2 outdoor pools

Reviews of Hotel Villas Gaia

3 out of 5
Hotel Villas Gaia
35KM al Sur de Dominical, En playa de Osa, Ballena, Puntarenas

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 36 out of 103 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 37 out of 103 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 20 out of 103 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 103 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 103 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

6.8/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Our villa was located at the front of the property and there is 24/7 noisy heaven truck traffic on the road not twenty yards away. Also the signs on the main road are tiny and easy to miss. Jose, the manager, was wonderfully accomodating and made up for any other deficits with his helpfulness.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

C

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great little hotel located on the main highway just outside Ojochal. Ambience was jungle perfect with a peekaboo view of the ocean. A good walk from the beach but no problem if you have a car. Truck noise at night was annoying at times. Restaurant and meals were excellent.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness
The propert consists of several different cottages spread throughout the property and offer a great deal of privacy. The staff was very friendly and helpful at the front desk and restaurant. However, the room was fairly dirty. There was a significant amount of mold in the shower and brown stains on the purportedly clean towells. While the floors looked like they had been swept, it also appeared as though it needed a good mopping. Needless to say i was very happy to only have stayed one night there.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great swimming pool!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Joshua

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
VILLA Gaia
The staff were always friendly and helpful. Jose at the front desk was a pleasure. The pool was fantastic with ocean views. The casita we were in was comfortable for the 4 of us, but the AC was super loud and only in one room. Running it kept my daughter from sleeping well, but we didn't really have a choice since the area is so hot and humid. The entrance door to the casita was beautiful, but really hard to lock. It felt a little insecure and left a huge gap when closed that allowed bugs in. The shower was great and hot, and the beds were comfy. All in all, and despite the little things in the room, our stay was enjoyable. I would recommend as an affordable and comfortable option close to Uvita.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Trip to Ojochal.
The place needs lots of repairs. We changed rooms twice. The staff was great. The owner needs to spend money. It's great for seeing monkeys and Toucans.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service
Disregarded my reservation and gave room away
This hotel had my reservation, but gave all their rooms away. When I arrived, they just said sorry we don't have any rooms left. Had to scramble to find a room in the area during very busy holiday season. Also, didn't even process a refund quickly.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Peacefull place, excellent place to relax and share with the family. Nice places around the hotel, like Uvita and Ventanas
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
It's a nice place, the first day we didn't got the room we booked and some stuff was damaged, but everything clean. The next day the woman from the staff was so kind and with the best attitude and change us from room where everything was perfect. Really nice place to stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gustavo, San Jose

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, nice and confort Hotel. Nice pool with great ocean views
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Ray, Minnesota

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The biggest issue was at night there would be cockroaches, lots of ants, and other insects in our room. Considering we were literally staying in the forest we couldn’t be too mad. We were a more adventurous group so we kept with our booking, but I know many people would have asked to change hotels. The location was farther out than we expected so we ended up renting a car. Car rental is a must for this location. The staff was wonderful and very kind. Breakfast each morning was a highlight. The pool was also a great amenity. Our WiFi barely worked in our room so we often just hung out in the community area in the evening.
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everyone was very nice and great service. The grounds were beautiful.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Ideal rainforest villa
Comfortable accommodation with lovely pool area with views to the sea. Lots of wildlife seen from the property
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mary G., Boise, Idaho

Great place to settle for a few days
My husband and I stayed for 3 nights, and enjoyed the beautiful grounds, we especially enjoyed the terrace at sunset looking for wildlife. Toucans and monkeys were there to entertain us. The room had a nice deck to sit on! The staff was helpful and attentive!
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Melissa, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable villa with friendly staff
The hotel was a very nice jungle villa with a pool, comfortable rooms and good breakfast. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The location is ok if you are driving your own car as it is within 5-10 minutes of Ventanas, Piñuela and Uvita beaches. It is close to Tortuga beach.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Randal, Seattle

Disliked: Room comfort
Nice place, but needs better management.
Cottage was in some disrepair: a/c problem, plumbing problem. Kitchenette completely un-equipped. Lighting poor, poorly located. Service spotty. Someone could make this into a great place. Beautiful pool!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Rachel, PA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel, surrounded by pure beauty
The hotel was beautiful. Wonderful scenery, warm pool, helpful and kind staff, and so close to so many great things! Playa tortuga is not a swimming beach but was pretty to walk along.. no one for miles. We rented a car so we drove to nearby beaches (Ventana, Hermoso, Ballena). It is reasonably close to Corcovado, Manuel Antonio.. Near great waterfalls like El Pavon and Nayuayaca. The hotel is right next to the town Ojochal, "the culinary capital of Costa Rica". Great restaurants.. French, German, Canadian owned, etc. The hotel itself had great food too. Never ate lunch but dinner and breakfesr was great! If you are looking to see monkeys, you are in a great spot. Howler and white face monkeys come and go. They can be seen at morning and at night, sometimes in between. The only negative part of the hotel was that our door was not correctly on the hinges so it didn't close properly. Regardless I rate the hotel five stars!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Old room, great restaurant
Friendly staff, room quite old, breakfast ok, dinner was amazing

