Hotel Cariblue

10/04/2022

Bulgalow was too rustic and bit run down.

07/19/2022

We had a family room with 1 king and 2 double beds, all were very comfortable. The room was large but the the bathroom was small for a family of 5! The staff were nice and helped us find a sloth hanging on a tree near the pool! They also showed us bats sleeping under a palm leaf, a nest with a baby hummingbird, and agoutis. Our room was about as far from the parking lot as you could get (long walk with luggage), but had a small pool right outside the patio doors. We were literally 50m (just across the street) from the beach, a quick walk in bathing suit and bare feet! The downside of being close to the beach was a fair amount of traffic noise, although most rooms wouldn't have that problem as they are further from the road and beach. Surf and boogie board rentals were available at the beach for reasonable price, good waves for learners.

10/19/2021

The hotel and staff were wonderful, the lower ratings come from the bungalow. It simply wasn't my wife's ideal room and she would have preferred I made a different choice. My children and I loved it!

06/01/2021

LOVED our jungle home.

03/01/2020

The hotel is a little run down. It needs better management; some areas where closed. Bar and restaurant often almost empty. Feels like all the main areas need better upkeep. We felt either it’s been bad managed for a few years; hopefully it’s on its way back up because it’s a beautiful spot. Our cottage was perfect. The restaurant was expensive.

10/17/2019

This hotel was not quite what we expected. The common area seems very nice but the room was not as nice as we expected. The staff were not very friendly or helpful. The room was okay but "Beach Front" is not accurate. You can see the beach but really they should call it "Road Front" because it's right on the road and extremely noisy. The AC unit drips on your head while you're sleeping. The Fridge rattles loudly. We didn't have running water one of the days and even when it was fixed you only have about 30 seconds to take a shower. After showering you can't use the sink or toilet for at least 15 minutes. The hotel was out of bikes to rent every day we were there so we went to the hostel across the street. The hostel seemed better than our hotel. Lastly, we made sure to lock the room and the porch door every time we left. But every time the cleaning crew came through they unlocked the sliding porch door. It wouldn't have been an issue if people couldn't access the balcony but it connects to the adjoining rooms so other hotel guests could have gotten in through the unlocked door. Overall, we were not very happy with our hotel or Playa Cocles across the street as it's primarily a surfing beach and very loud. Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva were much more enjoyable beaches.

08/21/2019

Very weak internet connection

07/16/2019

Good location. Hotel needs some fix up and updating. Nice staff. Good food at breakfast.

06/26/2019

The staff at this hotel were very accommodating and kind. The pros of the hotel included: the hammock on the bungalow porch, the friendliness of staff, restaurants nearby, beach across the street, wildlife (sloths, birds, frogs.). The cons included: tons ants in our bathroom after heavy rains, no mini-fridge in the bungalow, breakfast variety, and debris in the pool.

06/08/2019

the second restaurant was having maintenance so we were unable to use it or the pool during the day because of the noise. Staff was very friendly, especially Olga at the reception. She was very helpful.

02/04/2019

Many strengths to this hotel, but the oceanfront room we had was across a busy, loud highway from the ocean, so that was a misnomer--also problems with getting hot water. The grounds are cool, with animals present, and it's right there across from Playa Cocles, which is a wonderful beach.

11/14/2018

There was an ant problem in the bungalow, and they ended up infiltrating my luggage. I was also a little disappointed that the hotel was not able to help me get a legitimate taxi and I was called an overpriced, unregulated one. Other than that, it was a beautiful hotel, very friendly staff, and delicious restaurant and bar.

10/10/2018

The hotel was everything that I wanted. The concierge Maria and Edwin were fabulous, they answered every question and request with a smile and never left me disappointed with their recommendations!
My only concern was that there was a blackout for about 3-5 hours on one of the nights and we weren't updated on what was happening nor were we offered candles or flashlights.

09/25/2018

Stunning grounds and setting. However Pool was dirty and bar was not attended and left dirty. Breakfast Ok but tables dirty and crockery chipped. 1 member of staff very helpful the rest either not trained or didn't seem to care about service.

