Ballena Dorada Lodge

The property is well equipped, comfortable and good value for the area

It’s close to the main road so a bit noisy

Le deuxième jour il y a eu pas mal de pluie en milieu d'après-midi, nous avons eu la surprise de trouver le sol de notre chambre plein d'eau. Les occupants de l'hôtel nous ont aidé à évacuer l'eau ainsi que nos affaires, malheureusement les sacs à dos étant au sol, quelques affaires étaient vraiment mouillées. Grethel a proposé de laver et sécher les affaires mouillées et nous a proposé une autre chambre, beaucoup plus confortable que la première. Bref super, c'est vraiment un super endroit.

Rien

Les chambres sont mignonnes et la piscine un plus, En revanche l'accueil et la cuisine sont top.

Le ventilateur fait un bruit atroce.

We had a great stay at this hotel. The location is beautiful and up on a hill — we didn’t love that at first, but the amazing view definitely made up for it. The building is nice and cool, and the kitchen space is excellent. Customer service was very good — the staff were friendly, and whenever we needed something fixed, they responded quickly and took care of it right away. The pool area and the pool itself were nice and enjoyable. However, the lodge definitely needs renovation. If you’re looking for a luxury stay, this place is probably not for you. We were not seeking luxury — we were simply enjoying Costa Rica and everything it has to offer. Overall, a very nice experience.

There were several technical issues during our stay. In one room, the toilet flush was not working and there was no water in the sink. We rented five rooms, and each had some kind of problem — cooling units were shutting down, and there were plumbing issues. Be sure to confirm your room has proper air conditioning, as some are offered with fans only. Thankfully, the hotel gave us a discount for all the technical troubles, which we appreciated. Parking was also quite tricky. It is very narrow and right by a cliff, and we were not able to park our SUV there. I’m sure for locals it may not be a problem, but it was challenging for us. One more thing — the second floor is right next to the road, and it gets very loud in the morning. Many people use motorcycles, so after a long, hot day it was not very relaxing.