After spending several days in central Costa Rica we were more than happy to leave It was a short flight to the Pacific coast and we were all greeted by Andreas who was the hotel manager and took us to the air conditioned bus and gave us a brief background on Punta Islita.
At the hotel we were welcomed with cool fresh towels and taken into the open air restaurant where drinks were brought and lunch could be ordered while staff checked us in personally. No lines to check in and a wonderful meal.all our meals were superb and the food was fusion-Costa Rica meets the world-delish!

Our room was cool,clean and adorned with fresh flowers on pillows,towels and tables. As a matter of fact we later met the florist who does all the grand flowers in the hotel as she was working on pieces in the gallery-yes an art gallery. The hotel is beautiful and the feeling is of casual luxury. the staff is proffesional and friendly from management to house cleaning.
since the rooms are terraced all of them have a view of the ocean and a hammock outside your private terrace. We walked down the path that marks the beach and found ourselves in a mango grove. The beach is great for surfing but rough for swimming which did not matter since there is a pool ,spa and restaurant at this beach. We stayed there and had a pleasurable day.All the guests we met were happy to be there too.A shuttle then came and picked us up so we did not have to hike back.

There is a charming little town with all the buildings hand painted with charming local art,as well as a yellow church,an art school and wild life all around. It is a nice walk or ride from the hotel and the people you meet are pleasant and welcoming.

Andreas later showed us a villa as per our request and it was beautiful. A two bedroom with living space ,kitchen etc. MOre like a luxury condo facing the ocean with a wading pool and private traace. The villa is great for a family ,plenty of room and privacy as well as tastefully decorated . Paradise with air conditioning !

This was a wonderful experience and I will highly recomend it to people who like to travel and want to be treated as welcome guests as well as be pampered ! Wish we had done all our adventure things here ,but the relaxing was great !!!!!

We stayed at Punta Islita for two nights in a Deluxe Room. First of all don't try to get to Punta Islita by road from SJO, it is a LONG and BUMPY ride(approx 6 hrs). Checking in was not a problem but the staff seemed to be helpless when we made a complaint about a light in our bathroom that wasn't working. They told us there was nothing they could do about it and they wouldn't even offer anything for compensation. The rest of the room was spacious and beautiful but we did encounter a trail of ants near the window and they seem to make themselves quite at home in our room. The breakfast was probably the worst I had at CR. We ate at many hotels not as "fancy" as Punta Islita and had better food. It was mainly a continental breakfast you can have at a Comfort Inn. Not much selection and watch out if you order anything more (like a bottle of water) because they'll charge you a hand and a foot for it! We did a lot of walking around the grounds. Very well maintained. The sand on the beach wasn't impressive though it was dark and not so soft. There are a lot of people with kids in the premises not as quiet and romantic as other reviews may say. It made us feel like we were in California rather than Costa Rica. I think we were quite let down mainly because of the expectations we had based on other reviews. And for the price (US$300++/night) it didn't live up to the name of a luxury hotel.

As avid travelers, we are hard to impress... However, I must take the time to write about our wonderful vacation in Hotel Punta Islita. After spending one incredible week exploring rugged Costa Rica, we enjoyed 5 perfect days of fun, relaxation, and uplifting experiences.

Islita offers high standards of service and comfort, but what really makes the property unique is the positive aura that permeates throughout your stay. We were genuinely impressed by the staff´s friendly attitude, especially because it seemed sincere and not the result of heavy "customer service training". We soon learned that this is probably due to the special relationship that the hotel has with the local communities. They have a great caring tourism program that provides tangible benefits to the tiny villages that surround the hotel. For example, instead of selling the same souvenirs that you find throughout other Costa Rican hotels, they market original art pieces crafted by local groups. We purchased an incredible one-of-a-kind mirror framed by an exquisite piece of polished driftwood.

In terms of our stay, we always felt at home and relaxed enough to make special requests including modifying the menu options to accommodate a vegetarian diet. All were met with care and interest.

We strongly recommend Punta Islita visitors to participate in their community programs, including patronizing local restaurants such as Cambute and the spectacularly placed Monkey Bar. Another highlight is the guided Community and Museum tour.

Salud!

MRG

If I visited Hotel Punta Islita again I would do it differently. I would stay in a two bedroom casita with private pool for a little more than the cost of two basic rooms. Ofcourse, you now need to bring friends. The basic rooms are just ok,they could use a dresser or desk and the bathrooms are substandard. But the small villas are very nice...They all do have ocean views, but some are far better than others. The downside to this potentially lovely place is 1. it is really hot and the walk down to the beach is steep and long. They will shuttle you though. The water can be rough and/or rocky in places, the swimming pools are just for dipping, not laps, and the water is really warm, so you don't really cool off.
2. the food is overpriced and has a high opinion of itself. Best bet is fresh grilled tuna over salad at the beach. The "special" beach buffet is ultimately buffet table quality (ie, old in five minutes) for $35.00 ea. The little Cambute restaurant, walkable and down the street is really good fare, not dirt cheap as they know you are gringos, but a relative deal compared to the hotel.
3.nice tennis courts, but you need to be driven there and it is so incredibly hot in Guanacaste, you can play for about 45 minutes.
4. the service is largely indifferent. There is not a big history of tourism here so the staff are relatively new at the art of hospitality, and it is suffering in the basic niceities of a "small luxury property."
I think their designation is in regard to other places in Costa Rica and not to be compared to real luxury properties around the world, though the views are quite lovely. The hotel is environmental, which I greatly applaud and appreciate.
You are isolated here. You can get alot of reading done and it is relaxing. There are really no common rooms beside the main open air dining room. So, you better like your room. There is no place to go unless you have a car and then ofcourse the roads are difficult. We flew in as per past recommendations on this site. I've heard from others that the excursions are just okay. The gym is pretty good. The spa services (and setting)are nice but overpriced for the experience level. This place is best when you bring your friends with you....it's that low key.