Hotel Aguas Claras

Style

Art-adorned jungle nook

Setting

Tranquil Caribbean coast

A sandy, forest-fringed beach hugs boutique eco hotel Aguas Claras, where airy, Caribbean-style suites and bungalows dot the jungle-shaded grounds, and a spa and beach club fuel its laid-back vibe. Mother-daughter owners Elizabeth (herself an artist) and Elena are art collectors whose amassed paintings, curios and upcycled furniture enliven rooms and communal areas across the hotel. Suites are themed with lashings of local flavour; bungalows are private and terraced, creating a home from home by the sea. Puerto Viejo itself is a vibrant village, where Caribbean cooking and reggae beats are never far away – a legacy of the area’s Jamaican heritage.

Facilities

Rooms

Thirteen: six suites, six bungalows and a two-storey villa.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include breakfast.

Also

Look out for nods to the distinctive style of Wes Anderson not just in suite Belafonte, but also at Papaya restaurant, where the décor is inspired by the Anderson-designed interiors at Bar Luce in Milan.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Pool, spa, yoga shala, beach club, bikes to borrow, laundry service (extra cost). In rooms: free WiFi, free tea & coffee, refillable water bottles, minibar.

Our Favourite Rooms

Of the six themed suites, we love Belafonte – a colour trip of stylish nods to movie The Life Aquatic; Tropicana is ravishing and retro with Fifties flourishes. Queenston is the only suite with two queen-size beds. Bungalow suite Cacao has a wraparound veranda for indoor-outdoor living, but for a big celebration or gathering of family, Casa Floralia sleeps up to 10 in style.

Poolside

In front of Papaya restaurant, leafy jungle shades the curvaceous, asymmetric pool, edged by papaya-bright loungers. The pool has stepped entry and a Jacuzzi to one side.

Spa

Secluded by the canopy, Casa Gandhi is an open-sided wooden shala beside a lily pond that’s the place for yoga sessions, as well as spa treatments. Massages can be deep-tissue or ayurvedic with optional energy healing treatments.

Packing Tips

Colourful dresses and loose-fitting shirts for evenings out in Puerto Viejo.

Also

The hotel offers massages on your private terrace for bungalow guests as well as at the spa; Queenston Suite is wheelchair accessible.

Children

Over-eights are welcome at Aguas Claras; the hotel has two-bedroom bungalows and a family friendly casa, which sleeps 10.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Colourful sofas beside coffee tables are covetable spots for drinks after dinner at Papaya; at DaLime, we’re drawn to the in-the-jungle tables outdoors.

Dress Code

As laid-back as you like.

Hotel Restaurant

Papaya orange, pale pink and peppermint shades lend Papaya restaurant an opulent mid-century vibe, inspired by Wes Anderson’s movie, The Life Aquatic. Beside the pool, this open-air restaurant has a changing menu of seasonal dishes from around the world, including choripán and shrimp rolls for lunch, and fresh fish, salads, tacos and curries by evening; try the spiced-beef pasties, patí, which hail from Limón Province. Nearer the sea, DaLime Beach Club is shaded on all sides by the jungle with a foliage-fringed wooden deck of white tables and chairs. The two-storied, white-timbered club has yacht-club good looks, with an upper deck lit by ceiling-strung lanterns. The cuisine here is a casual affair of poke bowls, tostadas, wraps and gallitos (stuffed pancakes) – all of which, along with drinks, you can order to your lounger on the beach.

Hotel Bar

A lively spot to linger in the evening, Papaya has poolside drinks tables and low-slung sofas and side tables and is as much about its piña coladas, margaritas and gin-tonics as it is about dining; a programme of live acoustic performances and DJ sets adds to the conviviality.

Last Orders

At Papaya, breakfast is served 7am–10am; lunch, 11am–4pm and dinner, 6pm–10pm. DaLime Beach Club is open from 10am until 5pm.

Room Service

There’s no room service, but for bungalow guests, a private dinner on your terrace can be arranged; staff will cook, serve and clear away a selection of Costa Rican and Caribbean dishes tailored to your wishes.

Planes

Fly into Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) in San José. From SJO, it’s a five and a half hour drive to the hotel or take a 45-minute connecting flight with Sansa Airlines to Limón airstrip, which is an hour’s drive from Aguas Claras. The hotel can help arrange private transfers or car hire from SJO or Limón.

Trains

There are no viable passenger services to this part of the country for now.

Automobiles

Roads in Costa Rica are well maintained and signposted and you can use Waze to safely navigate. There’s free parking at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Aguas Claras has a pool, spa and yoga sessions, and offers classes in cookery and mixology. Beaches are bountiful and wild here, with Playa Chiquita’s family-friendly shallows protected by a reef; headland Punta Uva creates a sheltered beach just along the coast that’s ideal for swimming. A flat road, ideal for cycling, connects the beaches in this area. This is a nature-rich stretch of Caribbean coastline, bordering the Cahuita National Park as well as the Manzanilla Wildlife Refuge. Head out with your binos to go birdwatching, take a guided hiking and snorkelling tour at Cahuita; visit Manzanilla to trek the rainforest and spy howler monkeys and sloths. Kayaking tours can take you to the beach or the mangroves, with or without a beach picnic. Explore the rainforest-fringed wetlands at Gandoca in a traditional canoe. Inland, there’s a mountain reserve where indigenous BriBrí residents maintain a traditional way of life and welcome visitors.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .