Bistro, Coffee Shop & Pizzeria Cantarana, Playa Grande Guanacaste

We had an incredible stay at hotel Cantarana. J-J and Georgia at the front desk were incredibly helpful and kind. The morning restaurant staff were always a delight to start the day with, and Mario made sure we had a good time and meal in the evening. The rooms are wonderfully clean, quiet (including the AC) and private. The food is delicious and a nice variety. We loved how close were to the beach, which is quiet and devoid of too many tourists.

Amazing place. Only accessible by a long road that doesn’t really lead anywhere else so it’s incredibly peaceful. Even so, still has a great choice of restaurants within walking distance or a short drive away. Beach is beautiful with hardly another soul on it, but the hotel can still provide all the amenities you need. Probably the best place I stayed during two weeks in Costa Rica. Wish we had spent more time here!

Besides losing electricity multiple times saying they wouldn’t be able to make our breakfast, the service was outstanding. And with the blessing of electricity we were able to get our food as well! It was DELICIOUS. I highly recommend the omelet (I think it’s the first thing on the breakfast menu). Gorgeous place that is covered and has fans but was also an open balcony with pretty views! This cafe was walkable from our rental house, we went almost every morning for breakfast! Staff was so friendly, welcoming and food was super yummy compared to other places within walking distance— or without having to take the boat across to tamarindo.

Just left after 3 night stay at Cantarana. Loved the customer service and very wonderful communication. I appreciate the communication even before I arrived, made everything easier and smooth. Room was spacious and clean but my only complaint was the fact that I was below the restaurant (room 5) and noise from above began before 7:30am daily . I Loved the private entrance to the beach and the private 3 hour set up they offer for $35. Dinner and breakfast were both good and overall I was very pleased.

The staff at Hotel Cantarana took great care of me during my stay. They helped me with everything I needed, including rides, directions, suggestions, and answered my endless questions. I would highly recommend staying here. The room is clean and the beds are really comfortable. The environment is both fun and relaxing.

The Good|The staff was truly the highlight of the trip. Gerson was absolutely incredible — sweet, endlessly helpful, and an amazing support. Both Andrea and Yorya, who we saw less of were also very helpful. Playa Grande beach is amazing, and the perfect place to learn to surf, if you're interested. Ask for Chico. He was a great teacher, as was the Pacific Ocean. Our stay was overall very good. The beach is also fairly private and relaxed. Not a ton of people, a few surfers, a few families. We felt absolutely fine leaving our stuff on the beach and walking the 400m into the water when the tide was out. And if you can take in the sunset or the stars on Playa Grande and not feel something, then you're not alive.|The food at the restaurant was solid, the nearby Mar Azul became our go-to for a meal away, and if you're looking for an interesting social experiment the Hotel Grateful is a short walk away. There's also a very helpful little minimart/bodega just up the road.||The Not-So-Good|The main issue I wish had been flagged for us before was the power and water outages. My partner and I both have family in the region, so we weren't surprised, but it would've been great if guests were A) warned ahead of time when possible, and B) if the hotel was adequately staffed to be more on top of the backup generator, and even invested in a cistern or some other way to ensure the water stayed on for those periods. The people who work there work hard, but there's not enough of them to handle these things, and there isn't anyone on the desk at night time. It wasn't great, coming back to the room at 10 or 11, starting a shower and then being covered in soap/shampoo/conditioner and the water being out until the morning.|A note that while the restaurant is great and there are lots of great other food options, the prices and the quality of food (especially the dreadful and dreadfully expensive smoothies) at the cafe are absolutely criminal. Don't spend your money there.|Lastly, Cantarana says they're an eco-hotel, and as such only clean the rooms every other day. That's something we would have loved to know beforehand. It's a ridiculous policy when they ask (as many places in the region ask) you to not flush the toilet paper down the toilet, and instead put it in the very small waste bin they've got. So imagine the bathroom if you've got 35 degree/100 degree heat, and a waste bin full of used toilet paper in the sweltering heat, and they only take out the garbage every other day? Doesn't make sense. To say nothing of just cleaning the floors and making the bed. You don't have to change and wash the linens or towels every day, but doing simple housekeeping isn't an eco issue, it's a staffing issue. Whoever owns the hotel is too cheap or greedy to pay for the rooms to be cleaned every day, is the bottom line.

I went several times to the bistro and the staff is very kind. They make you feel welcome and check on you as well. The place is very stylish and offers live music on Saturdays which I highly recommend. Last Saturday there was a traditional band playing and it was very great.The food is good but the cocktails aren’t so good.

Went for the restaurant. Seated a group of 8 with late notice which was nice. The food itself was insanely expensive while also being terribly disappointing. The tuna appetizer was good by virtue of being simple, but everything else was filled with regret. We had no choice of where to go for food as everywhere else was booked & still wished we’d chosen differently. Food also took over half an hour from ordering to be delivered. The chimichurri steak was a 6 piece gray filet with a single pencil line of sauce on top. At least the fries were alright, for $25 that’s not a good feeling to have.