Hotel Tioga — Hotel in Puntarenas

My friend and I were recently supposed to stay at Hotel Tioga for 3 nights, and would recommend anyone considering staying here run the other way. Upon our shuttle dropping us off our driver told us not to walk around at night; from that point on we were a little bit worried, but figured we would try and give it a chance. Our reservation had specifically stated that we would have a room with a view of the pool, and free wifi, which we ended up with neither; this was also the most expensive hotel we would be staying at, yet the least attractive that we had seen by far. Our room was down a dark dingy hallway on the 3rd floor, with no wifi. We decided to try and see if we could find the meeting place for our cruise the next day, and when trying to follow the street directions we had, we were unable to because of the lack of street signs. We decided we didn't want to get lost without any cellular data in the area, and headed back to the hotel. After a lot of contemplation we decided to head back to Monteverde and not stay in Puntarenas or with Hotel Tioga. The shorter man with dark hair was very helpful even though there was a major language barrier; we did our best to communicate so he would understand since the native language is Spanish and we were the visitors. He saw our efforts and helped as much as he could. Upon arrival back to Monteverde we had at least 5 locals that have grown up in Costa Rica tell us that the city of Puntarenas is not a place for tourists, and they wouldn't even want to stay there. We spent 3 days trying to contact the manager of the hotel to ask about the possibility of a refund, and were ignored, and evaded the entire time. It wasn't until yesterday that I received an email back of him disputing me, and telling me we had no reason to feel uncomfortable, and basically denying my personal feelings, and what we had heard from locals throughout the country. This is not a hotel that understands the customer service industry, my friend and I just wanted to speak with someone about the possibility of a refund, we knew there was a chance we would not get our money back, and that is fine; it is the fact that they will evade any problems you have, and will that your worries or complaints are unreasonable. If you are looking to travel to costa rica I highly recommend visiting Arenal, Monteverde, Manual Antonio, Jaco, or Tamarind, but STAY AWAY FROM PUNTARENAS AND...

02 Feb 2018, a Friday||My wife & I arrived VERY early for check in, @8:30 AM for our reservation. Officially check in is at 1:00 PM. The hotel staff were very accomadating and helpful. We were checked and given our room with no problem. The hotel consists of four levels and has a working elevator. Dining area is on the 2nd level. The appearance of the hotel, check-in area and our room was very good and inviting. The hotel seems to attract a lot of families with children, which may be good or bad depending on your preferences. We were given a beach view room with balcony on the 4th floor, facing the street (south). My wife used the bathroom as we were settling in and found the toilet plugged. We notified the front desk and were immediately moved to another street / beach front room. As I continued to settle into our new room I couldn’t operate the security box (safe). I went to the front desk and was told that the security boxes only work with a key, and that a 30,000 Colonia ($54.00) deposit was required for the key, and that it was fully refundable upon check-out, which they did, no problem. The beach view rooms all face south, into the sun. Our air con had a hard time keeping up. It was set on 16C, but the best it could do was 22C. That night (a Friday) the parties and bands started in the bars all up and down street; THUMP, THUMP, THUMP until @ 3AM. Then the “after parties” started on the beach with cars parked across the street with their radios blaring and people partying until sunrise. Then it was the pigeons turn; cooing in our air conditioner vent and on our balcony rail as the sun came up. We didn’t get any sleep. Maybe if we had a room not facing the street / beach things would have been better. Breakfast was average. The hotel has a free secure parking lot for your car about a block away. Again, the staff was excellent. I can’t say enough good about them. Always trying to help, assist, please, share local knowledge. Anything we needed, just ask. Unfortunately, due to the noise, we would not return. Nor would we recommend to friends.||Pic is nice view of the beach taken from...

It's the quality of the people that make the difference in the end when staying at a hotel.||The Tioga Hotel is without a doubt a very comfortable and nice place ... but the people who are there to make your stay memorable, are simply wonderful!|Oscar, is the main Manager, with sophisticated English language skills, and a great resource for information, finding solutions or suggestions.| |I have been traveling to Costa Rica for over 25 years. I had passed through Puntarenas many times to take the ferry over. And I was always curious about what it would be like to stay there a few nights. One of those trips, my wife and I needed to stay the night in Puntarenas. And the Tioga Hotel was suggested by many local friends, as the best place to stay.|We are needing to go to Puntarenas again, and we have our reservation at the Tioga.||Many folks plan a vacation on the Pacific coast, and we do too.||BUT even if you do, please keep the Tioga contact info close. There are several reasons why you still need to have this place noted.|One reason could be, ...many people stay in San Jose one night before driving to the Nycoya Peninsula (often because the flight gets in too late to catch the last Ferry)|But I would rather drive to Puntarenas after the flight, spend the night, and begin the drive to the coast rested and refreshed!||Puntarenas is enjoyed primarily by Costa Ricans, so a stay in Puntarenas provided us a really Locals feel that we enjoyed.||The Tioga is a family business that is part of the Puntarenas history. And the Manager, Oscar is always happy to share details about the history of the hotel and the town.|Like I said, the quality of the people make the final difference in the hotel.|And the Tioga makes that difference sincerely, and...