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Reviews of Ocotal Beach Resort

3.5 out of 5
Ocotal Beach Resort
Playa Del Coco 1, Coco Beach, El Ocotal, Guanacaste

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 74 out of 347 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 126 out of 347 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 87 out of 347 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 32 out of 347 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 28 out of 347 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

6.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Loy, Pasadena, MD.

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stunning views
Some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen

2/10 Terrible

a.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Find somewhere else to stay.
I'll make this quick and honest. The staff barely acknowledged us. The lights in our room did not work and there was no phone to contact the staff. The room had not been recently cleaned. There were only sheets on the beds. Giant iguanas dominated the pools/hot tub. We left the minute the sun came up and the reception was locked and closed so there was no staff present to check out with.

6/10 Okay

amanda , chicago il

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Amazing views. Secluded and very romantic.
Far walk to the beach. Standard free breakfast. Outdated rooms. Amazing pool overlooking the best view in Costa Rica. Very secluded. You need a car or will have to taxi everywhere.

6/10 Okay

Suzie, Alaska

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Ocotal beach, picture perfect
We had a great stay. The views were amazing of the ocean. Very relaxing, good food at the restaurant. Rooms are clean but need a few upgrades. Pools are wonderful with great views but pool chairs need repair. I would stay again.

8/10 Good

Lakshminarayanan, Houston, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
awesome views...wish it was better maintained
Views to die for. You will get the best sunset view from the infinity pool here. You have easy access to the beach itself. They have a Jacuzzi and a beach facing tennis court also. I just wish the pools and the entire surrounding is maintained a bit better. The bath tubs were rusty. There were ants on the table. Couple of pools were left uncleansed. The reception is missing people most of the time. No phones in the room so you end up waiting at the reception all the time. For the price, this is still a great place.

10/10 Excellent

Patricia, Costa Rica.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spectacular views peaceful locaton.
Peaceful and beautiful location. We were only there for one night, but hope to go back again very soon. Helpful and friendly staff. Close to Coco if you should want crowds or other restaurants and services, but away from the noise, hussle and bussle. Great value!

2/10 Terrible

Silvia, San Jose

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Like 'The Shining' only in summer
Terrible hotel!! The photos on the site were probably taken years ago, when someone actually took care of the property. No staff anywhere to be seen, decks looked like if you stepped on them, you'd fall, "beach towels" were really way overused hand towels, we did not dare try breakfast. On top of it all, just collected 1 reward night even though we stayed 2.

6/10 Okay

eva , new york

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
good vacations and no too expensive.
is a quiet and beautiful place.if you are looking for something no too luxurious this is it. they need to remodel the reception and the restaurant.asap.

6/10 Okay

Tico, GA

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice ocean view
There is lack of maintenance in all areas, glass door to the balcony stuck, shower door imposible to close, a lot of missing poeces in the wood floor. Very old TV.

6/10 Okay

David, Texas

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Okay a bit rundown hotel close to the beach.
My wife and I were very excited to stay here. We looked at pictures on Expedia and everything seemed great. Once we got there we were a little disappointed. We read reviews about the maintenance not being taken care of and they are absolutely right. Although its cheap and on the beach, it definitely can use a lot of remodeling; the gym (which was kinda a joke), pools, hot tub, rooms, eating area, and a little other things. We didn't get the room we requested, but they did work with us and we only paid for one night instead of two. I would recommend this hotel to you, but I would definitely say DO NOT HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS! We went to different beaches around Ocotal, and I would say that Ocotal was the best beach around that area. Although this wasn't our favorite hotel, we made the very best to enjoy it and made sure we had fun.

