The Hotel that would Lure Us Back to Visit Costa Rica

When searching the Guanacaste coast for a good little beach town and hotel, I came across the little village of Brasilito and the Conchal Hotel and Papaya Restaurant. Nestled into lush green hills that cascade down to the Pacific’s turquoise coast, this tiny fishing village can be easy to miss. What appealed to me when finding it on Google Maps was its proximity to the other, more well-known, beach towns while being less touristic. There’s Playa Flamingo, which is just a 10 minute drive north, and Matapalo which is where our friends live only a 15-20 minute drive to the south.

What kept drawing me back to the Conchal Hotel online were the positive reviews. They were fantastic. The hotel also provided accurate information, properly and warmly representing themselves and their location. While we considered another hotel that is right on the beach in Brasilito, we are so glad that we decided to stay at Conchal. The staff are warm, friendly and helpful, doing their work with care and quality. It is only a short, easy walk to the beautiful Brasilito and Conchal Beaches, and easy to access from the main road that goes through the village.

When you first arrive, you are greeted by statues of Aztecs, tucked back into the tropical trees and hanging green vines that form a lush wall of plants. Then as you step through the entryway, you find yourself in a cozy courtyard lined with slender palms, trellis’ of flowers, and the vibrant colors of the welcoming swimming pool and the brightly colored buildings with charming balconies. The restaurant, on the second floor of the main building, is open on three sides that are wrapped with a curved railing decorated with vines and flowers.

Upon check-in, we met the owner Hilda. She was so welcoming and even upgraded us to a Superior Room for no cost! Already, we were thrilled and impressed with the care they showed us. And as if that were not impressive enough, they served us each (and all future guests I saw arrive) their fresh tropical fruit mixed smoothies in our rooms, complimentary!

Talk about eating like kings and queens – the Papaya Restaurant incorporates natural, locally sourced, seasonal, and organic ingredients. Hilda loves to use the best of what the region provides and adds her own creative twist on dishes. Staying at Conchal included a wonderful breakfast of fresh seasonal fruits, robust fragrant coffee, natural freshly squeezed juices, toast, and cereals. It gets even better though. Their breads (white and wheat) are home-made and even baked right there on site. One of their cereals is a fantastic granola blend that they also make by hand and toast on site as well. And if you feel like something more than that, they have an additional full breakfast menu that is available until 5pm.

There’s even natural pressed juices, like carrot with orange and fresh ginger, as well as great cocktails and even a happy hour from 4pm – 6pm. Dinner is our favorite dining experience with them. We got to enjoy everything from their mouth-watering lobster night to filet mignon, coconut-encrusted Mahi-Mahi to sesame-coated tuna, coconut shrimp to tuna poke…we could go on and on! And we must make sure to mention that they serve lunch too. We loved their Casados, with fresh rice and beans, salad, freshly made plantain chips, avocado and your choice of fish or meat. They also make great Panini’s, wraps, salads, and smoothies.

Staying at the Conchal Hotel created so many great memories. We feel that the people and the space became so dear to us because of how welcomed we felt. One of our favorite experiences was getting up in the morning to the sound of birds singing and then grabbing a freshly brewed cup of coffee while exchanging a round of buenos dias with the Conchal family (staff).

We would then either cozy up on one of the couches in the restaurant corner, where a curtain of deep-green ivy and purple flowers hung, or we would go back to our room’s front balcony that overlooked the courtyard and relax in the chairs provided there. As we woke up with sips of coffee, we would start to spot the iguanas, some of the other local residents, come out on top of one of the nearby roofs or perhaps just below our railing in the lush green foliage surrounding the pool. Quite a few times we were graced by the presence of “The King” who is one huge iguana that loves to sun himself by the pool or climb one of the taller trees.

Hopefully now you see why it’s the Conchal Hotel and Papaya Restaurant that will draw us back to this exotic country. We’re pretty sure that if you experience it for yourself, you will treasure it as a discovery and be drawn back as well.