Restaurant and hotel SoulShine — Restaurant in Tamarindo

We stayed - and ate - at SoulShine this weekend and cannot say enough good things about this place. In short, both the food and lodging here are among the best we've experienced in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The family who runs the hotel constantly put their love and energy into making it a warm, welcoming place.

We stay at a lot of boutique hotels in Guanacaste (and have lived here since 2008). At SoulShine the boys and I spent a night while mom was out of town, and it was one of the best hotel stays we've had.

The layout of the hotel provides for great privacy and quiet - that is one of the most important things to me. We slept well, and we also felt we could sit comfortably on the porch of our bungalow, enjoying coffee and the gardens around us. Every inch of the hotel is an inviting, green space.

The restaurant itself is one of the absolute "must dos" while in Playa Avellanas. The flavor profile of every dish on their menu is extraordinary; I have the shakshuka (pictured, right) and it is absolutely one of my favorite meals.... ever....

The dish itself comes perfectly simmering; they use organic tomatoes and other produce to create an incredibly-flavored skillet. It comes with a salad that itself is one of my favorite dishes in the area, with an strong variety of locally-grown, organic greens but also flavors and a light dressing added that are really special.

You also get a full loaf of challah and tahini... and my boys love their French toast (pictured, left) with a coconut caramel icing and fruit. That is also incredible and I'm happy when they leave me a bite.

The hotel stay itself was an incredible value for the price we paid. I've booked a good number of rooms for more and received a far lower-quality stay. We will be back to SoulShine in Avellanas any time my family...

Soul Shine is the best accommodation choice in the Playa Avellanas area. The cabinas are spacious and clean with comfortable beds, good WiFi, air conditioning and a mini-fridge. The pool is a gorgeous place to relax and the grounds are laden with lush tropical flowers and vegetation. The location is amazing - Avellanas beach is a short walk away, and so are many great restaurants, including Barumis (burgers), Lola’s, La Parruja, and La Esquina, a community space with tacos, sushi, cocktails and other tasty food (visit the public market there on Friday nights for local vendors and live music). You can also walk next door and get some gelato! The grounds, including the parking lot, are locked up and secure at night. Owners Yael and Roee are the ultimate hosts and will ensure your stay is as perfect as possible. You really are part of the family when you’re here. And a Soul Shine review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning their delicious brunch! This place serves up some of the best food you’ll find in the area – even in all of Costa Rica. Authentic menu items such as shakshuka, Gypsy King, falafels, French toast and avocado toast are all served hot and fresh with crispy salad and yummy tapas on the side. The fresh bread is served warm and melts in your mouth! Soul Shine has everything you need for a perfect stay in the Playa Avellanas/Playa Negra area – comfortable rooms, attentive hosts, amazing food and close to the beach and restaurants. You won’t be disappointed if you stay...

We stayed here for five days during our 12 day trip, and already want to be back! The staff was outstanding, and the whole property is amazing. There are about ten different villas scattered throughout gorgeous landscaping, and the pool area was outstanding. There are lounge chairs in the sun, and a large covered area with couch-like seats to be in the shade of desired. It was quiet (except for the howler monkeys which we loved seeing and hearing), lots of birds flying around, and is walking distance (10 mins) to the beach via a couple different access points. We opted to drive to the beach to bring more gear a couple of days and parked in the “official” lot for $4 which is raising money to build a community park. Well worth it if you can avoid the parking hustlers trying to get your money for parking in the “no parking” areas along the street. Our villa was perfectly set up with a kitchen. We like to do breakfast and lunch on our own, so it was great for that. We even cooked a full dinner one day. We loved the dinner we ate at the hotel one night, and also enjoyed cocktails and morning tea at the restaurant. Avellanas is the perfect size town for our liking - small, quiet, with just enough of everything we needed - restaurants, bars, surf lessons/rentals, quick-shop mart. It seems to have been discovered as Tamarindo bulges at the seams, so it likely won’t be the same when we go back, but we’ll be there...