Villa Caletas

I will start my review with the worst experience I had after having my wedding and engagement ring get STOLEN while vacationing here as a warning to others who might think about removing their precious jewelry for even a second. My overall review of the place follows and is quite extensive but thought I’d forewarn everyone first. Our Costa Rican experience was great but our good review of the hotel came to a screeching halt and turned negative when my wedding and engagement ring were both STOLEN from my makeup pouch that I had accidentally left out in the bathroom. It was humid and my fingers were swollen and I was breaking out from wearing my rings so I took them off when we got back to the room and put them in a small black jewelry bag and put them in my makeup bag in the bathroom. I forgot to lock my bag up in the safe when we went out. When we got back in the room it was late and we were busy packing as we had a 7am flight the next morning and had to be up at 3am so I forgot to look to make sure my rings were there. When I got home and unpacked, my little black bag that had my rings was missing from my makeup bag. I had put the bag in my purse when I packed so I was sure that I hadn’t lost it in transit but I still ravaged through my bags and found nothing. I panicked and immediately tried to call the hotel and the person I spoke to told me I had to call Fredericko the manager. I could barely wait to call back when he was in and when I did they said he was gone for the night and they asked me to send him an email. I immediately did but got no response so I called back again the next morning and spoke to a lady in the concierge department and she informed me that he was out on vacation but told me to write to the front desk supervisor and gave me his email. I wrote the email and got a response days later from Rodrigo saying that he had asked housekeeping and they said they hadn’t taken the rings. So my rings just magically disappeared on their own! I was pissed off and still am as I still have not heard back from the manager and it’s going on 2 weeks. The lack of empathy and the fact that someone would go through someone’s property and steal something as precious as a wedding and engagement ring left me appalled. I would never go back to an establishment like this that does not vet their employees because clearly someone there is a thief. I still cannot get over my rings getting stolen and the devastation that my husband and I feel. We were there to celebrate my birthday only for that whole experience to be ruined. I would advise anyone against wearing any jewelry or carrying it with you. My rings were in no way cheap and it’s not even the cost that hurts as much as what they meant and symbolized. I have never felt such regret at going anywhere as much as I do going to Villa Caletas. Our experience going to the airport to catch our flight back home was not pleasant either. We had to confirm our transportation with the concierge the night before to ensure that they would be able to pick us up at 4am to leave for the airport. The guy at the concierge told us that we could check out that night to avoid wasting time in the morning since we had such an early flight. When we went to the front desk to talk to the supervisor Rodrigo he said that we had to wait until morning which didn’t make any sense at all. We then told him to make sure that he sent the golf cart to come and pick us up at 3.30a so that we would have enough time to check out. Well that did not happen and we were stranded and did not know what to do as we had luggage to carry and the front desk was too far to walk to and it was dark. We tried calling the front desk and concierge but the lines were down from the rainy storm the night before. We felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. Fortunately for us, the driver who was picking us up went to the front desk and was told our room number and came to our rescue. This set us back because he then had to drive us back to the front desk to check out which took an extra 25 minutes. When we asked the front desk guy why no one came to pick us up he said that there was no note about us being picked up and he only learnt about us going to the airport when the driver showed up. We would have missed our flight due to the front desk supervisor refusing to check us out the night before and not doing his job. My advice, check out the night before if you have an early flight! The driver had to compensate for the delay as we hit traffic with big trucks all over the road. He was driving fast in the dark as we had to drive an hour and a half away which was a little scary and nerve wrecking. We made it just in time with 10 minutes left to spare which was a close call. On to my review of the place. My husband and I stayed here from July 1st to the 4th and were there celebrating my birthday. We arranged for transportation to and from the airport to the hotel which took about an hour and a half and was $110 each way. We had booked an ocean view room with a private pool but when we got there the room they gave us did not have an ocean view. We went back to the front desk and I showed the manager an email that I had received from reservations confirming that we indeed booked an ocean view room. Since they were out of the type of rooms we had booked, we were upgraded to the honeymoon suite which had an ocean view, a private pool and a Jacuzzi. We were very grateful and really enjoyed the views from the balcony and the room but were made to feel like we were being done such a big favor! I booked an ocean view so that's what I expected. The room was however far and removed from the rest of the resort so we had to call the front desk anytime we wanted to go to the restaurant or leave our room or get back to it. If you want to have access to the restaurant and other amenities at the hotel this might not be ideal for you. It took them 5-10 minutes to pick us up with the golf cart when we called the front desk. We walked once using a shortcut through the other rooms and it took us about 20 minutes but it was up a major hill so you are better off calling for the ride especially in that humidity. The guy who mostly picked us up from our room was called Henry and he was very friendly. The weather was quite humid as it was rainy season but we were fortunate that it only rained and stormed on our last day. The hotel has a small souvenir shop at the concierge but we found them quite pricey and were glad we didn’t get any souvenirs from there as we were able to get them in the nearby town for a lot cheaper. There is also a small private beach that you can venture into and the hotel’s four-wheel drive pick-up truck will take you there and there’s no charge for the ride there. It’s one heck of a bumpy ride and there’s not much to do there. It’s not quite a beach as there’s really no sand, just rocks and water and you can’t get to the water easily. They have a little kitchen that is part of the hotel that you can order food and drinks from and beach chairs that you can lay on and they give you towels. There’s an amphitheater at the hotel that you can watch the sunset from and it is open to everyone even people who are not staying there. We ate lunch at the restaurant the day we arrived and it was good but a little bit on the pricey side and portions were not that big. I had a meat dish, my husband had a chicken dish and we both ordered a mixed drink and one desert and the bill was about $75. We had breakfast which was not anything fancy except eggs, toast, some slices of bacon and orange juice and that cost about $30. Dinner was okay, we found that lunch was a lot better and was also highly overpriced. We met a couple from Texas who told us to avoid the fish as it wasn’t that great but we didn’t taste this ourselves. They also complained about being charged $30 for a shot or two of tequila. We had read some reviews which had mentioned carrying your own drinks so we took that advice as you are allowed to bring in 1.5 liters of alcohol per person into the country. There was a mini fridge in the room so we were able to take some of their drinks out and put ours in. It is definitely worth leaving the resort and going into town if you are staying here for a couple of days as there’s a lot to see and do in town. We ventured into Jaco town to check out the area and it was so worth it. You do however have to pay the hotel for a shuttle which was $40 round trip and the town was only 20 minutes away which seemed like a rip-off. The driver dropped us off and then we had to look for a phone to call the hotel back to have the driver come and pick us up as our US phones didn’t work there. You have the option to tell the driver when to come back and pick you up which is what we tried to do but he insisted on asking us to call the hotel when we were done instead of him coming back after a couple of hours. Fortunately, we were able to borrow a waitress’s phone at a bar we went to and called the hotel. We were in Jaco town for about 4hrs and it was plenty of time to walk down the strip, visit the restaurants, souvenirs shops and the beach. There are a lot of restaurants and bars in Jaco town and we enjoyed eating traditional Costa Rican food at a very reasonable price. We went to one of the local restaurants for lunch and got huge plates of food for $6 each which was a big difference in price in comparison to Villa Caletas and it was tasty as heck as well. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t take any of the food back for dinner as the hotel does not provide a microwave in the room and my guess is so that you can buy their overpriced food. We also saw other hotels/condos/hostels that one can stay in that are close to the beach and to the action that one can walk to in Jaco town. If you want to venture out on your own and enjoy what Costa Rica has to offer you should consider staying in Jaco town. Villa Caletas is overpriced perhaps because of some of the views you get to see so if this is what you are going for then this is the place for you.

