Las Espuelas Hotel

Espuelas is Spanish for “spurs,” a reference to the region’s sabanero (cowboy) culture. The hotel’s logo and a stagecoach parked at the entrance pay homage to this cowboy theme. While the guest room interiors are nothing special, the hotel’s hacienda-style design adds some character. Rooms are spread across one level and open onto landscaped courtyards and tiled walkways lined with brick pillars. A towering Guanacaste tree looms over the parking lot, and there are a few interesting indigenous stone statues dotted around the lush grounds. The lobby, while more suited to checking in than relaxing, features a colorful painting of the Costa Rican landscape. The hotel is popular with families, along with a handful of couples and solo travelers. It attracts a pretty even mix of Western tourists and Costa Rican travelers. Las Espuelas is located a short drive from the airport, and most guests are just passing through. This is common among hotels in Liberia, which offers few attractions and instead acts as a first or last stop on trips to Guanacaste’s more far-flung areas. 

Las Espuelas Hotel is located a 15-minute drive from the airport, making it a convenient place for a one-night stay at the beginning or end of a trip. Set just off the Pan-American highway, the hotel is an hour’s drive away from Rincon de la Vieja National Park, while the surfing center of Tamarindo can be reached in about an hour and a half.On the side opposite the highway, the hotel is surrounded by a wide expanse of green countryside. The setting is pretty, but there aren’t really any shops, restaurants, or attractions within reasonable walking distance. For those with a car, it’s a quick five-minute drive into downtown Liberia, or it’s also possible to take a cab. 

Guest rooms at Las Espuelas are generic but clean and fairly pleasant, featuring a mix of dark- and medium-wood furniture. Green bed runners, along with deep-burgundy bolster pillows and bed skirts, add a touch of color to beds with white linens. There are no balconies, but the large windows let in plenty of light. All rooms include flat-screen TVs with cable, free Wi-Fi, and coffeemakers. Simple closets and dressers offer storage space.Small bathrooms have plain, beige tiling and dated fixtures and hairdryers. All include step-down showers and tiny round sinks with no counter space. Bathrooms are stocked with pump dispensers of off-brand shampoo and soap.  Deluxe rooms have newer-looking furniture, and a few pieces of artwork in each room add a little more life to the spaces. Closets have personal safes, and larger bathrooms offer shower/tub combos in addition to bars of soap and bottles of shampoo. 

Las Espuelas Hotel has a large rectangular pool, with a half-moon-shaped kids’ pool branching off one side. The concrete deck bordering the pool is a bit bare, but the surrounding garden softens the area’s overall appearance. The pool is lined with lounge chairs with built-in canopies, as well as a few tables located under a shady shelter. There’s a cute playground, with a few swings, set back from the pool on the hotel’s green lawn.The restaurant, La Fonda del LLano, sits on an attractive open-air terrace with a vaulted ceiling. Wooden tables covered with layered red-and-white tablecloths give it a cookie-cutter feel, but the food is decent and reasonably priced. A free breakfast buffet is served here in the morning and includes a small but well-prepared selection of local and international dishes, like plantains and eggs. There’s a dark bar area with plastic tables and chairs, but the airy restaurant is a far more appealing spot for enjoying drinks. A compact alcove off the restaurant features a PC available for guest use.The hotel also has a large, wood-paneled meeting room that can accommodate up to 120 people. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout and there’s free parking on-site.