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Reviews of Cafe Playa Negra

3 out of 5
Cafe Playa Negra
Calle Principal de Los Pargos, Veintisiete de Abril, Guanacaste

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 16 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 8 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 64 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

9.2/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Natacha

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely hotel. The staff were amazing, very helpful and friendly. The food was delicious. Short walk to the beach to watch the sunset. Beautiful property.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Carolyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This place is much better than the photos! The people are amazing. So cute! Extremely clean. Only 8 rooms in the whole hotel so it does book up in advance. There is a lovely shaded courtyard with a bar and lights and live music. Bright fresh airy rooms with high ceilings. I love this place! I got to meet the owner, it was his birthday and he was celebrating with friends and still went out of his way to welcome me. Roxy is the beautiful manager who is extremely thoughtful and welcoming as well. Great place!!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Rotcy, Manager on Mar 19, 2024
Dear Carolyn,Thank you for your visit and give and tell your experience with other travelers! We much appreciate it. Welcome anytime soon.

8/10 Good

Conrad, Diane

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Manager on Aug 2, 2023
Thank you Diane for staying with us and share your experience!

10/10 Excellent

Meinolf

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent choice in Playa Negra
Beautiful and well managed place. Just a perfect little luxury spot you want to be. I highly recommend the place
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Manager on Jun 20, 2023
Thank you for your visit and review, you are welcome anytime!

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023
Response from manager on Mar 16, 2023
Thank you Robert!

8/10 Good

Dan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Worth the stay
It was a great stay!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023
Response from manager on Feb 15, 2023
Thank you Dan!

10/10 Excellent

Doug

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great spot
Staff was great, as was the restaurant. The location is right on the main drag through town so it can be a little loud. But we loved the place and hope to return.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from manager on Jul 21, 2022
Hello Doug, Thank you so much for your visit and take the time to write a review. We'd be more than glad having you in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Juli

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great little property. The restaurant and staff are outstanding and you can walk to the beach in about 7 minutes. Great value and wonderful stay!
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022
Response from manager on Apr 12, 2022
Thank you for your visit and your great review! We hope to see you in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Lucinda

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were brilliant and it had a chilled relaxed vibe. Great spot with nice food. We had to leave early in the morning and they kindly provided breakfast fruit the night before. We would definitely go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from manager on Mar 1, 2022
Hello Lucinda! Thank you for your visit and great review! We really enjoyed your time with us. Hope to see you in the future, Pura Vida!

10/10 Excellent

Camilo

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Simple, convenient, clean, great food.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from Manager on Jan 19, 2022
Thanks so much for you kindy words. I hope to see you soon again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a great little fine if you don't mind not having a TV in your room. I thought it was great. The place was very clean and affordable. The staff waited around for me to ensure that I received the key because they were not receiving my responses to them attempting to communicate with me over the Whatsup app and Expedia app do to my phone service while driving there. Food as great in the morning and appreciated everyone's smiles.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Thumbs up
Excellent newish hotel with pretty courtyard and excellent ceviche restaurant
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021
Response from Cafe Playa Negra on Jul 6, 2021
Thank you for staying with us. We are glad you enjoyed your experience

10/10 Excellent

MaríaAlvarez, Madrid

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excelente Lugar, desde que llegamos nos atendieron de lo mejor y nos sentimos como en casa. Mi esposo y yo realmente disfrutamos muchísimo, especialmente la comida, es deliciosa y que decir de los postres. Gracias Café Playa Negra
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Gerencia on Dec 10, 2019
Muchas Gracias Maria, que bueno que les gustara, ojala los tengamos de regreso. Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

CharlesDupont, Denver, Colorado

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Thank you so much hosting our family! We enjoyed our night with you! Our room was perfect - very clean, and we loved the special touches. The staff were very friendly and the ambiance was relaxing and inviting. We enjoyed the pool and loved our short walk to the beach. Your ceviche is among the best we have ever had! We will have already booked our next stay with you! We can’t wait to be back at the Cafe Playa Negra.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Manager on Jul 11, 2019
Glad you like your stay Mr Dupont. Hope to have you back soon. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Manager on Apr 10, 2019
Great to had you stay with us. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

barbara

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Manager on Mar 26, 2019
Thank you Barbara. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Manager on Apr 10, 2019
Thank you for staying with us. Hope to have you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Manager on Apr 10, 2019
Thank you for staying with us. Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Manager on Apr 10, 2019
Thank you for your stay

