Hotel Jaco — Hotel in Jacó

Google Review: Hotel Jaco, Jaco, Costa Rica

Hotel Jaco absolutely blew us away—and we don’t say that lightly!

Admittedly, we panicked a bit when we turned down the street to the hotel (we now lovingly call it "Panic Alley"). The surrounding buildings didn’t reflect what we thought we had booked… but as soon as we turned into the quiet, peaceful retreat of Hotel Jaco, all worry vanished. What a hidden gem!

From the moment we arrived, we were captivated by the lush palm-lined sidewalk that leads directly to the prettiest beach approach in Jaco. Every morning between 8 and 9 AM, iguanas emerged for their breakfast of fresh fruit, lovingly provided by the staff. Overhead, scarlet macaws flew by, and variegated squirrels danced in the trees. It felt like paradise.

Our room was spacious, beautiful, and incredibly comfortable—the mattress was one of the best we’ve ever slept on. We had a balcony overlooking the ocean, making our mornings picture-perfect with coffee in hand (and yes, the coffee is unlimited and delicious). The tranquil pool was the perfect place to unwind after a day in town or on the beach.

The Wi-Fi was excellent, even by work-from-paradise standards. Tables on the ocean-side lawn provided the ideal spot for gathering, chatting, or simply soaking in the view. We were impressed that staff cleaned these areas every morning—a testament to their commitment to excellence.

The meals were absolutely delicious, and the staff were some of the most personable and attentive we've encountered anywhere. Friendly, accommodating, and genuinely invested in making your stay special.

The hotel’s location is perfect—easy access to the main street, and we felt completely safe walking back and forth for shopping, eating, or exploring.

Hotel Jaco has earned our highest of highest recommendations. It’s a place you arrive as guests and leave already planning your return. We can't wait to come back!

(Be prepared as everyone uses WhatsApp. Lots of voice messages; I did find out that having your BT on will interfere if it's on and connected to other devices, e.g....

My fiance and I want to say we had an amazing time at hotel jaco! We even extended our stay a day. The sea salt restaurant was awesome. Huge fresh made drinks, I recommend the Miami vice blended with fresh strawberries! Wi-Fi was good the whole time. The hotel was clean, water pressure was great, hot showers, room was cold, they even have a osmosis filter system in the room for drinking water and we used it to brush our teeth. we used it the whole trip to refill our water bottles. There was a mini fridge filled with national beers and other drinks and snacks. They were reasonably priced. We always felt safe. Cameras in the hallways, a reading lounge in the hallway of second floor. we could see our rental car from our hotel balcony. Pool was clean. Our friend stayed at another very popular more expensive hotel and paid double they wished they had stayed at hotel jaco. We had a great view of the ocean and got to see the people riding their horses during the day. We stayed in suite 17 it was a corner room, on the third floor. Our balcony was huge, big living room, modern. We were there almost a week, saw no bugs in the room. We were always greeted coming in or out. We had a wedding to attend, forgot our steamer they had a iron they lent us and laundry bag for dirty clothes. They even offer laundry services for a cheap price. Hotel is centrally located so close to all major roadways, there is so many great shops and resteraunts within walking distance. Hotel also has a spa that offers massages and I think nails. The only thing I wished we had was a full length mirror, there was a big long one in the bathroom over the sink but I'm 5'2 so couldn't see my outfit when getting ready. No biggie though. The bathroom had beautiful stained glass that made up for it and a huge glass walk in shower. Thank you ramon for the great communication before our stay and thank you Angelica and Rachel for all their help. There was another receptionist as well she was great forgot her name! Also to the cleaning staff who kept our room in great shape the whole trip! We will definitely be back to hotel jaco...

I want to preface my review by saying the staff at Hotel Jaco were nothing but welcoming, kind, and attentive. If it weren't for them, our stay would have been a complete disappointment.

My husband and I chose to stay in Jacó for a week due to its proximity to other locations we wanted to visit, the airport, and a music festival we attended toward the end of our stay. Upon booking Hotel Jaco, their website boasts that it's a "5-star, luxury beachfront hotel." Sure, it's beachfront, but a far cry from 5-star or luxury, mostly due to the clientele that this hotel attracts and encourages.

Being our second time in Costa Rica, we knew that prostitution isn't illegal there, but typically if you're not seeking it out, you won't encounter it or have to deal with it. That is NOT the case at Hotel Jaco. You will be in company with American men that travel to Jacó just to spend their trips with prostitutes, and they are welcomed and encouraged to stay at Hotel Jaco [see photo of local Jacó map advertisement - "Guests Welcome"]. This does not align at all with our past experiences at hotels in Costa Rica. In our experience, "guests" are only those included on the original reservation, and they are given wristbands to ensure anyone who is not a hotel guest, is not allowed on the premises. Again, this is NOT the case at Hotel Jaco.

Most nights, my husband had to go to the front desk to make noise complaints after 11pm, because we could hear these encounters through the paper-thin walls - didn't matter if they were below us or next to us or a few rooms over, we had the misfortune of hearing it ALL! Even with ear plugs in. That was horrific. For somewhere that is self-proclaimed as "luxury" and "5-star" and charging the prices they are, this is not acceptable.

I am aware that Jacó is not for everyone, but we really enjoyed this beach town, the people we met, the restaurants, bars, and shops. Our experience at Hotel Jaco is what soured it for us. I want this to serve as a heads-up to families, couples, solo-traveling women who are considering staying here - you might feel uncomfortable or...