Punta Leona Hotel
Punta Leona Hotel
nice place , I go there every year, very calm, and lots of nature
“quite, calm, nice”
Punta Leona Hotel
nice place , I go there every year, very calm, and lots of nature
“LOVED this hotel! I highly recommend it!”
Punta Leona Hotel
This property is beautiful! It is very large and spread out but the shuttle service is exceptional! The breakfast buffet was excellent with sooooooooo many choices. The pizza at Snack Mantas was exceptional!!! The rooms were very cute and clean and we didn't see one bug! Very friendly and helpful staff!!!
“great stay!!”
Punta Leona Hotel
I would like to recommend this hotel I stayed at in Costa Rica. My wife and I had a great time there and I will be going back as soon as I can.
It is not too far to get to from the main airport and you can see crocodiles that live under a bridge on route. It has fantastic beaches, far better than nearby Jaco, and beautiful rainforest surroundings. You can get to see different wildlife with plenty of exotic plants and animals.
I liked the accommodation because it is not just one big complex, but several different smaller ones spread out throughout the property. This gives a better feeling of being a part of the wilderness, rather than feeling like you have trampled all over it.
I enjoyed the restaurants and highly recommend the a la carte menu for dinner.
We do not have children but there seemed to be plenty of activities for all the family including night time special events. All in all a great stay!!
Oliver Petersen, London, England.
“Great if you like nature”
Punta Leona Hotel
If you are looking for monkeys, raccoons, great beaches, a huge jungle and lots of nature activities you should try this hotel. If you are the kind of guy that just wants to lay near the pool, look somewhere else.
“Good Vacation Destination”
Punta Leona Hotel
and want a vacation on the shore, this is the place to stay. Multiple swimming activities and sun, sand and sea. Lodging is excellent and you never know what animal will be at your door. Excellent food also in the restaurant. Recomend for the activities and location.
“Awesome! Loved it! Would definitely go back! Our favorite nights in Costa Rica!”
Punta Leona Hotel
Good:
We loved this place! The grounds were beautiful, the beach was amazing, and we loved our room! We stayed in Selvamar, and paid about $133/night for a double. We decided it was worth the price for a splurge! Food was good; breakfast buffet was awesome! So many choices! Our room had super-cool AC, which he hadn't had yet in Costa Rica. Bathrooms were the cleanest I've seen!
Bad:
Service was soooo slow! I know I need to work on my patience while on vacation, but if you are in a hurry, don't come here! It look us 2 hours to eat lunch (by White Beach) at the snack shop, and only ordered drinks and 1 thing to share! Also, you have to pay for chairs on the beach (White Beach), which sucks when you pay so much for the hotel in the first place!
We would stay here again, no question!
“Going Back Soon!”
Punta Leona Hotel
I have been reading reviews on this site for several years now and they have really helped me when deciding where to go. That is why I am now contributing. This review may seem dated but I wanted to make sure people knew how great this resort is. We were married here in March of 2002 and we are going back this year for our 5 year anniversary. Costa Rica is a beautiful country. If you are looking for nature, this is the place to go. While we were at the resort we saw white-faced monkeys, raccoons (yes they knock over trash cans here too) iguanas and coatis (they particularly like the pizza), not to mention all the different birds and plant species. The beaches are beautiful and the staff was very friendly. The food, in my opinion, was great. You won't go hungry here. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.
“Punta Leona Paradisio”
Punta Leona Hotel
Punta Leona was charming, clean and spectacular. The rooms are well appointed, clean and the air conditioning was working to perfection. The restaurant served marvelous buffets with plenty of variety and above average quality of meats. The beaches were out of this world. I saw sea turtles and many tropical fishes snokeling just off the beach. There was evening entertainment that was local and despite having an amateur flavor it was enjoyable. The size of the resort was never an issue as there is various modes of free transportation available. The best part about the resort is that is serves mostly Costa Rican nationals and the vibe is friendly and welcoming.
“AMAZING”
Punta Leona Hotel
We had a great time, resort was beautiful. We had a cottage which is not 5 star but was clean - bug free, and had everything we needed. Resort is 750 acres Beaches are beautiful and clean - we swam with wild sea turtles at playa blanca, lots of nature hikes - food was great. If you don't like to walk this isn't the place for you. If you don't like nature this isn't the place for you. I have no complaints this is my first time not going to a 5 star, and also my first time not going all inclusive and I loved it. The cost of our meals was fair/cheap. This is my favorite vacation spot. I am already planning my tip for the fall. Oh and if you look at the pics of the beach it does really look like that.
