Outdoor pool, sun loungers

Reviews of Alma de Ojochal

3 out of 5
Alma de Ojochal
Calle Perezoso, Ciudad Cortés, Puntarenas

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 86 out of 112 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 21 out of 112 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 112 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 112 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 112 reviews" "

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Agnieszka

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic views, nice very clean room with a spacious covered deck. Very pleased restaurant with simple but surprisingly tasty menu and cocktails.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Alma Crew on Mar 15, 2024
Thank you very much for your review.We hope to see you here in the future.Best wishes to you

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
great view
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Alma Crew on Mar 15, 2024
Thank you very much for your review.Best wishes to you.

10/10 Excellent

Susan, Kingston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Julie was wonderful. The food was delicious. I loved floating in the pool at night & looking at the stars.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Alma Crew on Jan 16, 2024
Best wishes to you this 2024. It was really nice to meet you. Thank you

2/10 Terrible

TODD, HENDERSON

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Booked through Expedia and property was closed. Closes at 9pm and didn't answer their phone between 830-9pm. Charged for a room that we couldn't use. Zero communication from this place. They don't care and Expedia doesn't care.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Alma Crew on Dec 16, 2023
Dear Todd. As you can see the front desk schedule is until 9pm. You booked at 8:45pm, I have here all the info. I sent you all the instructions to get in the room and you never replied to that. We will happy to refund you the money for your stay just asnwer the message we sent you.

10/10 Excellent

Luis, Natick

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great view
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robyn

Traveled with partner
Liked: Amenities
Rooms were clean and modern, good shower and bathroom facilities, with a view for sunrise and wonderful terrace for sunset viewing over pacific. Staff were friendly courteous and helpful, breakfast was delicious and the pool overlooking valleys on both pacific and mountain sides was an incredible place to rest and relax! All for an excellent deal as well!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Alma Crew on Sep 6, 2023
We loved your review. Thank you very much Robyn. We hope to have you here again in the future. Best regards to you.

10/10 Excellent

Marvin

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Alma&Bamboo Room Crew on Jun 26, 2023
Gracias infinitas por venir Marvin. Hasta la proxima

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
No shower, good view
Bed was comfortable, view was great, but stay was unpleasant overall. For the considerable price, no help with luggage. Remote location on dirt road. Mosquitos in room. Loud groaning air conditioner. Weak breakfast of fruit, bottled juice, unseasoned eggs and plain toast woth no butter or jam. They could not break a $100 bill. Worst, we got no shower but a trickle of cold water. No apology or compensation. Don't come here.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023
Response from Alma&Bamboo Room Crew on Mar 9, 2023
Hello, we are sorry to hear about your bad experience. We don't have a staff member assigned only for luggage but we are always happy to help, in your case at check in you said you were able to find your room by yourself which we assumed you didn't need help, we are sorry. Our beautiful views are thanks to the mountainous location of the hotel which is seen and mentioned on all our sites. About the breakfast, not everyone has the same tastes, that's why the food comes out with the necessary need of flavor, if you want more you can always mention it when ordering or requesting salt and pepper, in the same way we don't like food waste so we give extras when requested (butter, jelly, etc). About the 100, during the mornings we have the necessary amount to give changes at check outs, we had 3 that day. About the water situation, communication is always the key to solve a problem. We are sorry for your bad experience and wish you the best.

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Terrific staff and a stunning location made for a relaxing stay at this 5 room hotel. Their fish tacos washed down with a Ginger Zinger are a must try!
Response from Alma/Bamboo Room Crew on Mar 9, 2023
Thank you very much John, we look forward to seeing you in the future with more love, tacos and ginger zingers. Best wishes to you

10/10 Excellent

Sally, CENTENNIAL

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place is absolutely spectacular! The view is beyond amazing. The food was good. The pool was very pleasant. The gardens are gorgeous. The staff was polite but not overly warm.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022
Response from -Alma Crew on Jan 2, 2023
Thank you very much for your nice review. We hope to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Allen was amazing, the room is comfortable, the pool was great, the breakfast was delicious & we would definitely return!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Alma/Bamboo Room Crew on Mar 9, 2023
Thank you for being part of our family, see you next time.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great getaway!
Great little get away spot. Quiet, extremely clean,friendly staff. View is good on the ocean but not as good as some other hotels in the ares.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The drive up is a bit hairy,but very worth the time. Fantastic staff. Great place.
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mark, Ham Lake

