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Reviews of Santarena Hotel at Las Catalinas 4 stars

Camino Las Catalinas 2 Calle La Ronda, 50304 Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

#9 of 47 hotels in Playa Flamingo

Guests' Choice

Review score

Based on 180 hotel reviews

8.8

Score breakdown

  • Cleanliness

    9.4

  • Comfort

    9.3

  • Location

    9.2

  • Facilities

    8.9

  • Staff

    9.1

  • Value for money

    8.1

  • Free WiFi

    8.7

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Showing 1 – 25

  • Reviewed: 28 August 2025

    10
    Exceptional
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Ecerything was fabulous. Loved it!

    Stayed in August 2025

  • Reviewed: 25 June 2025

    9.0
    Superb
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Pool service was lacking

    Beautiful location

    Stayed in June 2025

  • Reviewed: 16 May 2025

    8.0
    Nice rooms and restaurants but lacking on the beach and pool service
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    1. No GYM!! A few wooden disks and some sticks doesn’t qualify as a gym. 2. This is a hotel located by the beach but it is NOT a beach hotel. What I mean is that they don’t make it appealing to spend time at the beach… no lounge chairs, no tables, no umbrellas, no service. No drinks, no water, no servers. If you go to the beach, prepare yourself to sit on the sand and not be very comfortable. They also have a pool in their top floor and we spent hours without a single soul coming to check on us to see if we wanted anything to eat or drink.

    Nice hotel, well maintained and very clean. Very friendly staff and the rooms are quite nice.

    Stayed in May 2025

  • Reviewed: 5 May 2025

    9.0
    relaxing
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 3 nights

    The buffet breakfast has lowered quality vs previous visits. The scrambled eggs were awful the three mornings and the whole breakfast used to have higher quality in proteins overall.

    Definitely location is the best plus the friendly staff. Specially Arturo and the waiters in the night shift. Bed is comfy and the room has a nice size.

    Stayed in May 2025

  • Reviewed: 30 April 2025

    10
    I’ll be back!
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 4 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The road conditions from Liberia airport, very slow.

    Rooftop pool and staff were exceptional.

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 22 April 2025

    10
    This hotel was a magical place .. I love it and I will come back!
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The bar could close later. Good drinks, very good food … the staff and the whole service was GREAT

    It was a beautiful place, the facilities, the food and the staff was GREAT

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 20 April 2025

    10
    Relaxing
    • Leisure trip
    • People with friends
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 4 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Everything

    Stayed in March 2025

  • Reviewed: 18 April 2025

    10
    A great hotel with a superb service
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The pool is beautiful , but small. Having a gym would also be nice

    Locations is perfect. Service of the entire staff just superb. The room is large, clean, comfortable and very nicely decorated. Breakfast is good and the restaurant for dinner is a must

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 17 April 2025

    8.0
    Great stay, but felt that the change of rates is unacceptable
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The change or rates the night before we were set to travel

    I booked with Booking.com at a rate of $285 per night. The night before I traveled I got a call from the hotel indicating that I needed to pay to hold the reservation and that the rate was $80 more per night. This is not right and should be unacceptable to you at Booking.com

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 8 April 2025

    10
    Perfection. Would recommend a thousand times over
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    One of the best hotels we have ever stayed at. Gorgeously decorated, perfect location on the beachfront, breakfast was delightful. My daughter and I had the best 3 nights and can’t wait to come back.

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 14 March 2025

    9.0
    Beautiful hotel
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 7 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Would have been great to have an upstairs bar on the terrace, however staff are on hand and happy to supply drinks if you need them!

    Beautiful hotel, extremely comfortable bedrooms in a lovely setting and incredible sunsets. All the staff were so lovely, very special stay!

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 22 February 2025

    9.0
    Great
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The food from the hotel restaurant. And For the hotel guests when returning from the beach there is no shower or a any place to take off the sand-before entering the hotel

    The room and the location

    Stayed in February 2025

  • Reviewed: 20 February 2025

    10
    Exceptional
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Because it was in a public community area, others can walk behind the property, it was not a deal breaker.