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Ok but poor value
A very basic set up without a door to the bathroom and very expensive for what you get. Better suited to multiple people sharing the rooms in more of a hostel style.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Da Major on Feb 7, 2019
Dear Anonymous Sorry on your disappointment, our set up might be simple, but cozy, well presented and super clean. To compare us to a hostel is not even fair. We have private rooms with private bathrooms, A/C and hot water in all rooms, with a full bar restaurant on the first floor. About the price, for what we offer, I believe we are under the average price for a hotel room in the pacific coast of Costa Rica.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Anonymous on Jan 8, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Absolutely a stunning place to stay. You won’t fins a better place in Playa Negra!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Gerencia on Jan 3, 2019
Glad you like your stay with us. Thanks Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Steve, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great staff, lovely clean hotel
A great hotel accompanied with a lovely Cafe downstairs. The rooms were clean and spacious and had a lovely relaxing feel to them. The hotel (cafe) staff were friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend eating in the Cafe, the food is delicious!! Unfortunately could only stay only one of my two reserved nights because my friend had an unfortunate surfing incident and needed medical attention in San Jose. The manager, Carlos was very understanding of this and we are very thankful to him.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018
Response from Carlos on Jul 5, 2018
Yeah Steve, good luck with your friend and hope to have you back soon. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel
Great hotel, nice room. Only down side was the "included breakfast" which was only bread and coffee. Otherwise great place!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Manager on Jan 9, 2018
We really appreciate your good review and will look into the breakfast issue. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel was closed!
Unfortunately Expedia had not informed the owner that we had reserved (and paid for) a room. We arrived their and were informed the hotel was closed for renovations for one month. Work was to begin the next day but since we were only looking for one night, the manager was kind enough to rent us the room anyways. The hotel was very clean and the staff were more than accommodating. The food at the restaurant is very expensive though.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

keithc, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This place has the buzz of a younger crowd
I am guessing the young, energetic staff mostly cater to a younger crowd but they took good care of this old guy including an early breakfast on my day of departure. The place has a nice vibe. Surfers are bound to find fellow riders but everybody is made to feel at home.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Dale, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful clean accommodation right near the beach
I had the most amazing stay at cafe playa negra. I felt welcome from the minute I arrived, the staff are all really friendly and helped answer any questions I had. The beach is only a 5 minute walk away with beautiful white sand and amazing waves. The hotel has an awesome little pool to relax in post surf and I loved the big screen projector in the cafe for surf films during dinner and breakfast. The food is also really good, the surfers tacos being my favourite after a long day in the water. My room was a nice design and very quiet and relaxing. The hotel manager, Daniel is very committed and passionate about making the place and your stay the best it can possibly be and it shows in every way. Looking forward to my next trip to Cafe Playa Negra already!
Playa negra beach
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Steve, minnesota

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quaint hotel with a laid back vibe
Absolutely loved this place! Extremely clean and close to the beach (10 minute walk) the staff were extremely friendly and helpful and especially daniel.. also the food at the restaurant was some of the best we had while in Costa Rica.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Raul Camacho, San José

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice and well located hotel!
Excelent hotel well located. Very secure and peaceful!!! Next to the Playa Negra Beach!
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Geis, CR