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Highly recommend for the views and location. Beautiful property. Owner and staff were fantastic. Restraunt on site was an added bonus.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Aleesa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful Hotel! Loved staying there!
This was one of the best hotels we've stayed while visiting Costa Rica. This hotel is privately owned by John & Janet and they were amazing hosts. The breakfast in the morning was incredible. The on-site resturant was amazing. Shout out to both Geiner and Yuly who made our stay great. We loved our room and watching the wildlife every morning right outside our balcony. I would highly recommend this hotel.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Catherine

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The most peaceful location, truly beautiful view. Woke up to Toucans, parrots and woodpeckers right by my balcony. Breakfast made to order, good coffee, crystal clear pool.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Janet on Feb 7, 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to review. We truly appreciate your words and look forward to host you in the future. It is a magical place here that we too pinch ourselves to be able to enjoy.

10/10 Excellent

Samantha

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022
Response from Janet on Feb 8, 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to review! We enjoyed hosting you!

8/10 Good

ben

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Three Night Stay
Beautiful spot with nice, comfortable rooms. There was a sloth hanging out the first day. Nice pool! AC! The owner John is a really good and cool guy, I liked his company. The only negative- I booked a three night stay and came to find out the second day, the kitchen was closed. The property is remote and not easy to access food. I was aggravated enough by it where I booked transportation the for next day and left early.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Janet Chantry on Jan 21, 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to review the hotel. I would like to clarify a few things. First the kitchen is open daily for the included breakfast served to guests however the restaurant the Bamboo Room is open Friday thru Monday noon till 9 pm. Since the restaurant is not open every day there is also a brand new covered bbq area for guests to use and staff is on site to assist. Also we always highly recommend having your own transportation. Not only is there top rated restaurants a mile away, but most sites to visit like waterfalls etc are visited with a vehicle. We advertise our restaurant hours so it’s surprising that you didn’t note this and we got penalized for this oversight.

10/10 Excellent

Kathrin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay, rooms are clean with modern bathrooms. The live music in the evenings is amazing too! Thanks John for having us ☺️
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Janet Chantry on Jan 21, 2022
Thanks so much for your review. We truly appreciate it. Hope to have you visit us again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Yoko

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Place to be
Great staff, amazing view, nothing bad to tell you!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021
Response from Janet on Feb 7, 2022
Thank you so much for staying with us. We truly enjoyed hosting you and hope to do so in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Renee

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Annie

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay in paradise
It was amazing! Beautiful room and the view, oh my god!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

CindiyJan, San Mateo, CR

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
La Alma de Ojochal is a lovely boutique hotel! We stayed for four nights and enjoyed every minute. We enjoyed a live show with Ken and John and a live show performed by Shorty Hills while we were there. The room was comfortable (the bed was heavenly) and the newly remodeled bathrooms were gorgeous! Our favorite spot was the balcony where we enjoyed a serenade by 8 toucans 15 meters away. Scarlet Macaws cruised in the early morning and a lot of other beautiful bird species entertained us. The breakfast by José was AMAZING and our friend Alan made sure we were taken care of. The pool area is beautiful. The owner, John, is kind and welcoming. I would give him an A as a host. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with him. He is also an EXTREMELY talented musician! We live in San Mateo, CR, and have traveled extensively throughout the country. La Alma de Ojochal is our new home away from home in the Southern Zone! We will be back! Thank you John, Janet and staff for a wonderful experience! 😘❤️
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Doron

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cozy, super clean, amazingly comfortable
We were honored to be Alma Ojochal's first guests since the pandemic. John and Janet received us with open arms (or elbows actually, since we maintained social distancing). We were there for 1 night, but it was fabulous. Each room has a balcony with ocean view. The bed and pillow were extremely comfortable. Pool area was awesome! Looking forward next time to catch one of their live music shows
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely setting with good food and excellent service. Live, local music Wed-Sat. A great time!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Brendon, Knoxville

