Hotel Balcón del Mar

What locals are saying about Hotel Balcón del Mar

In its favor is the location: it sits right in downtown Jacó, facing the beach. Breakfast is included —buffet on weekends, à la carte on weekdays— and opinions are split: some guests found it tasty and generous, others stale or underwhelming. One guest also singles out the front-desk clerk as kind.

Complaints from the last high season are consistent and worth reading before booking: small, worn rooms, with a cold-only shower or no hot water and mattresses in bad shape, uneven cleaning, the pool under maintenance or dirty, parking that is actually the street with car watchers, and restaurant music from early on. One stay coincided with renovation work, with hammering from 6 in the morning, and the entrance is open from the neighboring restaurant, with no security at the gate. The hotel now presents itself as Paradise Jacó and says it has been renovated; it is worth confirming the condition of the room and the pool when booking. Nightly rates start at US$120 plus taxes.