    Very charming property in a high end and very nice community. Lots to do right out the back door, located a few steps from the beach. Hiking amd biking trails and rental, surfing and kayaking too. The interior was tasfully done with old world and modern mixed. Roof top bar and pool to watch the sunsets. The ocean was swimmable and the crashing of the waves day and night set the tone as you eat on the rear patio. The smell of lavender was present and the sound of many types of birds filled the air. I highly recommend this property if you like a quiet and quant boutique hotels. It is also in walking distance of shopping, bars and restaurants, and an outside workout facility.

    Stayed in February 2025

  • Reviewed: 17 February 2025

    9.0
    Perfect location, great amenities, amazing staff!
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 4 nights

    Better service at the pool during sunset.

    Perfect location in Las Catalinas. Meters from the ocean, restaurants, and the town. The staff was super friendly and always available.

    Stayed in February 2025

  • Reviewed: 10 February 2025

    9.0
    It was very pleasant and relaxing.
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    I think a larger pool on ground level to accommodate more people. Pool was too small.

    Very clean, very quiet on side of the ocean and at night but there was a lot of construction noises in area during the day. Always a chair by the ocean to sit.

    Stayed in February 2025

  • Reviewed: 30 January 2025

    9.0
    Great place to relax, perfect for couples
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The hotel building could use some painting

    Great location

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 25 January 2025

    9.0
    I will be happy to come back
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The gym or other sports facilities are not part of the hotel

    Great location , great service and good atmosphere

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 23 January 2025

    9.0
    Perfect luxry spot
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 2 nights

    In the description never mention nothing about extra charges to use the Gym, and is very expensive for the price.

    The perfect spot! The hotel is better than descrition and photos is closer to Dantitas (best beach in the area) and in front of Danta, for another hand is closer to Pietra, Penca, Potrero and Flamingo. In the area I have enough restaurants even Gluten Free options. Congrats Arturo best concierge ever

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 15 January 2025

    10
    We got a great rate at a 5 star hotel!
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Nothing

    Very lovely.

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 9 January 2025

    8.0
    Great spot
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Staff at the restaurant was very slow and unefficient at all times.

    Location and bar area. Jose Arturo was the best!!! Amazing member of the staff. Best part of the hotel.

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 6 January 2025

    9.0
    Peaceful and worry free
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    I loved everything, there could have been more live entertainment for tourist , like jazz, salsa, karaoke or even comedy

    The energy of the town. It was beautiful and pleasant. Pool was great . Staff was terrific

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 2 January 2025

    9.0
    Superb
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 8 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The breakfast was ok but not what you would expect from such a hotel. Especially as the dinner arrangement was always wonderful. For breakfast the buffet was very American style and the atmosphere was not really for staying longer than necessary.

    A really beautiful hotel in the village of las Catalinas. We celebrated Christmas and New Year in this place and both the hotel and the village itself were really something special. We enjoyed the beautiful hotel, the terrace of our room and the beautiful decoration and spacious room. It was perfect for a family trip. The staff was very friendly and professional and was helping out whenever we needed something. Dinner on the terrace of the hotel was wonderful.

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 26 December 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • King Room with Balcony
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Well the overall the place is great. The one problem and I'm sure with other travelers, that you're very limited to other options of food other than what's on the facility. And if you had to travel to get to other places, Uber is limited. Also and I think this is most important, the beach area needs an overall change. The branches and down trees is just not a great look for that resort. If the beach area had a curb appeal to it, this would be the ideal resort.

    We didn't have the breakfast there. I wasn't sure my stay included the breakfast which I didn't think it didn't. So we didn't have any.

    Stayed in December 2024

  • Reviewed: 7 July 2024

    9.0
    Relaxing!
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Standard King Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    N/A

    Beautiful property and on the a quiet beach. The staff were absolutely fantastic and helpful. The area Catalinas is a tad remote since they are slowly building a small village which am sure will be beautiful as far as we can see. The food at the hotel was not great and the prices are insane. Catalinas is very expensive for being in Costa Rica n out of our whole trip the food was the worst on this part of Costa Rica. I would suggest going to eat at Potrero beach down the road better food n reasonable prices.

    Stayed in July 2024

Showing 1 – 25

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