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Gorgeous view, friendly staff, tranquil, lots of birds. Great music at the Bamboo Room.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mike

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My favorite place to stay in the area!
This is my favorite place to stay in the area! You cannot beat the location! The views are stunning in every direction, the pool is awesome, the food is amazing, the rooms are very comfortable, the live music is always super fun and the owners are great people! I highly recommend staying at least two nights to enjoy the whole experience!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

L, Costa Rica

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful place. Great service. Good food. 4wd only
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
I liked where it was located but I didn't like the steep hill where the hotel was located. Getting in and out was a bit of a challenge.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely spot, great service
Lovely spot, great service
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Allan on Mar 30, 2019
Thanks We hope to see you again Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Bethany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous property with views, music and food
We had a great 3 night stay at alma de Ojochal, the room was wonderful, comfy king size bed, view of the jungle looking over the ocean, super clean, fridge and coffee maker in the room. I saw each morning and watched the birds fly outside of my balcony... so relaxing. The hotel is connected to the Bamboo House that has music 7 nights a week, no worries you cant' hear it from your room, food and music are great. Pool is nice and breakfast is included... great price for a wonderful property!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Marni, Riverside, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a great time at this boutique hotel. John and Janet are the owners and are very personable. The staff seems to really care that you have a nice experience and everyone works together. Owner John also plays music at the on-site restaurant, The Bamboo Room, and we had a great time eating dinner and listening to music in this open air restaurant. Overall had a very pleasant stay and will return again if we go back to Costa Rica.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Dan, New mexico

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great staff. Good restaurant and bar. Good bar entertainment. Good breakfast. Great view of ocean. Road to hotel is 1/2 mile and dirt and requires a 4wd, but well worth it.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Tim, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This place was amazing, John and Janet are the best hosts ever. If you want to enjoy a secluded, private hotel, great staff, great food, this is your place to stay. There’s only 5 rooms at this great hotel so it’s very private, you get to enjoy a beautiful view of the jungle and beach from your patio. John and Janet can help you with any tours you would like to do. There Bamboo room has a live band every night. I can say much more about this hotel and staff but if you’re traveling to Costa Rica, you should come find out yourself. Thank you John and Janet, you made our trip to Costa Rica a memorable one.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great boutique hotel in every way.
Wonderful views of the ocean and the mountains from our room as it had windows and terraces facing both . Great bar and restaurant on site with beautiful sunset view. Live entertainment with requests from guests welcome. Hospitable owners and staff. Very close to a beach where turtles nest and we were lucky enough to see some released to the ocean !
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ellie, Wilmot, NH

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely, quiet hotel with stunning views.
We stayed 4 nights at Alma de Ojochal and enjoyed each one. Owned by Canadians, the hotel price includes breakfast with lots of fruit, eggs any style, coffe and juice. The eating area overlooks the Pacific Ocean, a beautiful garden and a pool. You can also have dinner there. The area is very convenient to all the activities in the Ballena area. John and Janet, the owners, will help you find your way to anywhere you want to go. John is also a musician and plays at the adjacent night club almost every night. Fun place to go with great drinks and dinner if you want it too. Fortunately, there is no sound that seeps into the units at the hotel. Something to note - when you approach the very steep but short driveway to the hotel for the first time, it can be a bit daunting. But after you do it once (put even your automatic rental car in low), it will be easier and not as scary.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Janet on Dec 22, 2017
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our hotel! We appreciate all reviews so much as we know it takes time to leave them. I agree on the driveway, it's easy after the first go. If some find it too daunting they are welcome to park in the restaurant area. Thanks for choosing us, hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Place
Me and my girlfriend stayed two nights and it was a great experience. I definitely look forward to staying here again!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017
Response from Janet on Nov 14, 2017
Thank you so much for your kind words, we look forward to host you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Tom, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Our new favorite hotel in Costa Rica
My wife and I live in Playa Flamingo on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The last time we ventured south of Dominical on the southern Pacific coast (4 years ago) the road was terrible and we turned back. I'm happy to report the road is now greatly improved - and there is a great new hotel to serve as our destination. It is an intimate setting on the mountainside overlooking the ocean with only five rooms in total. They offer great hospitality, great food, live music every night (also great), and beautiful views of the beaches and surrounding mountains. We spent the morning whale watching and the afternoon at the pool. We definitely intend to go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017
Response from Janet on Nov 14, 2017
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your kind words!

