Hotel Arco Iris

Perched on Tamarindo's periphery, Hotel Arco Iris caters to guests, mostly couples and friends traveling together, who want to be close to the town's buzz without having to deal with the noise and congestion. The hotel is set neatly into a gentle hillside, sheltered by palms and flowering greenery and bordered by stone retaining walls, giving guests the feeling of being tucked away. Narrow stone paths, often dotted with lounging iguanas, meander through the property, leading guests to their bungalows and to a gate that opens to a gravel path that rambles to Tamarindo. 

The hotel's owner (or another staff member) is a constant fixture, available to assist guests and answer questions. Guests begin their mornings with made-to-order breakfasts by the pool before heading out for adventures to the national parks or the beach. Afternoons are ideal for climbing into hammocks with a book or lounging poolside where a tidy row of lounge chairs and umbrellas are aligned beneath a wall of cascading blue-flowering vines. In the evenings the restaurant comes to life with guests and visitors lingering over chef Schlomy's artfully presented Mediterranean fare which includes a gorgeous lobster and leek terrine and seared tuna in a honey-chili marinade.

Hotel Arco Iris is set into a slope below a little-trafficked gravel road, across the street from The Beach Bungalows, a small eco-minded hotel. From the parking lot and street, guests walk through swinging gates and follow the stairs down to enter the property and the small open-air lobby. A similar gate at the backside of the property leads to a maintained gravel path that heads to Tamarindo.

• Seven-minute walk to Tamarindo
• 10-minute walk to Tamarindo Beach
• 30-minute drive to Playa Grande
• 70-minute drive to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, Liberia
• 2-hour drive to Rincón de la Vieja National Park
• 4-hour drive to Juan Santamaria International Airport, San Jose

The hotel has five bungalow-style rooms set in rustically stylish one-story buildings with thick tree-trunk columns and terra cotta tile roofs, and eight Deluxe Rooms set in a similar two-story building. The smaller (225 to 275 square feet) Bungalows come equipped with double beds and have vaulted ceilings, and colorful rope hammocks off their private stone terraces covered by bamboo-lined roofs. The Deluxe Rooms (375 square feet) feature either two double beds or one double and two twin beds. The rooms on the second floor have tree-house appeal, with breezy honey-colored wood terraces with matching wood chairs and benches.

All of the rooms follow the same clean-lined style with cream-colored tile floors, dark wood furniture, bamboo and dark wood entry doors, and arched doorways that lead from the bedrooms to small hallways with double-door shuttered closets stocked with fluffy white towels, toiletries, extra blankets, and safes. Also accessible from the small hallways are the bathrooms. Small, but spotless, they feature earth-toned tile work, glass-walled showers, and single vanities with raised bowl sinks.

Beds are finished with bamboo and dark wood headboards, white linens, and cream-colored coverlets. Costa Rican art, pottery, and colorful paintings complete the look of the rooms. Other particulars include mini-refrigerators stocked with beer and soda, Cuisinart coffeemakers with packages of Britt (Costa Rica's most popular brand) coffee, flat-screen TVs, and minibar selections that include small bottles of Chilean wine and snacks.

Israeli-born and Le Cordon Bleu-trained owner/chef of Season's restaurant delivers beautifully presented dishes at the rustic, poolside setting. Guests can choose to sit under the billowy canopy next to the pool or under the more sturdy structure that serves as part of the hotel's lobby. The menu is heavy with locally caught fish infused with Mediterranean flavor such as the Mahi Mahi with a ginger-raisin crust and a pan-seared snapper with grilled eggplant and red pepper coulis. The chef also makes his own ice creams and sorbets.