The Best Hotels Near Hotel Aguas Claras, by the Record
-
Sloths in the canopy and toucans at breakfast: this boutique hotel on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast earns its setting rather than just borrowing it. A family project built around an artist's eye, it mixes colorful, boldly furnished suites with more rustic bungalows and a five-bedroom house for larger groups. The open-air restaurant leans into Afro-Caribbean cooking, and the beach club is a short walk from a genuinely quiet stretch of sand. Michelin named it a Key property.
-
Ten jungle villas arranged in small private clusters, each with a saltwater pool and 270-degree views of canopy and Caribbean through open-air ventilation, no AC required. This new luxury resort in Puerto Viejo was born after the Slovenian founder rented a local's house and never left; that same local now runs the property. Cacao ceremonies and BriBri community visits are on the activities list, and the team planted 900 species after building, apparently to apologize to the jungle.
-
Nine thatch-roofed bungalows perched on stilts over the Bocas del Toro archipelago, each with French doors opening onto private terraces and a staircase straight down to the Caribbean. Solar power keeps things intentionally low-tech, which is the whole point. Skylights for stargazing, hammocks for the rest, and a veranda restaurant running on whatever the boats brought in. The Michelin Guide has it among its selected hotels.
-