8/10 Good

richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Outstanding location with great view of ocean. Rooms a little tired but owner plans to gut remodel this year - restaurant and bar fun place - entertainment nightly -
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice Mountain/Close-to-the-beach Hotel
Great staff. Love the restaurant food and Jon's live music (very talented). We really enjoy our short stay. I hope to come back.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Jungle escape close to beaches and fun!
This hotel is absolutely stunning, beautiful views, good food and extremely helpful staff. Live music every night at the restaurant. Cannot stress how beautiful the property is and how helpful the staff are. We didn't want to leave.
Response from Janet on Apr 26, 2017
Thank you so much for your kind words. We appreciate you taking the time to review....it means a lot to us as owners and to the staff knowing we are on the right track!

10/10 Excellent

Teresa and Bob, Michigan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good food, good people, good music, good life!
So when we arrived after a long day of travel, we were greeted with a cold beer from the owners Janet and John. We felt an immediate connection with Janet, John, and the entire staff of the resort. The live entertainment, and food were excellent. We stayed for 10 days and met people from all over the world. We had a blast with all the locals. Yes it is possible to get to it with a two wheel drive trust me. There is a lot to do and see in the area. Very much enjoyed our stay. We will be back in the future but maybe as a local. Good food, good people, good music, good life. Thanks Bob and Teresa M.
Response from Janet on Mar 27, 2017
Thanks so much guys! Good people find good people!! Hope to see you back soon!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gorgeous ocean view!
It's a little slice of heaven. Great nightly entertainment, lovely room, gorgeous sunsets. Paradise.
Response from Janet on Apr 26, 2017
Thanks so much! We truly do have a little piece of heaven here and are happy you felt the same. Come back soon!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Romantic Boutique Hotel
The hotel was absolutely beautiful. The owners were Canadian and were so warm and welcoming. They were extremely helpful and made sure we had everything we needed.

10/10 Excellent

2 weeks in CR, Knoxville, TN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely scenic small niche hotel perched on the hil
This was my best hotel in Costa Rica this far. John and his wife are from Canada and are living the dream. Perched on a ridge on a hill, with only five rooms, but a lovely pool and restaurant and bar overlooking the ocean and daily sunsets, this was perfect. I especially loved the daily live entertainment in the restaurant-bar.

10/10 Excellent

Chuck, Tonopah, Arizona

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice ocean view.
The Alma was a great hotel. The breakfast tasted great every morning, the view was awesome being a mile from the Pacific Ocean, but up on a hill so we could see every sunset. The staff was very friendly at the restaurant, and the nightly music was nice to listen to. I would definitely come here again. The Ojochal area is filled with great Tico's, American, Canadian, & European retirees that all get along great. A lot of people speak both English and Spanish in this area which is very helpful to us on vacation. Most menus in this area are in both languages.
Our room view from room #2

10/10 Excellent

Paul, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Doesn't Get Any Better !
My second time here and I wasn't disappointed. I discovered a new way to get there..FLY ! I didn't realize there was an airport nearby..a flight to or from San Jose a mere 20 minutes. The hosts and staff will go out of their ways to ensure your 100% comfort and satisfaction. You can't leave here unhappy! Like the big Austrian guy said, well be back!!
Room with a view!
Peaceful Breakfast.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great view! Awesome restaurant and best staff!
The room has an amazing view from your own private balcony. The owners and staff are highly accomatating and have a great restaurant. Wish we stayed longer!
Response from Janet on Sep 11, 2016
Thank you so much for taking the time to review. We really appreciate your feedback and thank you for choosing us!