Hotel El Manglar & Cantarana

The front desk staff were kind and friendly, which I appreciated. My family also really enjoyed the pool, and the Playa Grande setting is beautiful, with a gorgeous entrance to the beach. The villa, though, needed a lot of upkeep. It wasn’t exactly rustic, but the rooms were disappointing compared with the lovely listing photos and badly needed renovation. There were lots of creepy crawlies, which makes sense when you look at the big gaps around the windows and doors. If you’re not into sharing your space with nature, this probably isn’t the place for you. On day two, the rainfall shower head popped and broke. They replaced it right away, but the replacement was much smaller and generic.

Andrea and Dylan checked us in and got us settled on both stays. Since we couldn’t book three nights in a row, we spent one night at Cantarana and two at Hotel Manglar, and guests can use both properties either way. We booked the king room at Cantarana at the last minute. It was lovely, with a hammock, and the pool was relaxing. The beach was just steps away, and we spent the whole day there. It was surprisingly empty, which suited us fine. The restaurant’s happy hour was nice, and the food was pretty tasty. The little coffee shop was just right for us. Andrea also told us about nearby restaurants, which take turns having days off, and pointed us to the craft markets in town. The next morning we left our bags with her before heading to the beach. When we got back, she’d carried them up to our room at Hotel Manglar. That room was smaller but cute, and we liked seeing both hotels. Manglar had more people, but it didn’t bother us. The property looked lovely online and in person. My one real gripe was that the Manglar room had no towel hooks at all, which was awkward with two sets of towels. It looked like a hook had fallen off the wall and never been replaced, so we used the outside railing instead.

We stayed in an upstairs apartment with our three teenagers and felt very comfortable. The grounds are lovely, with plenty of places to sit and enjoy them, and the property is right by the beach. The kids took surfing lessons, and we liked taking early walks along the shore. Beautiful place to stay, highly recommend.

The room was clean, the bathroom worked fine, and the AC was great. Nothing fancy, so keep expectations modest, but it’s good for the price. The location is perfect if you want to avoid crowds, with a nice private beach. Tamarindo is about a 15-20 minute walk. I’d stay here again.