Vista Ballena

**English:** We recently spent a week at Hotel Vista Ballena in Uvita de Puntarenas (November 8 - November 15), and even though the weather wasn’t ideal, our experience was excellent thanks to the amazing staff. Special thanks to Esteban, Edgar, Jason, Yuri, and Liz for making us feel welcomed and attended. We booked a promotion that included breakfast and dinner, and while the selection was limited, the team went out of their way to provide us with variety, offering new dishes to avoid repeats throughout our stay. The food was delicious, and their flexibility truly made our stay memorable. Highly recommended—this is a place we would happily visit again! --- **Spanish:** Recientemente pasamos una semana en el Hotel Vista Ballena en Uvita de Puntarenas (del 8 al 15 de noviembre), y aunque el clima no fue ideal, nuestra experiencia fue excelente gracias al maravilloso personal. Un agradecimiento especial a Esteban, Edgar, Jason, Yuri y Liz por hacernos sentir bienvenidos y atendidos. Reservamos una promoción que incluía desayuno y cena; aunque la selección era limitada, el equipo hizo un gran esfuerzo en brindarnos variedad, ofreciéndonos nuevos platos para evitar repetir comidas durante nuestra estadía. La comida fue deliciosa, y su flexibilidad realmente hizo que nuestra estancia fuera memorable. Altamente recomendado—¡sin duda nos encantaría volver!

We had the most amazing cocktails with all natural ingredients. The bartender infuses his most common used liqueur’s with local fruits to create the best tasting cocktails we have had in Costa Rica. He created his own “Chamoy” with hibiscus flower and local ingredients that provides the most natural tasting flavored chamoy I have ever tasted. We had his Moscow Mule that contained soda infused with natural ginger which tasted phenomenal. Also, he invests time into ensuring the drinks are all garnished perfected. He is a true master of his craft and is fully committed to ensuring your drinking exceeds all expectations. In addition, the food was phenomenal with amazing bold flavors. We had the fish ceviche which is served in natural orange juice and provides a semi sweet flavor which is the perfect contrast to the fish. Amazing. Secondly, we had the Cordon Bleu Chicken and Chicken Ballena which both were extremely flavorful and would definitely try again. Lastly, we loved these dishes so much we asked for a Shrimp Fettuccine with Pesto that was amazing. The pesto was full of flavor with the perfect amount of Parmesan. After traveling through southwest Costa Rica and constantly being disappointed with the dinner and drink options at the hotels, Vista Ballena far exceeded our expectations. They created the perfect ending to our trip to Uvita and helped us establish trust in hotel dining and drink services.

What a great place! The staff are friendly and provide excellent service. The view, bar area, and pool are sublime. This hotel sits on the side of a steep hill with an incredible view of the ocean and Whales Tail. As a result, the drive up can be intimidating but easily managed by taking it slow in first gear. You need to be prepared to walk up stairs to get back and forth from the room and bar/restaurant/pool area. The food and drinks are excellent. The beach and town are a 15 min drive, at most. The rooms are comfortable with well functioning air conditioning. The outside patio/deck provides another magnificent view from the room. We had a wonderful couples massage in the open air yoga space. The bathroom in the room could use some attention, but hardly enough of a concern to dissuade us from returning. We're very happy we stayed here on our trip to Costa Rica. Thank you, Vista Ballena!

This hotel is on a mountainside overlooking the sea. Fantastic views from rooms and restaurant and bar. Lovely swimming pool. Nice public areas. However, the receptionist was a bit dismissive, not friendly. No thank yous. Waiting staff very friendly though. First night meal was absolutely awful. Set menu for our group of 18, probably not the standard menu. The food was cold and very, very salty. However, the breakfasts were good and our second night meal was good. The rooms are tired and not particularly clean. The bathroom needed a good scrub. Bedding clean. Hairdryer in room. Shampoo and conditioner but no shower gel. Internet off and on. No water in room, but water available from bar urn. The swimming pool was great as the weather was very hot. You cannot walk to anywhere from this hotel. it's in the middle of nowhere up a very steep and narrow drive, which is at least one mile long. Not good for a long stay, but OK for 2 nights.

Book for the view, nothing else. Rooms are quite a walk and the bathroom is very very dirty and outdated. The shower curtains were full of mold and when turning on the shower there was water everywhere in your room. The bar is awesome they make great margaritas, but for this money you would expect more of the room.

We stayed at the hotel for 3 nights and had a wonderful experience. All the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful and went out of their way to make our stay memorable. The hotel was clean and comfortable with incredible views of the area. The breakfast was better than the average included breakfast. The dinners were excellent. We will definitely stay there again the next time we are in Uvita. We highly recommend the Vista Ballena. It is an excellent value.