Hotel Brisas del Pacifico

This was our second stay. It’s a budget hotel, so services are limited: there’s no restaurant or other food, though sometimes you can buy a Coke or Fanta. Bahia is right next door, and six or seven more restaurants are an easy walk along the beach. In town there are probably twenty more, plus shops and stores, all within walking distance. The beach is behind the hotel, with a long, shallow sandy walkout. The grounds and gardens look stunning even in dry season, and the medium-sized pool is immaculate. Rooms are clean and well equipped with new AC units and mini fridges, but no TV. WiFi is excellent. Breakfast is one of three set options: American with eggs, fried ham, toast and juice, a fruit plate, or Costa Rican, included with the room. Coffee is self-serve and excellent. The staff and owner are friendly. We saw horses eating discarded mangoes on the beach, and there was no music anywhere to disturb the peace.

Make sure you book a room with AC. Our first room had none and stayed at 91 degrees the whole time, until we finally switched to one with AC for $25 a night. It was worth it. The hotel is right on the beach, though definitely dated. We weren’t planning to spend much time indoors anyway. The pool is nice, town is walkable, and breakfast was just okay, nothing special.

The staff were amazing across the board. The hotel was great, very clean, and I felt completely safe there.

We loved listening to the waves on the beach and hearing birds in the morning from our room, which had no AC, just a fan and open windows. The pool was nice, and one day we spotted white-faced monkeys by it. Friday and Saturday nights were a bit noisy, with bass from music half a mile away until 2 a.m. The hotel is right on the beach.