Excellent place! Friendly staff, very good breakfast buffet and superb swimming pool. The rooms were clean and comfy with decent airconditioning. Supermarket and restaurants at walking distance, the national park would take a bit longer (25 minutes) but still walkable.

It was quite big, with good AC and nice terrace. They prepared all the laundry rags for clothes to dry, and had enough space to unpack and organize your luggage. Breakfast was nice - a buffet. The sitting area was great to every observe many birds (e.g., hummingbirds, Tucans, etc.) and butterflies.

The mattress was too soft. The bathroom is not really designed to be ventilated. Few nights we experienced (which is not depending on the hotel) the loud (very loud) music coming from the neighboring house (locals) close to the hotel, and our windows were facing it. So recommended to take an earplugs ;)

Exceptionally good value-for-money. Small (about 14 rooms), modern, hotel in a good location for visiting various places e.g. Catarata Uvita, Nauyaca Waterfalls, Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge. Many evening dining out options in the local vicinity, although the hotel owner told us there are plans to offer an evening meal option at Ballena Rey very soon. We had room 12: good balcony space, with 2 armchairs, small table top and 2 stalls, cacti at each end of the balcony, ceiling fan; the open plan kitchen and living room area was spacious, with air-conditioning and ceiling fan, 2 armchairs, TV, table and 2 chairs and sufficiently equipped kitchen (though 2 rings for cooking would be preferable to the one ring provided) and good-sized fridge/freezer; spacious shower room with hot water (some of the places we stayed at during our 31 night trip didn't have hot water); bedroom - reasonably comfortable bed, hanging and shelf storage space, air-conditioning and ceiling fan, one bedside table. Very good buffet breakfast - the breakfast ladies did a great job and it was lovely to be able to choose what you wanted, how much you wanted, in what order etc. Very good cleaning service provided in the room and in the hotel grounds. Lovely pool, which we made good use of. And the staff were all very friendly! We really enjoyed our stay at Ballena Rey and were sorry to leave.

Just a small suggestion (I'm being picky!) ... as mentioned above, there was one bedside table. On the other side the space was perhaps too narrow for another. However, perhaps a small shelf could be fitted to provide space for night-time essentials, rather than having to put them on the floor.

We loved our stay at Ballena Rey, had a wonderful time...great value for money...our room was cosy and spotless, beds very very comfy, fab shower, kitchenette and living area with netflix 😀...breakfast was very good and the pool was just lovely. Great location, 20 minutes from national park, 5 minutes walk to a little supermarket and a great restaurant! I was sitting by the pool on the last day watching scarlett macaws and toucans flying by, lots of humming birds and colourful butterfly's on the property also but the best thing of all was the amazing staff, so kind and helpful, helped us with taxis, booking excursions, laundry and anything else we requested so a big thank you BALLENA REY for making our stay incredible, we had the best time and will be back! 👌

Nothing

Our stay at this hotel was fantastic! Although there was a power outage in the city for about 2 hours during our stay, the staff handled the situation incredibly well, reassuring us that it was a common occurrence. The team was extremely friendly and helpful throughout our visit. The rooms were well-equipped, including a small kitchenette, and very spacious. The pool was a perfect way to cool down, and there’s parking conveniently located right in front of the hotel. The beach is just a 10-minute drive away, making it an ideal location for a relaxing stay. The breakfast was excellent, and we also had the option to purchase dinner, which was a great addition. Highly recommended!

I had an amazing stay at this hotel! I actually stayed at this hotel earlier in my travels and loved it so much that I decided to book it again. The room and facilities are great (including a full kitchen and free coffee etc), but probably the best part of our stay was the staff. Not only did they allow us to check in early, but they helped me with so many questions and assisted with booking taxis etc. Another added bonus was the free laundry service, where we dropped off our laundry at the front desk and collected it a few hours later all clean, dry, and nicely folded. Would 100% recommend this hotel and would stay again.

Firstly, the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. I had the pleasure on multiple occasions to interact with the owner who is an extremely friendly man that has a fantastic vision for the property, and how important it is to him for his guest to very much enjoy their stay. If you do not have a vehicle and do not mind a bit of walking, this facility is very well located between the beach, two little shops, and a few restaurants. The bus depot is approximately a 15+ minute walk ( it would be longer if carrying luggage ). I arranged a taxi that drove us to the bus station for a few thousand colòn, very reasonable. The room is extremely comfortable, as was the bed. What was wonderful is there was a safe in the room for passports, cash, electronics, etc., as well as a clothing drying rack. If you had been to the beach or took advantage of the pool, just put it out on the patio and let your clothing dry in the sun. Everything was clean with good water pressure. The pool is quite nice & enjoyable as well. The room had a small stove with plates, cups utensils, pots & pans, a little refrigerator. If you want to shops at the local stores, you can certainly prepare meals and enjoy them in room!!!! I absolutely do not hesitate to recommend this facility to all. We are already planning a return stay next year. Cheers Sas

Very comfortable apartment with basic cooking facilities. Clean throughout and had TV in main area and in the bedroom. Aircon in main area and in the bedroom. Lovely pool and breakfast area - the breakfast was great. Plenty of it and good quality. Lovely to sit on the balcony and watch the birds

There was no bar - it would have been good to be able to sit and have a beer by the pool maybe but we just brought our own from the shop so not a big deal.

Very comfy beds, everything was new and great swimming pool too. Close to the entrance of Marino Ballena NP (about 15min walk).

- Great staff that will go above and beyond to help out (Giannina, Stevan..) - Very clean and well maintained property - Well functioning kitchen - Host (Gilberto) gives exceptional assistance and is very attentive for all the needs. importantly: I need to mention a situation that speaks volumes about the owners philosophy and alacrity to help!! I had a medical emergency in a remote place in CR after I had checked out. I was in urgent need of a medication and that was available in Uvita. The only person I knew was Gilberto and he arranged through his personal connection someone who delivered me a life saving medicine driving four hours on a bike in middle of a rainforest at midnight as the medication had to be administered same day!

With what I mentioned above, personally I think it would be futile to mention anything here!