Palm Beach Estates, 50308 Cabo Velas, Playa Grande, Costa Rica | (888) 616-5829
Intimate hotel with personal service and a laid-back surfer
vibe
Made-to-order breakfast included in the room rate
Secluded, quiet location in a national forest, away from touristy Tamarindo
Notable restaurant led by a local chef surrounded by a
canopy of trees
Quick walk to the waves and expansive, uncrowded shores of Playa Grande
Free beach gear (umbrellas and chairs)
Private swimming pool with plenty of shaded areas for
lounging
Great location for nature lovers who want to experience
night tours of turtle hatching
Free Wi-Fi
No access to the beach after sundown, due to turtle nesting
The hotel is not located directly on the beach (hotels are not allowed to face the beach in the national
park)
Ants are frequent visitors in the rooms
The rooms lack basic amenities such as shampoo, hairdryers,
and bar soap
Remote location means there is no nightlife after dinner (pro for some)
Nosy birds may try to steal your breakfast
The restaurant is small and tends to run out of items as the night progresses (such as white wine and dinner items)
Toilet paper cannot be flushed down the toilet (typical in
Costa Rica)
The pool is shaded, not ideal for sunbathers
The location is remote, a 30-minute drive from the action of
Tamarindo
No fitness facilities or spa
Cancellations after 30 days are nonrefundable
Adding an extra bed in the room is an additional
cost
Hotel Cantarana is an intimate, five-room budget-oriented boutique hotel with a
laid-back surfer vibe, a shaded pool, personal service, and a notable
restaurant set among a canopy of trees. The hotel is located within the Las
Baulas National Marine Park, home to hundreds of species of birds and a prominent nesting
ground for leatherback sea turtles. The hotel’s biggest draw, though, might be the uncrowded, surfer-friendly Playa Grande, a quick walk away along a dirt road. Those seeking nightlife can drive 30 minutes
to reach the bars of Tamarindo, yet most guests at Hotel Cantarana opt to spend
their evenings on guided tours observing nesting turtles or holed up in the basic
but comfortable rooms outfitted with king-size beds, air-conditioning, and
flat-screen TVs.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
A easygoing boutique hotel that caters to surfers and nature lovers
The laid-back surfer vibe is immediately evident when checking in
at Hotel Cantarana. Run by two surfing brothers, the hotel is just a few minutes’
walk to Playa Grande, one of the most popular and picturesque surfing beaches in Guanacaste.
Wide and uncrowded, the sprawling (hence the name "grande") beach is also ideal
for walking, running, and congregating, especially at sunset. Guests who choose Hotel Cantarana come for more than just
the low rates -- they come to relax away from the noise of
touristy Tamarindo, immersed in the jungle-like tree canopy that surrounds the
hotel. In the mornings guests sip coffee under the bamboo ceiling of the
second-story restaurant and watch the parade of wildlife, mostly birds and the
occasional howler monkey, darting among the tree branches. In the afternoon, guests can grab beach gear
and head to Playa Grande or wander the dusty road in the other direction to
catch a boat ride across the Matapalo River (referred to as the estuary) and
lunch in Tamarindo. On-site the hotel offers a collection of left-behind books
to read poolside, under the shade of the tiki hut, or in the rope hammock. The
staff is eager to help book excursions, specifically a nighttime tour
to view nesting sea turtles – the area is home to one of the largest leatherback
turtle nesting grounds in the world. Before dinner, many guests choose to catch the stunning sunset at Playa Grande. The smallness of the hotel makes it easy to meet other guests and many end up dining together. When dinner is over, there’s nothing left to do but
retreat to the rooms where TVs almost seem intrusive to the quiet surroundings.
Location
Along a dusty dirt road within a gated community in the remote Las Baulas National Marine Park, a five-minute walk to Playa Grande and a 30-minute drive to Tamarindo
The hotel is set within the Las Baulas National Marine Park along a
dusty dirt drive within the gated residential community of Palm Beach Estates,
home to several upscale rental villas and a handful of boutique hotels. It’s a
five-minute walk to Playa Grande, one of Guanacaste’s most touted beaches for
surfing and leatherback sea turtle nesting. Playa Grande is separated from
Tamarindo by the Matapalo River, and guests can get to town by driving 30 minutes around the river or by walking five minutes to the river to take a quick boat ride across.- Five-minute walk to Playa Grande
Rooms
Five basic rooms with king-size beds, air-conditioning, mini-refrigerators, and private terraces set in a two-story building overlooking the pool
Four of Hotel Cantarana’s five rooms are located in a terra-cotta red, two-story building that overlooks a medium-size pool while the fifth room is tucked
beneath a similar building that holds the office and the restaurant. Each room
has semi-private outdoor terrace with sturdy Adirondack-style chairs and a
cocktail table, ideal for sitting with a cup of Costa Rican coffee or daytime
reading. The rooms are basic and roomy with ceramic tile floors, lime green
window treatments, canvas artwork depicting Toucans and other Costa Rican
wildlife, and large closets with safes and mini-refrigerators. King-size beds are
wrapped in white sheets (there's a blanket in the closet if needed) and small
futons provide guests with additional sleeping and lounging space.While the rooms are spacious and well cooled by individual
wall air conditioners, they show slight signs of wear and tear and a lack of
polished cleaning. Furnishings are feeble bamboo style, and during our stay the bathroom soap
dispenser was broken, cobwebs were visible in the bedside lamps, and there
were enough dead and live ants to make the insect-squeamish somewhat
uncomfortable. While the ants were a nuisance, the staff assuages guests by
reminding them that insects are a way of life in the jungle and offering bug
spray.The bathrooms are long and narrow, finished in white tile
with a ribbon of decorative accent tiles. The walk-in showers offer plenty of
space to turn around, although the water-saving showerheads seem to spray
water in every direction except down. Bathrooms also lack the basic amenities
found at traditional hotels such as shampoo, lotion, bar soap, and hairdryers
(although this is common in Costa Rica) but there’s liquid soap in dispensers
on the counters and in the showers.
Features
A small restaurant that caters to the palates and dietary needs of its guests
Hotel Cantarana’s restaurant sits in the two-story building
that holds the hotel’s office. Sprawling trees surround the lofty, open-air
space, giving diners the feeling of sitting in a rustic tree house. The
restaurant, headed by a young Costa Rican chef, has garnered a reputation in
the area for its above-the-bar cuisine. Made-to-order breakfasts (included in the room rate)
include offerings such as fruity pancakes or the typical Costa Rican breakfast of rice and beans mixed together (called gallo pinto) and served with eggs, fried plantains, and tortillas. The dinner menu is a mix of locally caught fish, pasta dishes, and international and vegetarian specialties.When not eating, guests can take a dip in the pool or head
to Playa Grande, a short walk down the road, for a day of surfing followed by a
spectacular sunset. In the evenings, during specific months of the year, guests
can book evening tours onto Playa Grande to view nesting turtles.
