A friend w/a disability asked me to join him for a week in Jaco. He goes for 2 months at a time. I did and had a great time! This is my fourth trip to Jaco and even though there are now condos and chain hotels sprouting up like mushrooms, I still love it here. The Apartotel Flamboyant is an excellent deal for the money. We had an upstairs room w/AC. Sitting on the veranda on the left side of the room we overlooked the pool which is meticulously kept up. There's lots of chairs for lounging around and a bbq pit guests can use. If you looked out the right side of the room it was like a postcard. Curling waves, surfers surfing and palm trees blowing in the wind. You exit the hotel through a gate and you are right on the beach. Something I really liked was that the lifegaurd station is right there behind the hotel. It is staffed by two lifegaurds daily until 5pm. The beach isn't bad at all and the water is calm enough for people like me afraid of water. There are strong currents at times (low tide) but as long as you don't venture far out you'll be fine. Yes, the walk to the main street at night is a bit disconcerting but there's another hotel (cheaper and less nice) inbetween Flamboyant and the street w/a male receptionist always there working until 9/10pm. Say hello, it's reassuring and he's a nice guy. So if you're on foot, as we were, it's not a problem walking down the dark street to main street. BTW, our room was $60 p/nt. For a nice, clean room steps away from the beach w/AC I think it's a bargain! Last of all, If you want to be picked up at the airport and driven to Jaco which is an hour and a half ride through a twisting, turning drive w/gorgeous scenery and you want a really good guide to take you to various places nearby like the rainforest, etc; call Turbo. He can be reached on his cell 24 hrs a day at (--). There's a new hwy being built that will cut the drive time to 45 minutes but it isn't completed yet. Fare from and to the airport is around $100+tip USD which is reasonable considering the time and distance. Also, if you want surfing lessons, Gilbert Brown the 2009 Costa Rican national champion gives them (no tel # at this time but trying to get it). You can see him in action on You-tube. He, Turbo and the Flamboyant are the epitome of what's great about Costa Rica. Oh and the restaurant right where you come to the main street is great. Caught that day Mahi-Mahi w/veggies for $8 plus tip. The Taco-Bar has great ceviche for $3 w/free coffee or tea. Avoid the beach at night. There are problems. But overall this is my favorite destination anywhere. I recommend Continental airlines to get there.

Great if you're on a budget.Clean & comfortable. Pool & grounds are already being cared for. Beach is not the prettiest in Costa Rica, sand is darker & a bit stoney in places, but you can learn to surf and you can walk right out your door and you're on the beach which is nice. Jaco is a neat little town, great restaurants.If your room has a kitchenette You can walk to the market & buy groceries to save more money. You can hear the ocean from all the rooms. :) You have all the amenities close by, a bit of shopping, any excursions you want to take. I highly recommend it if you're not looking for super fancy.
CJ

If you're travelling on a budget, this place is probably one of the best choices for the price. Located right on the middle of the beach and a 1 min. walk to the main street, Apartotel Flamboyant is right in the middle of the action. Rooms are okay - 2 star at best. Only the 2nd level rooms have air conditioning. Pool and garden area is nice. Front desk staff were friendly and helpful. Security is so-so. We did not feel safe or comfortable leaving our hotel at night to walk down the unlit road onto the main street. You need to be aware of your surroundings and belongings at all times in Jaco no matter where you're staying. We didn't have any problems but we were also very vigilant about safety. On our third night we woke to the sound of gun shots at 3 a.m. coming from somewhere on the beach followed by no police sirens. Police make a show of being present by parking a big police trailer on the main street however we never saw them patrolling the main street or beach. We stayed here for 5 nights but will not stay here again primarily due to its close location to the action and room quality.

My family just returned from a trip to Costa Rica. There are six of us, and we needed a large room. The Flamboyant has a two bedroom apartment, with kitchen, which we found to be clean and comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised to turn off the busy main street of Jaco, on to a small road leading towards the beach, to the gate of quite, well maintained, oasis. The hotel has direct access through a gated fence to the beach and a pleasant tiled pool. Our reservation was handled by Jacqui, who manages the hotel with John. We found them both very helpful, flexible, and friendly. On our trip, we found the apartment to be hot. It has several ceiling fans which help, but if you like a cool room I would suggest one of the other units that have A/C. Jacqui mentioned that they intended to add A/C to the large apartment.