Issimo Suites Boutique Hotel & Spa - Adults Only

Issimo suites is a wonderful hotel with a very neat design and some of the best service you'll ever get. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon and were treated extremely well by all the staff. We even got a free upgrade for our room. The views while eating at the restaurant are amazing. Free breakfast was a huge plus and the dinners were delicious and well priced. The rooms are very clean and have a unique look to the. Overall this is a great stay for a good price.

Expectations coming in were quite high, especially after staying at a similarly priced hotel in another part of Costa Rica and assuming we’d get a similar experience. For starters, it is not a “beachfront” hotel as claimed. There’s a trail you can take to a semi private beach but it’s pure downhill and quite far(at least 20 min if you walk fast) and don’t even get me started on the uphill walk back. The room we stayed had an open shower which sounds fun but don’t expect the small single bath mat to remotely cover all of the splatter that’s going to inevitably happen. We were not expecting to be fully insect free being in the jungle but our whole bed was covered in dozens of what we hoped were fruit flies. The ac felt like it was just for decoration. Lastly we asked to see if we could get a late checkout and even offered to pay but were met with a very rude receptionist that seemed like she was enjoying her power trip to deny the request as rudely as possible. We would have understood to deny the request if they didn’t have space but the hotel was completely empty. During the whole time we were there we saw no other guests or cars in the parking lot. Right as we were checking out, she felt the need to call the cleaners in our face without acknowledging us first. The majority of the workers we saw were very kind and helpful but the experience with her brought the average service way down.

We came at Issimo Suite to relax and enjoy the area, and we were greatly served! The food is delicious, the view from our balcony and the restaurant also. Our favorite part of the stay was to drink coffee from our balcony while observing the monkeys and the toucans. The servers, morning and night were also super nice! Our favorite beach was espadilla, which was recommended by one of the hotel staff. Quiet and stunning. Biezans playa was beautiful as well but much more crowded and more rockyish.

We ended up having a good stay at Issimo Suites overall and would rate it 4 stars, largely because of the incredible staff and beautiful setting. Every staff member we interacted with was genuinely warm and welcoming, but the breakfast attendant deserves a special mention for being exceptionally friendly every morning. The complimentary golf cart shuttle to town and the beach was also a fantastic perk that made getting around Manuel Antonio much easier. The views from the property are absolutely stunning and were one of the highlights of our stay. Whether relaxing by the pool or having a meal at the restaurant, you're surrounded by beautiful jungle scenery and ocean views. We also saw monkeys and toucans right from the hotel grounds. In fact, the only toucans we saw during our entire two-week trip to Costa Rica were at Issimo, which made the experience feel extra special. That said, the hotel itself feels much older than its rating suggests. The rooms are very dated and could use a significant refresh. Our room had a musty smell, the patio door didn't fully close, and the refrigerator was so loud that we ended up unplugging it. The bathroom setup was also unusual, with small saloon-style doors that offered very little privacy. We were surprised to be assigned a room that felt like it was in the basement, and being directly below the dining area meant we could hear chairs scraping overhead throughout the day. The food was hit or miss. The complimentary breakfast was enjoyable and appreciated each morning, but other meals felt overpriced for the quality. We also ordered the happy hour margarita and unfortunately could barely drink it. Overall, if you're looking for modern luxury accommodations, this probably isn't the place. However, if you can look past the aging rooms, the incredible views, abundant wildlife, friendly staff, and convenient shuttle service make Issimo a worthwhile place to stay.