“Great vacantion”
Punta Leona Hotel
Punta Leona - one of the most magnificent places for vacation - quiet, integrated into nature surrouding the resort. The resort itself is larger with two private beaches separated by a formation of rocks. One with dark sand directly next to the pools, the other one with white sand approx. 15 minutes of walking time. However, nobody has to worry - all facilities are very well distributed throughout the resort and well organized, including the security for those who might worry a bit.
If you do not feel to walk, the resort offers shuttle bus services. For those interested in renting there are available nature friedly golf carts, bicycles as well as cars for easy access to all sections of the resort. Car rental companies are located outside the resort, however, resort is able to help with the rentals upon request without additional cost.
At the beginning of the stay it is helpful to use introductory info at the resort front desk as well as the "CRT team" representative Adrian. During our stay we met with him on several occasions. Adrian is young gentleman with a very good attitude and passion for his work. We arrived to the resort afternoon approx. around 3.00 p.m and after a short introduction and paper work at the front desk, we had a chance to talk to him. After we finished, after approx. 40 minutes, leaving his small office area in the lobby, we already new majority of valuable information about Costa Rica, the attractions, locations, trips, transportation, prices, roads, road maps, car rentals and insurance, trip schedules, booking etc. But not only that, before leaving his desk (the same day) we indicated what car we were interrested to rent and he started to look for it (maybe I should mention that we stayed in Costa Rica during high season and his shift finishes around 5p.m). The next day, early morning, our car was ready in front of the reception and a young gentleman from the rental company was waiting for us to sign all necessary paperwork. Each time when we approached Adrian's desk and asked about information or help, we only saw his big smile and have heard his typical response "not a problem". The same impression we had from all services within the resort such as restaurants, bars, reception, canopy and jungle tours, butterfly farm, etc. We haven't experienced any problem what so ever. The resort is clean, well maintained. Overall, I can say that Punta Leona is one of the most impressive resorts we have ever stayed in in Central America. Just keep in mind that the resort is oriented for a nature lowers than for those seeking for wild parties.
“Great Place for Younger Families”
Punta Leona Hotel
I stayed at Punta Leona on December 2, 10 and 11 (last week) at both Selvamar and Leana Mar. I
am a single dad, was traveling with my two sons (9 and 12) on the front and back ends of a cruise
(Cruisewest). It was convenient to our departure site for the cruise. I am an attorney, not a travel
agent. I liked it well enough to go back after the cruise for two nights. I write this mainly to thank the people at Punta Leona, and provide a more detailed account (reading the wide ranging opinions all over the map drove me crazy---it would help to know what kind of traveler wrote them to put the comments in perspective). The staff treated me well (Alfredo and Pamela, thank you), and actually helped me out on several occasions.
I would understand if the negative reviews came from (1) older travelers who don't like the spread out nature (depending on where you are) (2) those who stay in the bungalows (3) those who dislike kids on vacation(4) those wanting to be in the center of social or dining scene (5) those looking for a romantic getaway or (6) someone expecting really high end (like the Marriott Los Suenos up the road). For me and my sons, Punta Leona was fantastic.
DONT stay in the bungalows, as described elsewhere, they are in fact old trailers—they are kind of odd and out of place (groups of college age kids mostly) and for some reason expensive. Stay in Selvamar or Leona Mar. There are other areas with which I am not familiar, many nice private homes some of which apparently can be rented.
Punta Leona is more like a village/resort than a hotel, it’s on 750 acres most of which is undeveloped and is surrounded by farmland and more jungle, and most people there will be Costa Ricans that own a condo or 2nd home there, with about 10% foreigners (at least when I was there, mostly Germans). The buildings are spread out.
Either Selvamar or Leona Mar are good, depends on what you want. Selvamar rooms are fairly new
(5 years??), very clean, set in tiny clustered duplex bungalows in a jungle setting. For the money, well
done and well worth it. I paid $100, and the room was the equivalent of a $100 room in the US
(medium end, better than your Best Western/La Quintas, not counting for the jungle setting). Two
double beds. Beautifully landscaped, right near the start of a good jungle trail, and maybe a 1/4 mile (5
minute walk) from the office/ restaurant/bar/ disco/store (“main complex”). Playa manta is another quarter mile or less behind the complex.
