Hotel Cariblue
Puerto Viejo
Relax and take in the beauty of the Southern Caribbean at the Hotel Cariblue Beach and Jungle Resort in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Positioned just across from the beautiful Playa Cocles, this midrange lodge offers a combination of rustic bungalows and hotel-style rooms. Beach goers will love to play in the surf of Cocles Beach, and nature lovers are sure to be enchanted by the natural wonders of the Southern Caribbean. Hotel amenities include a restaurant and bar, tropical gardens, swimming pool, jacuzzi, and WiFi in some common areas.
The long, white sand beaches of the Southern Caribbean are ideal for some fun in the sun. The north end of Playa Cocles is perfect for learning how to surf and lessons are available daily. Or, check out the Salsa Brava break in front of Puerto Viejo for some seriously big waves! Good snorkeling is possible during drier seasons at nearby Gandoca Manzanillo or Cahuita National Park.
The Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge and Cahuita National Park also offer fantastic wildlife observation opportunities on land. Monkeys and sloths are abundant at each location, though Cahuita National Park would have to take the edge. Colorful pit vipers and frogs are common as are iguanas and toucans.
The Cariblue Hotel provides a tranquil, laid-back experience. Towering rainforest trees and lush vegetation surround the grounds. There is a large swimming pool in the center, lined with lounge chairs. The hotel is also home to the Aqua Caribbean Spa, offering a broad range of delightful treatments, massages, and other spa services.
The open-air SoleLuna Restaurant is in a spacious Rancho in front of the pool area, serving a tasty fusion of Caribbean cuisine. Enjoy tropical drinks at the hotel's Totem Beach Bar inside of the restaurant.
The Cariblue Hotel offers a wide range of rooms. The rustic bungalows are charming reminders of the Caribbean. The Jungle House offers multiple bedrooms. Other rooms are in a building at the front of the property. Please check the Amenities Section for details about each room style. Note: The hotel does not provide pool or beach towels.
All in all, the Cariblue delivers an affordable Caribbean lodging experience to its guests. Jungle and nature surround it, yet the hotel is right across the street from one of the prettiest beaches in Costa Rica. Give us a call to add this unique lodge to your Costa Rica vacation today!
Latitude: N 9° 39' 3.88"
Longitude: W 82° 44' 17.73"
02/07/2023
I loved this jungle hotel!!
10/25/2022
The staff were mostly very helpful and engaged with keeping their guests happy. We had just one front desk staff person with an attitude!
10/04/2022
Bulgalow was too rustic and bit run down.
07/19/2022
We had a family room with 1 king and 2 double beds, all were very comfortable. The room was large but the the bathroom was small for a family of 5! The staff were nice and helped us find a sloth hanging on a tree near the pool! They also showed us bats sleeping under a palm leaf, a nest with a baby hummingbird, and agoutis. Our room was about as far from the parking lot as you could get (long walk with luggage), but had a small pool right outside the patio doors. We were literally 50m (just across the street) from the beach, a quick walk in bathing suit and bare feet! The downside of being close to the beach was a fair amount of traffic noise, although most rooms wouldn't have that problem as they are further from the road and beach. Surf and boogie board rentals were available at the beach for reasonable price, good waves for learners.
10/19/2021
The hotel and staff were wonderful, the lower ratings come from the bungalow. It simply wasn't my wife's ideal room and she would have preferred I made a different choice. My children and I loved it!
06/01/2021
LOVED our jungle home.
03/01/2020
The hotel is a little run down. It needs better management; some areas where closed. Bar and restaurant often almost empty. Feels like all the main areas need better upkeep. We felt either it’s been bad managed for a few years; hopefully it’s on its way back up because it’s a beautiful spot. Our cottage was perfect. The restaurant was expensive.
10/17/2019
This hotel was not quite what we expected. The common area seems very nice but the room was not as nice as we expected. The staff were not very friendly or helpful. The room was okay but "Beach Front" is not accurate. You can see the beach but really they should call it "Road Front" because it's right on the road and extremely noisy. The AC unit drips on your head while you're sleeping. The Fridge rattles loudly. We didn't have running water one of the days and even when it was fixed you only have about 30 seconds to take a shower. After showering you can't use the sink or toilet for at least 15 minutes. The hotel was out of bikes to rent every day we were there so we went to the hostel across the street. The hostel seemed better than our hotel. Lastly, we made sure to lock the room and the porch door every time we left. But every time the cleaning crew came through they unlocked the sliding porch door. It wouldn't have been an issue if people couldn't access the balcony but it connects to the adjoining rooms so other hotel guests could have gotten in through the unlocked door. Overall, we were not very happy with our hotel or Playa Cocles across the street as it's primarily a surfing beach and very loud. Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva were much more enjoyable beaches.
08/21/2019
Very weak internet connection
07/16/2019
Good location. Hotel needs some fix up and updating. Nice staff. Good food at breakfast.
06/26/2019
The staff at this hotel were very accommodating and kind. The pros of the hotel included: the hammock on the bungalow porch, the friendliness of staff, restaurants nearby, beach across the street, wildlife (sloths, birds, frogs.). The cons included: tons ants in our bathroom after heavy rains, no mini-fridge in the bungalow, breakfast variety, and debris in the pool.
