Hotel El Bramadero — Hotel in Liberia

I very rarely give a business a low rating, but in this case, I felt it is warranted. I traveled through Costa Rica for 8 days with a EF Educational Tours group of 20 high school students and 4 adults. We stayed at low-budget lodging at each of the 4 destinations we visited (San Jose, Sarapiqui, La Fortuna, & Liberia). However, the Hotel El Bramadero was the worst of our 4 hotels.

SAFETY CONCERNS: Several in our group had problems with locking & opening our assigned rooms. The key didn't work sometimes and it would take multiple attempts before the locking mechanism became engaged. On Day 1, a staff member informed us to not leave any items out by the pool due to "strangers" who were not guests stealing items in the past from guests. There is a public bathroom next to the pool area where anyone can just walk in to use it and have access to the pool courtyard. The final safety concern is the crumbling concrete along a 4 foot span of the pool with exposed rebar (see pictures for reference). That poses a real safety issue for guests using the pool.

QUALITY OF ROOMS: Poor plumbing (slow draining in shower & toilet). We followed the "no toilet paper" rule in toilets at all 4 hotels we stayed at, but this was the only hotel where we experienced plumbing issues. The beds were large, but uncomfortable & pillows were very thin.

HOUSEKEEPING: The only good thing I can say about Hotel El Bramadero is they have an EXCELLENT housekeeper! I watched her mop the floors surrounding the pool area all afternoon on our 1st day. The rooms were clean. After returning to the hotel on Day 2, I was pleasantly surprised to find our room had been cleaned (beds made, used towels replaced by fresh towels, bathroom sanitized, etc.). I made sure to leave the housekeeper a nice tip since she did an outstanding job.

FOOD: The food we were provided at breakfast & dinner by the hotel was not good. The only thing I enjoyed was the fresh fruit. The meat tasted old or like it was leftovers being given to guests. Fries were given with every meal, which I would have preferred more authentic Costa Rican food. Needless to say, most adults and teens in our group went to the McDonald's next door to eat.

Sadly, I cannot recommend the Hotel El Bramadero. I tried to find at least 1 redeeming quality about this establishment, but couldn't. The only positive was the...

We stayed in Liberia one night before going to our All-inclusive on the coast. This was a good choice for either coming in or going out of the country.||||Overall - Quaint Hotel with a restaurant in the front. All of the rooms faced a central open courtyard. There was rustic antique looking furniture and musical instruments in the courtyard. It was within walking distance of everything in Liberia (Not much to do in Liberia in general). It seemed secure, razor wire over the wall, no creepy loiterers.||||Rooms - I think all of the rooms were the same with 2 beds. The price changed depending on how many people were staying in the room. The rooms were of good size with a small fridge, a tv, and an air conditioner. There were no phones and you had to return the remote for the tv when checking out. The price was as advertised, no secret fees. The shower was weak and the water wasn't very hot. The toilet was clean an flushed. The AC got plenty cold in our room, my mother-in-law had trouble in her room so they switched to a different room no problem. The biggest 2 things in a motel for me: It was clean. No bugs. AC Was cold. 3 things. and quiet at night. 4 things. And no one expects a free breakfast. ||||Included breakfast: It was delicious. The waitstaff was attentive, the coffee was hot and good. The eggs were scrambled and cooked well. The pinto gallo (Beans and rice) were great. It was the first time I had that breakfast and it worked. The OJ was very flavorful.||||Parting shots: I had a couple of local beers and a big bottle of water. They didn't have the best prices, but for a hotel/restaurant, they weren't 'bad' prices. It would probably be better to get those from one of the local shops. There was a pool, it was old and nobody...

As we were driving ourselves and were not familiar with the city of Liberia, this was our first time seeing more then the airport, I was nervous about booking a hotel that we might not be able to find but this couldn't have been easier! There is parking if you drive yourself but you have to let them know at the front desk (there might be an easier way but they didn't tell us so this is what we did) when you're ready to park so they'll open the gate for you, otherwise there really isn't much parking and you might end up circling the block a few times. The hotel itself doesn't look like much on the outside but on the inside it is a very clean and well maintained older hotel. Staff were friendly and patiently worked with my limited Spanish. We didn't realize a continental breakfast at their restaurant was included with the stay so that was a nice surprise and their tico breakfast was one of the best I had while in Costa Rica. About a ten minute drive to the airport and all of the car rental agencies were on the way so very easy to return our car and get back to the...