Manuel Antonio National Park is in the top three most visited national parks in Costa Rica with many reasons why. The beaches are spectacular, the wildlife is astounding and it’s in relatively close proximity to San Jose airport.
The town of Quepos is located at the bottom of a hill and as you go up higher and higher towards the national park, you’ll see tons of hotels and businesses. Many of these hotels are of high quality with a rating of four or five stars but one in particular stands out among the rest, Hotel La Mariposa.
Hotel La Mariposa in Costa Rica
Hotel La Mariposa in Costa Rica has the best view of Manuel Antonio National Park among all the hotels. Built in the 1970’s, this hotel has a prime location on the hill for a full view of all of the surrounding areas: the national park, the island and beaches.
With tropical gardens delicately placed all around the hotel property, it is landscaped so it’s almost like there is a jungle in the hotel, not a hotel in the jungle. The hotel has a Spanish-Mediterranean design which is fitting for one that overlooks the Pacific ocean.
As you walk up to reception, you might see toucans in the trees, lizards lounging on the branches and butterflies dancing around. It’s the perfect combination of nature and luxury that gives visitors a way to enjoy nature’s best without compromising luxury and comfort.
The Restaurant
We were greeted at reception by a lovely fellow and were served tropical fruit drinks. As soon as you walk in, you can feel the breeze and begin to relax.
The restaurant entrance is right behind the reception where it is overlooking the national park and ocean. It has open air seating so you can enjoy the beautiful view in the morning while having breakfast or watch the sunset to the west, overlooking the pool.
We ate at the restaurant for lunch and dinner and both days for breakfast. Their food is delicious, especially their dinner menu.
One particular dish we all fell in love with was the tuna burger as it was meaty, juicy and cooked to perfection. That was our golden find at the hotel’s restaurant.
Other dishes we loved were the stuffed avocado, calamari, the dessert (coconut flan and this chocolate brownie cake).
Breakfast is a buffet with yogurt, fruit, juice, cereal, toast, typical Costa Rican food such as gallo pinto and plantains, bacon, and sausage and there is an egg station if you want eggs or an omelet.
It’s not terrible but service at the restaurant was a bit slow. We waited awhile for them to take our lunch order and we had to ask for the coffee ourselves in the morning. The great food definitely made up for it however!
The Rooms
Yeison and I stayed in one of the premier ocean view rooms and our friends stayed in one of the standard rooms.
Although they didn’t consider this one a premier room, we loved the rustic feel of it. They had a great view of the ocean, the tub was positioned right by the window and it was bigger than our premiere room.
The premier room had a more modern feel, with a large plasma TV, modern furniture and decorations. The room was a bit smaller with no tub but you still get a full view of the ocean.
One thing that struck us as interesting was that there was no actual door to separate the bedroom from the bathroom. In our room, there was this big blind that you pulled down for privacy.
In the standard room, there is a door to the bathroom but there is no back wall behind the tub so it is completely open.
The Pool
This infinity pool is just beautiful. It stretched out over the whole pool area and looked over the edge of the jungle, facing west so you get a complete view of the sunset every day.
The first day we spent the whole late afternoon in the pool, searching for squirrel monkeys in the trees, watching the sun go down and then enjoying the hot tub as the night fell.
It’s where most of the guests also go so you can chat with other people and get the low down on the area.
There is also an infinity pool on the floor above at the swim up bar which is smaller but still very nice.
You can walk down from the pool area to the standard rooms and there is also another grassy area with chairs to sit and enjoy the view of the national park.
Thoughts
Two nights were not enough to spend at Hotel La Mariposa. I could rave on and on about how beautiful the property and the hotel is. They’re planning on doing some renovations to a few of the rooms but there is no denying that their stunning view is one you won’t find anywhere else in Manuel Antonio.
You can’t chalk all the compliments up to just the view though. For the perfect combination of luxury and nature, Hotel La Mariposa offers all that and much more. It’s internationally recognized and even in the book 1000 Places to see before you die.
The rooms are very comfortable and spacious, the manager and front desk reception are incredibly helpful, the food is delicious, and the entire ambiance of the hotel is one that makes you feel one with nature. It’s a wonderful luxurious home base for your trip to Manuel Antonio!
