Hi all,
Re-posting here since no one responded in Puntarenas Province forum.
I'm looking at Manala Hotel in Santa Teresa as possible lodging for my honeymoon. Has anyone been there that can give their opinion on it? It has some great reviews, but I can't find much else about it online. How secluded/private is the location? How is the restaurant there? What is that part of the beach like?
Thanks - Graham
OP my daughter ( a very young 31) and her partner were there in May of this year and raved about the comfortable rooms (I believe the resort is not that old), the fruit that was picked on the property, the endless beach which accommodates surfers and swimmers (I don't think it is one of CRs more difficult surf areas) as well as the kindness of the owners who shared in her photography and painting. They planned a 2 night stay, and ended up staying for 4. I asked her about the restaurant, and she told me they only had breakfast there, as they had a 4x4 that allowed them to travel and eat on the road. All in all, they said it was well worth the money and would go back.
Hope this helps.
You are quite right in the fact that Manala Hotel is new. Here is the only link I have for the hotel:
http://www.manalahotel.com/welcome.html
Personally, I don't know anyone who has stayed there, but every time I drive past the hotel, it looks very appealing and I think I would not hesitate to rent a room there if I was traveling through and needed a place to stay.
There are restaurants close by and the hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the beach.
I would not say that it is secluded in that there are other hotels surrounding Manala, but they seem to have created as private a place as possible with plants and trees.
Although the nearest beach location is popular to surfers, there are many parts of the day when the surf is minimal and you can enjoy the ocean without fear of getting pounded by waves or run over by surfers!
this link may also be helpful for locations of restaurants around Manala Hotel:
gbarker:
The beach there is open and a mixture of sandy, rocky, and stony (mostly small river stones). It changes every 75 yards or so. You can always find a sandy spot to lay out if you walk a bit -- except during the highest of high tides, which will only last a few hours.
There are dozens of restaurants in the area, all within walking distance. Do plan on doing some walking. Its not a concentrated development. Its stretched out.
Allow for 1hr+ and ~$60USD taxi far to get in/out of this area unless you bus it. The roads aren't paved and its a ways from Tambor (nearest airstrip) and the ferry dock.
Hi Graham,
I stayed there in Feb and wrote a review. The hotel is at the North end of town, and I believe was the last hotel on the 1.5 mile long road through town, so it is away from the 'downtown' bustling area. If you walk from a bungalow and across the small street, you walk to a path that heads to the most gorgeous soft sand beach lined with trees. The walk takes 5 minutes tops, 6 with a surfboard. Best sunsets. If you want value, proximity to great beach/surf and good restaurants, nice pool and stylish rooms, this is great. The restaurant wasn't open, but they serve nice continental bkfst on your patio in the morning. It's a new hotel. They also don't have 'massage, spa, luxury' type amenities if you want that total 'romance' feel; it is though on the quiet side of town, and there is yoga, massage, etc at the too overpriced hotel 1/4 mile walk north, when you want to splurge. Amy
I just stayed there and you can find my review on TA. We came upon the hotel "on accident" as we didn't have a place to stay and we went to several places until we found this one. The hotel is barely a year old and the bungalows are beautiful with great details. Because it's your honeymoon, I'd ask for the more remote bungalows (I believe 9 is the most remote....I thought it was 8 before but that's because I couldn't see 9)! :-) My husband and I had the pool to ourselves each day which we loved. The breakfast was served on the outdoor patio and was yummy and the ladies were wonderful. the restaurant wasn't open but that was fine since we wanted to go try out all of the local places. We met the owner (originally from Spain but has lived in CR I believe about 15 years). I highly recommend this place as it's new, quiet, and the staff is very nice. We looked at many places in the area and this was was MUCH better than all of them and the price was better too! Hope this helps. :-) Enjoy!
Wendy, La Fortuna, CR
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