Tres Banderas Jungle Hotel

This hotel has filthy rooms. The light switches look like they’ve not been scrubbed since the hotel opened and the walls themselves were full of scuffs and dirt marks. On top of that the room smelled strongly of mildew. The shower had only cold water and also had mold. Bedsheets were stained and the beds were hard as a rock. Even the pillows were lumpy and old. We had two rooms at this hotel and they were both equally bad. The rooms are up several flights of steps. You need to be able to carry your luggage up the steps as there is no elevator nor a ramp. The steps were an issue for one member of our group who has trouble getting around. The pool was cloudy which means that it was probably not safe to swim in it. We didn't even try as it just looked kind of gross. The hotel is not convenient. It is on a narrow road with no sidewalks or shoulders so you can't walk anywhere. Plus it is up a steep, narrow drive. We had trouble getting our Uber drivers to come up the driveway to pick us up even though one of the people in our group had mobility issues. I will say that the kitchen, which was open to see did look clean. They served a decent but small breakfast. You got one egg and rice and beans. If you wanted a second egg there was an extra charge. I’ve traveled all over the world and this was by far the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. If we had been able to, we would have changed hotels but as it was Christmas we couldn’t find anything that was available nearby. I am sure that the hotel will respond to this review with some kind of snarky comment about how wonderful they are and how wrong this review is. However, if you look at the majority of recent comments you will see that the hotel is truly awful.

do NOT stay at the Tres Banderas Hotel. I have traveled to over 30 countries with some of my trips staying in budget accommodation and hostels across europe and asia. this hotel has to be in the bottom 5% of all places that I have ever stayed. We stayed for 2 nights and would have left right away but it was december 25-27th and everything else was booked, so we had no choice. I stayed with my mom and sister. I had one room and they shared another. their room was absolutely disturbing. They had mold growing from the walls and every surface looked covered in dirt. They had no hot water and the whole room smelled like mold. My room was slightly better but still looked worn, old, and dirty. the sheets and bedding were thin and old (also generally it always throws me off when the bedding is not white or at least solid colored). The pool also had cloudy looking water and every chair around it was old and broken. The only thing that we did like here was the restaurant which served good food at decent prices. The kitchen was open air so I could see that at least that was clean. The included breakfast was also good. The staff were friendly. I know that they will comment something nasty on this review (seeing that they seem to comment on anything posted negative) but that is fine. It honestly proves my point and makes them look worse to see how defensive they are. you can also view my other posts to see that I review things accurately and fairly. But bottom line, do not stay here and if this is your only option, it’s probably better to skip the whole trip than to stay here.

Upon arrival, we were informed that the pool was unavailable due to repairs and were offered a larger room instead. When we entered, we found it contained a king-size bed and a single bed—an arrangement that did not suit us, as we are two friends who had specifically preferred separate double beds. We also noticed significant mold throughout the room. When we raised this with reception, we were told it was likely just an old paint job and assured that the cleaning staff cleaned daily. When I pointed out that the mold was on the ceiling and asked if staff cleaned ceilings, the response was dismissive. I was asked whether the issue was causing breathing problems, as though it would only matter in that case, and told it was probably mildew. I explained that mold can cause health issues over time, but no investigation was made. Instead, we were offered another room, which I accepted. At first glance, it appeared to have less mold, but as we stayed longer, we discovered more, given the room’s larger size. We had booked three nights but decided to leave after the first. The next morning, at around 8:50 a.m., we attempted to check out and speak with reception to request a refund for the remaining two nights. No one was present, and the kitchen and cleaning staff explained that the receptionist arrives at varying times each day. Unsure when he would be available, we left to continue our day and returned around 2 p.m. At that time, we were told we could only be reimbursed for one of the two nights, as we had missed the checkout deadline and should have simply left our keys—something we had not been informed was an option.

A surprise! This felt initially like it might have been a mistake. But, the food was superb at lunch and dinner time. The chefs and especially the bar man/waiter were fantastic. The room, room 1, had good views and was very clean and comfortable. ||When it rained it was noisy with dripping onto the metal roof long after the rain had stopped, which would be helped if the gutters were cleared! A couple of bad nights with little sleep resulted. But the view of monkeys and other wildlife was good.||The pool was nice, when there were no divers in it, and although the drive / steps are steep there is a bus stop very nearby making it accessible to nearby shops and restaurants. Definitely worth a few days, especially with the catamaran tour and the national park being so close and do try the tuna!

I would skip booking here. Rooms are old and holds significant mildew and mould on the walls and ceiling. You will find dead bugs in your sheets. Was too worried about the hygiene level to use the pool. One of my family members broke out into hives. Not worth staying here for any price, honestly. The hotel is located high up on a hill and then up many steps. If you have any rolling luggage, it will be a challenge. To get anywhere, You'll have to bus or taxi because the narrow 2 way road is way to dangerous for you to walk comfortably, even though town is within close walking distance.

Unfortunately, had issues during our stay: Positives: The staff were friendly, and helped us to try and solve a major issue we had during our stay (will explain soon). The people working at the restaurant, Papugami, were nice and the food there was delicious! There was AC in the hotel room. Minor issues: We stayed at the Villa with 6 beds. The villa is old and slightly run down. Stains inside on the walls/ceilings, paint chipping, and some tiles missing on the outside. It seems they are aware of this and are working to fix it. Some stuff does not work inside or works strangely. Both TV’s were not working properly, the upstairs sink works weirdly The villa was not the cleanest when we arrived. Found some dead bugs on the floor and a crumbs on some beds. The owner lives next to the villa and has a large Akita dog. The dog barked very loudly at night, and would also sometimes wander the property without a leash. This was uncomfortable for some of us due to his and the dog not seeming the friendliest. Major issue: There was a terrible smell in the room that occurred in the 2nd day. Like an animal died somewhere in the room. We told the staff, and they took it seriously and tried to help us. We couldn’t find the source of it, but they did get a temporary solution which helped for 5-6 hours. the smell came back in the night. Ultimately, I can not recommend staying at the Villa in the hotel until this smell is removed and more remodeling is finished. Other rooms may be better experiences.

Located on the single road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio, the hotel is easy to get to and there's a bus that runs both ways every few minutes. My room, a suite on the second floor, was spacious and clean. Basic amenities like hot water and AC all work fine and the free breakfast was nice. The check-in process could have been smoother. The reception is a room and very strangely, only one guest is expected to be inside at any given time. It's not like we're trading our bank account numbers so this seemed unnecessary and slows things down. I was also told my booking was atypical and I'm not sure what to make of that. I booked through Agoda and it was supposed to be prepaid but the receptionist said something like, "even if you have paid, if it doesn't show up on our end, I can't let you in." That just felt standoffish like I was trying to pull something. Good customer service would be something like, "there seems to be some issue on my end, but I'm sure we'll figure it out together and get you situated." I'm hoping that was a singular incident and overall, everything was still nice so I can cautiously recommend the hotel.

We felt like we were at a fancy resort! The property was beautiful and the staff was so friendly and helpful. We took a dip in the pool and enjoyed their happy hour. The bartender made some excellent cocktails. Breakfast was also delicious and made to order. Be prepared for the crazy driveway entrance! It’s steep and on a busy road but it didn’t end up being an issue.