From the welcome to the good bye, this place is pure magic. Build on a hill, within the jungle, overlooking all sides of the sores around Jaco. I've been fascinated by it exquisite style in Colonial Style, from the general buildings and villas to the last rock. Everything has been created with love and lot's of effort. It feels very exclusive from he very first moment and never disappoints. We had dinner twice at sunset from the patio of the incredible restaurant. The chef really mastered it's cuisine Breakfast is at the same restaurant and the food is the perfect wake up for the day. You can really relax and unwind there, either in the infinity pool with awesome views, the excellent spa with great massages and the lovely beach area with full service. Just a bit more sandy beach is missing there Overall we felt like Moviestars in the exotic paradise

Okay first I've been many places and this was the most romantic place I've ever been. It's exactly what my husband and I needed from a last few stressful months. It's something about that rainforest that is absolutely magical! The views from our suite which was huge was unbelievable. We stayed in the 80's building with the big veranda and private jacuzzi the building also has a private swimming pool just for the 80's building. When we walked into that room the size alone had us amazed! Opening up the curtains every morning to that wall of windows which looked out onto the rainforest and the bay was absolutely breathtaking! I did not want to leave yesterday. Please try the passion spa treatment for two it might be a bit pricey for some but it was totally worth it. We received three treatments which took about three hours but it's outside in the rainforest you hear nature omg it's nothing like I've experienced before. The food is superb the best food I've ever had the chefs are definitely 5 star all the way. It will probably be the best meal you've ever had. I am a real foody and when I read the reviews before we went and others said it was the best food they've ever had I said well I'll be the judge of that. They were right! The food is cook to perfection. Please if you have a chance visit this resort the people are so kind, you will not be disappointed!!

We loved it here! If you get a room no8 consider yourself lucky. Loved the view and waking up to it. The vibe by the infinity pool is great - the music, the view, ice coffee & drinks. Really liked the morning weekend yoga - complimentary and also enjoyed the complimentary face scrub. Good food in the restaurant, clean room, lovely staff. Plus I really appreciate their sustainability efforts.

We did a 4 night stay via a Groupon we bought. Everything went smoothly and well worth the money! We stayed in a suite with a private infinity pool with a partial ocean view. The room and pool/patio area were amazing and so was the view. The staff was extremely friendly and very helpful. The concierge was helpful for setting up tours and activities through local businesses. I would definitely revisit this place again and have recommended it to several friends. A couple of things caught us off-guard that I want to mention, but this is in absolute no-way a criticism of the hotel. The hotel and staff were absolutely amazing. These are just tips that others may find helpful in their trip. First, we went in June, which is the rainy season and the pools were pretty chilly and I had a difficult time acclimating to them. I didn't expect that so just be aware depending on the time of year you go. Also the hotel is wonderfully secluded up a mountain surrounded by rain forest. Unless you have a car or procure transportation, you will have to eat at the restaurant there in the hotel (There are two but only one was open). The food, while absolutely delicious, is a bit pricey at the restaurant, so just be prepared. The private beach is beautiful, but it is more of a rocky beach. Again these are not criticisms, but rather some helpful hint for those lucky enough to find themselves staying at this wonderful place!