We spent several days at Cabinas Espadilla over New Year’s Eve. It has a basic layout but the bougainvillea, lush greenery, arches, fountain, pool, and terra cotta roof give it that Central American charm. The room was fine and even had a decent sized refrigerator. The shower wasn’t great but it was functional. Unfortunately, the windows are slotted, which means they don’t close with a seal. This means you hear what’s happening outside your room. In our case, our first few nights were across the street from a backpackers’ bar, which meant loud music all day. Much to our relief, it ended about 10 or 10:30 - Manuel Antonio is not a late-night town. It wasn’t a big deal, but it would have been nice to hear birds and nothing else. Later in the week, we changed rooms and upgraded to a kitchenette. It really wasn’t worth the extra money since the kitchen equipment was so old I was afraid to touch it. But having a kitchen sink and counter was useful. Unfortunately, that room was the corner of three walkways, which meant lots of neighbor noise as people walked to and from their rooms.
The hotel location is great. It’s tucked away behind the beach and beachfront craziness, which means we could walk to everything, including the beach and National Park, but could come back to our little oasis when the chaos got too much.
The staff was so helpful. They really made a difference. We spent hours in the office trying to arrange tours (it was high season and with a baby, we had lots of restrictions). Both the young man and the woman spent lots of time calling multiple tour companies, asking questions and trying to get me onto tours. The woman even loaned me bus money to get somewhere since I only had a $20! I would definitely stay here again.
- Cabinas Espadilla Hotel
