Bahia del Sol Beach Front Boutique Hotel

The hotel is set off a gravel road that terminates at the beach, and guests will first pass a small security gatehouse before entering the large parking lot and finally the open-air lobby of Bahia del Sol. There's a small bookcase with reads left from previous guests and a smattering of awkward furniture; this more of a place to wait for taxis than to lounge. The nearby front desk is where guests can secure beach towels and book excursions (brochures are neatly organized in a binder for guests to browse) -- these include diving trips to the nearby Catalina Islands, sailing and snorkeling cruises, zip-line canopy tours, and trips to Santa Rosa and Arenal Volcano National Parks.

Turn the corner from the front desk, and a narrow covered hallway bordered by small palms and cheerful Costa Rican sculpture and pottery leads past a small boutique where guests can stock up on everything from sunblock to t-shirts to Britt coffee. A few steps farther and the path leads to Nasu, the hotel’s open-air restaurant with a collection of wood tables neatly arranged beneath a huge palapa roof. Guests begin their mornings at the restaurant with made-to-order breakfasts that include omelets and buttermilk pancakes served with sides of fresh fruit and bottomless cups of Costa Rican coffee.

Activity is priority at Bahia del Sol, and fitness classes are included in the room rate. It's not unusual to see guests bobbing to early morning aquacise classes at the pool or calmly flowing through yoga poses at the Palapa Lounge, a space that is also is used for weddings, lounging, and live music. 

Relaxing is also high priority at Bahia del sol, and there are ample places to partake in the activity. The pool with its swim-up bar and its two whirlpools is fringed with low-slung, colorful (red, green, and orange) lounge chairs while on the nearby lawn, more substantial cushioned lounge chairs are arranged beneath palapa umbrellas, perfect perches for spending the afternoon hours with a favorite book. On the beach, a neat row of white plastic lounge chairs and blue, canvas umbrellas offer additional reasons to settle in and watch the waves lap ashore. 

Playa Potrero has dark sand rather than the soft, white sand found at nearby Playa Flamingo, but its relatively calm waters make it ideal for swimming and it lacks the crowds found at more popular beaches such as Tamarindo. In the evenings, the resort amps up its social scene with a sunset happy hour, offering discounts on favorite fruity concoctions such as mango margaritas and ice cold Imperial beer.

A stretch of bumpy, gravel road leads guests to the gated entrance of Bahia del Sol. The hotel is steps from the black sand of Playa Potrero, a crescent-shaped beach that’s bordered by Playa Flamingo to the south and Playa Penca to the north.

• 10-minute drive to Playa Flamingo
• 10-minute drive to Playa Penca
• 10-minute drive to Playa Prieta
• 20-minute drive to Playa Conchal
• 30-minute drive to Tamarindo
• 30-minute drive to Playa Grande
• 60-minute drive to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, Liberia
• Two-hour drive to Rincón de la Vieja National Park
• Two-hour drive to Palo Verde National Park
• Four-hour drive to Juan Santamaria International Airport, San Jose
• Four-hour drive to Arenal Volcano National Park

Bahia del Sol caters equally to families and couples with its room types. The hotel's two-bedroom Family Suites, set in two-story buildings among the jungle-like gardens at the back of the property, are well-suited to families of four. They include open living, dining, and kitchen areas in the front that flow directly, through sliding glass doors, onto large covered terraces with group seating and lounge chairs. Guests can cook their own meals in the small kitchens and dine at the tables for four or take morning coffee and breakfast onto the terrace to look for resident howler monkeys. One bedroom has a queen and the other has two twins; both have private baths and small balconies that overlook the tree canopy. One-bedroom Suites are similar in layout, featuring queen beds, but they are closer to the ocean. 

The resort's Standard Rooms and the single Deluxe Room come equipped with two full-size beds as well as hammocks strung across the corridors overlooking the gardens, but Deluxe Room also has a jetted tub in the bathroom. The hotel’s most coveted room is the King Sun Suite, a spacious beachfront space with a king-sized bed as well as both an indoor and outdoor shower. It also features a private lawn area with cushy lounge chairs and two terraces, a covered one with a hammock and cushioned rattan furniture that faces the ocean plus a private rear terrace that holds an outdoor hot tub and two low-slung lounge chairs, ideal for private sunbathing.

All of the rooms follow a similar design theme showcasing Costa Rica style. Accent walls are painted a cheery tangerine, sofas in the suites are covered in light purple fabric with red and turquoise accent pillows, walls are decorated with rustic Costa Rican pottery and colorful canvas artwork. Beds are finished in basic white linens accented by coral-patterned pillows and floral throws. The rooms are furnished with clunky dark wood bedside tables and wood headboards with accents of wrought iron or rattan. Modern amenities in the rooms include mini-refrigerators stocked with sodas and beer, coffeemakers, safes, flat-screen TVs, and terrycloth robes. Bathrooms in most of the rooms and suites are lackluster, finished with drab tiles, basic pedestal sinks, and stall showers. 

Nau is Bahia del Sol's intimate spa. Set in a small building with two massage tables and a private outdoor shower, the spa offers a generous variety of treatments that range from traditional relaxing massages to facials, wraps, and manicures and pedicures.

The hotel's restaurant Nasu serves three meals daily beneath the towering palapa roof overlooking the ocean and pool. The adjacent bar, sunken to the level of the pool, offers two seating areas, one dry and one wet.