Finca Bavaria — Hotel in Bahía Ballena

A typical day at Finca Bavaria starts at sunrise, 6 AM, as there are no curtains in the room. You wake up to the sound of colourful birds in the trees outside and the most magnificent panorama view you’ve ever seen: Lush green vegetation and a pale sun over the glittering Pacifik Sea. Paradise?||||As the WIFI doesn’t work in your room - or the connection is very poor - you might as well put on mosquito repellent and hiking shoes and take ‘The Morning Hike’ just outside the door: 30-45 minutes nature hike (or rather climb), easy to follow but quite tough to go through - impossible for disabled or very old people.||||Afterwards you’ll be sweating like a pig (that’s a promise) - cool off in the delightful pool, swim a couple of lanes, take it easy, it’s holiday.||||The hike gives you appetite, and at 8 AM sharp a scrumtious breakfast buffet is served for the 12 guests staying here. Fresh fruit, yoghurt, cold cuts, cheese, bread, omelet, gallo pinto... 10 dollar each.||||Now you may walk downhill to Playa Argo, a small, secluded beach - maybe the one Robinson Crusoe landed at? It’s not easy to climb the last minutes, but do-able with hiking shoes and patience. The walk downhill takes about 30 minutes. There is a tiny waterfall that works perfectly as a cooling shower.||||Another morning adventure takes place on the terrace outside your room. From about 7 AM many different birds can be seen around the property - tucans, colibries and more. Be patient - eventually they’ll all show up. White faced monkeys, as well.||||There are a number of magnificent beaches in the area, all of them included in the Parque Nacional Marino Bellena (admission fee 6 dollar). Ask Willy when it is low tide, go to entrance at Playa Colonial (parking lot in front) and walk 30 minutes to the right to get to the famous Whale Tail, a huge area of sand and rocks shaped as a whale’s tail, only visible at low tide. At high tide the entire beach is flooded, so watch out for your belongings!||||Some days Axel cooks dinner, sometimes he doesn’t. And he certainly never offers lunch. The small town Uvita with it’s restaurants and supermarkets is at least 5-7 km away, so you need a car to be able to find something to eat once or twice a day - and to get to the beach or other adventures. And as the dirt road leading up to Finca Bavaria is very steep and very bumps, 4WD is highly recommended.||||Let Willy and Axel help you find a good restaurant in the neighbourhood (Sabor Espanol and Maracuya are highly recommended) or book a whale tour. Your two German hosts are very nice and helpful guys who will do their utmost to make your stay at Finca Bavaria as pleasant as possible.||||Look forward to the sunsets. You’ll never want to...

My husband and I stayed at Finca Bavaria in January when all of their 6 rooms were full. The Small hotel is located a few miles out of town. The road up to the hotel is dirt and steep. It requires 4 wheel drive which was available on our rental car. The traverse up the mountainside concluded in a beautiful vista and peaceful landscape where one can focus on relaxing amid the monkey calls, bird chatter and gentle breeze. The 3 premium rooms all offer glorious views of Parque Nacional Marino Bellena & the Pacific Ocean from their private terraces. The 3 standard rooms have small sitting areas if one brings chairs out from the room. The views are of the pool and only partial views of the Pacific. One is better served to simply walk the few steps to the open air common area where the Toucans, Hummingbirds and other aviary frolic while one enjoys a drink from the small bar or breakfast (served family style at 8:00 am sharp). The rooms are simply, comfortably furnished, with some thoughtful touches. The switch for the ceiling fan is located beside the bed. Mosquito nets are available but were never used. The floor to ceiling wall of windows lever open. There are no curtains or shades to obstruct the view. WIFI is only available in the lounge area. We didn't see a TV anywhere on the property. The bath provided a generous shower with ample hot water and supplies. The host are two German gentlemen, Willi and Axel. One is always present in the office or kitchen. Dinner was not offered while we were there but Alex was writing out his selections for the evening as we left. Dinner is about $22 p/p. The freshly prepared breakfast is $10 p/p. Finca Bavaria is a lovely location for birdwatching and relaxing. Clientele are from the world over. Do not expect a lot of English to be spoken which is part of the fun of international travel.||||If one is looking for bright lights and an active night life, this is not the location for you. If one wishes to relax in a quiet, natural environment with good food and an opportunity to sight a Whale and numerous bird varieties, venture up the hill. (We were treated to a view of a downspout over the ocean...

You approach Finca Bavaria along a lush tropical driveway, which is a mini adventure in itself – you need a 4WD to get there. On arrival at the top, the views from the reception area are stunning - overlooking the jungle canopy to the sea with loads of wonderful birdlife (we saw toucans within minutes). There is a super big swimming pool in the beautiful gardens. The rooms however are a little disappointing, quite dark and very basic, with everything rather tired and worn. The mattress on one of the beds was so soft it left a deep indentation after lying on it and was most uncomfortable. The seating is not very comfortable and cushions very tired. The towels and bedding were clean but way past their best. There are absolutely no extras on offer so make sure you bring your own toiletries. There is no tea or coffee making facilities in the rooms and none available anywhere else. We asked for a cup of tea one afternoon and were charged $2.50 each which we thought was a bit steep. We were told that breakfast (which was very nice) would be served at 8am sharp (no flexibility should you want an earlier or later start) and wow betide you if you are late! There is a rather lovely ‘morning walk’ that you can do from the property but the trail markers are few and far between and in places it is virtually impassable and quite dangerous. We struggled to find our way back so were a few minutes late for breakfast and were greeted with a tap of the watch!! |Overall, Finca Bavaria is a lovely place to stay but it lacks the little extras. It is not cheap and I would expect more for the price, you are definitely paying for the beauty of the surroundings not the facilities or service. With a tiny bit of effort, it could be the most wonderful place to stay, but we left with the impression that the hosts had lost their way a little bit and didn’t really care too much which...