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent
A perfect place to escape the city. People is warm, food is delicious, and the beaches are awesome.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne, Calgary AB Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice newer hotel
Although this hotel is not on the beach it is well within walking distance. The staff, especially Lily, are friendly. Located at the same location is Lulu's and there you can get all of your tours booked for the area. I went on the turtle watching tour, which was amazing! The only thing I say about Negra is make sure you bring enough cash as there is no ATM in town. Café Playa Negra also has a fantastic restaurant, I highly recommend this hotel.
Response from Owner on Mar 1, 2016
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your nice review, we really appreciated. January is our summer season or dry season with offshore winds 24/7, this year in particular with el niño had the strongest offshore winds we had in 15 years that I have been here. Pool is skiimed everyday at 7am and occasionally again in the afternoon, but impossible to keep free of leaves from the wind. Sorry about that. Pool in our rainy season is free of leaves. Thanks again for your nice review. Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel close to good surf.
Great find! Not much around here but surfing, some horseback riding. If that's your thing, this is the place! Very clean, nice comfortable room with hot water & AC and good food in the area. The restaurant here is a great value for really tasty food, also other good options nearby. You need a car in this area. For such a remote location, we were impressed by the quality of room and food. Owners Carlos and Andrea really care about the quality they provide.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Surfers' Paradise
Carlos, the owner, is very personable & helpful. We enjoyed our 2 night stay but wished we hadn't made plans at another hotel & had stayed longer at Playa Negra. Playa Negra is a sleepy surfers town; just what we wanted.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
All in one
Food was good but expensive. I gave room comfort a 3 because the bed was too hard (although all the beds I slept in while visiting Costa Rica were hard) and the pillows weren't good. The staff in the restaurant were great!
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disappointing at Cafe Playa Negra
Man that welcomed us was not pleasant and a terrible first impression. They advertise free WiFi but know that you must sit at the router and you can not obtain access from your room or the lovely sitting area on top floor. Dogs bark throughout the night making it difficult to sleep at times. The worst part is that you can not flush toilet tissue down the toilet but must place the toilet tissue in a basket which can create a smell. Do not confuse Cafe Playa Negra with Hotel Playa Negra, Hotel Playa Negra is on the beach, owner extremely nice, better place to stay. The only asset for Cafe Playa Negra is a young man who I believe was Frederick, extremely helpful and pleasant.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie, Sharon, CT, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Thumbs Up!
I stayed at Cafe Playa Negra for a week in February and had a great time! Though it is off the beaten path a little bit the staff kept you plenty entertained and made me feel right at home. David, the bartender and Lula, Lula's Tours are very kind, helpful and FUN! If you are staying for more than 2 or 3 days I would recommend renting a car(Lula can help with that#. The beach is a short walk#10 minutes) and there are other restaurants even closer. When I return to Costa Rica I will know exactly where to stay! Thanks guys! Stephanie
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Ideal for surfer types, good for most
Rooms/Hotel: The rooms are nicely designed and spacious and there is a good large balcony area to chill. Restaurant/Bar: The restaurant / bar has a good vibe and surfer theme and is a decent place to have a drink. The one dinner we had there was fantastic - something like a fish casado meal if I remember. The complimentary breakfast is scant - a pile of toast and some fruit and coffee, but how can you complain? Although the food was good we ate at another restaurant a block away most of the time since there was a bigger menu and there seemed to be more happening, and the service was better. The restaurant / bar area at Cafe Playa Negra is nice, but we didn't have the best vibe from the employees - they were certainly helpful but seemed a bit indifferent towards us. Location: The "town" near Playa Negra consists of a few small hotels and restaurants, shops, homes and a tiny market along a dusty dirt road. It feels pretty remote, which can be a cool thing. The walk to the beach from Playa Negra is about 8-10 minutes down that dusty (in the dry season) dirt road. Seems like most other people in the hotel had cars and they drove to the beach from there. Saw a lot of other people on ATV's or bicycles. Final analysis: It's a great place to stay room and food wise, and probably a great place to hang out for drinks and food if you happen to have good connection with the folks running the place - maybe if you are a surfer.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Pauline, Miami ,FL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous
What a great hotel,just perfect for the surroundings.Low key,everyone helpful and friendly,and the food was delicious.
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

María Esperanza

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from manager on Mar 14, 2022
Thank you Maria!

4/10 Poor

Adriana

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Juan Diego

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excelente el lugar muy bonito cómodo y limpio, 100% recomendado
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from manager on Feb 14, 2022
Muchas gracias! Un gusto recibirla en nuestro hotel, esperamos otra visita, Saludos

10/10 Excellent

Alejandra

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from manager on Feb 3, 2022
Thank you!