Leona Mar are all private condos in one building that the hotel manages and rents up on a cliff off of
Playa Blanca. They are big (800 s.f.??) and clean, though older (20 years??). The condos have
unbelievable views of the ocean (most rooms) and right next to Playa Blanca (about 200 stairs down a
cliff gets you to the beach). It has a very nice pool. My condo was pretty bare (as to the kitchen
stuff), but fine. Two double beds, one on the bedroom, one in the mainroom. I paid $200/night. It is remote from the main complex—a 25 minute walk on the road-I timed it several times. Walking along
the beach is actually shorter, but involves scaling a 10' rock (easy in the daytime). Not many people
there when we were, and the building is not that big (25 condos??). Likely the condos are often filled
mostly with owners.
I walked all over—because we don’t have jungles and beaches in Colorado. They have a shuttle,
which most of the time is no faster than walking due to occasional waits. Once we found the paths and
shortcuts, we only used the shuttle when I didn’t want to sweat too much before dinner (only from
Leona Mar) or needed to move luggage. I loved the walks, b/c mostly through natural forested areas
and the grounds are very very well kept. The landscaping is beautiful, and you can see iguanas,
toucans, macaws (really), etc. on such walks.
The beaches. Playa manta, dark sand beach, has no waves. Good for little kids, and exploring.
Adjacent to Playa Manta is Playa Blanca---an absolutely beautiful beach. You have to hike over the
aforementioned 10 foot rocks (no problem for me and my sons). No development along
beach—buffered by a mangrove forest. A very cool small beach restaurant and showers up on the hill
in the mangroves. Best food I had at Punta Leona--- for a bout $20 (for all of us)--- like a “soda”
restaurant, as opposed to the other restaurants in the complex (which have more American type food).
White sand, small waves, mostly good for bodysurfing/boogieboarding/skimboarding (not as protected
as playa manta, but somewhat protected). A pair of large green sea turtles live just off the beach, we
saw them daily and snorkeled within touching distance. Snook, rooster fish, rays, and lots of other big
and small fish patrol the beach. Snorkeling was OK, better than Manuel Antonio. If you go to the
Punta Leona website, you’ll see a big rock cliff jutting out into the water (that separates the beaches).
Decent snorkeling around those rocks. EXTENSIVE tidepools to explore (countless crab and snail
species, octupi, reef fish, brittle stars, etc). On the adventure cruise we saw lots of remote jungles and
beaches, and Playa Blanca was one of my favorites. There is not much developed on either side of the
resort besides jungles.
Other helpful info: very safe, access into the resort is controlled, and it is out of the way; close to San
Jose (1.5 hours, $75 cab ride—email [--] or call 841-8622 for T.J, a very nice eurovan, will tell you lots about CR, English OK, he works out of the Punta Leona) and also very close to Carrarra National Park. I liked the fact that it was mostly locals, I practiced my Spanish a lot (all from high school), although most hotel staff spoke English or some English. Bar was OK, small, met interesting people there, disco was for late teens/early 20s ticos. On the weekend, the main pools (not the one at Leona Mar or near Selvamar) got crowded with locals that come to the resort for the day, lots of kids. I brought snorkeling equipment and skim boards, although you can rent at least snorkel equip for 10$/hr (I don’t if it’s negotiable). Would have been nice to have a car—mostly to go to restaurants in Jaco and short trips—but our stay was short enough.
“We Didn't Want to Leave”
Punta Leona Hotel
Our family experience at Punta Leona was one of the most fabulous vacations any of our 12 family members have ever experienced in all our cumulative world travels. This was a family vacation for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary and my uncle’s 60th birthday. We were treated as visiting dignitaries! The resort is stunningly beautiful; if unspoiled nature is what you love Punta Leona’s got it!
We were concerned when we found newly posted negative reviews on Travel Advisor about a week before departure. This large family trip had been planned (and paid for) almost a year in advance. We were concerned but stuck to the plan and thank goodness we did or we would have missed out on a once in a lifetime experience! Now, if you’re looking for the ultimate in luxury service and accommodations take a cruise. The property’s layout could be considered physically challenging for less mobile guests – very young or very old, however even with our variety of ages and abilities everything worked out fine. Punta Leona is a gem to be savored by those seeking a true Costa Rican Rain Forest experience.
