Clients reviews by TripAdvisor.com

“Excellent place to stay on the beach”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

After much research, we ultimately decided to stay at Luz de Vida for our spring break family vacation. We were two families traveling with 4 kids between the ages of 6- 10 yrs old. Overall, we were happy with our choice. The location could not be beat. If you are not looking for a 4 star hotel experience, and want something a little different, this is for you. The resort is fairly small, with only about 8 bungalows and maybe 10 hotel rooms. The pool was great (especially because it was very hot when we were there!)and there is great access to the beach. The grounds are very tropical & well maintained. The beach area has several hammocks & lounge chairs to hang out in. There is also a small game room with a pool table, foos ball, & ping pong....which was a hit for our kids.

We stayed in a garden view bungalow. There were two twin beds downstairs and then a small loft with a queen bed. Overall, we found the bungalow to be simple and sufficient, but a little small. The air conditioning worked great, & the maids were very meticulous. The biggest downside was that we found the bed to be extremely uncomfortable. We were also able to hear the road traffic, which wasn't a huge deal, but a bit of a distraction ( The hotel rooms are even closer to the road).
We ate many times in the hotel restaurant & found the food to be fairly well priced and decent. We even celebrated my son's b-day there on our last night & the restaurant staff was very accomodating by letting us decorate & play a video on the big screen.

Our primary reason for choosing this area was for the surf, which did not disappoint. The boys got plenty of surf in & the waves were also perfect for the kids to swim, surf, & boogie board (the water was 86 degrees!). There are beautiful tidepools to explore as well. This stretch of beach is really quite beautiful.
We were in the Mal Pais area over "Holy Week," so there were a lot of local ticos that filled the beach & the hotel. You can buy a day pass at Luz de Vida. A few times we felt like we were in the middle of spring break! I don't think it's normally a problem.

We were able to walk to a few restaurants, but would still recommend a car. My husband and I stayed at Flor Blanca several years ago for our anniversary. It was perfect for just the two of us, but has also increased in price! I think we got the most for our money at Luz de Vida. We might consider renting a house next time, but overall would recommend this hotel to families/couples looking for great beach access & decent accommodations.

After much research, we ultimately decided to stay at Luz de Vida for our spring break family vacation. We were two families travelling with 4 kids between the ages of 6- 10 yrs old. Overall, we were happy with our choice. The location could not be beat. If you are not looking for a 4 star hotel experience, and want something a little different, this is for you. The resort is fairly small, with only about 8 bungalows and maybe 10 hotel rooms. The pool was great (especially because it was very hot when we were there!)and there is great access to the beach. The grounds are very tropical & well maintained. The beach area has several hammocks & lounge chairs to hang out in. There is also a small game room with a pool table, foos ball, & ping pong....which was a hit for our kids.

We stayed in a garden view bungalow. There were two twin beds downstairs and then a small loft with a queen bed. Overall, we found the bungalow to be simple and sufficient, but a little small. The air conditioning worked great, & the maids were very meticulous. The biggest downside was that we found the bed to be extremely uncomfortable. We were also able to hear the road traffic, which wasn't a huge deal, but a bit of a distraction ( The hotel rooms are even closer to the road).
We ate many times in the hotel restaurant & found the food to be fairly well priced and decent. We even celebrated my son's b-day there on our last night & the restaurant staff was very accomodating by letting us decorate & play a video on the big screen.

Our primary reason for choosing this area was for the surf, which did not disappoint. The boys got plenty of surf in & the waves were also perfect for the kids to swim, surf, & boogie board (the water was 86 degrees!). There are beautiful tidepools to explore as well. This stretch of beach is really quite beautiful.
We were in the Mal Pais area over "Holy Week," so there were a lot of local ticos that filled the beach & the hotel. You can buy a day pass at Luz de Vida. A few times we felt like we were in the middle of spring break! I don't think it's normally a problem.

We were able to walk to a few restaurants, but would still recommend a car. My husband and I stayed at Flor Blanca several years ago for our anniversary. It was perfect for just the two of us, but has also increased in price! I think we got the most for our money at Luz de Vida. We might consider renting a house next time, but overall would recommend this hotel to families/couples looking for great beach access & decent accommodations.

“Great beach location!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa/Mal pais was the 2nd stop in our trip of Costa Rica. First, I would like to say that Santa Teresa/Mal pais (the two areas are so small they kind of merge as one) is beautiful, peaceful and has a definte hippy vibe. Being from San Francisco my bf and I loved it. Beachfront hotels are scarce on the Nicoya pennisula and I found that Luz de Vida was the beachfront hotel that was more reasonable in price. We stayed in one of the poolside bungalows and while we enjoyed the private porch which was surround by lush greenery the room it self was okay. It was a little dingy (see pictures). But it worked and we were rarely in our room anyway. We spent most of our time on our porch or on the beach. The BEST part of this hotel is the beach location. It wasn't cluttered with tourists since the hotel itself is small but you could tell that it was where the locals were at. Each sunset was absolutely stunning swinging on one of the hamocks on the property. During our stay my bf did some surf lessons through Luz de Vida. Amid was the surf instructor and he was great! Very personable and my bf got up on the board on his first try! If you are looking for a beachfront hotel without breaking the bank while mingling with locals, Luz de Vida is the place for you!

