggled to sleep. The hot water heater was unreliable, the pool looked much smaller in person, and the WiFi was too inconsistent for working from home. Breakfast wasn't made on site. A local chef delivered it cold, and our order was wrong on 5 of the 6 days. We'd ask for omelets and get scrambled eggs; once the eggs were missing entirely. The pancakes varied in thickness, and we'd sometimes get 2, sometimes 3. On our last day, after breakfast and leaving the hotel, we both started vomiting and had diarrhea all day. The staff and manager Marianna were very kind, but for all those problems they gave us only around $40 off the full stay, which felt unfair. Honestly, it wasn't good value.

We really enjoyed staying here. We had a quiet, very clean, new two-bedroom stand-alone villa, with comfortable beds, a great pool, ceiling fans, AC, coffee, and tap water that's drinkable. The staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, and there's 24-hour security plus a front desk that can arrange whatever you need. There are lots of birds and jungle sounds around. The paved road makes getting here easy, with no off-roading needed. Excellent restaurants are right across from the property, along with shops and friendly people to meet. It's much nicer to walk to dinner than drive at night. Breakfast is included from the Potz menu and was really good. There's also a market for sandwiches and other things in the plaza, a small beer garden, hair salon, juice shop, and a racquet club just steps away. It's far enough away that you can't hear the dinking, and it offers other services too.