During my recent trip to Costa Rica, I was invited to visit the nation’s Caribbean coast — specifically, the area around the town of Puerto Viejo, Limón. It was my first trip to this part of Costa Rica, and I found it to be very different from the rest of the nation; I love Costa Rica overall, but the Caribbean side offers its own unique pleasures and experiences, thanks to its distinct culture, history, heritage and scenery.
One of the highlights of my visit to Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast was being invited to stay at Banana Azul, a beautifully relaxed, 14-room Costa Rica beach hotel, which provided a lovely contrast to the big-city sophistication of the Aloft San Jose hotel, where I’d stayed just before. This is a review of my experience at Banana Azul.
THE STYLE: Laid-back Caribbean rustic beachfront, rendered with good taste, attentive service and nice amenities. Gorgeous dark wood was used to a great extent in the construction, complementing the natural beauty of the lush, beautifully landscaped grounds.
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THE GUEST ROOM: I stayed in room 5, a second-floor Ocean Room that — like several of the rooms — has a large balcony with table and hammock, overlooking the garden and swimming pool. The room itself has high ceilings, a double bed with mosquito net (which I didn’t even need) and bathroom with shower. There is no air conditioning, but the room has one wall-mounted fan and another on the floor that I could move as necessary, and I slept very comfortably, leaving the balcony doors open to allow the gentle breezes in. There is no phone or TV in the room, but people don’t visit this paradisiacal destination for those types of things anyway. The room does have, however, a lovely safe deposit box in the form of a hand-carved wooden cabinet with a lock — a nice variation on the sterile metal boxes that most hotels have. Skylights allow natural light to bathe the room during the day, and I found the free WiFi to be quite reliable. (There are several room categories at different price points, so you can pick the style that suits you best.)
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HOTEL FEATURES: Banana Azul hotel sits on lushly landscaped, beachfront grounds that lived up to every expectation that I might have had of a Caribbean beach vacation in Costa Rica. Coffee is left on one of the beach tables every morning, making it easy to start the day while enjoying the best scenery. There is also a small swimming pool and a wandering reflecting pool, where giant koi and turtles pop their heads out of the water to gaze at diners in the open-air restaurant. Resident dogs and a very sweet cat give the property an even more relaxed and welcoming feel (the cat even joined me one morning in my room while I was working in bed). The open-air restaurant serves tasty cuisine that varies daily; we enjoyed an especially delicious, Jamaican-influenced dinner one night (accompanied by a tasty ginger-and-orange beverage and amazing soup). Free WiFi in the public areas worked well during my visit.
Downtown Puerto Viejo is just a few minutes away by car or by bicycle, and day trips — including a $99 white-water rafting trip on the Pacuare River — can be arranged on site using Gecko Trails Adventures.
There will likely be more room options soon for guests staying at this Costa Rica hotel. According to the Vancouver-born owner, Banana Azul plans to add 20 more rooms, as well as four small swimming pools, in an adjacent property within the next two years.
BEST FOR: Couples and singles looking for a quiet, scenic vacation on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.
RATES: Room rates start at about $89 during the off-peak season and $125 during the peak season, including breakfast.
INFO & RESERVATIONS: www.bananaazul.com