Sep 04, 2014

 

Arriving in Uvita, Costa Rica, your options for accommodations are rather limited. Before leaving Manuel Antonio, we decided to give the Tucan Hotel a try and reserved our usual two night stay.

From the street and even their driveway, the property is quite unassuming. However, upon entering the open-air hotel, you are instantly
taken to a different place. Sporting a more eclectic ambiance, the tie-dye accents, paper lanterns covered in shag, the cozy hammock platform surrounded by a rock garden, and the murals on the walls, the hotel promotes a relaxed and chill vibe throughout. In creating such a peaceful environment, what ties the physical elements together is the excellent music selection. To start your morning you are greeted with a light and airy classical selection to set your day on the right path. As the day goes on, their eclectic playlist only further sends you into a truly rested and refreshed state.

Amenities

The hotel offers private rooms with private baths, some with AC for an additional $1 per night, and small dorm rooms with shared bathrooms, which all line the common area and restaurant seating area and additional space in the rear for tent camping. Nearly all of the private rooms have at least one bunk bed along with some form of a double bed. In our case, we had two bunk beds with the lower bed of one bunk being a double. Another private room had one bunk bed and one double bed. The dorms are all two-bunk rooms. With all of the rooms being right on the common area, one might think that there could be an issue with noise. We found that there was no problem at all with that. This may or may not be the case during the high season, but during the low season, it was fairly quiet. You will certainly find however, that around 7am folks start to stir and there will inevitably be some noise coming from the common area, but nothing that is obnoxious by any means.

The hotel also offers a modest kitchen with fridge, sink, and cook-top. Prep space is limited but we, along with the other guests, simply used the available tables for this task. Next to the kitchen and seating area sits a lovely platform with four hammocks for guest enjoyment. Following this space is the dining area for the restaurant, as well as the reception desk, which doubles as a bar. A pool table and four more hammocks lie just beyond.

Also offered are bike and surf board rentals, free beach shuttle, and the staff are incredibly helpful when it comes to finding free and cheap ways to see the surrounding area.

  

What’s A Guest To Do?

The Tucan Hotel is fairly centrally located in Uvita, making it easier to find things to do. While there aren’t a ton of things to do in Uvita, if you’re willing to do some exploring, you can see some pretty cool things for cheap. By walking 15 minutes away from the main road, you can explore the river, which boasts a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. Take the road just past the cemetary and you will have to pay to hike down to see the waterfall. Skip that road and walk another 5 minutes and hike up the river and see the waterfall for free! Continue across the river into the bamboo forest and check out some awesome swimming holes. As mentioned, the hotel offers free shuttles to the beach, which will cost you $6 to get in. If you’re feeling cheap and adventurous, like us, then you can walk about 30 minutes to the beach and take a small detour through a marshy area that will take you to the beach for free! You will simply just need to be sure that the guards at the park entrance don’t see you when you take the right hand turn off the road a few hundred feet before the gate and be sure that there aren’t any guards patroling the beach in the immediate vicinity that you will emerge from the forest.

All In All…

Based on the chill atmosphere that they offer, our best guess is that the Tucan Hotel is a pretty hopping place during the high season. The hotel also hosts musicians during the annual Best Fest and Envision Music Fest, which takes place in February. While I’m sure that would have been a lot of fun, I’m quite happy with how few people there were staying at the hotel as it made it that much more peaceful and relaxing! No one likes to have to fight for limited kitchen space! If I could go back again however, I would love to be there for the music festivals!

Overall, the Tucan Hotel is in my top 5 favorite hostels so far!

Roam on!

Written by Jen Hays Jen is a marketer with a passion for the digital world and an insatiable desire to travel and explore all that the physical world has to offer; marrying the two to share her experiences with and inspire all who join her along the way. Find her on Google  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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