Does Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 8:00 PM. Late check-in is available during limited hours.

What time is check-out at Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa?

Check-out is at noon. Late check-out is available for a fee (subject to availability).

Does Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request. A fee of CRC 105000 per vehicle applies.

Where is Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa located?

Situated by the ocean, this spa resort is within 3 mi (5 km) of Playa Ballena, Arco Beach, and Marino Ballena National Park. Pinuela Beach is 3.1 mi (4.9 km) away.

Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

10/10 Excellent

KATHY

6 January 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

quiet, peace, beautiful.

Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Annette

4 December 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Beautiful

Great stay. Staff was very helpful and friendly. We even met the owner. Beautiful views and property

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

6/10 Okay

Neil

30 August 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

The staff were nice and the bed was comfortable. The view and sunsets are great and you are woken by the sound of the surrounding wildlife. However, you can also hear the traffic from the mai road. Towels in the bathroom were limited. Dining was expensive andcrestaurantvrequired booking after a certain time. We were unfortunately on the ground floor and th noises from the room above was very irritating and the hotel were unable to o anything about it. In my opinion this is not a 4 star hotel, it is not a boutique hotel an does not have the facilities to be called a spa hotel. A small massage room that was never occupie! No gym, no steam room. I was disapointed with the high price I paid for our stay. This hotel does not deserve the high rating that it has. Although our stay was ok and we did appreciate the games room when the rains came...

Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

13 August 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Toucans galore

This is definitely a 4 star not a 3 star hotel. Pool is really big and great lounging areas and garden around. Toucans are plenty here and easy to spot. Feels like a hidden gem and a truly special place. It is expensive though… particularly drinks and food is definitely a lot higher than in other places. You get what you pay for though and the quality is good. Highly recommend the family suite

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

James

29 August 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

The room was spotlessly clean and the bed was very comfortable. Housekeepers did a great job daily. The porch had a beautiful view where we drank our first cup of coffee daily. The property had many many steps making it very challenging to get to the pool or restaurant. We had to take our car each day for breakfast or dinner. The grounds were very well kept and beautiful. We ate twice in the evening. The food was expensive and mediocre. I recommend the hotel but find another place for meals.

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

James

17 December 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Best place i have ever encountered

Truely an all inclusive top rated 5 star resort. The staff, the food, the room, the property layout, the vistas, the rain forest paths and walks were all that anyone could ever hope for when experiancing CR. Art work, stone sculptures, flowers, birds and forest rivers made you feel that you were in a adult wonderland. A special thanks to Herbert for his engraciating personality, and to the owner Andreis who was so sweet and and so down to earth. Our lives have changed from this experiance. We are already planing our next stay there and will be bringing family.

Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

11 July 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Tar gjerne et opphold til.

Vi hadde seks supre døgn på hotellet. Flott bassengområde og veldig hyggelige, og behjelpelige, ansatte. God mat i restauranten, vi fikk prøvd både frokost, lunsj og middag. Hotellet ligger perfekt til for å få med seg mange fuglearter i området. Vi reiser veldig gjerne tilbake.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Fabrizio

26 April 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Wir hatten eine wunderbare Zeit! Die Lage hat für uns gepasst und die Aussicht war traumhaft. Wir würden jederzeit wiederkommen – und das sagt wohl alles. Wir können das Hotel wirklich aus Überzeugung weiterempfehlen. Wir nehmen uns nur für Hotels Zeit für eine Bewertung, die es auch wirklich verdient haben.

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sara-Lu

17 April 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

The location of the property is beautiful, set back from the road and elevated for a great view of the Pacific. We particularly enjoyed the Happy Hour each day at 5:00 to enjoy the fabulous sunsets. The pool, the colorful plants, the toucans, tanagers, orapendulas and numerous other birds added so much to our visit. The staff was so accommodating and friendly. Our 5 days spent at Cristal Ballena were top notch!

Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

RODRIGO

29 March 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Un lugar muy tranquilo y bonito. La pasamos muy bien.

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

ERIC

27 March 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Séjour de 4 nuits Magnifique et très calme Piscine avec vue mer En pleine nature toucans et autres oiseaux présents . Happy hours très sympas Tout était marfait

Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Debbie

12 February 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

We loved the grounds, so peaceful and lush. Huge variety of birds, howler monkeys in the distance each morning, incredibly kind, helpful and friendly staff. Delicious food, beverages and the best swimming pool ever!

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Marisol

2 February 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Excelente. A lil costly but good. I wish they had more menu options with local food variety. The pool was amazing. Staff was great.

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Scott

12 November 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Lots of wildlife great pool

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Wojciech

7 July 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Wspaniały, pięknie ulokowany hotel z miła obsługa super basenem i wieloma atrakcyjnymi w pobliżu.

Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sofia

23 June 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Great customer service, and attention to deals!

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

6/10 Okay

Shirley

12 April 2024

Liked: Staff & service

We had the villa and the AC was weak. The bedding just made us sweat and pillows were hard. We are not used to sleep in the humid hot room so had a hard time for two nights. I understand it’s next to the jungle but I’m not sure about seeing ants everywhere inside the room. Great birding location. Lots of yellow throated toucans. Unsure about the raving reviews of the restaurant. Basic choices and very high prices. The pool has no shade. Lots of lounge chairs.

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

14 March 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

What a gem. It’s a stunning property outmatched only by incredible, kind and helpful staff. From a special laundry request, to making sure I got to see the Tucáns, to remembering my drink of choice, they made me feel safe, special and well taken care of. Don’t hesitate to book this!

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Dale

5 December 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Staff was incredible, view from the room was wonderful. Dining at the restaurant was delicious. I will be staying here again.

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

1 December 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

My gf and I booked a last minute stay at Cristal Ballena while visiting Costa Rica and could not be happier with our entire experience. We had decided to extend our stay in Costa Rica an additional 7 days to enjoy the costal area, choosing this boutique hotel from the reviews, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Everything from the location, the property, the Staff, the food and the overall amenities were absolutely excellent. The Staff and owners made us feel very comfortable and were very personable the entire time. The bartenders and wait staff were amazing and always very attentive, even remembered our names, which is always a nice touch. We had the privilege of meeting and getting to know the owners, enjoyed hearing the stories of their long time ownership and pride in the experience they were providing for people from all over the world for so many years. The room was very clean and had an excellent view from the balcony of the pool, the jungles below and all the way to the ocean. My gf was actually able to see a whale from our balcony! The Food was absolutely 5 star meals every night, such amazing flavors and professional presentation. The location was perfect for visiting the beach/ocean, waterfalls and several small towns within driving distance. We had a rental car, which I highly recommend. Needless to say, we will definitely be returning some day to revisit Cristal Ballena!!!

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

26 November 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Lovely grounds, large swimming pool, nice room and room balcony, good views of forest and ocean.

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

JEREL

3 November 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Wonderland

Amazing and magical place to stay.

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jorge

13 October 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Es un hotel maravilloso por la conservación de la naturaleza, las hermosas vistas del mar, el bosque y las aves. La habitación excelente, amplia y con una vista maravillosa .

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bill

28 September 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

The property is hill side and has amazing views of the mountain and of the Pacific Ocean. The staff is warm and friendly.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Marcia

25 September 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

We had a wonderful weekend! Definetevely a place to go back!

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

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