Hotel Verde Mar — Hotel in Quepos

First and foremost is the ideal location of this hotel. It is just a few steps from the beach and you can easily hear the waves lulling you to sleep at night. It is an easy walk to Manuel Antonio National Park as well. Our suite room had a modern kitchenette with a sink, microwave, refrigerator, toaster and coffee maker. The cupboards were modern and the granite countertop and chairs in the kitchen were a bonus when it came to eating and preparing meals. We would have preferred a 2 burner hot plate for cooking more complicated meals as had been pictured when booking the suite but we managed to make some sandwiches and breakfasts regardless. For the evening meals the adjacent restaurant called The Wave was excellent. After a day on the beach and in the sun the women just wanted to order in and the restaurant accommodated us by delivering a pizza one night and some main course dinners complete with dishes and utensils the other night. There was never an issue with hot water for the shower although there was a learning curve for me to adjust the temperature to the right balance for a comfortable shower. The air-conditioning likewise worked flawlessly with a ceiling fan adding to the circulation. The WiFi signal was also reliable as we watched movies on our laptop computer since there was no television in the room. The room was cleaned daily by housekeeping and plenty of fresh towels were provided. The front desk staff were friendly and accommodating to our needs as I was able to alter the dates of my reservation without a problem just a day before arriving. A walk-in closet provided plenty of space to store suitcases and included wire shelves and a curtain rod to hang clothing. One of the highlights was a group of monkeys who passed by every morning looking for something sweet to eat. They preferred a cookie or some jam over bread or salty snacks. The grounds and infinity pool make for a nice outdoor setting with visitors that include birds such as a toucan and lizards such as iguanas and the famous "Jesus Christ" lizard. A buzzer and security camera system at the beachside entrance gave a nice feeling of security. We saw guests from a variety of nationalities that included couples, singles, seniors and families with children. Note that the ocean was very calm for swimming when we were there and the sunsets just steps away from the hotel are unforgettably...

The property only has 2 good things:

1. the staff is nice and helpful
2. the location, which has direct access to the amazing beach.

Regarding the bad part:

The property is very very old. The owner has no interest in investing some money into renewing the furniture, the floors, the reception, the pool... everything is very old and dirty. This is because they can still trade those old and dirty rooms for a very high price which is not proportionate to what you get in return.

Secondly, our room had a plague of crabs, which were coming from little holes in the floor. The staff claimed that "that's what happens when you're near the beach". This is simply not true. We stayed at other hotels near the beach in Costa Rica which didn't have a single crab. The room also had a plague of ants in the comforter, which was so disgusting because we were unsure some of the ants hadn't stayed in the rest of the bed clothing after the comforter was taken down. Finally, we also found a small lizard and a cricket in our room. The latter was inside the pipelines so we couldn't get rid of it. Nevertheless, the cricket was super noisy all night which didn't allow us to rest properly.

Thirdly, our room was right next to the reception. Therefore, we heard all the noise that came from the other guests coming in and out of the hotel. And there was also a common bathroom for all the guests who needed to use it right next to our room. Thus, we were once again hearing all the noise from its use.

Lastly, there is no security. It is not a closed building. Anyone walking on the street had direct access to our bedroom door which felt very unsafe and made us be "on guard" all night.

The most unpleasant stay in our trip...

I made this reservation in November for a trip in February. I read the mixed reviews but decided to give it a shot because of the hotel’s location. WISH I HADN’T. I give the guy my name and he shuffles through some papers and says there’s no reservation. He asks how I booked and if I have a confirmation number. I show him the reservation. He just says he doesn’t know what happened but he doesn’t have a reservation and they’re fully booked. I connect to their WiFi and as I’m going through my emails I see that the hotel actually sent me a message saying they attempted to charge my card the NIGHT BEFORE and were unable to so I needed to call to secure my reservation. So now I’m just heated. I had sent the hotel a message weeks prior asking how they process the payment and if I could pay in cash because the card I had used to reserve had been cancelled due to fraudulent charges. NEVER GOT A RESPONSE. So now I’m confused as to why they’re trying to charge me before I even arrive. That message was sent around 10pm, I arrived at the hotel before noon the next day. In that timeframe they took it upon themselves to cancel. If I would’ve had internet connection to actually see the message I would’ve called. You would think for being in a touristy area you would give people more time to respond. UNPROFESSIONAL. So I show the guy the message and he just says well then yeah they must have cancelled. He claims he’s not the one in charge of reservations so I could come back and talk to that guy later and that I can try the hotel across the street and he would still let me use their pool. Wow, how generous. ...