Need to know
Rooms
Thirteen: six suites, six bungalows and a two-storey villa.
Check–Out
11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More details
Rates include breakfast.
Also
Look out for nods to the distinctive style of Wes Anderson not just in suite Belafonte, but also at Papaya restaurant, where the décor is inspired by the Anderson-designed interiors at Bar Luce in Milan.
At the hotel
Pool, spa, yoga shala, beach club, bikes to borrow, laundry service (extra cost). In rooms: free WiFi, free tea & coffee, refillable water bottles, minibar.
Our favourite rooms
Of the six themed suites, we love Belafonte – a colour trip of stylish nods to movie The Life Aquatic; Tropicana is ravishing and retro with Fifties flourishes. Queenston is the only suite with two queen-size beds. Bungalow suite Cacao has a wraparound veranda for indoor-outdoor living, but for a big celebration or gathering of family, Casa Floralia sleeps up to 10 in style.
Poolside
In front of Papaya restaurant, leafy jungle shades the curvaceous, asymmetric pool, edged by papaya-bright loungers. The pool has stepped entry and a Jacuzzi to one side.
Spa
Secluded by the canopy, Casa Gandhi is an open-sided wooden shala beside a lily pond that’s the place for yoga sessions, as well as spa treatments. Massages can be deep-tissue or ayurvedic with optional energy healing treatments.
Packing tips
Colourful dresses and loose-fitting shirts for evenings out in Puerto Viejo.
Also
The hotel offers massages on your private terrace for bungalow guests as well as at the spa; Queenston Suite is wheelchair accessible.
Pet‐friendly
No pets allowed at this serene seaside stay. See more pet-friendly hotels in Limon Province.
Children
Over-eights are welcome at Aguas Claras; the hotel has two-bedroom bungalows and a family friendly casa, which sleeps 10.
Sustainability efforts
Sustainability is a guiding principle at Aguas Claras, rolled out across all aspects of the hotel’s running. Rubbish is sorted on site into recyclable categories and food waste is collected to turn into compost for the organic kitchen garden. The hotel has its own water purification plant and there are glass water bottles in rooms and metal bottles for guests to refill and take out and about. Cleantech products – an eco-friendly, Costa Rican brand – are used hotel wide. The hotel’s admin offices are housed in remodelled shipping containers, salvaged from the docks. The majority of staff are local and schooled in English lessons by the hotel. Both restaurants at Aguas Claras steer clear of cuisine that would compete with neighbourhood eateries in a bid to generate rather than diminish custom for local businesses. Restaurant ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced; Aguas Claras is signed up to the Dock to Dish program for sustainable fishing with fair terms for the local industry. And when you drink at the bar, you’ll find the garnishes are seasonal, too, and your straw is, of course, made of bamboo. Discover the hotel’s impressive eco credentials for yourself on a back-of-the-house sustainability tour.