4/10 Poor

Frank, Boston

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Needs repairs
The patio was severely damaged do to erosion. Only one patio door worked. The shower sliding door did not work. The towels where small and rough. The WIFI worked ONLY at the restaurant. Be ready for walking up and down a steep hill (it is on a hillside overlooking the water). The beaches where black sand. Not too many people around. We rented a car, which was worth it. The place could use some updating, so don't expect a 3 or 4 rating on this. Leaves constantly fell into the pool, but someone came by at least once a day to clean the pool.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel but needs a lot of maintenance.
Hotel is nice located and staff does their work but needs a lot of maintenance. Ice machine does not work, water is permanently leaking in our bathtub, door key does not work. Had to wait almost 24 hours for our towels. Same breakfast every morning and kitchen and bar dirty floor. Pool bar not working and used dishes on the area for days. Workers do what they can but don't have the tools. Looks like management is not interested in this business.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
amazing hotel, awesome views... need more work to keep installations in better shape

6/10 Okay

Ronnie, Zarcero, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
hotel with great ocean views. rooms are comfortable and breakfast was acceptable. It is unfortunate that apparently the owners have decided to stop investing in improvements and maintenance, you can see a significant degree of neglect in their facilities.

4/10 Poor

Omega, San Jose, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Nice room in front of the beach
The hotel used to be great, now is not. It looks like maintenance is not a word they know. The gym and the tennis court are in ruins, the pools are not very well-looked-after, however the rooms are still great, just a few steps from the beach. Bungalows with numbers in the 200-206 are closer to the beach and not up the hill, walking up the hill is terrible, you have to do it every mooring for breakfast. The beach is beautiful, just a little small, and lots of local people catching fish makes the place a little unpleasant. The view at the restaurant is the best, beautiful. For dinning and almost everything you want to do, you have to drive to Playas del Coco, just a 5 min drive.
Restaurant view
The gym in ruins
The pool not very well-looked-after
Seriously?

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ant infested
there were red ants everywhere and the air conditioner was not powerful enough to completely cool the room. Several people in our party woke up with multiple bites (presumably by the ants). The free breakfast was hardly worth the price! They had white bread, warm watermelon, pineapple, and two dispensers with generic cereal.

6/10 Okay

Olger

8/10 Good

fanny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
The view
It worth the stay just for the beautiful views from the room and the restaurant. The pools arent very cleans but the beach is two steps away.

8/10 Good

Antonio, San Jose, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great Place. Unbelievable ocean view.
Great Place. Well located. Ocean view is unbelievable. Good food.

6/10 Okay

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

6/10 Okay

Juan, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
low cost, nice hotel
Great view, nice location, the hotel needs maintenance and it cool be much better with few simple things, like hide some old scraps of maintenance, some lights not working, ice machine not working, and some other few things, the staff is very nice and the restaurant with very good food.

4/10 Poor

rob h., texas

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
staff is warm and friendly hotel was probably once a really nice place but now the toilet doesnt work , shower was missing drain plug, only two towels in room , the glass doors you have to lock manually every time in or out , iguanas though cool are everywhere and make noise at night, bed was terrible sheets hadnt been changed, pools were dirty, hottub didnt work, the place was empty and those who were staying usually checked out after 1 night very dissapointed definitely looks better than it is although the views are great hotel only 1 star at best.

4/10 Poor

John , Chicago

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Past Glory
This must have been an elegant hotel at one time. The layout and views are fantastic. You will not find a better place to watch the sunset in Costa Rica than the deck at the restaurant no one seems to eat at. But you can drink there anytime. The place, beach and Ocotel area seem very safe and they are very private. You will have a quiet little beach virtually all to yourself with birds, iguanas and even monkeys in the trees. The flowers, the soft waves, the black sand, beautiful shells and beach side bar/café are awesome. But don't expect everything here. The trade off is that repair and upkeep of the place is badly needed to return it to the 4-5 stars it once was. You may not always have hot water, the safe may not lock, the sliding doors take two adults to slide open, the parquet floor pieces are a daily puzzle to re-assemble, no hot in any of the hot tubs or jets that worked, breakfast of rice beans and fried plantains gets a bit old. Coco Beach with all the resturants and bars is a quick 10 minute drive if you want action. Buy some local fruit, some cold local beer and enjoy just sitting on your patio looking over the beach....

