Charo's Hostal - Restaurant - Reviews - Montanita

Charo's is as close to the water as hostals get in Montanita. This place is very nice, you can tell from when you pull up to the front. I didn’t take enough pictures of the place, but trust me this place is nice. I don’t remember it from my last visit in 2005 so it is either completely new or had a major reconstruction since then. You walk into a nicely tiled entry with chairs and a TV to lounge around on the right and the dining area on the left. If you keep walking you go past the kitchen straight out to the back pool area. This is a great place to hang out. There are plenty of hammocks, lounge chairs, and tables to sit and enjoy some quiet time, but you’re in Montanita so go to the beach! The pool was pretty good sized and there is a Jacuzzi off on the side that is nice after longs walks on the beach. Oh and there’s a poolside bar that has a couple of blenders. Keep walking to the back of the property and there is a gate to get to the beach. There is actually a dirt road and rocks before getting to the beach, but that is how most of Montanita is situated.

I was able to walk in and get a room, but the only available ones were for two people and equipped with a/c for $40 a night. I’m not sure how many rooms they had, but I would guess about 20. I forgot to ask what the prices of the other rooms were, but I’m guessing mine, with a/c, was not the cheapest. I decided to go for it, what the heck! They asked what floor and I said the top because a little extra stairs never hurts. I got to third (top) floor and entered my room, it was on the road side, so I didn’t get an ocean view, but that was not too big of a deal for me. There was a private balcony for my room that overlooked the street below. My room looked like it was pretty new, from the tile and furniture to the woodwork; it all looked of good quality. The bathroom had a good sized stand up shower and fast hot water. There was also a twin size bed, TV with satellite, air conditioning, and curtains. I kept thinking this is a nice place! The only downside to the room I had was the street noise isn’t blocked out that great by the window, so if you are a light sleeper, it might be too loud. I slept like a baby though, I had the a/c going one night and it got cold!

I only ate breakfast there, but it was great. I had eggs, hash browns, toast, fruit juice, and coffee for $3.50. That is a pretty standard price for breakfast in town, but most don’t serve hash browns, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I really liked this hostal and I would stay there again if I had someone with me. It is very clean and the staff is uniformly dressed which surprised me and they were super friendly.