Almonds & Corals Boutique Hotel — Hotel in Cahuita

The Almonds and Corals is a good three star hotel that charges five star prices. I have stayed in other comprably priced hotels in the PV area. Other hotels offer considerably more for the price. If A&C was priced more generously, I would be more generous in my comments. However, I am comparing them to these other hotels.||||I will start with the positives. A&C is set in beautiful unimproved jungle about 130 yards down an elevated boardwalk from a gorgeous beach. As you walk down the boardwalk you will see some amazing vegetation, tropical crabs, lizards and perhaps a sloth or monkey. The sounds, especially at night, form a symphony of jungle noises; rain, distant pounding waves and animals of all kinds (most significantly the Howler Monkeys). You will sleep well with these beautiful sounds. The staff maintains a quiet atmosphere so guests can enjoy this special feature. ||||The staff is the hotel’s strength. They provide five star customer service. They are extremely friendly and went out of their way to ensure we enjoyed our stay.||||Now the negatives.||||The value is the primary reason I rate A&C low. |||Isolation: The A&C is at an isolated location for those without a car. To walk to Manzanillo is about 2 miles along the road. (the first 500 yards along dark muddy road). The walk is shorter along the beach, but we were unable to walk that way due to tides. It is about 4 miles to Cocles. There are no Taxi & Uber services. There are unofficial taxis, however they are quite expensive because drivers normally concentrate around PV (~6 miles). They will charge full fare from PV if they come from there to take you the two miles to Manzanillo. Wait times for drivers can also be about 25 min. We paid 3000 CRC ($5.35). I normally pay Costa Rican pirate taxis 1000 CRC for a two mile ride. The guest experience would be greatly improved if the hotel provided guests shuttle service to Manzanillo and PV.||||Restaurant: The food in the dining room is good, but the menu is limited. The menu doesn’t change and they offer no daily specials. We quickly got board with the food selection. Due to the isolated location, going to another restaurant wasn’t easy and food delivery was similarly expensive due to drivers having to come from PV area. ||The restaurant requires guests make meal reservations. We didn’t really care for making reservations while we are staying at a casual relaxed beach resort. The restaurant was never close to capacity, there was always plenty of seating. I suspect the reservations are used to determine staffing levels for the meal. Another complaint about the restaurant is the bar selection. No craft beers and small imported selection.||||Beach: The beautiful beach is not set up as a resort. A&C only provided upright chairs near the tables. There were no reclining or beach style chairs, umbrellas etc. There is no wifi service at the beach. Except for the times when cruise excursions arrived, there was neither tiki bar nor wait service at the beach; things normally found at similar priced hotels. Except for when tour groups from cruise ships were present, there was no lifeguard on duty (or even an employee observing bathers), despite strong and shifting rip currents in the water. ||||Rooms: The furnishings in the room are not in the same condition as they appear in the website. The furnishings are a bit old. There is no out door patio area with or near the room. If you want to sit outside you must go to the...

We absolutely loved our lengthy stay here and highly recommend it to any couples seeking seclusion and isolation. Please know what you’re getting into as this area is not for everyone. We’ve been to this area many times before and we know what to expect. That being said, lighted walkways, show the way to the beach and all the different elevated bungalows. We knew there was no air-conditioning and toilet paper cannot be flushed. There was plenty of space to move around inside and included a safe for valuables. It also had a back porch to sit and observe the wildlife. The open shower was really cool, also. Since there are no glass windows, and everything is screened, you can hear all the different jungle sounds, especially at night. If you’re a light sleeper, or have trouble falling asleep, you might want to bring earplugs because the jungle can be very loud after dark. That’s also what makes this property so unique and awesome. The amount of wildlife that you can see without even leaving the property is incredible!||The beach at the property is truly unspoiled and picturesque. While it’s typically not safe to swim, it’s truly jungle meets ocean. The property also has padded lounge chairs by the beach for guests.||Finally, we cannot say enough about how great the staff is at the restaurant, housekeeping, and front desk. They knew our names throughout our entire stay and were always very patient and friendly with any questions we had. Spanish is preferred, but many of them do speak some English. ||This property was correctly priced for our stay and a nice value. However, they should consider including bicycle rentals with the cost of the stay, especially if staying a week or more. We highly recommend Almonds and Corals, and we definitely plan to return again...

Disappointed at this hotel. Their website and social media sell a completely different experience from what you will get. Compare to what you see online, the place is quite simple and definitely needs renovation. See the attached pictures of the restaurant and reception. The rooms were ok. The sheets in our beds had not been washed, or at least both our beds had remarkable stains of blood and other yellow ones that I have no idea what they were. Service was ok too. They were nice, but nothing extraordinary compared to the service we received in another hotel nearby (Hotel Banana Azul). Finally, they are cheap. We had breakfast right before our checkout, and we asked the waiter for a gallo pinto with 3 eggs (the traditional Costa Rican breakfast). He said that the dish usually comes with 2 eggs and that he would have to charge us for that extra egg. An extra charge of $2. He seemed very overwhelm overall and I do not think he processed the disappointment in the service and experience when charging us for one extra egg. This is one of the only hotels in Manzanillo to my knowledge. My recommendation if you are interested in going to Manzanillo would be that you stay in Puerto Viejo or any other hotel beach nearby and that you drive to Manzanillo to visit for a day. All beaches are close by, so this drive should not take you more than 15-20 minutes max. Staying in this hotel is not...