Bahía del Sol Hotel — Hotel in Tempate

We had an enjoyable stay here for three nights earlier this month. Pictures don’t really do this place justice. We were pleasantly surprised how beautiful the setting is, especially the sunsets on the beach. Hotel was not overpopulated so that was a major plus.

First things first, I see a lot of people on here nitpicking this hotel. This is, at best, a three-star hotel when you compare it to what a true resort (4+ stars) looks like. And that’s not a bad thing, you just have to temper your expectations when you pay $250-300/night to stay on the beach. Speaking of the beach, the hotel does not have its own portion of it. Instead, it’s a public beach and this hotel just happens to be right there. They don’t clean it, so you may see some sticks and other “trash” lying around. They don’t have many sunloungers for the beach area either. I counted maybe 5-6 max. Good thing not many people hang out on the beach early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Most reserve the loungers around the pool area, so that’s a non-issue. When we were here in early April, the ocean was very wavy and we had a lot of fun on the beach. Don’t expect the water to be very clear because of that.

They keep the hotel property neat and clean. The staff is super friendly and nice also. We had a few minor things come up that they were able to resolve very quickly. I would not recommend you eat more than breakfast here (came included in our rate). We gave their restaurant a try for a dinner our first night in and weren’t impressed. Plenty of good places around like The Shack and several others within walking distance. Our best dining experience was at Oceana in the Flamingo area (5-minute Uber ride). Drinks are also pricey, but happy hour deal gets you 2 for 1 of whatever you order (beer, cocktails, etc.). There is a mini-market store within a 2-minute walk that carries everything you may need, including alcohol.

Rooms were in fair condition, but everything was functional. Just needed a bit of TLC. But again, totally expected. Safe came included so that was a major plus. We never turned the TV on so I can’t speak to what that’s like. Like someone else mentioned, if you room ends up being directly across from the road, expect to listen to some good ol’ American Classics like Cher, Journey, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion (no guarantees on how good it will sound, tho) until at least 11pm at night on a Saturday night. I’d be right there singing with them if we didn’t have to leave on Sunday lol

If you rent a car prepare to drive like you’re almost in a Mad Max scenario. Takes about an hour with normal traffic to get here from Liberia airport area. The second part of the hour is mainly navigating the twisty mountainous roads (could be fun for some folks). Law of the road does not apply to motorcycles, so expect the unexpected from those guys (and gals). Great majority of drivers are very respectful and will let you pass or move over without an issue, but don’t be surprised if you get passed on a double yellow by locals (huge fine upwards of $650 or something crazy if you get caught). Large city drivers will fare much better here. Get an SUV or something like Suzuki Jimmy, as you never know if/when Google Maps will decide to take you down some boulder infested trail it believes to be a real road (true story) … To sum up, dial down your expectations and you will not be disappointed. You gotta pay to play, so don’t get mad if you see some minor imperfections in your room number (that you didn’t pay $1k/night for), or the beach area not being up to your standards (whatever that is), or that breakfast sausage turns out to be a regular hotdog... Relax and try to enjoy the beauty around...

My husband and I spent 4 nights here and thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Room: the room size and amenities are good. Minibar prices are high as expected. Fortunately there is a convenience store a few minutes walk away. The AC worked great! The closet provided was quite spacious.

The bathroom was huge! Our hot water stopped working the first night and the staff got it fixed right away. Like many places in Costa Rica, you cannot flush your toilet paper, so a foot-pedal trash can is provided. Bathroom amenities were nice including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap and hand lotion. You could hear some carry-over noise from the neighboring room through the bathroom but that was about it. It can get VERY steamy in the bathroom so keeping the doors closed is a good idea so the main room doesn't get too stuffy. There are lots of windows (privacy frosted) in the bathroom. The arrangement of the room, bathroom, doors and darkening curtains with the doors is a bit weird, but definitely workable.

Restaurants: The main restaurant provides a breakfast buffet every morning. The open-air dining room overlooks the lawn and beach area and is a beautiful place to eat! The breakfast buffet was fine - never had anything bad, and the maduros were always on point. We ate our lunches/dinners outside of the resort.

Amenities: sadly, the pool was not kept up well. There was always a lot of sediment at the bottom and leaves/debris floating on the surface. I mentioned this to the front desk and that didn't go anywhere. In 4 days I never once saw someone skimming the pool. It's too bad because it is lovely and has a swim-up bar.

Beach and lawn: The view is just gorgeous. There are lots of loungers and Adirondack chairs. Space under umbrellas or the trees are limited, so if you want a guaranteed spot, you should try to get out earlier. The beach is lovely, with nice temperature and mild waves during our stay. Sunsets are AMAZING!

General notes: The grounds are directly adjacent to other properties, so you a literally a few minutes walk from many amenities. There are many great local restaurants including Hemingway's and Tandoor. The staff is generally very friendly. Some do not speak great English, so learning and speaking Spanish is not only respectful, but also...

We stayed 4 nights in early April in a two bedroom suite which was luxuriously big if a bit austere. A couple paintings would go a long way. AC was great, water pressure and heat was the best I've had in Costa Rica. A much underappreciated feature was how well the toilets flushed.

One MAJOR failing was the kitchen. No dish washer which isn't such a big deal when you only get four plates and bowls. No toaster, no kettle so you need to use the uneven stove top to fry bread or boil water. Oh, but not a single pot. We had to borrow one from the front desk. No baking sheet but that was moot since the oven didn't work. One dangerously dull knife. We paid for a kitchen and barely got more than a kitchenette.

Beautiful grounds with resident iguanas and just steps from the beach. Sand is a bit rough but compact enough to enjoy a run along the bay in the morning. Lots of pelicans fishing the waters, frigate birds, white ibis and many small birds. Pool is ok for a hotel this size. Nice and clean. There aren't any other activities for kids though so bring your own pool/beach toys and plan day trips.

Another MAJOR drawback regarding the site however is the NOISE! Some of it isn't the hotel's fault. There's a pizzeria across the street that not only plays loud music at night they also have karaoke sometimes which in my opinion should be banned by the Geneva Convention as a crime against humanity. The road is close by with large trucks and obnoxiously loud motorcycles thundering past. The noise that can be controlled by the hotel is what woke me up this morning at 5:30. Running a leaf blower outside of the guests' windows when they're trying to enjoy a wee sleep in on their vacations isn't a good way to get return clients.

Restaurant is exorbitantly expensive. Absolutely ludicrous pricing. Walk the 3 minutes to the market if you have the "kitchen" and the patience to work with what you have. Also venture out to the sodas all of which I've enjoyed in the different areas of the country I've visited.

The above advice also applies to massages. Walk along the beach to find a local to give your money to and you'll pay less than half what the...