The entire Punta Leona Resort is huge! It is in the midst of the rain forest, wild and gorgeous. I am absolutely convinced the experience you will have is directly influenced by the time of year visited. We stayed October 3 through 9, 2005, not considered high season. There were few guests until the weekend; even then I believe most of them were natives visiting from San Jose. We found everyone working in the resort spoke English. The people at the resort and in the towns could not have been more gracious. The Ticos, Costa Rican natives, are friendly, helpful, gracious people and very proud (rightly so) of their country.
The Selvamar hotel rooms are comfortable, neat and pleasant, located in an area surrounded by beautiful trees and plants. The Leonamar Suites were apartments, quite a distance away from a portion of our party in the Selvamar rooms. Our suite (apartment) was something similar to a studio with one bedroom, one bath and a Murphy bed in the living area. They were comfortably appointed, roomy with a kitchen, phone, tv and a view that will take your breath away! Do not expect luxury linens, heavy carpeting, rugs and upholstery – remember this is where the dry rain forest of the north meets wet rain forest of the south, think humidity, moisture and pristine raw beauty. The accommodations are not appointed for the ultimate in luxury, they are nice, clean, comfortable and for the price unbeatable! I cannot speak about the other accommodations offered on the resort as we didn’t see inside them. From the outside they appeared neat and well maintained.
We ate at 3 of the property’s restaurants during our stay. Each was equally delectable. The food, drinks, service and value were spectacular. There is something to please the discriminating palate as well as the Plain Jane’s and even the kids. We were thankful someone had previously posted information about the fruit plate, all of us had one every meal – delicious!
Of special note is the security on the resort. We never felt the need for security even after touring the surrounding areas outside the resort, however it was good to know we were absolutely secure. During our comings and goings we eventually became quite friendly with the guards. We have only the highest recommendation for Sonja Ledezma of La Choza Tours. She carted us all over the surrounding areas and took us to the most amazing, family run road-side restaurant “Tico Tico.” When you visit get in touch with Sonja for her tour/taxi services. Her prices are the best value and safety is stellar. Be sure to ask her about the Tarcoles River Boat tour and Jason the Crocodile Man. Believe me, we were all a little skeptical. We have experienced all kinds of cheesy displays and shows of reptiles and the like around the states. Sonja had to urge us to try this river tour and thank goodness she did! Just let me say, the mangrove forests were beyond anything you can imagine and our son’s new hero is Jason; Jason You Rock! You gotta go it’ll blow you away.
The pools on the property are fabulous, the beaches are stunningly beautiful beyond words to describe them. The wildlife abounds and it’s charming and quaint everywhere you go. This is not a vacation spot to lounge around in your room, but you could do so comfortably if you wanted to. But why would you want to? Get out there and go experience the rain forest, the resort’s beaches, and the local attractions. There were wonderful people everywhere to assist, the food was great and you would have to try really hard to be bored.
We never experienced any of the horrors mentioned in reviews about insects, ATVs, lack of shuttle service, difficult people or dilapidation of the resort. All I can say is when you go tell everyone at Punta Leona you read a review from the crazy Texans and all their family from all over the US and it convinced you Punta Leona could not be missed! Big hugs to Bernarda, Alex, Juan, Randall, Dunia, Freddie the Mud Loving Jungle Guide, Roy the River Guide, Jason the Crocodile Man (YOU ROCK!), Fabricio the Zip Guy, Sonja the amazing tour/taxi owner, and all those countless others who will forever bless our memories.
“Great Resort”
Punta Leona Hotel
We read many negative things about this hotel and almost canceled. Ths complex is beautiful and the rooms were great very clean we stayed in the Selverde Rooms. Another party on this site stayed in the bungalows and yes they are like cheap trailers. These are cheap places for Tico's or cheap traveler's. You do need a car to get around though. The main restraunt has great food we are all meals there. After dark a racoon comes in the restraunt and begs for food. Would stay here over any thing else in over fifty miles.
