2-Star Hotels in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Loved it!!🤍 I stayed at Blue Iguana Hostal in Samara Beach two weeks and I LOVED IT! I was staying at a dorm that I shared with amazing women, and every dorm has its own bathroom. The kitchen is very complete, has everything you’d need. The hostel also has a restaurant, the food is great and also very cheap. The pool area is very nice, you’ll find also some games there to spend the time with friends, and the bar is right there as well (Vanessa is the cutest bartender, super hardworking young lady). They also have a “leave one-take one” book shelf, and you can paint your own sign and hang it somewhere at the hostel, which I believe is pretty cool. The owner and his family recommended places where to go/what to do, they were very kind and made me feel like at home. The rest of the staff was very welcoming as well. Will be visiting Samara next month, and Im definitely staying at Blue Iguana again. Pura vida!

My wife and I stayed here in February 2023. We were booked in for 7 nights and were really looking forward to our stay, other reviews were good and the photos were great. Upon arrival at the “hotel” a friendly lady showed us to our room and explained some things about the hotel. We were very surprised first to see that there was a lot of construction going on next to, and across the road from the hotel. Second, that the hotel looked unfinished and third that there was a very large (size of at least 2 basketball courts) open air bar and music venue complete with stage 20ft from our room overlooking the site! We expressed our concern at the very large open air music venue 20ft from our room and the lady said there had only been a couple of events there over the last few months and they had finished at 9pm and not to worry they were taking legal action against this venue. We took her at her word and settled down for a nice stay as the room was very nice and we had travelled for 24 hours from the UK to get there. Day 1 of our stay was interrupted at 7am by the ear piercing sound of a circular saw cutting metal. This carried on until 6pm each day we were there, meaning we had to leave the hotel all day to avoid it, no lounging next to the pool for us! Day 2 In addition to the construction noise during the day, we returned to our room to find that the music venue had a huge event on with around 500 children enjoying themselves at a disco. This wound down at 10pm but was incredibly loud even in our room. Day 3 After complaining about the noise the previous evening the girl on the front desk agreed that it had been terrible and said that it probably wouldn’t happen again and that they had called the police on the venue. We decided to move hotels but there was nothing available until the following afternoon. That night the music venue held a dance party until 2am. Day 4 we moved hotels to the Tamarindo Bay boutique hotel which was exceptional. Please be aware that the management team refused to refund us for the days we had stayed (but did not charge us for the cancelled days how nice of them….) stating that the noise was not their issue and blaming everyone else. At the point of booking there is no mention of the construction or music venue so we feel they have been very dishonest especially as they are taking legal action against the music venue. We would not have booked if we had any idea of the situation. Avoid at all costs.

Mario and Roberto the two Italian managers made me feel very welcome. I was treated as one of the family and that is very important when you are far away from home. Its a very large property built into the side of a hill with lots of greenery which makes for a very natural setting. As with most hostels there is a shared kitchen with three refrigerators and more than ample space for storage. It was like a United Nations of sort with guests from places like Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Brazil, Israel and Great Britain to mention a few. The location couldn't be better really. Although its on a relatively quiet street, you are just a short walk from Playa Langosta and the main drag on Tamarindo Beach. They have the mandatory rentals and surf lessons and are very willing to help you in whatever needs you have. Being senior I was cautioned to go with the private room as all the shared dorms were occupied by the younger generation. The wi-fi was adequate and the quiet and kitchen hours were strictly enforced. All in all I would not hesitate to stay here again. PURA VIDA ROCKS!

Even though it was the rainy season and the place was undergoing a fair amount of maintenance, it had a good buzz and excellent amenities. Amazing pool, lovely water quality.. the route to the beach was an arduous trek as the signposting is poor so we could not find our way easily there and back. A tough place to stay for any length of time without a vehicle of some sort..

Well located in Liberia, walking distance to both bus stations and the main strip of shops. Quiet at night. Large rooms, layout is a bit weird but they're excellent value. Contact them directly if you can by phone or WhatsApp for a better rate than you find on the booking sites. We stayed here on 3 different occasions while travelling around Costa Rica. Nothing super fancy about this place but the staff are friendly and it does the job.

My favorite thing about this hotel was the relaxed, kind, and efficient staff – Fatima, Kattia, Marta and Maria, and the grounds keepers – mucho gracias! The room was nice and the bed comfy. It was generally a safe, quiet place, about a 20 min walk from downtown. The pool area was lovely and picturesque; quite refreshing for a sunset swim. The lobby was welcoming, with lovely art. Excellent Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the location was about 3-4 blocks from the beach, so I couldn’t pop into the ocean as I expected. There wasn’t a place to store my gear if I wanted to go into the sea. Also, there weren’t affordable restaurants nearby that seemed solo-traveler friendly, so my evening options were limited. Instead, I had late lunches at my fav cafe a 15 min walk away, Guayoyo. I’d recommend these Villas only if you have transportation.

Loved it!!🤍 I stayed at Blue Iguana Hostal in Samara Beach two weeks and I LOVED IT! I was staying at a dorm that I shared with amazing women, and every dorm has its own bathroom. The kitchen is very complete, has everything you’d need. The hostel also has a restaurant, the food is great and also very cheap. The pool area is very nice, you’ll find also some games there to spend the time with friends, and the bar is right there as well (Vanessa is the cutest bartender, super hardworking young lady). They also have a “leave one-take one” book shelf, and you can paint your own sign and hang it somewhere at the hostel, which I believe is pretty cool. The owner and his family recommended places where to go/what to do, they were very kind and made me feel like at home. The rest of the staff was very welcoming as well. Will be visiting Samara next month, and Im definitely staying at Blue Iguana again. Pura vida!

Well located in Liberia, walking distance to both bus stations and the main strip of shops. Quiet at night. Large rooms, layout is a bit weird but they're excellent value. Contact them directly if you can by phone or WhatsApp for a better rate than you find on the booking sites. We stayed here on 3 different occasions while travelling around Costa Rica. Nothing super fancy about this place but the staff are friendly and it does the job.

My favorite thing about this hotel was the relaxed, kind, and efficient staff – Fatima, Kattia, Marta and Maria, and the grounds keepers – mucho gracias! The room was nice and the bed comfy. It was generally a safe, quiet place, about a 20 min walk from downtown. The pool area was lovely and picturesque; quite refreshing for a sunset swim. The lobby was welcoming, with lovely art. Excellent Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the location was about 3-4 blocks from the beach, so I couldn’t pop into the ocean as I expected. There wasn’t a place to store my gear if I wanted to go into the sea. Also, there weren’t affordable restaurants nearby that seemed solo-traveler friendly, so my evening options were limited. Instead, I had late lunches at my fav cafe a 15 min walk away, Guayoyo. I’d recommend these Villas only if you have transportation.