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Hotel Paraiso del Cocodrilo – reviews, photos

Playa Buena Vista, Playa Samara 35014, Costa Rica
Hotel amenities
Hotel Paraiso del Cocodrilo
Ranked #11 of 18 Playa Samara B&B and Inns
4.5 of 5 stars 23 Reviews
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23 reviews from our community

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Traveller rating
    18
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Toronto, Canada
2 reviews
“Loved it here!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 March 2010

We loved it here! Rainer picked us up from Liberia airport and took us back to the hotel. The main roads to Samara are good, but this hotel and its beach, Playa Buena Vista is a little out of the way so the roads are bad, hence a 4x4 is a necessity (you have to drive through a couple of ponds in dry season, so I expect them to be a full grown rivers in the Green/Wet season). The hotel and its grounds are gorgeous, rooms are spacious, clean, and the area is very safe. We locked our doors, but stopped after 1 day because it's so secluded! The pictures are accurate and there is wildlife everywhere! I too was visited by Pootsy and even hand fed him a banana! The beach is about a 10min walk away (would be nicer if it was closer, oh well) but on the way you see Howler monkeys (with babies!) in the trees above you and walk by ranches with horses. The beach Buena Vista is also really nice, but hey all the beaches in CR are beautiful! There isn't much to do activity wise at this hotel or other guests for that matter, but I'm sure if you wanted a massage or a horse back ride or whatever, they could arrange it for you. It's an excellent place to RELAX. Or if you had a group, it's a geat place to "take over". If you rent a car, it would also be a good place to have as "homebase". We rented an apartment with a kitchenette but we never cooked, should have saved the extra $30. My favorite breakfast was a huge bowl of fresh fruit (mangos, papaya, pineapple, melons) over granola and topped with yoghurt. Rainer cooks dinner and they have a nice but simple menu. Prices are extremely reasonable. Staff made up of local friendly Ticos . I recommend this place for people looking to relax, get a suntan and putt around. If you want more society than your travel mates, stay in Samara which is a popular beach town, the next beach over. This place is for relaxing. The Flying Crocodile hotel is right next door and it looks kind of cheesy compared to the simplicity of this place. P.S bring your own shampoo etc!

  • Stayed March 2010, travelled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
samara
1 review
“a paradise in a green country”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 March 2010

After an adventurous route -this hotel lies rather isolated- you will arrive in PARADISE.
-very warm and friendly crew
-the location is save and clean
-a lot of space inside and outside
-a green surrounding- a beautiful large palm garden, birds, howling-monkey's, squirrels
-renting an appartment gives the opportunity to cook by yourself, but I recommend the good kitchen of this paradise..fresh products.
-a relaxing and clean swimmingpool
-the owner, Rainer, will guide you to interesting places
-wednesdayevening: life music by Rainer and friends
-nearby: the beach, with a seaturtle reservation
-Spanish, English, German speaking
-international and national guests
You will enjoy your stay here!

  • Stayed January 2010, travelled on business
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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cosmopolitus
1 review
“Perfect hideway in a tropical garden hotel”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 March 2009

We spent a great time in this small, very personel hotel. Endless beaches, and hardly any people, but breading turtles and fish hunting pelicans instead. A tropical paradise for nature lovers. We relaxed in the well designed tropical garden which is surrounded by mangroves. And the daily bath in the swimming pool was just marvelous. While sunbathing we watched the parrots, listened to the mantled howler monkeys and every afternoon we were visited by "Putzy" the coatimundi. We also wanted to watch crocodiles but we didn't see any. We hope we will meet them when we come again next year. We thanks the friendly team of the hotel for the attentive service and the good food.

  • Stayed March 2009, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Delta
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“It May Be a Paradise for Crocodiles but not for Humans”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 July 2008
2
people found this review helpful

Before making reservations, I asked the owner if the beach was safe for swimming and close to the hotel, he said there was a trail from his hotel to the beach that was 300 meters and the water was good for swimming. The owner knew I was taking my teenaged daughter and swimming was a priority for our choice of hotel. His website also claims that his hotel is 3 miles from Samara.
When we arrived to his hotel, the owner told us not to take his trail to the beach because it was filled with crocodiles AND not to swim above our waists because the current was strong. We had to walk down a muddy road, then cross a crocodile-filled river to get to the beach. The water was nothing but rip tides. We decided to walk to Samara and discovered we had to cross three more rivers filled with crocodiles, and what looked like sewage. The first river had water up to our necks. People were yelling "Crocodiles" from the other side of the bank.
We also discovered that deep river was flooded by the road so the 10km drive to town was now on a rugged road and closer to 30 km and cost about 30 bucks for a taxi, and it was hard to find a taxi because a driver needed a truck and the road was horrendous.
When I tried to leave a few days earlier than we had reserved, the owner threatened to call the Tourist Police if we didn't pay for the three nights we didn't want to stay there. I thought paying one extra night was more than suitable for this hellish experience.
There was nothing pleasant about this place. Once you're there, you're trapped. I paid the money to leave because it was so difficult to swim and to get to Samara. In hindsight, I should have let him call the Tourist Police. They wouldn't have wanted to make the drive to help this owner get money from us.

Stayed July 2008
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Lauf an der Pegnitz, Germany
1 review
“Uwe + Renate " Es stimmt alles.....”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 May 2012
Google Translation

  • Stayed April 2012, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Hotel Paraiso del Cocodrilo

Playa Buena Vista, Playa Samara 35014, Costa Rica
Price range (per night):* INR1,945 - 4,169

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