Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa

Nice hotel with parking next to beautiful Manuel Antonio Park. Be sure to get your park entrance tickets in advance as they sell out

The staff was very pleasant. Waiters/bartenders like Brian & Jonathan very helpful.

Pros: The property is absolutely beautiful and the staff was exceptional. Every single person we interacted with was friendly and helpful. The uniqueness of the location made the stay worth every penny. There was a problem with our initial room so they bumped us up to the highest suite, Suite Mogote, which blew our mind with its size and multiple balconies & roof-top terrace. We were able to see the ocean AND look directly into Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw monkeys, parrots and lizards from our own room. (And at the pool.) The pool area was wonderful and the food was all exceptional.
Cons: There were several problems with our room- the jacuzzi didn't work (they came and fixed it right away), the upstairs door wouldn't lock from the outside (they came and fixed that too), the shower leaked all over the bathroom floor, and I mean puddles not just damp, and some of the lights flickered. The jacuzzi at the main pool was no warmer than the regular pool. There was no gift shop. We would've liked a snack bar option, somewhere else to grab a quick bite with a smaller, less expensive menu than the main restaurant.
Overall, we would stay here again, and would recommend this resort to friends and family, but there are definitely areas that need work.

This hotel grew on me, we were coming from a really really nice place so the bar was high. Initially I was not impressed because we were notified 1 week before our trip that they couldn’t “honor our reservation.” When I called they said they would have to put us in either a different property for the first night or same property but pet rooms in a different building. We had agreed to this but when we came to the hotel, they had rooms available in the main building for us for the whole stay which was appreciated.

There are things that need some attention there, the hot tub was not hot at all but the same temp as the pool. The restaurant was subpar and one of our party got sick after eating there the first night (not sure if it was the restaurant - we were all fine the rest of the time ) but does have a large breakfast buffet which was slightly different every day.

The staff were friendly and very helpful with information about Manuel Antonio park etc.


We loved seeing the monkeys and macaws and wildlife all around the hotel and in the trees outside of our room and the sunset from the sushi bar and upper pool were AMAZING. The sushi bar was better than the Congo restaurant but for really good food there are much better places around town.

Easy access to MA National park
Great staff
Delicious food
Prompt help when needed
Beds are comfortable

Monkeys right outside was fun! Pool/swim up bar was nice. This place is right next to the entrance to MANP so that was great!
Spa was Great! I had a massage two days in a row because of a very sore neck! Andrea was great!
We stayed in the Ballena suite, which was wonderful!
The burgers at the restaurant were the size of my son’s head! The sushi was great too! Everyone was very helpful!
If you go during the rainy season, know that it rains a lot and some of the stairs get very slippery! I was hanging onto the railing and I still slipped and fell. I was fine, but just a heads up that when it rains it POURS and the floors are very slippery so be careful!
Highly recommend this place!!!

Space and staff were very good, but no hot water for showers during certain times of the day. That was disappointing.

The location is sooo convenient for visiting the park (literally at the entrance).Easy walk to the free beach, shops, and restaurants. The staff was incredible and the rooms are nice/comfortable, although tired/dated. Heard howler monkeys, but didn't see them during our trip. The pool is nice and the free breakfast was really great. Didn't try the restaurant on location (Congo) as the prices way too high. Did try the sushi restaurant on the top floor and it was really good! The view of the ocean was incredible - definitely go at sunset! It was a great stay and I would recommend.

Superb location right by the national park. Great food and staff were super helpful at all times

Hotel is dated and in need of some repair and updating but doesn’t compromise cleanliness and comfort. We felt very safe and cared for at this hotel. The proximity to the park and beach was a plus for little kids and made things easy. The staff was incredibly kind. We did find a crab in our hotel room but that’s to be expected when you’re up against the jungle! The family pool and wet bar was great to enjoy a few drinks while watching the kiddos easily. The food was also very good! Would recommend for those looking for a convenient stay with little kids but not for those looking for luxury, high end vibe.

Enjoyed our stay in this lovely hotel.

Great location beside the park and near the beach. Room spacious and clean. Attention to Service is substandard compared with similar properties in the area from what we could tell - our room door was broken the last night and we had to wait more than an hour without any accommodations when they should have given us a new room immediately, which they finally did - by then we had missed dinner reservation and lack of service focus put a damper on our last night there.

Hotel San Bada was in a great location, had all the luxuries we needed, and the staff was fantastic. Pools were beautiful with sightings of iguanas. The roof top restaurant was amazing with views of wildlife including toucans, parrots, and other bird species. Daniel, our waiter went above and beyond! We had a great stay!

We loved the location of this hotel! Right out the gate from Manuel Antonio Park, the min walk to the beach, and right down from plenty of restaurants. Our rooms were clean, a bit older style but classy, and nice swimming pools. I would like to have known that they don’t allow you to flush your toilet paper which is very unsanitary. But overall a great place and I would stay there again!

Very clean, very helpful staff. The hotel is in a great area.

Incredible staff and experience. Great location, facilities, and people!

Staff was friendly, the hotel is unique and clean. Felt safe. I he walk to the beach and the surrounding area outside the hotel could be cleaned up with more litter than I would like to see.

Liked: location, breakfast was amazing, staff was supportive and pools are cool
Dislike: got a room with double bed. I was expecting a queen or king bed for a couple, hotel was not crowded. Cocktails and many dinner options are really expensive. It is better to look for options outside.

Beautiful, clean , friendly

This is not a 4 star quality hotel! It’s actually baffling how it received such a rating. The facilities are incredibly outdated and the room smelt moldy to the point it was affecting my asthma. Besides the poor facilities, the staff and location are great.