Kaya's Place

Kaya's place is great. Beautiful, comfortable and very, very clean. The staff was WONDERFUL, start to finish and the fact that the owner speaks English was very helpful. JT basically acted as my travel consultant as well, hooking me up with a fantastic raft company and transportation back to San Jose.

The room was large, very clean and had a kitchen - - perfect for long stays. No air conditioning, but lots of fans and everyone goes out of there way to make you feel comfortable.

The only drawback for me PERSONALLY (as a single woman traveling alone, so this might not be an issue for you) was the location north of town. Even though it was VERY close to town on the map, it was unsafe to walk at night - - and not real comfortable to walk during the day. There is a small bridge between the hotel and town that the locals call "crack creek" for the unsavory types that hang out around there. This just meant a CHEAP taxi into town, but it made things more complicated for me than they would have been if I had chosen something closer to town.

If I were to return to Puerto Viejo - - and I would like to - - I would select a hotel RIGHT ON THE MAIN STREET OF TOWN IN THE CENTER OF TOWN. Not one block off the main strip; hell, not one foot off the main street if i could help it. Picking something on the beach really didn't seem that important in practical application - - but again, safety was my primary concern. The beach is so close to EVERYTHING down there (it actually comes within feet of downtown at one point) that nothing is really far from the beach.

For a couple, staying for a week or more, Kaya's place is PERFECT. romantic, comformatable and not expensive. the taxi into to town is no big issue, especially if you plan to be cuddled up in the room, enjoying the closeness of the surf.