Hotel & Villas Huetares

If you’re not looking for it, Hotel & Villas Huetares is easy to miss. The low-lying yellow, Spanish-style building looks similar to its neighbors, and only a faded sign marks the hotel’s entrance. The lobby, with its white walls, white tile floors, and bares-bones furniture is also pretty forgettable. It’s not until guests pass through the lobby doors to the interior courtyard’s gardens and pools that the place shows a bit of personality. Well-manicured pathways overflowing with flowers lead to the hotel’s two large pools, where families can be found throughout the day, splashing around for hours on end. Spanish music plays through large speakers as children run back and forth between the pool and the playground. The atmosphere is family-friendly, and most of the guests (an almost entirely Costa Rican crowd) seem to be traveling with children or multiple generations.  

Situated on Calle Principal in Playa Hermosa, Hotel & Villas Huetares is within walking distance of most Hermosa attractions. Calle Principal is lined with a handful of restaurants and other hotels, and there are a few convenience and grocery stores within walking distance. Otherwise, there’s not much else to do but hit the beach. Luckily for guests at Huetares, the beach is all of a two-minute walk from the hotel. Playa Hermosa is a recognized as a Blue Flag beach, meaning it has achieved the highest standards of beauty, cleanliness, and accessibility in Costa Rica. It is without a doubt more beautiful than nearby Playas del Coco or Playa Panama, but some people may find the town itself to be a bit boring. Playas del Coco, which has more shops, restaurants, and touristy attractions, is about a 15-minute drive from the hotel. Liberia Airport is about a 35-minute drive. Major roads and highways in this part of Guanacaste are generally well paved, but side streets like Calle Principal are typically unpaved and riddled with potholes.   

As its name suggests, there are two room types at Hotel & Villas Huetares -- standard hotel rooms and villas. Standard Rooms are tiny and bland, with taupe walls and rust-colored tile floors. They come with two double beds, a small dresser, and a mini-fridge. Beds are covered in thin white sheets, and most of the furniture appears to have seen better days. Flat-screen TVs hang on the wall, along with sun-faded artwork. Bathrooms has single pedestal sinks and large walk-in showers, but otherwise there’s not much space. Villas have two bedrooms, one bathroom, a full kitchen, and a small dining area, but strangely no living rooms. Bedrooms are tiny, and each are cramped with two beds and a dresser. Kitchens have full-size refrigerators and gas stoves, but do not have ovens or dishwashers. There are no cabinets, but there is a closet stocked with a few pots and pans, utensils, plates, cups, and bowls. A coffeemaker, microwave, and a toaster oven sit on top of the tile countertops. Superior Villas have two additional kitchen appliances (a rice cooker and an electric skillet) and an additional bathroom. All rooms are air-conditioned, but some guests complain that hot water is hard to come by.   

It’s not hard to see why guests choose to spend the majority of their time around the hotel’s two pools. Both pools are surprisingly large, considering Huetares’ small size, and the lively atmosphere means kids are free to splash around without fear of causing too much ruckus.  The larger of the two pools has a Roman shape with dark blue mosaic tile entryways. The second pool has a freeform shape with a small waterfall, whirlpool area, and a wheelchair-accessible entrance. There’s a third, round, shallow pool for babies and toddlers. In keeping with the family-friendly atmosphere, the hotel also has a well-equipped playground just a few steps from the pool. However, besides the pools, the hotel offers few other amenities. The hotel has a gated lot where guests can park for free, and there’s also free Wi-Fi, but don’t expect it to be the fastest you’ve ever used. Like most small Costa Rican hotels, Huetares includes free breakfast in its room rates, but because there’s no on-site restaurant, breakfast is served buffet style at the restaurant next door.