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Hotel Punta Islita: Traveler Reviews

3.5 of 5
Islita, Guanacaste, Playa Samara 50201, Costa Rica
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Hotel Punta Islita
Ranked #5 of 16 hotels in Playa Samara
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360 reviews from our community

Traveler rating
    252
    66
    22
    17
    3
See reviews for
Families
59
 
Couples
200
 
Solo
1
 
Business
3
 
Rating summary
  • Sleep Quality
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Location
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Rooms
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Service
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Value
    4 of 5 stars
  • Cleanliness
    4.5 of 5 stars
Date Rating
Los Angeles, California
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Wish it was better”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 2, 2013

Coming from the sister property in El Silencio, we were in for quite a shock at the difference in temperature and unfortunately service at Punta Islita. Let's talk about the good stuff first.

Andrea and Luis are superstars, they worked the upstairs restaurant. Service at 1492 was excellent overall. The view and infinity pool is breath taking. I would highly recommend the zip line activity, it was crazy fun and the instructors were great (Nelson, Bialys and I forget the other guy's name -- sorry!) Loved that our room had a little yard, hammock and a gorgeous view.

Points off that our concierge who greeted us disappeared our entire stay. On our first night we had the special lobster dinner near the beach and while it was a gorgeous setting, it was very disappointing. My bisque arrived luke warm and salty, we were never offered anything other than water and the quality of our dishes was "eh." We also waited 20 minutes for our bill, which we gave up on and the waiter met us as we were heading back up to the hotel. The servers were very nice, just very absent. I understand the hotel was full, but I don't accept that as an excuse from the manager who's speech after the fact was ineffective. That said we did go back for the BBQ by the beach and since it was a buffet, it was a better experience.

While I liked our room, the air conditioning was not great and thus hard to be comfortable. I'd also recommend that they install black out curtains. Sleeping in was not an option.

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask Siameserose about Hotel Punta Islita
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MariaJBIslita, Outreach Manager at Hotel Punta Islita, responded to this review
January 3, 2013
Saludos again Rose! I just read your glowing review of our sister cloud forest property, El Silencio Lodge & Spa. Thank you for your wonderful comments. It is a true honor to have visitors selecting our two properties and we thank you for giving us a chance to offer you a complete Costa Rica experience.

I thank you for your candid praise of Hotel Punta Islita's view, amazing infinity pool overlooking Islita cove, thrilling canopy zip line adventure, and the little garden and hammock that you enjoyed in your room. I also thank you for giving us specific feedback about the not so stellar aspects of your stay. I have relayed your comments to our Manager and onsite staff. Thank you for helping us guide our efforts. Warmest regards and best wishes for a wonderful 2013 :)
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Hamilton, Bermuda
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
11 hotel reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
“relaxing hotel”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 30, 2012

We stayed for 3 nights over Christmas.
We had the lowest price room, which was still lovely, with hammock, private patio and big double bed.
we ate every night in the hotel restaurant near reception. Make sure you reserve a table, on the other side of the pool for dinner. The food was tasty and the waiters and bar staff were very friendly, chatty and professional. Great service.
We spent a lot of time in the infinity pool, although there is another pool down by the beach and beach club.
We drove to the hotel from La Fortuna. The roads are definitely bumpy and we definitely recommend a 4by4.
great relaxing time. we used the spa for a Swedish massage. Professional service but not a very big area for relaxing afterwards.

Room Tip: spend up if you can, to get a mini pool in your garden
See more room tips
  • Stayed December 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask Val12345 about Hotel Punta Islita
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MariaJBIslita, Outreach Manager at Hotel Punta Islita, responded to this review
December 31, 2012
Saludos Val! Thank you so much for choosing to spend your Christmas with us. I hope you had a chance to visit our neighbor town of Islita during this time. It is a wonderful Costa Rican community where many of the season's traditions are on full, colorful display.

Your observations and comments are insightful and will certainly help the Trip Advisor community. I hope you enjoyed the drive from La Fortuna. It can be an amazing way to sample many Costa Rican landscapes, little towns, and rustic restaurants. An SUV is definitely recommended!

Thank you for sharing your positive experiences with our staff, our facilities, and our Spa. I will ask if it would be possible to add more lounging chairs near the whirlpools to have a chance to fully unwind after treatment. Thanks for the suggestion! Happy New Year!
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Düsseldorf
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“just ok”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed December 29, 2012

Stayed two days at PI. Rooms ok, but quite worn out. Don't take room close to reception, motel-like athmosphere. We had no problem to get another one. Welcoming and reception was strange, more like immigration. Restaurant staff exremly friendly.

