Hotel Banana Azul: An Amazing Adult Only Caribbean Beachfront Eco Hotel in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Lush jungles, wildlife, local food, unspoiled beaches, adventure tours, and tropical gardens on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Puerto Viejo is a small coastal town with a Jamaican descent. Puerto Viejo offers a wide variety of activities such as surf lessons, horseback riding, snorkeling, Jaguar Rescue Center, night turtle watching, white river rafting, tours of the chocolate forest, and a plethera of tours through Caribe Fun Tours. Nearby you will find the Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve and Cahuita National Park.

If predictability makes you cringe, and adventure is what you’re after, you’ll love the untamed Caribbean. Follow a blue morpho butterfly into the tangled jungle, hide out a rainstorm under a palm tree on the beach, get your hair wrapped by an Argentinean hippie, shake your booty to some Reggaeton, and learn to hula hoop or throw fire. Welcome to the wild side.

Camille Willemain

The weather is more unpredictable on the Caribbean coast. You are more likely to get rain, unlike the set dry season on the Pacific coast. The Pacific coast offers great sunsets, while the Caribbean coast offers great sunrises. This might be hard for the late risers (like me). The Caribbean coast has more of a melting pot vibe, with inhabitants from the Caribbean island, South America, Europe, and North American expats. You will hear Spanish, Jamaican creole, French, German, and Italian being spoken. On the Pacific coast you will find more influences from the Western world.

Getting to Puerto Viejo del Talamanca

Bus: Take a bus from San Jose for about $12/person one way. This is a 5 hour trip.

Driving: Rent a car. The roads are paved and mostly main highways. This is a 4-5 hour trip.

Plane: Limon airport is the closet airport to Puerto Viejo. Sansa airline flies into Limon from San Jose for $70/person one way for the 40 minute flight. A 1.5 hour shuttle will take you from Limon to Puerto Viejo.

White Water rafting connection: You will be picked up from San Jose and take a 4 hour white water rafting adventure that will then drop you off at Puerto Viejo. This option sounds awesome.

Hotel Banana Azul

Hotel Banana Azul is a 14-room, adult only (kids aged 16+ are allowed), property located on Playa Negra, a popular surf beach about a 5 minute drive from Puerto Viejo’s central town. The hotel is situated among the beach and jungle, making lush foliage and animal sightings common. The hotel includes wifi, breakfast buffet, boogie boards, morning coffee, bike rentals. Banana Azul has its own protected turtle nesting site, a frog pond, and fountains with koi.

The 14 rooms vary in style and size. most rooms have their own terraces with one to two wooden chairs, a colorful hammock, and a bench or table area made from a polished and shaped slab of tree trunk. Only a few of the rooms have AC. The pricier rooms have an ocean view while the others have views of the gardens and jungle.

The Azul beach club includes a restaurant, bar and lounge on the sand. A full breakfast is included in the hotel stay, lunch and dinner are available for purchase. Breakfast includes 3 standard options with 1 daily special option. There is a water purifying fountain at the beach club for water refills. The beach lounge area includes chairs under palm leaf umbrellas. An area is set up for a beachside message by the Azul Beach Club.

Nightlife

Monday: Ladies night at Mango Sunet Tripadvisor Reviews

Tuesday: Tasty Waves Tripadvisor Reviews

Wednesday: Open Mic Night at Hot Rock’s Tripadvisor Reviews

Saturday: Lazy Mon Tripadvisor Reviews

Sunday: Reggae night at Salsa Brava Tripadvisor Reviews

Caribe Fun Tours

This is a tour company that began in the Puerto Viejo de Limon area. They are fun, energetic, and knowledgeable guides who can put together local tours as well as full multi-destination itineraries. They provide transportation, cultural and learning itineraries, adventure tours, Caribbearn tours, Pacific tours, wildlife viewing, and so much more!!