06/08/2019
the second restaurant was having maintenance so we were unable to use it or the pool during the day because of the noise. Staff was very friendly, especially Olga at the reception. She was very helpful.
02/04/2019
Many strengths to this hotel, but the oceanfront room we had was across a busy, loud highway from the ocean, so that was a misnomer--also problems with getting hot water. The grounds are cool, with animals present, and it's right there across from Playa Cocles, which is a wonderful beach.
11/14/2018
There was an ant problem in the bungalow, and they ended up infiltrating my luggage. I was also a little disappointed that the hotel was not able to help me get a legitimate taxi and I was called an overpriced, unregulated one. Other than that, it was a beautiful hotel, very friendly staff, and delicious restaurant and bar.
10/10/2018
The hotel was everything that I wanted. The concierge Maria and Edwin were fabulous, they answered every question and request with a smile and never left me disappointed with their recommendations!
My only concern was that there was a blackout for about 3-5 hours on one of the nights and we weren't updated on what was happening nor were we offered candles or flashlights.
09/25/2018
Stunning grounds and setting. However Pool was dirty and bar was not attended and left dirty. Breakfast Ok but tables dirty and crockery chipped. 1 member of staff very helpful the rest either not trained or didn't seem to care about service.
09/24/2018
We loved the grounds of this hotel, and the hammocks around the property were a bonus. Great for wildlife and plant lovers. Maybe not a hotel for everyone. Rooms were generally very comfortable, but simple. Sometimes things happened at the hotel, like power going out for an hour or there not being hot water for a bit, that might bother other people more. The breakfast buffet with traditional Costa Rican foods was very good, and we appreciated that there was a restaurant on the property.
09/08/2018
Nice secluded bungalow, which was cleaned very well by the maids every single day. WiFi was fast and connection very good. A/C worked well but could not figure out how to turn it off during the day while we were gone, as was instructed by hotel management.
Breakfast was fairly good, not a huge variety of food but at least one dish changed daily and there was a lady serving fresh omelettes and pancakes. Had dinner at our hotel once, it was decent but still preferred to eat at the restaurant close by.
Far from town of Puerto Viejo, would recommend for the hotel to implement some sort of shuttle service. We rented the bikes for $10/per person/per day, however, we had to return them by 6pm. This was probably implemented for safety reasons, however, adding some lights to the bicycles would provide another means of transportation for the patrons. Because of these reasons, we never ended up going into town.
09/07/2018
staff wasn't as nice as in other places. bungalow and rest of the facilities were quite basic.
09/02/2018
HOtel staff was wonderful - with one exception - we were told Manzanilla was a nice beach - but it looked a slightly not safe.
12/13/2017
Staff was excellent. The bike rentals were easy. The constant gardening and roof repair right by our room every day was unacceptable. Would not return here. If they knew this was going on they should not have put people in our room.
11/25/2017
Rooms and beds are comfortable. Grounds are beautiful with plenty of wildlife. Saw multiple sloths, howlers and poison dart frogs around the grounds. Too far from town to walk but several places to eat within walking distance and restaurant at the hotel was good. It is right across from the beach.
11/01/2017
I would have preferred a cottage further from the street. Also, our room, though good for a family, was surprisingly spartan. The furniture was missing cushions. No lights by the bed.
10/22/2017
Very nice place, some areas of the hotel are a little tired and in need of refurbishment but overall a nice place. The restaurant was very good. There was one day we didn't get maid service but in the main all was good
08/29/2017
The room was kept very clean and the location is gorgeous. Easy walk to the beach and the resort pool is PERFECT! Howler monkeys, acouti, sloths, butterflies... fantastic! Resort restaurant breakfast buffet is outstanding! Dinner prices are a bit high - but it is easy to get to other local eateries by foot or by renting a bike.The staff is very friendly, patient and helpful. I wish they had at least a mini-fridge to keep cold drinks on hand - but I'd go back in a heartbeat!
06/27/2017
hot tub and small restaurant, as well as the back gate, were closed for the season. We
love this place! Staff was helpful and expressed interest in our lives.
04/02/2017
The hotel staff weren't particularly friendly (based on our other experiences in Costa Rica, except for the lady in reception in the mornings who was very good). Our room was great, but the other hotel facilities are getting/looking a bit dated vs the price level.
01/02/2017
the manager was oblivious to what it means to provide for the guests, he seemed to forget having guests is a privilege that requires expectations to be met
10/30/2016
Great jungle and beach setting. Would return in high season when more services were available.
07/04/2016
Need better pillows, otherwise very comfortable. Very charming and peaceful place.
05/09/2016
Hotel Cariblue was pretty disappointing. We knew it was a lower-end hotel, but the staff was not nearly as personable and much of the hotel looked deserted/slightly rundown. The room was fine, but the pool area was dirty and not maintained (the pool bar was never open, but there were a bunch of empty beer bottles sitting there for several days). The complimentary breakfasts were not very good, either. In hindsight, I wish we had stayed at a less "luxurious" place in town.
02/28/2016
Excellent location ..friendly staff....good restaurant
02/10/2016
Awesome Place!!! Loved it!!
09/05/2015
It was very good, I am glad we stayed here.
05/05/2015
Excellent staff and experience
02/16/2015
Want to especially call out Oscar - the bartender - for his good service and friendliness.
01/17/2015
We really enjoyed this hotel and its welcoming and forthcoming staff.
