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The Clandestino Beach Resort is a Beachfront boutique hotel, located in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica, on a beautiful and wild beach sprinkled with coconut trees along 10 km of in Palo Seco Beach. The hotel is located at about 20 km from Quepos and 45 km. from Jaco next to the magnificent Manuel Antonio National Park. The highway from San Jose is in very good conditions, leading the guests on a two hour drive through an incredible landscape with several different microclimates and a very diverse flora and fauna. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the area, the sounds of nature, the tropical breeze, the wildlife and of course also get to know the local culture and people. The hotel has 12 luxury rooms, designed in natural tones and built with local materials such as Teak wood structures, Royal Palm leaf roofs, natural stone bathrooms, and bamboo ceilings, terraces and furniture. We offer you 4 rooms with king size beds and 8 rooms with two queen size beds each (all rooms have TV, Free WIFI, A/C, ceiling fans, hair dryers and hot water). For your safety our hotel has security cameras and night watchmen. The hotel also features a large, turtle-shaped swimming pool facing the ocean, Jacuzzi, a waterfall, and a water mirror for sunbathing, all surrounded by lush gardens, green iguanas, wonderful birds, sloths, funny capuchin monkeys that come to the hotel from the Mangrove. It is in every sense a dream come true. The unique and beautiful restaurant features an ocean view and serves international and local dishes that appease even the most demanding connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine. In the cozy bar you will be able to enjoy a variety of delicious tropical cocktails, play pool and table tennis or just lay back and enjoy your stay. All of this with an exclusive atmosphere and good music.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Ocean View
Quiet
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish
Location
Este Desde la Entrada a Playa Palo Seco 5 Km Playa Palo Seco, Parrita 60901 Costa Rica
We thoroughly enjoyed the stay. The owner (and designer and builder) of the resort goes above and beyond to accommodate her guests. And she is a perfectionist which means she will hear you out and do whatever is necessary to make your stay enjoyable. But she is also one person so things may take a little time but she will get to it. Also, it’s a pura vida vacation. So take it easy on yourself and the world. The food is fresh, all natural, and cooked to order. There is no buffet or mass production which is actually very nice. The beach is wonderful but there are indeed rip currents, so you need to be careful. Better swimming beaches are in Manuel Antonio but other hotels do not offer unbothered beach front access. Instead, you would have to walk to very crowded beaches. We enjoyed the pool, the beautiful property with many swings, loungers, hammocks by the pool and by the ocean. It’s a great place to unwind. Not necessarily great for action seekers, especially if you don’t have a car because it is secluded. But we drove and we went to different areas like Quepos and Manuel Antonio for entertainment and surf lessons. Remember, you’re in a developing country. Many roads are bumpy, not just the access road to the resort. The kids LOVED the animals in and around the resort. The racoon was a highlight but we also saw flamingos and parrots. The room is beautiful with a nature rock shower that feels amazing and gives a spa feel. It was a perfect getaway.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:If you don’t like animals (especially dogs) surrounding you, this is not for you
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Clandestino was an absolute dream. This magical beach haven is a hidden gem that should be discovered by families, couples, and solo travelers seeking solitude. The drive to the Airbnb was a unique way to experience the coast of Parrita: palm trees, dark brown sands, surf-ready waves, and blue and red crabs dodging cars on the dirt road. The large, iconic hut housed the office, dining area, bar, and kitchen with the friendliest staff. The food was out of this world, with special visits from the chef adding to the ambiance. Receiving VIP treatment from all the staff created a special atmosphere. Frequent visits from the Diana, who was always engaging, ensured that each guest received the best service.
The walk to our room was enchanting. The individual huts, each with its own porch and adequate seating with mosquito netting, provided a comfortable stay. The beds were cozy, and the jungle ambiance, with toads croaking at night, added to the experience.
I would love to return here with my family or for a solo vacation to focus on writing. It’s the type of place that inspires many stories.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
On the plus side, very nice location & a place you can turn off & relax but too many other issues that spoil the experience. Firstly it is way overpriced for a very tired looking hotel, the food is extremely lackluster maybe worth 5/10 & it's complicated to go elsewhere due to it's remote location selection also very limited. Never seen this in an hotel before but 7 dogs roaming free including using the pool & which attack as a pack any random dog wandering on the adjacent gravel road. For the money, really needs a complete overhaul, reduce the number of dogs, reduce the prices all round & improve the quality & selection of meals.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you enjoy gourmet food & a more sophisticated environment you'll be disappointed in this place
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We had booked a "room on the beach" on site. This turned out to be a room in an old bungalow, which is close to the beach but definitely not "on" the beach. The resort is far away from other restaurants or hotels, which may suggest charm, but it also takes away the possibility of eating outside the hotel. We didn't try the kitchen, so I can't judge it. But I have concerns about the animals running around freely there.
We left immediately after inspecting the hotel and the room.
The first impression was really bad, the tiki bungalow, which is open on three sides, still smelled musty, and there were dusty sculptures everywhere. Animal hair was found on almost all the cushions and under the tables.
