Makara Resorts — Hotel in Bahía Ballena

The Makara was absolutely beautiful, my boyfriend and I couldn't believe it when we were walking up to the property. We were very kindly greeted by Craig who explained everything and gave us a tour. He had a very helpful map that he gave us as well and explained all of the best restaurants and places to see etc. The laundry service was free, there is an extremely nice housekeeper who kept everything very clean and tidy during our stay. There also is a nighttime security guard who would shine a flashlight for us walking from the car to our suite. We felt very VIP :) We spent all day the first day at the amazing beach that was essentially private, down the pathway that Craig showed us. There was literally nobody on the beach and it was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen! We came back to find fresh coconuts with straws in them in the fridge waiting for us. Craig's dinner recommendations to Exotica were excellent, the owner there was also lovely and gave me some sorbet on the house because I couldn't decide which dessert to get. The food there was excellent-definitely stop by there. He also recommended an excellent tilapia farm to get dinner at after stopping by the waterfall (this was my boyfriend's favorite dinner when I asked him later) which was also great. ||||The suite itself was a 10, the decorations and layout were spacious and clean. The space was phenomenal and we couldn't believe the price for it. We regretted not spending our other nights at Makara. We had just stayed at a very pricey place that was nowhere near the quality as Makara and they also charged us $25 for an itty bitty bag of laundry! Also, it was very quiet and peaceful, I couldn't hear any of the other guests which is great because I am a very light sleeper. Overall, it was the friendliest, most accommodating, lovely experience my boyfriend and I have both ever had...

Too expensive for so many disappointments! ||Fist of all, they charge the TOTAL payment from your credit card, a couple of days before your check-In. ||When arriving, you will notice Makara is not in front of the beach, actually their options to visit the beach are to: 1rst-Walk over the highway 2nd-Cross into a private (neighbor property) without permission. 3rd- Cross two rivers (no bridges) 4th- Finally go throughout another private property. ...so you just have to forget to have a walk-in distance beach close to the property. Be prepared to use your car or pay for any food on the closest restaurants that will let you get to beach. ||The "free" wifi internet connection is almost non existing. They have two routers that don't reach most of the bedrooms or social areas. If you need to send an important email o something, you'll have to sit on the main staircase. ||A/C is only on bedrooms, so all the social areas will be not be comfortable, unless you sit directly under a fan. Bathrooms are huge but too warm. ||The check out morning, we got up early to workout in the balcony, BUT surprisingly they were making fires on the garden. We wrote a message to the manager. With no reply we ran to find a hose and stop the fire. An hour later he answered the message saying he had already stopped the fire. ||Seriously, a nice designed Condo can't warranty your guest a...

Where do I begin? From the first minute that Sergio (the manager) picked us up from the Information Center in Uvita, to our final moment leaving, we felt as if we were home. Makara is small (only 4 apartments), so it was very quiet. We felt as though we were staying in someone's own house the whole time. The apartment was incredibly clean when we arrived, and someone came to clean it and provide fresh towels every day. The bed was large and comfortable. The walk through the jungle to the beach was adventurous (a path created by the groundskeeper, Miguel, who was hilarious). The beach.... nothing short of magical. We didn't see another person on the beach the whole time we were there. We came during the rainy season, but we had pure sunshine every morning, and even when it rained, we were able to sit out on our balcony and read or talk or just enjoy the sound of the rain. Makara is literally in the jungle, so there are monkeys and toucans and hummingbirds, etc. Sergio did everything in his power to make sure we were comfortable; he went above and beyond any expectation I've ever had. He made sure we had rides to and from our day trip destinations or the supermarket (full kitchen! We did a lot of cooking). I'm sitting back in Washington DC, and I'm homesick for Makara. Hands down, best vacation...