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Worth the money
It's a nice hotel in a beautiful location. We went down to coco beach everyday, which was only a $6 cab ride. The only problem we had was with the beach. There is a beach there but not what you would think when you think Costa Rica.

10/10 Excellent

Sam, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Vire is unbelievable!!! Service exceptional!!!
We decided to go for our Anniversary, got a free upgrade to the Honeymoon Suite!!! Didn't even ask for it, a bottle of wine, refreshments!!! One of the best hotels and will definitely return on a regular basis!!!

6/10 Okay

teacher , e

It doesn't look like the pictures
It's is a hotel close to playa del coco were a lot of turist go in a walking distance . Private beach which is a plus . The pools look dirty but they aren't . The wind makes the leaves fall down into the pool a lot . Food is not the best . I will recommend you to bring your own towels and shampoo . It is not a 5 start restaurant but it is nice

6/10 Okay

Sylvia, montreal, quebec, canada

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel, but it's nées to be refresh
It was OK for one night, nice vies, but the beach is far of the hotel.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff was extremely friendly, welcoming & helpful
Staff was excellent, especially being a non-spanish speaker. Clean hotel, food was good. Incredible views and fun wildlife. Pools are nice and beach is right there as well. Would definitely go back.

4/10 Poor

Liz, Canada

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would not stay there again....
After a week at our timeshare at Hermosa Beach, we had 2 days before we were to fly home, so I booked this hotel. From the reviews and pictures it looked to be a nice place,,,,, I thought it was on the beach,, but it is way up on top of a bluff ,, the view was very nice. Room is old and unfortunately not very clean,,, tiles surrounding the bath/shower were dirty,,, I took a wet q tip to grout between the tiles and the dirt came off,,, tub was all chipped we had 2 towels,, both thread bare and one had a hole in it! No mini fridge to keep anything cold in the heat. We stayed in complex at the top of the hill, air conditioners were in the ceiling/roof. Everyday we had to brush off dirt/dust from the sheets/pillows that we assumed were blown in thru the air conditioner. Door to room would not stay closed, you had to lock it with the key to keep it shut, even when you were in the room. It was glass door like the kind you find in stores. There were 2 pools,, both filled with leaves and sand and nobody cleaning them. Hardly any staff around anywhere. Pool bar was not open and looked like it hadn't been used in a few years, same with the dive shop. Reception closed at 10 pm and did not open until 7 the following morning. 2 ice machines,,, neither worked,, you had to get ice from the kitchen when it was open..... Trail way down to the beach very steep and very narrow. Way too much money for the poor condition , needs some major improvement

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Views to die for!
The Ocotal Beach Resort has I believe seen better days. It had an air of neglect. There were a number of problems with our rooms, and it took 3 days to get them fixed, and even then they were not perfect. The gardens and grounds are very well maintained. The breakfast is minimal. There is good access to the beach (black sand). None of the facilities around the main pool were functioning, ie, the pool bar, snack bar. Staff on the whole were indifferent. However, what caused us to extend our stay from 2 to 5 nights was THE VIEW! From our Sunset Villa we had an uninterrupted view over the Pacific Ocean. There was a pleasant small pool used by only a few guests 100 metres away from our house. It would be nice to think that someone was prepared to invest in the large property to bring it into the 21st century.

10/10 Excellent

John, Isle, MN, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We'll return and enjoy!!
Hotel is older, some areas showing age and some need of refreshing. Our bungalow (with private swimming pool) was on the MOST BEAUTIFUL PRIVATE PLAYA OCATEL. Staff was excellent. Breakfast lacked variety, good food in hotel and at The Rooster right on the beach. Coco was short drive, OK during the day. DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT,PERIOD. USD $ are accepted, but do not use larger currency. Costa Rica is not inexpensive, but SO much better than Florida, etc.

