Hotel Aguas Claras
On Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast, just steps away from Playa Chiquita, Hotel Aguas Claras is hidden behind dense garden greenery. It was established in 2018 when the Costa Rican artist Elizabeth Steinvorth, together with her daughter Elena Rohrmoser, renovated older beach houses using recycled materials and the work of local craftsmen. Victorian architectural elements meet tropical colors, complemented by accents of Mid-Century modernism. No unit is the same; each displays original works by friendly artists from the region. As a member of the Cayuga Collection, the house combines this design aspiration with a consistent sustainability concept, ranging from solar-heated water to its own greenhouse. Before breakfast, you can hear the howler monkeys in the canopy, and above the outdoor shower, there may be a sloth.
Details
Country
Costa Rica
City
Puerto Viejo
Price
from 280 € per night/person
Best time to visit
December - April
Rooms
How you stay mainly depends on how far you move away from the center of the facility. Around the pool and Papaya Restaurant are the Pavlova Suites, 40 square meters with no separating walls, designed for days that will take place either on the beach or while traveling. Further back, the vegetation takes over, and with the distance, the bungalows grow from 50 square meters for two to over 75 for four, in one variant with its own plunge pool in the garden. A special role is played by the one-bedroom bungalow suite on the private path to the beach, whose round ceiling allows daylight to fall on two verandas. Nothing opens towards the sea, but each unit includes an outdoor shower and a terrace with a hammock.
Culinary
Between the two kitchens of the house lies a few hundred meters and two quite different tones. By the water, at the DaLime Beach Club, it is casual: barefoot, with Afro-Caribbean classics like the Rondón fish soup, whose fish comes from fishermen in Puerto Viejo via the dock-to-dish program. Further inside, at the end of the jungle path, it becomes more refined in the Papaya Restaurant, in Terrazzo and Papayarosa, with a cuisine that complements regional traditions with international influences. In the evenings, DJs play there or someone picks up the guitar, and a private dinner on your own terrace can be arranged in advance. The à la carte breakfast is included in the stay, and gluten-free or vegan requests are implemented without fuss.
Activities
In front of the door, the water begins, as it is just a few steps to Playa Chiquita, and further south, Punta Uva can be explored by kayak or paddleboard. In Cahuita National Park, a coastal path runs along an offshore reef suitable for snorkeling. Inland, the paths of the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge wind through the rainforest, where, with a little patience, you can spot Great Green Macaws. By bike, you can reach the neighboring villages and the Jaguar Rescue Center, while the indigenous Bribrí show you how chocolate is made from the cocoa fruit. Regular yoga is practiced in the open shala on the premises, and if you like, someone will show you which medicinal plants grow between the paths and how the house manages its resources.
Location
The hotel is located directly at Playa Chiquita in Punta Cocles, near Puerto Viejo in the province of Limón. Nestled in the nature of Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast, the refuge is also only about 25 minutes from the famous Cahuita National Park. The international airport San José is the nearest main airport and can be reached in a scenic drive of about 4.5 to 5 hours.
Contact person
Senior Travel Designer