8/10 Good

Merlin

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Esteri

Disliked: Staff & service
Nous avons trouvé l’hôtel fermé et le propriétaire nous a littéralement chassé sans aucune aide. Difficile de noter donc...
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020
Response from Manager on Mar 25, 2020
I don't understand what's going on here? The Hotel was closed due to Covid-19 worlds pandemia, my calendars were closed and I never got this reservation, How is it possible that someone is making a false review????

6/10 Okay

rafael

Traveled with family
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020
Response from Gerente on Mar 11, 2020
Hola Rafael Mucho gusto de haberte tenido con nosotros. Pura Vida

10/10 Excellent

Mariajose

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
El internet no llega a los cuartos, por lo demás muy bien
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Gerente on Oct 18, 2019
Pura Vida Style

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Que bonito!
Que lindo el hotel. Es un oasis en la selva, un lugar para descansar y recuperar después de tomar sol y bañarse en la playa. La ubicación es excelente-como 10 minutos de la playa.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Gerencia on Dec 10, 2019
Muchas Gracias Thomas, esperamos tenerte de regreso con nosotros. Pura Vida

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Péssimo atendimento e falta de estrutura profissional. Sensação de um hotel abandonado. Tinha dias que tinha ninguém para atendimento. Passamos por uma situação que faltou luz e água e ninguém para atender. No dia seguinte, após passar por tantos desabores a atentende nos disse q teríamos q tomar café da manhã as 7:30 pontualmente. Pois nas terças feiras não teria funcionários. Sem falar na arrumação que quando chegamos tinha resto de comidas podres dentro do frigobar. E no dia subsequente tinha um pano sujo de limpeza esquecido pela arrumadeira em cima de nossas roupas.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Gerencia on Dec 4, 2019
Estimado Anónimo Siento mucho que no estuviese a gusto con nosotros. Café Playa Negra es un Hotel pequeño de 6 habitaciones, en una zona rural, al final del camino de tierra, llevamos 15 años de existencia, atendiendo de la mejor manera a nuestros huéspedes y con muchísimos de ellos que regresan año a año y muy satisfechos. Aca tenemos agua de pozo, la cual se extrae con una bomba eléctrica, lamentablemente la noche a la cual Ud se refiere, hubo una tormenta eléctrica y se fue el suministro eléctrico, lo que ocasiono que no hubiese agua. Las tormentas eléctricas son muy comunes en Costa Rica, así como el corte en el suministro eléctrico debido a ellas o los fuertes vientos del verano. No porque tuvo una mala noche puede decir cosas negativas sobre la señora de limpieza, quien viene trabajando para nosotros por tantos años y con clientes muy satisfechos con su trabajo y que han inclusive hecho amistad con ella, siempre dejándole propina. Siento mucho sus comentarios negativos y que no la pasara bien en nuestro pequeño hotel. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

laurence, lyon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pura vida peruana
Tres bon accueil, nourriture peruvienne excellente. Hotel confortable, tres propre, eau chaude, wifi et surtout tres grande amabilite du personnel. Tres proche d une tres jolie plage avec son parking surveille pour 2 dollars.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018
Response from Gerente on Jan 12, 2018
Merci beaucoup, très heureux de vous avoir avec nous, nous espérons revenir bientôt. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

France

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Jolie adresse mais ridicule petit déjeuner
Une jolie Hacienda où le béton ciré et une ambiance apaisante règne. Une bonne cuisine locale lors du repas du soir. Un accueil chaleureux. Seul bémol, pour un Bed and Breakfast, le ridicule petit déjeuner compris dans le prix de la chambre (170 US$ pour 3 personnes) : 4 petites tranches de pain grillé, une noisette de beurre et une petite cuillère de confiture ... les compléments étant en extra. Dommage car jolie adresse.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017
Response from Gerente on Jan 9, 2018
Merci beaucoup pour votre visite et votre précieux commentaire, nous en tiendrons compte pour continuer à nous améliorer. Pura Vida