8/10 Good

Robert, Ottawa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice individual villa. Some could be close to highway. Ask for one by pool. Closed to nature. Very good restaurant

6/10 Okay

Lee, Saskatoon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel - stay away from rooms near the road.
This hotel is quite nice, but has units near then road. These are excessively noisy as they are near the highway. Upon check in, we were told that we had to move to a different unit after our first night. The unit they put us in was meant for a family. It was dated and uncomfortable. The air conditioning didn't work properly and my husband and I had to sleep in the two single beds under the barely functioning air conditioner. Sleeping in the far back room in the Queen bed wasn't even an option. The door to the unit did not close all the way and there was a large gap between the sliding glass doors. We ended up stuffing our own beach blanket in there in an attempt to keep bugs and other critters from coming in. Having to move the next day was not enjoyable due to having to repack everything. The stay in the new unit was more enjoyable but left us with a bit of a negative opinion of this place.

10/10 Excellent

Tricia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel at good value
The hotel and the view of the ocean were beautiful. Nice pool and great food. Right by Osa Penninsula and easy drive to Manuel Antonio.

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Carroll

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyed all, the grounds and views and the food was spectacular!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Convenient location...
It's a good location for a stop from San Jose to the Osa Peninsula. Although the sign is hard to see from the road, especially at night, it's convenient and good staff and food. Had some trouble with my Travelocity reservation and payment showing, but hope that gets better... all in all I would recommend Viallas Gaia to friends and visitors.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great family friendly location.
We have a wonderful time here. The owner, Ana, was very helpful and gracious. She offered personalized suggestions for things to do. The restaurant onsite was wonderful. We would absolutely go here again! One tip to travelers going: get up early and go see the monkeys at breakfast (the monkeys are wild and eat in the trees onsite, but leave and don't return until the next morning).

6/10 Okay

ray

Liked: Staff & service
nice hotel but too close to road
Individual cabinas, private, nice pool , Restaurant food is very good, staff helpful. Only drawbacks are noise from motorcycles and truck Jacob brakes, and beach access is difficult. This latter point is not unusual for the area.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel near the beach... perfect get away and very reasonably priced.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel, good food, and great view!
We stayed here one night on our way further south, but we wished we'd been able to stay longer! Our cabin was really spacious, clean and comfortable with a great front porch. The pool was lovely and relaxing. We ate dinner in the restaurant, and the food was delicious. The only slight drawback is that our cabin was close to the road, so we heard some noise from traffic on the highway, but not too serious. This likely wouldn't have been an issue with the units further away from the road. We also used the laundry service, which was very convenient.

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely staff, food good. If you're booking ask for a room with higher numbers!

8/10 Good

Jay, San Isidro de Grecia.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Our family trip to Ojochal.
Very nice. Lots of wildlife. The pool was wonderful.

8/10 Good

Scott, Layton, Utah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Fantastic Location but some First World Problems!
The positives: This hotel is in a truly beautiful location with fantastic views from the pool area. The attached restaurant offers great food and service. The rooms (cabins are a better description) are pleasantly different than the normal, "Lets just put a bunch of beds in this small room!" There was a sense of privacy even with shared accommodations. The breakfast was the best we had on our trip. The negatives: More than half the resort is fed off one 40 amp circuit breaker. The power went out 3 times in an hour and was off for the entire night. It was stifling - even with the windows open. Between the heat, the howler monkeys, and the exotic birds, we didn't get much sleep! There also was a problem with the booking but I'm waiting to see how it is resolved by Hotels.com before complaining. Would I recommend this hotel? Absolutely! If you are planning a dolphin/snorkeling tour, this is a great place to be. Warning - Google Waze and our GPS did not know where this hotel was. It is decently signed and does look like a resort. We just relied on technology and it took us more than a mile away from the hotel.

8/10 Good

Robert Walker, Costa Rica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel. It eill put u outsite the civilization
Next to the main road, but once inside you will like in the middle of the jungle and minutes away for beaches. No TV makes the stay more jungle style. The only downside is the main road is noisy during nights.

6/10 Okay

Wioletta, Norway

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
In the jungle, nice experience in the morning, noises etc:) but room was not isolated well, so you never know what kind of insects can visit you:( uncomfortable feeling... Very good food in the restaurant-big plus:)

6/10 Okay

Connie

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Marie-Josée, Vancouver

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Welcoming jungle retreat!
Excelent service and cute bungalows. We loved the breakfast area/bar, which had views of the jungle and the ocean. This was a great first stop on our Costa Rican road trip!

10/10 Excellent

Jim, Baltimore, MD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel close to the beach
Great eco-lodge in the forest and close to the beach, but also easy to find off of the main road. Heard and saw howler monkeys from the property. Great restaurant too!