10/10 Excellent

Gonzalez, Connecticut US

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very relaxing. Beautiful view.
Staff were very friendly. Would definitely would recommend and return.

10/10 Excellent

cesar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Mary, Ottawa, Ontario

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Hotel located on hilltop
Excellent view with spectacular sunsets from this hotel. Staff are wonderful ,good food.at the restaurant on site. Very clean room however this is a 3 star resort but nicer than a 3 star in Coco Beach. A car is also required to get into Coco beach area or to Bahia Pez Vela, which is good for snorkeling.

6/10 Okay

Tony

Gorgeous view of Ocotal
We stayed 2 nights, room was clean and bed was comfortable. Basically our visit a very good experience. The reason for middle of the road rating, Internet was inoperable, the whole complex needs a coat of paint and more current facilities. However, I will stay there again.

2/10 Terrible

yocasta, A

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Beautiful view , bad hotel
The heat in the country of Costa Rica is incredibly hot . And in this hotel you can not even find ice or a fridge in your room . The ice machine has been broken down for years and doesn't even work . The bathroom doesn't have soap but has shampoo . Not one machine in The gym works and it smells in there. The wifi always falls down . The pools are cleaned once a day . The hot tub doesn't work . The tennis court was broken . The beach has black sand . Alamo be careful there is poisonous trees . The restaurant only gives free breakfast . Food isn't that great . False advertising about scuba diving and other activities .

10/10 Excellent

Todd, Mpls, MN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Really really good but not great.
Beautiful grounds. It felt like a partially abandoned 5-star resort. We still loved it for the price and the views were awesome. Would've been great if pool bar was still open, main jacuzzi was working and the suite's whirlpool was working. Regardless, it is in a amazing area and worth the stay.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great if you aren't expecting too much
The perfect setting of the hotel makes up for the fact that it is very days and in need of a major renovation. We stayed in cabana that was very spacious for our family of four. The bathroom smelled badly of sewage which seemed to be due to the fact that the plumbing was not vented well...however the staff was very accommodating of our complaints and went out of their way to help with other minor complaints.

4/10 Poor

Jean & Greg, B.C.,Canada

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great views/not so great hotel
This hotel has great views and when it was new and being looked after and attended to properly it probably it was one of the best places to stay. The room we were originally given was very small and had no place to store anything so for a 2 week stay it did not work . I did not even have enough room to put anything on the vanity by the sink. We had them move us to one of the Bungalows which was infinitely better. The hotel is very dated and a number of areas were closed and obviously in need of repair. The hotel is up for sale and it is obvious that the current owner is not wanting to put any more money in to keep it maintained properly. The staff was very good but they can only do so much. It is too bad....it looks like this place was once very nice. The deck was rotting and the steps were broken so it was not a very safe place. I would not recommend anyone with children go there.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Come for the beach but stay elsewhere
Hotel out of town. $6 taxi. On a steep cliff with reception/restaurant/pool in the middle and bigger pool/beach at the bottom. There is a shuttle but stops around 7pm. Receptionists able to help with transport options back to Liberia without a car. There is a bus that leaves from Cocoa every hour or every half hour. $2, clean and takes about an hour to Liberia bus station. The rooms were very disappointing!! I started in Rm 403 but had to move because the room never cooled below 80 F. Moved to Rm 401. Temp was a little better, but room itself was bad. Phone didn't work so couldn't call for transport, toilet ran and bathtub wouldn't drain. Room okay comfort wise but bathroom needs complete overhaul. Not worth $102/night and I was upset when I heard others had only paid $55/night. The view is incredible though! Beach was nice and quiet. Snorkling was good in the afternoon (big rock to the left) but too rough in the morning. Ate at Father Rooster's- great spot with good seafood, hammocks and sun loungers. There was music the Thursday night I was there. US prices. In general, good beach worth a visit but would suggest staying somewhere else and taking the $12 roundtrip taxi out here for the beach and view.