09/24/2018

We loved the grounds of this hotel, and the hammocks around the property were a bonus. Great for wildlife and plant lovers. Maybe not a hotel for everyone. Rooms were generally very comfortable, but simple. Sometimes things happened at the hotel, like power going out for an hour or there not being hot water for a bit, that might bother other people more. The breakfast buffet with traditional Costa Rican foods was very good, and we appreciated that there was a restaurant on the property.

09/08/2018

Nice secluded bungalow, which was cleaned very well by the maids every single day. WiFi was fast and connection very good. A/C worked well but could not figure out how to turn it off during the day while we were gone, as was instructed by hotel management.

Breakfast was fairly good, not a huge variety of food but at least one dish changed daily and there was a lady serving fresh omelettes and pancakes. Had dinner at our hotel once, it was decent but still preferred to eat at the restaurant close by.

Far from town of Puerto Viejo, would recommend for the hotel to implement some sort of shuttle service. We rented the bikes for $10/per person/per day, however, we had to return them by 6pm. This was probably implemented for safety reasons, however, adding some lights to the bicycles would provide another means of transportation for the patrons. Because of these reasons, we never ended up going into town.

09/07/2018

staff wasn't as nice as in other places. bungalow and rest of the facilities were quite basic.

09/02/2018

HOtel staff was wonderful - with one exception - we were told Manzanilla was a nice beach - but it looked a slightly not safe.

12/13/2017

Staff was excellent. The bike rentals were easy. The constant gardening and roof repair right by our room every day was unacceptable. Would not return here. If they knew this was going on they should not have put people in our room.

11/25/2017

Rooms and beds are comfortable. Grounds are beautiful with plenty of wildlife. Saw multiple sloths, howlers and poison dart frogs around the grounds. Too far from town to walk but several places to eat within walking distance and restaurant at the hotel was good. It is right across from the beach.

11/01/2017

I would have preferred a cottage further from the street. Also, our room, though good for a family, was surprisingly spartan. The furniture was missing cushions. No lights by the bed.

10/22/2017

Very nice place, some areas of the hotel are a little tired and in need of refurbishment but overall a nice place. The restaurant was very good. There was one day we didn't get maid service but in the main all was good

08/29/2017

The room was kept very clean and the location is gorgeous. Easy walk to the beach and the resort pool is PERFECT! Howler monkeys, acouti, sloths, butterflies... fantastic! Resort restaurant breakfast buffet is outstanding! Dinner prices are a bit high - but it is easy to get to other local eateries by foot or by renting a bike.The staff is very friendly, patient and helpful. I wish they had at least a mini-fridge to keep cold drinks on hand - but I'd go back in a heartbeat!

06/27/2017

hot tub and small restaurant, as well as the back gate, were closed for the season. We
love this place! Staff was helpful and expressed interest in our lives.

04/02/2017

The hotel staff weren't particularly friendly (based on our other experiences in Costa Rica, except for the lady in reception in the mornings who was very good). Our room was great, but the other hotel facilities are getting/looking a bit dated vs the price level.

01/02/2017

the manager was oblivious to what it means to provide for the guests, he seemed to forget having guests is a privilege that requires expectations to be met

10/30/2016

Great jungle and beach setting. Would return in high season when more services were available.

07/04/2016

Need better pillows, otherwise very comfortable. Very charming and peaceful place.

05/09/2016

Hotel Cariblue was pretty disappointing. We knew it was a lower-end hotel, but the staff was not nearly as personable and much of the hotel looked deserted/slightly rundown. The room was fine, but the pool area was dirty and not maintained (the pool bar was never open, but there were a bunch of empty beer bottles sitting there for several days). The complimentary breakfasts were not very good, either. In hindsight, I wish we had stayed at a less "luxurious" place in town.

02/28/2016

Excellent location ..friendly staff....good restaurant

02/10/2016

Awesome Place!!! Loved it!!

09/05/2015

It was very good, I am glad we stayed here.

05/05/2015

Excellent staff and experience

02/16/2015

Want to especially call out Oscar - the bartender - for his good service and friendliness.

01/17/2015

We really enjoyed this hotel and its welcoming and forthcoming staff.