8/10 Good

Paul, Gilbert, AZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel & restaurant!
We had a great experience at this hotel. We weren't sure we'd find it (because of the minimal address given), but the signs were well marked and led us right to the hotel. The service at the hotel was wonderful. The employees checking us in were extremely friendly and helpful. While the rooms were minimal, they were clean and adequately equipped, with internet, AC and hot water. They were a little close to the highway, but we requested a different room, and they eagerly let us move up higher toward the back of the property. Each cabin-style room had its own private porch, with a double door opening directly into the sleeping area. This created a bit of an issue for spiders and insects coming into the room, but wasn't too bad. The hotel had a lovely pool, with a common sitting area overlooking the ocean. It had a beautiful view! One of the best parts of our stay here was the restaurant. The free breakfast was lovely, but the dinner menu was superb. One of the best meals we had during our 2 week stay in Costa Rica. We highly recommend the restaurant and the hotel!

8/10 Good

Megan, Escazú

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
perfect for the price
pros: excellent location in/near Uvita/Playa Ballenas, breakfast included, nice swimming pool, incredibly patient and helpful staff, lovely grounds cons: rooms are a bit small, on-site restaurant is a bit pricey (but tasty), rooms advertised with multiple beds include a very small twin bed - more suitable for a child than an adult. bottom line: we paid around $75/night, which made this hotel a total win, but a higher rate would have felt overpriced.

10/10 Excellent

Peggy, Langley, BC, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
4 days in tropical paradise
Fabulous relaxed and beautiful cabinas facing the privacy of a jungle paradise. Sitting on the very large decks and enjoying the sights and sounds and a glass of vino - well seriously could it be better - YES. The paths leading up to the open air restaurant to a fabulous meal that entices the senses before you even arrive. The on-site restaurant has a wonderful menu of varied options including vegitarian delights. Then following a scrumptious dinner a walk up the paths further leads to the beautiful pool and terrace area. Over looking the ocean and jungle with sunsets and warm breezes is a great way to relax after a meal I think. The pool and terrace area are immaculately kept and the warm pool water was always a welcoming option for a refreshing and relaxing dip after a tough day of site seeing and souvenier hunting.

8/10 Good

Kevin, British Columbia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Short drive to a number of beaches
Had a wonderfull two nignts. Cabanas are air conditioned. Breakfast buffet at wonderfull location just above pool. First breakfast had monkeys, Tucans, Macaws, and iguanas. We were lucky. Next breakfast just the beautiful view. In your cabana, not quite all the luxuries expected in a Canadian hotel, for us they were great. Restaurant was excellent. Pool was wonderful. Mostly felt like we had the place to ourselves. Nice walk in the forest just behind hotel on a non maintained trail. Staff are friendly and helpful

10/10 Excellent

Ron and Karen, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A wonderful spot at a great price!
We only stayed at Hotel Villas Gaia for 1 night, but arrived early enough in the day to explore the area. This place is situated in a perfect spot for anyone wanting to explore Ballena and the beautiful beach. We just happened to be there at low tide , so were able to walk to the end of the whale tale! The hotel itself has very comfortable and intimate villas (behind ours we watched hundreds of fireflies in the treed garden), the staff were great (putting some things in their refrigerator overnight), and the meal that we had that evening at the restaurant was very good (delicious macadamia encrusted red snapper). The pool is situated high on the hill affording a wonderful view of the ocean below (and the amazing sunset that night), and in the surrounding trees there were Scarlet Macaws, Tucans, and Blue Morphos in the morning when breakfast was served. A delicious complimentary breakfast of omelettes, fresh fruit, gallo pinto, cheese, and coffee. A wonderful spot, at a great price!

8/10 Good

Stephanie, San Francisco, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean, sweet genuinely eco-conscious cabanas
We arrived here after flying into San Jose and driving 4 hours, so we were exhausted. This spot what a perfect place to land! The individual cabanas are clean, air conditioned and genuinely eco-conscious. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant and a yummy included breakfast overlooking the coastline. Plus, the staff was friendly and the pool lovely. Would go back there again anytime.

2/10 Terrible

JMB, San José, Costa Rica

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The worst option in Costa Rica
Terrible !!! They didn´t have a room for us and had to find another place to stay (another hotel) for the first night. We booked this place on Expedia and they said that this was not their Fault. The next day we had to move back to thier place and the room was dirty, the towells smell funny and it was not at all what we pay for. The restaurant was also terrible. A really bad service and the food not good at all.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean unique Villa room with beautiful community pool overlooking the pacific. Saw multiple tropical birds/butterflies on site (flying around the pool). Staff is friendly and accommodating. Easy drive to Marino Bellena National Park. Overall great experience.

8/10 Good

Laura, longmont, colorado

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice beachfront location
Nice hotel...could use an update on pillows and mattresses. Also a little paint touch up in the cabin we stayed in. Great location near the beach, great restaurant on the property with delicious food and nice property in general.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel reasonably priced
We stayed for just one night but had a comfortable room deep in a jungle setting. The pool was terrific and the adjacent breakfast area has stunning views. Very good value.

6/10 Okay

Catherine, NYC

Liked: Staff & service
Good Place
This hotel was just fine - the surroundings were attractive, shielded from the busy road by lush plantings. The rooms were large but lacked light (both natural and lamps). Each was a little cottage which was nice and private. We had dinner and breakfast there - both were fine.