We were immediately surrounded by at least 5 dogs, all of which live there with the hotel owner, including a raccoon, which is also kept there as a pet. We are travelling with our one-year-old toddler, and the dogs are always going to him, so our son couldn't move around freely. We were basically always accompanied by a dog, which even ventured onto the terrace of the room. None of the hotel staff were bothered by this. The owner said "all the dogs are sooo cute", and that was the end of the dog issue for her. The raccoon got right up to our stroller, so we had to take it to safety too. So much for the animals there. Let's talk about cleanliness: In addition to all the animal hair, there were stains on the curtains of the bungalow, the upholstery on the terrace of the room was really disgusting and stained. The rugs in front of the beds and in the bathroom were more yellow than white, the fittings in the bathroom were partly rusty and there were several defects. The refrigerator was mouldy and covered in dirt. You can see all of this in the pictures for this review. The worst thing, however, was the baby bed. Let the pictures sink in. Nobody would let their child sleep in that dirty thing. The fabric was brown with dirt, the mash was torn. Under the stained sheet was a disgusting-looking old Disney wool blanket, dirty and smelling with animal hair, which was probably meant to cover the terrible mattress. There really are health concerns here. No child should sleep on a blanket like that! After we left, we asked for a refund. We only received an answer in capital letters saying that they do not allow any refunds. Fortunately, after we sent all the pictures to the booking portal and described the situation with the dogs running around freely and the problem with a small child, we were able to get a full refund from them.
I can only warn against this place if you are traveling with children or have an animal hair allergy.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you’re looking to unplug this is the spot. Although a bit more off the beaten path than we thought when booking, it is well worth the sketchy drive down the long gravel road. Leo & Marcella have a very friendly staff, attentive service, and clean rooms! Be sure to use room tab for food & drinks, pricing can get confusing with service charge & tax.
WiFi works great, on and off the beach. Rooms have shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, and hair dryer. Boogy boards are provided to use on beach, and plenty of privacy for romantic getaway. Surfboards, and jet skis were unavailable at the time but would have been fun.
Pineapple Clandestino is by far the best meal on the menu, and the drinks are great! Pina Colada, mango daiquiri, and yummy breakfast is included. Fresh fruit every day, and pet monkeys at breakfast to join you for photos. The pool is by far well taken care of and relaxing.
Highly recommend a car unless you want to pay $160-$180 USD for taxi from airport both ways. All prices are negotiable if you speak Spanish. We did 2 excursions that were a lot of fun. Highly recommend the catamaran trip and horseback riding in the jungle. The resort does not offer transportation, but they will order you a taxi.
First time to Costa Rica, and we will be back.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Photos online are old and this place now looks warn-out.
There are dogs and cats everywhere, in the restaurant, on the furniture, dogs in the pool, cats on the bar. Also, there was a racoon roaming around that seemed to be scaring several guests and the owner disregarding and then picked up the racoon and brought it around at the dinner tables.
Lots of ants around the pool. Cushions on lounge chairs are very worn out and tired.
Room was mostly clean, with the exception of animal hair on the cushions on the patio.
They didn't serve coffee nor food until the owner was up closer to 8:30am. We weren't able to communicate if there was a breakfast menu or not, there wasn't a staff member that spoke much English.
For the price we paid and the online reviews and photos we saw, we expected much more.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The food was not that great. My dish was ok but the other dish made my dad sick. However had I seen the pet raccoon climbing all over the bar and grabbing and chewing on any and everything it could get its hands on I would have left and not ate there. This place is out in the middle of nowhere on a very rough dirt road.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Welcome to a beautiful place! Here you can disconnect and live the Pura Vida experience to the full. Swimming pool with deckchairs, beach with the ocean just 20 meters away, animals everywhere, and a great welcome. Diana and her team knew how to take care of us! We particularly liked her advice, the time she devoted to us, the different animals she takes care of, and especially the raccoons! A real timeless experience!
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Automatically translated
Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very tired spot. Would have been beautiful when it was cared for. Our bungalow had light bulbs burned out, stove didn’t work, coffee maker was dirty and didn’t work, sink in kitchen didn’t have water, not particularly clean.
Lots of dogs and a raccoon roaming the property. The raccoon ran at my 1 year old and jumped on him before my husband could grab him. The owner chose not to acknowledge how this isn’t fun for a guest. Food was lackluster.
We have stayed in many places in CR for less money and way nicer.
We were told to Pura Vida when we complained about things in room not working.
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Date of stay: February 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
the location is perfect, right by the beach and very tranquil, pool area is great with plenty roman comfortable sitting, not at the beach, the chairs are very uncomfortable . but it can not beat the view. the restaurant is adorable and so are their waiters, very friendly and helpful and always with a smile. the food is great and so is the breakfast, wonderful. the rooms are soso, very simple, which is ok, but if you are paying 300 dollars a night for a room, I expect a little more. pillows and mattresses need to be updated and the bathroom in our room really smelled. but despite all that, I probably would go again.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Same for us in Late January. Diana was nice as well as all employees that we talked with. Everyone friendly and willing to help. Be respectful to them and they are respectful back. My guess is some negative reviewers were stuck up or expecting a Hilton. Don’t let them scare you away from a great retreat
When I traveled there in 2015 in the month of November their Caesar salad for 5700 colones, guacamole for 4500 colones hamburger for 5300 colones a dessert was around 5000-6000 colones... So for the things on the menu that are not expensive they are reasonable they did have items on the menu that were considerably more expensive (lobster, for example, I believe it was around $25-$30 US dollars). But on average our lunch daytime snacks, dinner with Dessert ran between 40,000 colones and 55,000 colones for myself, my husband and my six-year-old/day. He and I split a lot of meals. Which is not unusual for us....
No nightlife like a band or DJ. The bar is open until, I think around nine or 10 in the evening. The nightlife would be your self people to work in the bar and the other guests. Hope that helps!
There are more places to choose from in the Parrita area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 747 - RM 1,205 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of PuntarenasParrita
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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