“Nice location, way over priced!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

The location is great but te pool was a little dirty and the room was unimpressive. There were ants everywhere and they invaded our toiletries and luggage. The bed was not comfortable and there were holes in the sheets. It did not feel clean and I never walked around with out my flip flops on, not even in the shower. The private sitting area in front of our bungalow with the hammock was nice but the traffic was loud. The room down te street (although 200mts from the beach) was 1/3 the price and WAY nicer. If the price was 1/2 what we paid (100$) it would be doable but you can hang out on the beach for free and that is really the est thing they have to offer. My advice: stay somewhere else and spend the extra money on a hammock that you can hang in one of the trees that line the whole area!

“Great Romantic and Tranquil Spot”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

Very artfully and tastefully done. It's all about relaxation in the rainforest - no TVs. New construction and super-friendly owner and staff (Argentinians). The place is up above the dust (very important) and a short ways from the beaten path.

“love luz de vida!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

Definitely pay a little more for the bungalows - they are super charming and the location can't be beat. We loved sitting on our porch in the rocking chairs and lounging in the hammock while drinking Imperials from the fridge. Woke up to howler monkeys at night. This is one of the few hotels with beach access in Santa Teresa, and definitely one of the most affordable. Don't expect a lot of attention from the staff, but the rooms are super clean, charming and comfortable. Recommended!

“Amazing location and great value!!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

Luz de Vida was a fantastic find! Bungalows were charming and the location couldn't be beat. The resort has a rustic vibe that was exactly what I hoped for, and each bungalow had it's own porch with rocking chairs, hammock and clothesline. The pool was a great place to rinse of from the beach, which was a only a few meters away. Staff was helpful when requesting tours and info. The only people I wouldn't recommend it to are those who wish for homogenous, full service hotels with no personality.

“Amazing place to stay!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

The waves are large, the pool is tranquil, the restaurant and swim up bar are great. The pool side games rock, we had an awesome time. Great place for kids. Request your own cabin, looks to be same size as the shared dwellings and same price, but way more privacy. Yoga on the beach was incredible with a fantastic instructor. Having the surf boards and lessons at our disposal was another bonus.

“Wedding of my dreams”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

We decided to get married in Luz de Vida after a short staying the year before. I am from CR and my husband is from Germany.

ANd i just can say that everything was perfect! The staff from the Hotel take care of every little detail that I wanted, right on the beach, the altar, the flowers, decoration, food drinks, etc... We live in Germany so all the planning was thru emails, and even though they made it! The food was also amazing delicious!

The hotel is located in front of the beach, with rooms and bungalows, in between a beautiful garden, they are very nice, clean and comfortable, the pool and restaurant are on the beach side. Which made it so special for such a ceremony, from the entrance to the celebration. It isa perfect place to relax and enjoy.

Our wedding was right on the beach, and the dinner also, so they set up the tables right on the sand, with a BBQ dinner style. It was picture-perfect! Post-card paradise!

I just can't wait to renew our vows to do it all over again at Luz de Vida!

“Great Surf, Great Food, Great Fun!”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

This place was amazing! They messed up our reservation but sure made up for it. Great surf right out front, big clean pool, great american and mediteranian food. They have a ping pong table and billiards table that is on the beach. Lots of hammocks and we saw monkeys on the property. Also just a short walk to lots of other bars and restaurants. This place has it ALL!

“After 4 trips, we STILL LOVE LUZ”

Hotel Luz De Vida - Luz de Vida Resort - Santa Teresa

There are of course, a ton of options in Mal Pais & Santa Teresa, and as I mentioned in my 2006 review, we've stayed at or visited many of them. While Luz is not a 5-star hotel, we're not comfortable with the concept of a 5-star hotel in this place (although we love an occasional meal at Florblanca :-). So, given the ideal being a rustic bungalow as close to the beach as possible, with a pool, a bar, a good restaurant, and a beautiful setting, we continue to find ourselves drawn to Luz, and extremely happy there. Yes, the bungalows are best, but the rooms have been upgraded and the upstairs ones are really pretty cute. Things go wrong at every hotel (trust me on that)... remember where you are, remember the pura vida mantra... hit the beach and enjoy. This place provides the perfect base for a perfect time in a wonderful area. Enjoy!