Hotel Banana Azul

The grounds are lush and lovely and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Diana at the front desk is a treasure. The restaurant is okay. Very slow service. Food is fine. The star of the place is Michelle, the masseuse. Great hands, responsive to my request to target specific areas, and talented. She is light years above a typical resort masseuse. Wow!

The grounds are lush and beautiful. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Diana at the front desk is a treasure. The service at the restaurant is very slow. The food is okay. Michelle, the masseuse, is FANTASTIC!!! Light years ahead of most resort masseuses. Great hands, responsive to my request to target certain areas, and very skilled. WOW!!!

Nice little hotel for hanging out - not much to do on grounds or within walking distance except hang out. (Can taxi to activities.) Not a good beach for swimming, bad currents. Tiny community pool! Tiny plunge pool in villa. Beautiful grounds, and the villas are spacious, clean and a desirable spot for chillin’ out. Great value for the cost. Front desk staff pleasant and responsive. Restaurant wait staff pleasant but not responsive, even for simple requests like a refill of water.

We had a one-night stay in the Dolphin Room and then decided to stay a second night. Our second night was in Ocean Three. There were kitchen odors in Ocean 3 - especially on the patio. But other than that the stay was fantastic. The grounds are gorgeous. The staff is super friendly. I had the best massage of my life with Michelle. The beach is spectacular and is under a one minute walk from the hotel. If you're looking for five star accommodations, this hotel is not it. But, if you like a smaller hotel (24 rooms) surrounded by natural beauty and you're ok with slightly rustic, you'll love this place as we did.

Truly beautiful resort. The fresh fruit for breakfast every morning was an amazing way to start off the day. Beachfront. Spacious rooms. The staff was friendly and attentive. Oscar and Laura are very genuine, funny, attentive and truly just great people. Those 2 made our stay a highlight. It was during rainy season, so I spent time at the bar/restaurant area and was happy to do so with those 2 working. Highly recommend. Word of advice, tip your servers in cash!!

I stayed at Banana Azul for 5 days for my birthday in July. Every staff member was great. I had trouble with flight delays and they were so understanding and responsive. Right on the beach and close to the main town. Great for someone wanting a resort experience with the option of exploring the town and country. Waze won’t tell you but when you arrive they have a parking lot to the left. Very safe, I was solo traveling and even felt comfortable driving around after dark. Bradley the bartender and Diane at the front desk were great!

What a lovely surprise!  We have stayed in four different hotels in Costa Rica and  after reading some of the reviews we were nervous about our upcoming stay - would the rooms be mouldy and have corrugated plastic ceilings, would the staff ignore us, would the beach and the pool be dirty? On arrival, we were warmly greeted and helped by Diana at Reception. We enjoyed a delicious (and free) Rum Hiel welcome drink.  We immediately felt at home and throughout our two night stay, the staff have without exception been attentive, friendly and helpful. We have a standard middle upstairs room, which is wood lined and beautiful with a large fan keeping it cool and fresh.  It has a huge and private wooden balcony looking onto the beautiful gardens.  Yes it is part of the same structure as other balconies but the balconies are completely separated from each other by wooden shutters and you can enjoy the whole (large and well furnished) space in complete privacy. You can walk to the beach barefoot from our room in less than a minute.  The sand, which is black, is as soft and fine as white sand and the location is beautiful.  We saw children playing in the water a little further along the coast, but like many beaches here, there are strong currents, meaning great care is needed.  Yes, as one review notes, the cushions on the loungers on the beach are a bit small, but with the clean and thick soft beach towels we barely noticed. The pool in the garden is small, and clean. Whether you choose to spend time laying down or playing volleyball on the beach or in the hotel, the waiters will fill your water bottles or bring your choice of drinks, there are some lovely fruit cocktails, from the bar. Oh, and the food is excellent, service in the restaurant is prompt.  The gardens are beautiful.  During our stay we had no problem with mosquitoes or any other insects. We have been more than happy with everything. In every way, this has been our best hotel experience in Costa Rica.  It has been a beautiful and relaxing way to end our stay here.  We hope to come again!

Had an amazing stay here many years ago. I've never slept better. The rooms were simple but comfortable and well maintained. It's the kind of place where you can really unplug and unwind. I would go back in a heartbeat.