Buena Onda

Staying at the Buena Onda is a truly unique experience. The bungalows are very nice on the eye, but quite basic. Expect a camping style stay. The compact complex consists of 6-7 (can not recall exact number) bungalows along a path and it has a central wooden covered platform with a table where a group of people can sit. No more, no less. Buena Onda is located at the north end of Santa Teresa, but it is easy to walk on the road (or along the beach, which is a 5min walk away) to reach the center of town. There is an armada of roosters next door that wake up around 4 in the morning. They seem to have dedicated their lives to making sure that no one in the neighborhood sleeps longer than they do. This is naturally outside of the Buena Onda control, but worth knowing. By the way, the Italian owners are super friendly and very service minded!

Fantastic stay! Check in process was very easy and Lucia gave us a lot of great tips and things to do in the area. The bungalows are exactly as they are described. The outdoor bathroom is an experience itself. Showering under the full moon was a delight. The private kitchen is a plus for when you are too tiered to go outside. The beach is a short walk away as well a coffee shops and restaurants. I got to meet Alberto (the owner) who was kind enough to show me around. I mentioned him that I had read some reviews about the neighbours roosters, but he confirmed they are gone! I highly recommend this place and hopefully we’ll be back soon!

Eine grosse Enttäuschung. Die Bungalow sind sehr in die Jahre gekommen. Die Anlage befindet sich auch nicht im Urwald, sondern an einer sehr staubigen, viel befahrenen Hauptstrasse mit entsprechend viel Lärm. In den Bungalow gibt es Gas Kocher, jedoch nirgends Feuerlöscher, was ich für sehr bedenklich halte. Bei unserem Aufenthalt war den ganzen Tag Stromausfall, d.h. es gibt dann auch kein Wasser für Dusche oder Toilette. Auf der Anlage ist kein Personal, wenn es Probleme gibt ist man auf sich allein gestellt. Telefonisch erreicht man niemanden. Wir sind nach einer Nacht wieder gegangen, es gibt in Santa Teresa sehr viel bessere Optionen.

CAUTION TO PROSPECTIVE GUESTS! READ THIS BEFORE BOOKING! This is not a hotel, but more like glamping. For what they are charging, there are much better options in Santa Teresa. We were unpleasantly surprised to find out that the toilet, sink, and shower are all outdoors. Using an outdoor toilet in 37c (99F) heat is quite unpleasant. No where on ******* does it say that the toilet is located outside. We tried discussing our concerns with the local representative, she was friendly and reached out to the owner for a resolution. No luck. The owner refused to work with us on even a partial refund even though we did not stay there for any of the 3 nights we booked. The outdoor shower is a nice idea, but the wooden walls have large gaps that open into the parking lot. Also, the main road through town passes a few meters away from the bungalows making a lot of noise from all the quads and motorcycles as well as fumes and dust. It seems that the owner wants to save a few pennies at the expense of the guest. Signs inside prohibit bringing towels to the beach. When we requested actual beach towels, we were told to buy them at the local supermarket. So, we spent $24 USD on towels that we will not be able to bring back with us. No other hotel we have stayed at in Costa Rica refused to provide beach towels. I am sure that someone from Buena Onda will come on here and discredit this review, but it’s the unfortunate truth. Hopefully I can prevent someone making the same mistake like us.

Da würde ich nie wieder hingehen, selbst wenn es gratis wäre. Eine Nacht hat gereicht. Camping an einer staubigen Hauptstrasse mit beissendem Benzingeruch. Das hat nichts mit Dschungel Feeling zu tun. Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis stimmt überhaupt nicht.

Cockroaches + no sleep at night + no privacy + no hot water We wanted to love this place because in photos it looked like an amazing jungle retreat but what we found was cockroaches in the room, in the kitchen, and around the property. Our long awaited vacation turned into a nightmare. We could not sleep because neighboring roosters started crowing at 2am and their coop was just 5 meters away from our room. It was LOUD. There was also lack of privacy in the bathroom as there is a 2 story house with windows which can see directly into the shower. Also, rooms had thin see-through curtains which let in outside street lights at night, and made it hard to change. After the first night of no sleep and chasing cockroaches from the room, we notified the property management asking for a refund. They declined it stating that they cannot control outside noise and that cockroaches are normal part of jungle. After leaving the property and renting another one just down the street we found no cockroaches there and could sleep in silence. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS US AND RENT ROOMS HERE, there are much better options in town.