Banana Azul and the staff went beyond our expectations at every turn. First off all, this little hotel off the beaten path is absolutely stunning. The only thing the pictures do not make you feel is the serene calmness you get you when you sink your feet into the powdery sand at the beach - which is just out the back entrance - you must visit to experience the true tranquility of Puerto Viejo and Playa Negra.
Reasons my husband and I loved this hotel and would love to revisit:
-Food: so so yummy. All the food in Costa Rica was seriously delish but the cooks at BA have a gift. I would say it runs on the more pricey side as far as options you have within the hotel and in town so we balanced eating there and in town. The food in town is delicious and vaired, so I’d recommend doing a little bit of both. Some nights we felt like lounging at BA instead of going out so having a few meals to choose from at the hotel was a nice touch. Breakfast was really good too. When you think “free breakfast” you think pastries and coffee but they offer you a few hot meal choices and they also have a buffet with fruit, cereal, yogurt (maybe? I cant quite remember), fresh juice and seriously yummy coffee.
-Animals on the property: Super funny dogs and cats that live on the property. I think the cats are fed each morning outside the sloth room so we would wake up to the "feed me now please!" meows, which I personally find super endearing :)
-Tariq, Josephina, Rina and all the friendly front desk guys and gals: Such warm faces, whether we were on the beach or renting a bike to stroll to town. My husband likes to ask lots of questions and tell stories and they always seemed genuinely interested in conversing with us. Shout out to Josephina who spent a lot of time chatting with us, recommending places to visit and listening to my husband’s stories about what we experienced that day. She was SO sweet and kind, you have a real gem in her, BA!
-The hammock on our Sloth Room desk: we fell asleep in there more than a few times
-The beach: it is completely secluded. Several times we found ourselves alone out there. If you're looking for a party, this is not your place. We loved the quietness that BA provided.
-The hospitality: This is the part I raved about to everyone back home. Examples: It was a national holiday while we were there. Independence Day maybe? The staff brought a cake to enjoy and they offered us each a slice. They did not have to do that!! It was just so kind and made a lasting impression on us. One night we got back late, around 10, and the security guard was monitoring the gate at that time. We found this awesome little French bakery stand in town and my husband brought back a brownie. He MUST have milk with his brownie so this security guard went into the kitchen at 10 at night to get my husband a glass of milk! I've never stayed anywhere where someone would do something like that, without hesitation. It’s the little things when you travel that really stick out. One afternoon we really wanted to do laundry but were leaving the next day for our treehouse adventure. The staff normally gives you a 24 hour window where your laundry will be done but they did ours in 3, just because we were leaving and really needed clean clothes. Side note: Costa Rica is so hot. Like so so humid and hot. You will sweat…and sweat and sweat and sweat some more. Don’t bother bringing makeup or a hair dryer, it’s seriously pointless. But man, my skin was feeling nice and dewy after a few days! Great for the complexion.
I love to travel to new places but if we find ourselves back on the Caribbean side of CR there is nowhere else I'd rather stay! Banana Azul is a true gem.
Lastly, while we were there (9/19-9/26) there was a big storm and the baby sloth (we called him/her “Francis”) that lives there fell out of the tree. We took a big liking to Francis during our stay and would love a status update on his/her condition. I know Francis seemed a little out of it when we left, I hope he/she is doing ok! Right before we left Francis was moved over by the Villas to be with her mama. Any update you can provide we would love.
Thank you Banana Azul, you guys seriously rock!!