“It certainly looks like we’ve landed in paradise” remarked my friend as we first stepped into the lush tropical grounds of the Estrellamar hotel in Jaco, Costa Rica. This is a sentiment that held true for the entirety of our stay. We visited in March of last year having found a fantastic price on a package deal – flights from Toronto and a week in the hotel for under $500 each! As British students we were rather more used to European travel and weren’t sure what to expect of Central America, but we were most impressed with our stay at Estrellamar and I am confident that we will return.
The hotel is located in the beachside town of Jaco, a relatively small but popular area that is well-located for all of the major attractions. Jaco is a friendly place with many tourist shops, and you can book all of your tours locally or through the hotel reception. The hotel is just a 2-3 minute walk from the beach, which is some 2-3km long, with a mix of golden and volcanic sands, studded with palm trees, and with a warm breeze at some 35-40oC.
In terms of occupancy, the hotel is relatively small, but in an intimate sense. If you are tired of the massive Americanised hotel complexes, then this is probably the place for you. At the end of the week, we knew most of the hotel guests and all of the staff. Most of the staff are proficient in English, and the owners are in fact an American couple. While it is in the very heart of Jaco, it is set away from the streets and situated in the middle of the most beautiful tropical gardens. It is a peaceful location where silence is broken only by the songs of the tropical bids in the surrounding palms.
There are two places to relax. There is a hammock cabana, with some 8-10 hammocks, tables and chairs – because the hotel is fairly small, there’ll always be a spot free. Then there is the pool, surrounded by palm trees and sun-loungers. The water is warm and it is regularly cleaned, staying open until 9-10pm. Right next to the pool you will find the restaurant and bar under a palm cabana. The drinks are fairly cheap and the food is very good. We didn’t go on an all inclusive package as the majority of the time we ate outside of the hotel, but when we did buy food at the Estrellamar we found it to be wholesome and good value. I can’t remember the prices off the top of my head, but breakfast (fresh tropical fruit, toast, bacon, etc, and coffee) was in the region of $2.5, and a main course dinner won’t cost more than about $5. Imperial beer was about $1.50, and cocktails about $4. The staff were very friendly and the food was thoroughly cooked. We were told that the tap water is safe to drink, and from what I’ve heard this is true – but we decided to play on the safe side and go with bottled water, which we got from the hotel reception at a fairly reasonable price.
The rooms were pleasant and, in light of the price, exceeded my expectations. To be honest it was actually better than most student apartments by UK standards :-). We had two large bedrooms, both with air conditioning, a kitchen, a bathroom and a patio. The kitchen was equipped with a refrigerator, sink, hotplates, etc. but in all honesty the food is so cheap that I cannot imagine this being used. The bathroom is equipped with a toilet, a shower cubicle and a sink. The shower has a strong flow and hot water is plentiful. The bedrooms were fairly large, especially the master bedroom, well-lit and equipped with storage units and a wardrobe. There is a wall-safe, but this will cost another $20-30, and the key can be obtained from reception. The area seems very safe, but as it was so cheap, we decided to use the safe. The cleaners do a great job and every day you’ll come home to some fantastic towel art finished off with tropical flowers! I’d recommend leaving the cleaners a tip, just a dollar or so, as they work very hard. The rooms are very clean and maintained to a good standard. Despite being in the centre of a tropical garden, we never had any problems with insects – in fact we didn’t even see so much as a mosquito.
You can book a variety of tours from the hotel reception, but I would recommend having a wander around Jaco before booking anything – there are a good 10 different tour companies offering competitive prices. We booked all of our tours at one stall and negotiated a 20% discount, so it was certainly worth doing. At the reception you are also able to buy and send postcards, and hire bicycles, which is a great way to tour the beach or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, to take the 5 mile journey south to Playa Hermosa. When I was there last year they were in the process of installing an internet connection, which I imagine is now functional.
Well I think I’ve said just about everything I can possibly think of about the hotel. Just a couple of final tips: 1) on your way to the hotel, make sure that your driver stops to show you the huge crocodiles. 2) at the hotel, keep your eyes peeled for the iguanas, two of them are easy to spot as they usually come out to sunbath by the pool – there are another two very large iguanas, one orange/red, and the other bright green!
I would give the hotel Estrellamar my strongest of recommendations. It is a perfect blend: you can enjoy the tranquillity of the tropics in this secluded paradise, and yet it is literally within minutes of beaches, bars, towns and tours. I will happily return. This jewel of Jaco would be a bargain at twice the price.
