bajo el arbol

I have spent 5 nights at the rather simple but also cozy and comfortable b&b which is set within this beautiful Garden, a hidden gem with very heartfelt and nice owners! The restaurant has been my best dinner experience in whole Costa Rica, the food is amazingly fresh and Julio is an amazing Chef! Highly recommended to visit for a romantic and great dinner or just a glass of wine

My husband and I dined here and we’re so impressed with the food and service. The dishes were inventive, original, and delicious. We ordered the marinated tuna, marinated sardines, carpaccio catch of the day (marlin), octopus galacian, eggplant, and candied shrimp. All were dishes unlike I’ve ever had before. The ambiance is like a magical garden and the owner was very attentive and helpful when it came to recommendations.

After dining out in a few other common places in Santa Teresa we stumbled upon Bajo el Arbol and had an outstanding dining experience. Everything from the ambiance to the flavors was perfect. The local fish dishes were delicious. Compliments to the wonderful chef and to the charismatic staff! The best place in Santa Teresa in our opinion❤️ (they also serve prepare vegan dishes upon request)

This review is for the restaurant, not the hotel. There are a lot of better places to eat in Santa Teresa, the food here is average at best, the prices are high, and the service from the manager was rude. The waiter provided 2 thin slices of bread and tiny dishes of aioli and tomato dip with some olives at the beginning of the meal, which although a nice gesture was a very small portion. When we asked if we could have some more bread the waitress also offered us some more dips and olives which we accepted. When the bill came all of the ‘extra’ items were listed out, bread, allioli, olivas, tomate. Over 6,000 colones for some extra dips and bread?! No thank you. When we questioned it with the manager he was immediately defensive, and said the first portion was free but everything else he had to charge extra for (not communicated) and why do we expect the bread to be free, (despite him offering the first portion for free) and that we’re not in Europe! There was no attempt to try and resolve the confusion with us and instead he was defensive. A cheap trick, and if you only get 3 customers in an evening probably don’t try and take advantage of them.

We ate at the restaurant and it is truly a can’t miss dining experience while in Santa teresa! A very romantic ambiance with many plants and candles. The staff was exceptional and you could tell they really cared! I would 10/10 recommend. Get the mushroom risotto for sure to balance nicely with a lot of seafood!

This review applies to restaurant only. We had a set of 5 different tapas. Some were very good (aubergine) but most were avarage, really nothing special.

We stumbled upon Bajo El Árbol by chance, and even without a reservation, they arranged a lovely table for us. The owner was exceptionally hospitable. The ambiance was serene and a hidden gem in the bustling Santa Teresa. The food was excellent, and the wine was delightful. Overall, it was a very memorable night.

At first this seemed like a nice place. It has a nice garden patio and it’s somewhat away from the main street. However, the (expat) owners turned out to be scary and almost mentally unwell. They blamed us for the strangest things. Everything went so downhill that we didn’t feel safe there anymore, and told we wanted to leave. Then they became quite aggressive. Apart from that, some of the rooms don’t have airconditioning, there is a lot of noise and it is hard to sleep. Do yourself a favour and stay anywhere but here.