North Of The Flamingo Junction 2 km, Playa Potrero, Costa Rica | (888) 616-5829
Beachfront location on the shores of Playa Portrero
Free fitness classes included in the room rate
Lushly landscaped property with lots of flowering bushes and a secret garden
Colorful, Costa Rican decor
Small spa offering a variety of treatments
Sunset happy hours with reduced rates on drinks
Walking distance to nearby restaurants and bars
Large free-form pool with walk-in access and swim-up bar
Homemade cookies delivered to guestrooms in the evenings
Free Wi-Fi
The beach has dark, coarse sand -- white-sand aficionados will be disappointed
The beach slopes toward the water, not ideal for joggers
The beach lacks big waves, making it great for swimming but bad for
surfing
Some of the furnishings and bathrooms show signs of wear and tear
Standard Rooms have hammocks, but they offer little privacy
Toilet paper cannot be flushed in the toilets (common in Costa Rica)
Not all of the rooms have ocean views
The hotel lobby lacks views, as well as adequate seating for relaxing
Happy hour drinks are poor quality
The hotel is somewhat isolated, a 30-minute drive to the action of Tamarindo
The bar closes around 10:00 pm
This 28-room upper-middle-range resort is set on the shores of Playa Potrero, an uncrowded, black-sand, crescent-shaped beach that’s ideal for swimming, not surfing. The resort caters to active travelers with free fitness and yoga classes as well as to those who crave a more sedentary vacation. Rows of lounge chairs are arranged by the pool, on the lawn, and along the beach, allowing guests to enjoy the ocean views. Rooms, ranging from cozy Standard Rooms sleeping four to Suites with kitchens, appeal to both couples and families, and have colorful fabrics and plenty of Costa Rican flair.
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Scene
A boutique-like resort with lots of Costa Rican style, free daily fitness classes, and plenty of places to lounge steps from the beach, pool, and restaurant
The hotel is set off a gravel road that terminates at the beach, and guests will first pass a small security gatehouse before entering the large parking lot and finally the open-air lobby of Bahia del Sol. There's a small bookcase with reads left from previous guests and a smattering of awkward furniture; this more of a place to wait for taxis than to lounge. The nearby front desk is where guests can secure beach towels and book excursions (brochures are neatly organized in a binder for guests to browse) -- these include diving trips to the nearby Catalina Islands, sailing and snorkeling cruises, zip-line canopy tours, and trips to Santa Rosa and Arenal Volcano National Parks.Turn the corner from the front desk, and a narrow covered hallway bordered by small palms and cheerful Costa Rican sculpture and pottery leads past a small boutique where guests can stock up on everything from sunblock to t-shirts to Britt coffee. A few steps farther and the path leads to Nasu, the hotel’s open-air restaurant with a collection of wood tables neatly arranged beneath a huge palapa roof. Guests begin their mornings at the restaurant with made-to-order breakfasts that include omelets and buttermilk pancakes served with sides of fresh fruit and bottomless cups of Costa Rican coffee.Activity is priority at Bahia del Sol, and fitness classes are included in the room rate. It's not unusual to see guests bobbing to early morning aquacise classes at the pool or calmly flowing through yoga poses at the Palapa Lounge, a space that is also is used for weddings, lounging, and live music. Relaxing is also high priority at Bahia del sol, and there are ample places to partake in the activity. The pool with its swim-up bar and its two whirlpools is fringed with low-slung, colorful (red, green, and orange) lounge chairs while on the nearby lawn, more substantial cushioned lounge chairs are arranged beneath palapa umbrellas, perfect perches for spending the afternoon hours with a favorite book. On the beach, a neat row of white plastic lounge chairs and blue, canvas umbrellas offer additional reasons to settle in and watch the waves lap ashore. Playa Potrero has dark sand rather than the soft, white sand found at nearby Playa Flamingo, but its relatively calm waters make it ideal for swimming and it lacks the crowds found at more popular beaches such as Tamarindo. In the evenings, the resort amps up its social scene with a sunset happy hour, offering discounts on favorite fruity concoctions such as mango margaritas and ice cold Imperial beer.
Location
At the end of a gravel road, across the street from Buena Vista Beachfront Bar, steps from Playa Potrero, and a 60-minute drive from the airport in Liberia
A stretch of bumpy, gravel road leads guests to the gated entrance of Bahia del Sol. The hotel is steps from the black sand of Playa Potrero, a crescent-shaped beach that’s bordered by Playa Flamingo to the south and Playa Penca to the north.- 10-minute drive to Playa Flamingo
Rooms
Rooms range from cozier Standard Rooms to Suites with small kitchens and open living rooms; all have colorful Costa Rican style and outdoor space.
Bahia del Sol caters equally to families and couples with its room types. The hotel's two-bedroom Family Suites, set in two-story buildings among the jungle-like gardens at the back of the property, are well-suited to families of four. They include open living, dining, and kitchen areas in the front that flow directly, through sliding glass doors, onto large covered terraces with group seating and lounge chairs. Guests can cook their own meals in the small kitchens and dine at the tables for four or take morning coffee and breakfast onto the terrace to look for resident howler monkeys. One bedroom has a queen and the other has two twins; both have private baths and small balconies that overlook the tree canopy. One-bedroom Suites are similar in layout, featuring queen beds, but they are closer to the ocean. The resort's Standard Rooms and the single Deluxe Room come equipped with two full-size beds as well as hammocks strung across the corridors overlooking the gardens, but Deluxe Room also has a jetted tub in the bathroom. The hotel’s most coveted room is the King Sun Suite, a spacious beachfront space with a king-sized bed as well as both an indoor and outdoor shower. It also features a private lawn area with cushy lounge chairs and two terraces, a covered one with a hammock and cushioned rattan furniture that faces the ocean plus a private rear terrace that holds an outdoor hot tub and two low-slung lounge chairs, ideal for private sunbathing.All of the rooms follow a similar design theme showcasing Costa Rica style. Accent walls are painted a cheery tangerine, sofas in the suites are covered in light purple fabric with red and turquoise accent pillows, walls are decorated with rustic Costa Rican pottery and colorful canvas artwork. Beds are finished in basic white linens accented by coral-patterned pillows and floral throws. The rooms are furnished with clunky dark wood bedside tables and wood headboards with accents of wrought iron or rattan. Modern amenities in the rooms include mini-refrigerators stocked with sodas and beer, coffeemakers, safes, flat-screen TVs, and terrycloth robes. Bathrooms in most of the rooms and suites are lackluster, finished with drab tiles, basic pedestal sinks, and stall showers.
Features
A terrace restaurant, a pool with swim-up bar, a small spa, free fitness classes, and a boutique for sundries and souvenirs
Nau is Bahia del Sol's intimate spa. Set in a small building with two massage tables and a private outdoor shower, the spa offers a generous variety of treatments that range from traditional relaxing massages to facials, wraps, and manicures and pedicures.The hotel's restaurant Nasu serves three meals daily beneath the towering palapa roof overlooking the ocean and pool. The adjacent bar, sunken to the level of the pool, offers two seating areas, one dry and one wet.
