Hotel Bula Bula, Playa Grande, Costa Rica

Location:

Hotel Bula Bula is located in Playa Grande, on the Pacific Northwest of Costa Rica. It's about a 5-minute walk from the beautiful beach called Playa Grande. This beach is well known because it's the nesting site of the leatherback turtles, a protected species. As such, the beach is not accessible after sundown and for good reason. During the day, the beach is a popular spot for surfers. In fact, the hotel is actually located on the estuary side of the cove and not the beach, but since the distance to the beach is short, it's not a problem. It's a location where you will need your own transportation, as costs of taxis to and from the hotel to the nearest town, Tamarindo, will quickly add up. As stated, you can walk to the beach without any difficulty.

Room Comfort:

The small and cozy rooms feature their own unique wall colours and decor. The beds are comfortable, but the rooms are small and only make for a good night rest. Safes and mini fridges are also provided in the room along with a small TV. Wifi is also now available.

Cleanliness:

The rooms and hotel grounds were well maintained. The hotel restaurant and pool area was also kept clean.

Service:

The service at the hotel and restaurant were okay but not great. Check-in and check-out were slow. Waiters serving breakfast, lunch or dinner also moved at a slow pace. Even though the hotel was small we didn't feel the personal care and attention from the staff that we felt we should have. This kind of attention is usually pretty standard at smaller hotels such as this one.

Food:

The breakfast at the hotel, which is included with your room booking, was good. The restaurant is small, with a limited menu, but makes for good casual dining. If you are staying at the hotel you will most likely eat there at least once due to the hotels' isolated location. The food is good, but not great. The restaurant that's attached to the hotel is actually run under the name The Great Waltini's.

Overall Value:

Although we enjoyed our stay at this hotel, we feel it is overpriced for what you get. We have to say that the hotel is more like a very nicely dressed but overpriced motel with a nice pool, great grounds and an adequate restaurant. The reason we say this is because the rooms are set the same way as North American motels and even though the rooms are unique in design, they provide only basic comforts. Although this hotel is fairly inexpensive by European or North American standards, it's too expensive for Costa Rican standards. You should try to get a reduction in the cost of the room before booking. There are a lot of hotels in this area where you can get the same room comforts for a better price.

Other Notes:

If you are looking for a quiet location, then this hotel is a good option, but if you are looking to be close to restaurants, nightlife, etc., we would suggest you stay at the nearby Tamarindo town which also offers a wide range of accommodations and its own beach.