Occidental El Tucano and Spa — Hotel in Quesada

I always had a good image of this hotel, over the decades people always commented how good their stay was, and how premium everything was there. That seems to be all in the past. This hotel lived better days, and those are gone.||I decided to visit this hotel after a stay in La Fortuna on my way back to the central valley. Maybe the quaility of accomodations in Fortuna has increased a lot over the years, but the contrast was huge.||* The room: |The room was ok-ish. Beds not terribly uncomfortable, but I certainly did not have the best sleep.|I had to ask for a room change, as the first one only had one bed (I specifically asked for a two bedroom place, I was visiting with my mom, but it seems they just don't read what you type in when you reserve). The clerk gave me the keys to another room to see if I liked it. The keyhole required a tricky twist to be opened (another sign of poor maintenance), but I decided to keep the room as I was tired and I felt I had mastered the art of opening poorly maintained locks.|| The pools: |This is where the hotel starts to show its decadency. The pools were built decades ago... and it shows. It's clear that they lack maintenance. While the color of the water can be attributed to the rich minerals from the river, everything else can be attributed to poor maintenace.||Outdoor facilites around the pool (such as bathrooms and changing rooms) are aweful and way too small. These have not seen maintenance in years.|| The natural spa: * |I enjoyed this one. You actually see the stones under the ground heating up the river and producing this lovely hot mist. It is however, as all the other things in this hotel, poorly maintained, and I began to wonder if those flimsy looking and ever wet wooden planks were about to break under my weight.||* The food: |I only had the "pleasure" of having breakfast. Food was ok, but nothing to write home about. The restaurant though, looked terrible. This is where the lack of maintenance is more evident. Being a single floor building with high rise ceiling, the upper half of all the walls, and the entire ceiling, was horribly dirty. This gave me the sensation that the entire place lacked hygiene.|| The patrons: |This is probably not the fault of the hotel, but some dude was trying to steal my backpack! I think their entire family were thiefs, and there' s no security within the hotel to watch out for your anything, you're on your own. Once I prevented my personal belongings from being stolen, I really felt that this was no vacation, I was in self-protect mode. Is this hotel so low in perception that thiefs are now their regular visitors?|| The price: *|I payed $110 for a small two-bed room for one night, with a tiny TV and an unremarkable bathroom. Given the poor maintenace, the regular quality of food everything else in this review, I find it expensive.||TL;DR - dated, poorly maintained, low reputation visitors that almost ruined my vacation. Not recommended, there are way too many better...

This area of Costa Rica was very central. We visited Quesada and Agua Zarcas by local transit. Staff was amazing. Thermal pools, river and sauna awesome and super clean. Pool is natural from volcanic springs take swimwear you don't mind getting worst for the wear. In the one week I was there the pool snd jacuzzi were emptied and cleaned 2-3x. You must use Frank as your tour guide. Get him number from resort. He will show you the best time ever within a reasonable budget. He know the safest and best adventures and restaurants. He can even pick you up and drop you off at the airport. He speaks fluent English and is a nature lover. He made our trip. It was like being hosted by a family member. Please leave a little extra tip for maid and restaurant staff. Every public washroom is spotless in this country. If I had time I would list all the amazing things we saw and did because of Frank and we did Tours only every other day, here are just some: Horseback riding, walked on suspension bridges, white water rafting, zip lining, waterfall swim, not to mention enroute we stopped at farm, eguana bridge, sloth viewing and many birds, trees, flowers, wildlife spotting. It is truly a spiritual upliftment to spend time with Nature in a beautiful eco reserve country like CR with an amazing...

The location of the hotel is a nice location and it’s surrounded by woods, its restaurant serves excellent foods, whether buffet or a la cart. The spa and gym are both accessible and provide good service, which are positive aspects. The grounds are kept quit well which differs from the rest which is obvious it lacks maintenance both inside and outside the rooms. I find it a bit pricey for the following reasons. The river has good access (not for handicap) and is naturally warmed by the hot springs feeding it. The beds are made up with sheets only, which is fine (considering it is in a warm location), however, when you need a blanket they are no larger than blankets provided on an airplane. And the sheets are definitely shorter than the mattress. Compliance with Costa Rica’s Law, #7600, for Handicap accessibility, is ok as far as rooms and restaurant is concerned, however, as far as pools, Jacuzzi and sauna is concerned there is no handicap access. Also it would be advisable to install an elevator for access to the restaurant from the reception and handicap rooms next to the parking lot. The temperature in the pools is not monitored regularly which allows for some to go colder than expected. In general, it’s an acceptable resort and it does have a larger potential if the above is...