Hotel Casa Vito Beachfront

Folded into the jungle edge where the Caribbean shoreline curves through Puerto Viejo, Hotel Casa Vito Beachfront places guests directly on the sand, 75 metres south of Rocking J's along one of Costa Rica's least-developed coastlines.

Rooms include air conditioning, private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, and in-room refrigerators — practical kit for a beachfront property where guests split time between hammock hours and reef snorkelling. Family rooms accommodate groups, and a garden picnic area with outdoor dining furniture handles meals without requiring restaurant bookings.

Puerto Viejo's Afro-Caribbean food scene — rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, fresh-caught pargo — is a five-minute walk north along the beach road. The property sits closer to the Manzanillo wildlife refuge than most town hotels, making it the quieter end of an already unhurried stretch.