“Beautiful Hotel Escape”
Punta Leona Hotel
My boyfriend and I traveled to Costa Rica for the first time over Christmas. We had made changes in the weeks leading up to our departure because of an unforeseen cancellation in our originally booked hotel North in the Guanacasta area. The Punta Leona Hotel was absolutely wonderful. After our bus left the highway, we travelled into the lush area, heading towards the ocean for at least 10 minutes. This gives you an idea of how private this location is. Once arriving to the reception area, we were pleased that everything went very smoothy. This hotel is spread out somewhat (if you like to walk like we do, I really wouldn't even call it spread out), however for the elderly, handicapped or people that just don't like exercise, this is not the place. For us, this was the perfect place. We had a basic room with two double beds -nothing special to the room, but it did have a little fridge, a hairdryer, a TV, coffee maker and phone and was kept exceptionally clean. I find that you are never in your room anyways, so it was perfectly fine. We had an all-inclusive package (all meals and drinks), which meant breakfast at the buffet restaurant right near our room, lunch and dinner at either the buffet restaurant, the fine dining restaurant (allowed to go twice in a week) or at either the snack bar at the pool or the beach restaurant at Playa Blanca (the public beach next to our private beach). The food was excellent at breakfast and was served in an open-air restaurant. The first morning we had an amazing display of 8 white-faced monkeys swinging from the trees and jumping on the roof of the restaurant. There is a children's pool and an adult'ss pool -both of which were beautiful free-form pools with lots of beautiful foliage around them. From both the pools you could see the beach. The private beach was very nice to swim in and was never too crowded. You could hike over a little ridge to the public beach where the sunsets were and the snorkeling was better. You could also have a drink or eat over there until 4 pm. The grounds of this hotel were immaculately kept, the staff was amazingly friendly and I absolutely have nothing bad to say about the Punta Leona Hotel. The a la carte restaurant had amazing food and the buffet restaurant for lunch and dinner was average, but fine. Between all of the options to eat, you really never got bored of any particular restaurant. There was an open-air disco beside the beach open on Fri and Sat nights, mini golf, gift shop, small grocery store, beach volleyball courts and some poolside activities such as water polo and dance lessons. This is what I really enjoyed about this hotel. There was not screaming loud music and voices coming over microphones all day. There were a few hours here and there where that happened and we just packed up and went to the beach. If you require lots of planned activities, this may not be the place for you. If you want to enjoy the natural beauty of Costa Rica and relax and unwind, this is the hotel for you. I highly recommend the Punta Leona Hotel.
“LeonaMar Señor Suites are the best!”
Punta Leona Hotel
I noticed this hotel has some very bad ratings. Everyone should realize that this resort has a number of different accommodation options. Some are more desireable than others. They offer rooms, apartments, chalets and suites. Some of these accomodations are older and quite small but we stayed in the LeonaMar Suites and they were wonderful!!! These suites are fully equipped and have a private pool, plus a secure & direct access to the White Sand Beach. This beach is a "Blue Flag Beach" which means that it is not contaminated.
Everyone was very polite and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there!
“pretty good.. but not perfect”
Punta Leona Hotel
I stayed here with a large group from school. We stayed in the Cuba sections of rooms. The resort is pretty big and the trolly service to get around isnt that great (or fast) so we walked most of the time. The restraunts we went to, i was impressed with. The beaches were so beautiful and werent overly crowed which was a good thing. The room was very nice. They also had alot of different activites that go on each day, such as "the disco" which was like a place where everyone danced. It was alot of fun for us! One thing i didnt really like was that it was so distant from outside life. If you wanna go to costa rica and stay at a resort the whole time then this is the place for you, but if you wanna go out and explore all that costa rica has to offer then i wouldnt recomend it.
“Beautiful minus tarantulas!”
Punta Leona Hotel
As a nature lover, this place really came alive at night! And I mean alive! If you do not mind seeing a few very large insects and tarantulas, this is a place for you!
The grounds were perfect for a three day getaway- it might get old after a week. The food was very good in a buffet-style, however there were often the same options each night. I would strongly recomend the fresh juices each morning-- especially the tamarindo juice!
The beaches were nice- one for swimming, one for light bathing. The pool area was a little too loud for my taste, as the DJ insists on blasting 1970s songs that were never hits in the US!
If you choose to go during the rainy season (during the summer) you may encounter a night without electricity (as we did when the torrential rain affected the power lines to the hotel). Luckily- the bar stayed open for us and we drowned our sorrows there.
Overall, we are pleased with our stay-- the capuchin monkeys and raccoons are adorable, but even my affinity for spiders was "squashed" when we had to kill a tarantula with a phonebook after it crawled into our room! But, what do you expect when you are staying in a jungle lodge?
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