La Gaviota Tropical — Hotel in Sardinal

While pleasant enough overall, the hotel lost an entire star on checkout. Disregarding the website that says “breakfast is included”, on last day they handed us a $119 bill after seven days for juice, bacon, toast and virtually anything that’s not to the letter on the menu. We were told that only coffee is included. What hotel doesn’t include juice, bacon and toast for breakfast just because it’s not literally one of the menu choices? And the juice is syrup and water while the OJ is store bought concentrate. I’m fine with extra charges when they are disclosed to me on day one. This was a huge hidden fee that cost the staff their otherwise warranted tips because Costa Rica is already overpriced relative to other tropical countries.

To be fair, the owner immediately wrote a response saying we should not have been charged yet it was early morning and neither staff member we complained to seemed to care enough to summon her or the manager. The manager did respond to an email I sent later that day and apparently credited me back the breakfast charge after seeing this review.

While we appreciate the refund, the impression left doesn’t change what happened nor does it seem reasonable for an owner to tell a guest that she’s disappointed in their opinion rather than apologize.

Although it’s the nicest looking structure in Playa Hermosa, La Gaviota is by no means a “boutique hotel”. The owner keeps the only nice room with beachfront view and balcony as her house and only one of the other five have a view yet they advertise the minuscule balcony facing the side street as such.

The room itself is spacious enough albeit a bit dark and claustrophobic. There are absolutely no amenities except a tiny shampoo and hand cream and small fridge. The air con does work well and the king sized bed is comfy enough. The TV is small but has a large variety of channels. Shower has decent pressure. The room safe is an archaic metal clunker that didn’t work until they came to oil the keys. The room still uses actual keys which were basically replaced at the turn of the century everywhere else we’ve been in the developing world. In fact, even the villa at nearby Villa Sol had an electronic keypad entry. Most people only sleep in the rooms anyway so maybe these are moot points.

The best part is the restaurant (Roberto’s) which is one of the two best for seafood in the small town but limited seating means you must reserve at least a day or two ahead. It’s separately owned and the food is excellent. It’s worth it’s own review with more stars which I will in fact write. But, they are the only place in town that excludes sales tax. Strangely, prices are comparable to others that already include it which irritated us.

Hotel staff works hard and Luis in particular went out of his way to make us feel comfortable and prioritized us for dinner and drinks. They put out beach chairs daily but the policy of who they’re for is vague at best and people who have nothing to do with the hotel or restaurant often monopolize them all day long. Some nights there’s live music.

The other reason to stay is the small rooftop pool. While not big enough for laps, it does have a great view of the beach area, enough lounge chairs and a comfy escape from the downstairs seating areas. But shade is limited to one small area with a tarp so bring lots of sunscreen. Also the water is very murky and even after the one time they cleaned it I still couldn’t see the bottom.

Overall, the hotel is a decent choice once you’re aware of the issues I’ve mentioned and the staff makes up for most of the deficiencies. They did, however, also double charge us two items at dinner one night and it took some arguing to get the waiter and cashier to cancel that charge and put thru the correct amount so I can’t upgrade the review based on two examples of overcharging or non...

This is the second time my wife and I have had the privilege of staying at La Gaviota Tropical (my original review follows and is still on point). You will not be disappointed with your experience here, especially if you like small, intimate places that can afford to pay you the attention you deserve. Roberto, Bette and the team understand hospitality. From the rooms, the service, and the location, La Gaviota and its accompanying restaurant, Roberto's, offer an unparalleled vacation. Do not hesitate to book!||Stephen||||In short, a ten! ||Accommodations: All 5 rooms are gorgeous. The pics are accurate. Highly recommend previewing the videos for each room available on their site. A key for any place is a comfortable sleep; we had a comfortable bed with quiet ductless a/c and all the in-room amenities you could want.||Service: Impeccable. Every single worker was pleasant, inviting, helpful. They seem to really enjoy their jobs. They are a well-oiled machine who get the hospitality thing. The housekeeping was especially first rate. Every day they would do up the rooms as if it was your first day.||Location: This is a perfect 'fly and flop' as we call it. You are right on a fantastic beach which is sandy right out into the water. You are only about a half hour from the airport (LIR) so it's possible to have a drink in your hand within an hour of landing (which they indulged by having a welcome beverage for us). They will even arrange transportation for you.||Restaurant: Roberto's is their popular in-house restaurant on the first floor with outdoor seating facing the beach and the fantastic sunsets. For a beach restaurant the food is stellar and the waiters are on point. Accommodations come with a full complimentary breakfast which held us all day until dinner. This brings much added value to your stay as a vacation rental would subject you to the local grocers which we found limited and very pricey.||Conclusion: We could not have picked a better place to stay for our first trip to Costa Rica. We've grown tired of the all-inclusive, mega-resort experience and now prefer small boutique hotel experiences like La Gaviota where the staff really care. Sure there's a little more work in piecemealing your vacation but our trip came out just as good if not better than a package. We want to personally thank Robert and his entire crew, not to mention Bette, the owner for an excellent stay. We've already booked...

This is the second time my wife and I have had the privilege of staying at La Gaviota Tropical (my original review follows and is still on point). You will not be disappointed with your experience here, especially if you like small, intimate places that can afford to pay you the attention you deserve. Roberto, Bette and the team understand hospitality. From the rooms, the service, and the location, La Gaviota and its accompanying restaurant, Roberto's, offer an unparalleled vacation. Do not hesitate to book! Stephen

In short, a ten! Accommodations: All 5 rooms are gorgeous. The pics are accurate. Highly recommend previewing the videos for each room available on their site. A key for any place is a comfortable sleep; we had a comfortable bed with quiet ductless a/c and all the in-room amenities you could want. Service: Impeccable. Every single worker was pleasant, inviting, helpful. They seem to really enjoy their jobs. They are a well-oiled machine who get the hospitality thing. The housekeeping was especially first rate. Every day they would do up the rooms as if it was your first day. Location: This is a perfect 'fly and flop' as we call it. You are right on a fantastic beach which is sandy right out into the water. You are only about a half hour from the airport (LIR) so it's possible to have a drink in your hand within an hour of landing (which they indulged by having a welcome beverage for us). They will even arrange transportation for you. Restaurant: Roberto's is their popular in-house restaurant on the first floor with outdoor seating facing the beach and the fantastic sunsets. For a beach restaurant the food is stellar and the waiters are on point. Accommodations come with a full complimentary breakfast which held us all day until dinner. This brings much added value to your stay as a vacation rental would subject you to the local grocers which we found limited and very pricey. Conclusion: We could not have picked a better place to stay for our first trip to Costa Rica. We've grown tired of the all-inclusive, mega-resort experience and now prefer small boutique hotel experiences like La Gaviota where the staff really care. Sure there's a little more work in piecemealing your vacation but our trip came out just as good if not better than a package. We want to personally thank Robert and his entire crew, not to mention Bette, the owner for an excellent stay. We've already booked...