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask Tomtofino about Hotel Punta Islita
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MariaJBIslita, Outreach Manager at Hotel Punta Islita, responded to this review
December 31, 2012
Warm greetings from Costa Rica Tom! Our sincere thanks for having visited our beautiful country and for selecting Hotel Punta Islita as one of your destinations. I genuinely appreciate your comments. It is our goal to fully dazzle our guests and if we fall short, we certainly want to learn from the experience. I kindly ask you to provide more details to better understand your room experience and the check-in process. My email is outreach@grupoislita.com. We just completed major renovations and we certainly want to ensure that all of our facilities shine. Thank you much for singling out our restaurant staff's excellent service and friendliness. Warmest regards and best wishes for a fantastic 2013!
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1 review
“Best hotel we have stayed in our whole life ! Perfect for our honeymoon”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 20, 2012 via mobile

We had a wonderful stay at punta islita! The staff is amazing, from the moment we arrived to our departure, they all took great care of us ! We could feel that guest satisfaction is the number 1 priority! We were on honeymoon and we had many attentions. It was perfect! Thank you everyone and Marvin especially who was amazing ! This hotel is outstanding and we will stay there again if we come back to Costa Rica !
Victor and Blanche Bellier

  • Stayed December 2012
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Blancheetvictor about Hotel Punta Islita
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MariaJBIslita, Outreach Manager at Hotel Punta Islita, responded to this review
December 28, 2012
Saludos Victor & Blanche! On behalf of our staff, thank you so much for choosing Hotel Punta Islita and Costa Rica as your special honeymoon destination. We were delighted to help you celebrate and certainly hope that the memories of our special corner of the world linger. We wish upon you a lifetime of blessings and love. Warmest regards and Happy New Year!
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Houston
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
“We had such a great experience we decided to get married here next year!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 12, 2012

PI is one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in and we travel a lot (once or twice a month). We chose PI because it was one of the options on our Presidential Plus cards.

We stayed in Guanacaste, a three bedroom villa that was in the middle of the property. It's location allowed us to walk everywhere which was really convenient. We went mangrove kayaking, zip-lining, hiking, visited the spa a couple of times and played golf everyday. The par 3, nine hole golf course was an excellent way to get our exercise in for the day since there are no golf carts. We ate the Costa Rican BBQ friday night which was good but the price was a little high ($50/pp) compared to the rest of their food prices. We will order off the regular menu next time. All their fruity tropical drinks were excellent and the bartenders were so sweet. We could talk to them all day long :o)

Service is amazing, seriously all you have to do is pick up the phone and they will help you with whatever you need. Another reason why we love PI so much is because they support their local community and are sustainable. Costa Rican's really are so hospitable. We felt very safe during our stay.

We took the three hour shuttle from Liberia but plan on flying form San Jose next time. The roads are similar to hatch-backs and get very bumpy the last half hour.

We chose PI for our wedding because we love the set up of the hotel. Our guests (75-100 people) will be able to share villas, cutting the cost pp/night. Villas have full kitchens and the hotel will stock it for you if you send them a grocery list. Grocery list prices are a little high but it is a great alternative to eating at the restaurant every night. We look forward to villa-hoping at night ;o)

The views are absolutely amazing. Every room, casita, and villa have the same view - you really can't go wrong. We wish we could have stayed longer...

See you again in November!!!

  • Stayed November 2012, traveled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask HoustoTexasTravelers about Hotel Punta Islita
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MariaJBIslita, Outreach Manager at Hotel Punta Islita, responded to this review
December 13, 2012
Your review is truly special. Thank you so much for sharing your heartfelt opinion of Hotel Punta Islita, its wonderful staff, and amazing local communities. We are deeply honored to have had a chance to host you and your family and are quite thrilled that you are choosing to return for such a special occasion. Congratulations y mucha Pura Vida!
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Additional Information about Hotel Punta Islita

Also Known As:
Punta Islita Hotel
Resort Punta Islita
Punta Islita
Address: Islita, Guanacaste, Playa Samara 50201, Costa Rica
Phone Number:
Region: Costa Rica > Province of Guanacaste > Playa Samara
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge Beach Fitness Center Free Breakfast Free High-Speed Internet Free Parking Kids Activities Kitchenette Restaurant Room Service Suites Swimming Pool
Hotel Style:
#1 Romantic Hotels in Playa Samara
#2 On the Beach Hotels in Playa Samara
#4 Family Hotels in Playa Samara
Price Range: $$$
Hotel Class:3.5 star (3.5*)
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
At Hotel Punta Islita life's best experiences intensify in planet-friendly, people-positive equilibrium. Overlooking a secluded ocean cove in Guanacaste (Costa Rica. Hotel Punta Islita features cozy Deluxe Rooms, romantic Suites, charming Casitas, and fully-outfitted private Villas. Its award-winning sustainability program ensures authentic experiences and eco-adventures that highlight the best of Costa Rica's exciting cultural and natural treasures. Ideal for honeymoons, relaxation getaways, family vacations, extended stays, or destination weddings. ... more   less 
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