El Faro Beach Hostel

A monkey wandered across our balcony one morning, which was a lovely surprise. The pool was clean and never seemed crowded, perhaps because there are two pool decks. The A/C worked perfectly throughout our stay, and the restaurant view was amazing. Breakfast was good too, including the coffee and juice. There’s plenty of parking. The staff were a real highlight, friendly and helpful. The first elevator wasn’t working, but the guys gladly took us upstairs in their buggy car, which we appreciated. One confusing point was that the restaurant was closed, and nobody mentioned it at check-in. Google showed it as open. The sink could also use a little improvement, though nothing major. A pleasant stay, thanks largely to the staff, location, and views.

Our group of 18 couldn’t have asked for much more. Everything was clean, the service was great, and the restaurant had fabulous food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, easily the best around. We even drank the water and it was perfectly fine. Thanks to everyone who looked after us. We’ll be back if we’re in Costa Rica again! It’s also incredibly convenient, less than three minutes on foot from the National Park and surf beach, and easy to walk around from there. For excursions, wait until you arrive to book, since you’ll get the best price. There’s a small excursion shop just below the hotel, and the people there are great, so ask them for help.

We ate at the hotel restaurant twice for breakfast, and also had lunch and dinner there. We enjoyed all the food, thanks to the chef. One letdown was the two mojitos we ordered, which had no alcohol in them. We stayed two nights in a clean room with two comfortable queen beds. There was a coffee maker with coffee, a fridge, and the A/C worked really well despite it being 100F outside. The balcony had an amazing view, and the shower had good pressure and hot water the whole time. A shelf beside each bed would help since there are no nightstands. One bed had two small shelves, but the other had none.

We couldn’t have asked for a better stay. The room was fab, breakfast was delicious, and it was great having the pool open until 9pm every night. The staff were attentive and always happy to help. The hotel is right at the entrance to the national park, so we saw lots of animals. Monkeys put on a show at breakfast, parrots flew overhead, and raccoons were in the trees back on the main road outside the hotel. Absolutely loved it!