I stayed at Xandari by the Pacific on Sunday night. A lot of people that come to Costa Rica are looking for a hotel right on the beach, well this is it!  There are 9 individual villas in a row located right on the beach at the southern end of Esterillos.  Esterillos is about 20 to 30 minutes south of Jaco.  It’s a very quiet town, only about 3-4 restaurants and only 1 small gringo bar that I saw. 

The beach is very long so there are actually 3 parts to Esterillos (Esterillos Oeste, 
Centro, and Este); Xandari is in Este.  If you are going to be here more than a few days, I would definitely recommend a rental SUV as you need to drive to the other parts of town and you would probably want to go into Jaco for a change. 

I would recommend booking tours during the day as there really isn’t much to do here besides sit on the beach.  The beach is a surfing beach and they give you a tide chart when you check in.  They recommend swimming at high tide; that is when it is safest.

The beach itself is a darker sand but very wide and extremely long.  The hotel is very similar to the hotel in San Jose, interesting architecture and bold colors.  There are intricate gardens with a lot of different type of plants, a very contemporary feeling to the place, not for everyone.

Currently, there is one shallow lap pool and a Jacuzzi.  Neither have ocean views.  Another crescent shape and deeper pool is under construction (will not have ocean views either).  I wasn’t too impressed with the pool or gardens but I really liked the rooms.  The villas are spacious with high ceilings, bathrooms with a shower facing a private garden, and private patio facing the ocean.  There are very bright colors throughout on the murals and pillows.

The best part really is being right on the beach; the views are outstanding.  Prima villas are smaller. I would recommend the ultra villas as they are much more spacious (huge living area and bigger bathroom).  The maximas are even better as they have their own private plunge pool on the patio facing the ocean, a big bonus at least until the second pool is complete as the lap pool is nothing great.  Keep in mind that there are NO tv’s in the rooms.  Again, for anyone who has been to the Xandari in San Jose, this is similar with an emphasis on healthy and natural foods, funky and contemporary vibe.  A spa is expected to be completed late 2007.

Review By: Dave Horn

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Filed under: Hotel & Restaurant Reviews on August 1st, 2007