4/10 Poor

Thomas, florida

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
don't go
when we got to our room they had just finished cleaning it and it was filthy then they put us in a cabana which looked good but glass door in shower was broken a/c -didn't and pool was dirt. they are not keeping up with maintenance. would not stay there again

8/10 Good

Chandra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Carlos, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
The location is great, the view is excellent.
The location is great, the view is excellent. The room had a wonderful view and it was clean enough. It has 3 different pools and always were clean too. The staff are always willing to help you. The breakfast is ok, it would be nicer if they had more options. The hotel need a little bit more maintenance of the facilities, but in general, is a very good option to stay.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Very close yo the sea, nice view
Not too expensive, beautiful place. Dar a way from city noise.

6/10 Okay

Susanne, Samara, CR

Liked: Staff & service
Great view, average hotel.
The best thing about this hotel is the view!!! Amazing location! The restaurant at the hilltop was perfect for early sunrise breakfast. The food was good and complimentary. From the table we saw dolphins, manta rays and devil rays, magpie birds continually tried to steal our food. Green parrots, pelicans and frigate birds swept by as well. We enjoyed walking down to the beach at sunset and having dinner at Father Roosters, but remember to bring a flashlight for the long steep climb back to your room! We felt the price was high, especially since we had to take our daughter to the airport at 4 am so she missed out on breakfast, never used the pool and yet they still charged an extra $20 for her to stay. We paid extra (almost $150) for the bungalow (like a duplex), with its own tiny pool and patio. They came to try and clean the leaves out of the pool as we were about to check out... Also, unfortunately, the noise from the other half of the unit kept us up. Extra sound-proofing between would be helpful. Overall, this has a lot of potential, but misses the mark for the price.

8/10 Good

Randy, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel but a long way from downtown.
It was a little hard to find at first, but there are signs so keep your eyes open. This hotel is always a ways away from downtown Playa del Coco, so you will have to have transportation. Also, there is not access to the beach unless you go down to Father Rooster which is a great little tavern on the beach. Most of the hotel is high on a hill so if you are walking expect a workout! I rented a car but found after the first nght that I did not want to drive back from Coco after dark. Taxi was only $6 each way, so I would drive during the day but then use the taxi after dark. Overall the room was fairly clean, food was ok and the staff polite. Views are excellent.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly Helpful Professional and Fun Staff.
Stayed a week and I'll be back someday to spend a week more.

2/10 Terrible

TM, M

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Horrible hotel.
This hotel is misrepresented in their pictures online. It is common knowledge to the locals that this hotel is subpar and apparently mismanaged by ownership. Ice machines are nonfunctional relics from the 1970s. Wifi works only in sporadically and not it tooms. The staff has also given up. Don't stay here. Have you seen Revenge of the Nerds 2, the Hotel Coral Essex, this place is just like that. Thermostats don't work, railing falling apart and an odd smell of sewage throughout. I'm sure this place was great in the early 80's. Every pool is dirty with nonfunctional pumps. There are run down areas that were bars at the pools. This is the hotel forgotten in time. The view though, is beautiful and unbelievable. Everyone told me to go to Tamarindo and I wish I had.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
To begin with the toilet did not flush in the room,the room had poor lighting,and the shower was gross.It was just in general really bad and way overpriced for the quality.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice hotel with great staff!
We stayed at Ocotal Beach Resort for a week and had a great time! The staff at reception and the restaurant were very friendly and helpful. We didn't have hot water and limited tv channels for the first couple of days, but the staff switched our room and we got both. The tour guides at Falcon tours in the lobby are fantastic. Show up there and they will set up everything for you at a reasonable cost. The tours were excellent - we ended up adding on a couple that we didn't plan on because of how wonderful they were. Highly recommend Falcon tours! As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a huge hill to climb to go between the reception/restaurant and the beach. We didn't have our 3 little kids with us (6 years old and younger) but they wouldn't have been able to make the climb.