House of the Macaws

Location: near Carara National Park, Tárcoles, Puntarenas, 61102, Tárcoles, CR

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 02:30 PM - 02:30 AM

Check-out: 12:00 PM

Instructions: To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. If you are planning to arrive after 8 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions. Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property.

Amenities & Facilities

• Free breakfast
• Express check-out
• Free WiFi
• 24-hour front desk
• Terrace
• Garden
• Express check-in/check-out
• Continental breakfast
• Wheelchair accessible
• Picnic area
• Free breakfast
• Express check-out
• Smoke-free property
• Tours/ticket assistance
• Free self parking
• Free continental breakfast

Rooms Available

• Standard Double Room

  1 Queen Bed

  154-sq-foot room with garden views

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Bedsheets provided

• Basic Single Room, 1 Double Bed

  1 Double Bed

  205-sq-foot room with garden views

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Smoking And Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Smoking and Non-Smoking
  • Bedsheets provided

• Basic Double Room, 1 Double Bed, Terrace, Partial Ocean View

  1 Double Bed

  160-sq-foot room with ocean views

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Terrace
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Bedsheets provided

• Room

  1 Double Bed and 3 Twin Beds

  Overlooking the pool

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 5 (5 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Private bathroom
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Bedsheets provided

• Standard Triple Room

  1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

  204-sq-foot room with garden views

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Bedsheets provided

• Quadruple Room

  2 Queen Beds

  291-sq-foot room with garden views

  
  

  Food & Drink - Room service

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Room service
  • Bedsheets provided

Guest Reviews

• Lenka (2/5): Don’t bother - Where to even start? Upon arrival we were left to deal with who I assume is a service boy who didn’t speak a word of English (fair enough). He kept being confused about our reservation which we made 8 months earlier. After total struggle the owner (who has been watching us from an opposite balcony) has finally showed up. He wanted us to pay cash for the accommodation that we already paid for! He wanted us to cancel but as we wouldn’t receive a refund I obviously refused. He allowed us to stay (how very kind) but made it sound as if he was doing us a favour. The place looks abandoned, the room was filthy. Hardly working aircon and the thinnest sheets to cover. I won’t even mention the pillows. Only in the morning we discovered that we actually had a litter of three kittens under dressing table. Poor mummy cat (extremely thin) has been trying to sneak in all night and we had no idea why. We were supposed to get a breakfast but didn’t bother and left early after hardly any sleep
• Dror (2/5): Terrible room - The hostel has potential, it's close to the beach and the common areas are reasonable, but the room is just terrible - old and disgusting. Mold in the shower which only has cold water (I skipped shower), the linens were stained and torn, the walls also have stains. The is big even for our family of 4 but the room is in unacceptable condition. For that room condition 61$ per night was extremely expensive. Sorry.
• Hector (2/5): - The property is of good size and has the potential of a great hotel. Its situated right on the beach. What i didn't like was the overall conditions of the structure itself. Needes to be replastered and panited. The room was overall dirty. The shower hear was moldy, i skiped the shower. Bathroom door was hollow and broken. I feel terrible for the ownership. I don't know what issues they may be having. I had read previous reviews and i felt i wanted to give ut a chance only to realize its only getting worse. I stayed only because there was no where else to stay. I would not recommend at all. Sorry!
• Mark (8/5): Great place to stay. - I have stayed here twice before an the service is excellent and so is the food. The beach is only a 100 meter walk through trees full of Scarlet Macaws. I would recommend a stay here if you are looking for Macaws. Unfortunately, we were cut short in our stay this time. The drive from LA Fortuna was a rough 5-1/2 hours and my niece became ill. We opted to return home to Grecia.
• Ursula (8/5): - Herzliches und freundliches Personal, sehr gute Küche! Direkte Strandlage, leider keine Liegen und Schirme vorhanden. Zahlreiche wunderschöne rote Aras und Vögel kann man im Garten beobachten. Renovierungsbedarf des Hauses vorhanden.
• Giovanna (10/5): - No tv in room Thy only take cash even though stated visa/mc
• Ronda A (10/5): - This hotel is very dated and could really use a make over however the staff and the food more than makes up for whatever the space doesn't have. I was a little afraid at first but 2 days in i was already planning my next stay.
• Sandra (8/5): - Nous avons passé un court séjour très agréable
• Adrian (6/5): - the ac doesn't work properly, the room doesn't seem to be secure to let your valuables in your room
• ALFREDO (2/5): - Bad hotel
• Verified traveler (4/5): - Very local place we were the only norte Americans
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Johanna was the best host we could have had for our trip. She was so friendly and helpful, Thank you!!
• Mark (6/5): - A better WIFI system is very much needed. The info on your website indicates dogs welcome but when we arrived they told us dogs not allowed but they made an exception.
• Verified traveler (2/5): - For the price they charged (nearly 110 US dollars per night), the hotel was poorly lit, the room was in a poor shape (bathroom in particular with mold on the ceiling, a gaping drainage hole from the shower stall, dirty shower stall), and the hotel grounds were poorly kept. It was far away from any decent restaurant. The only good thing going for it is closeness to the crocodile bridge in Tarcoles.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Cerca de la playa, muy bonita la piscina. Muy bien el restaurant.
• Margaret (8/5): Macaws! - Great value for the money. Right on the beach with a nice pool and restaurant/bar. Macaws flying overhead and the iguana perched on a porch light help with the ambience.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - the hotel needs repairs as well as better TVs in the rooms
• Verified traveler (8/5): - It’s old time Costa Rica right off the highway and right on the beach with a great pool to keep cool... nice breakfast, the staff is always cheerful... close enough to a Jaco without the craziness and plenty of great ceviche and seafood in the vicinity...
• Verified traveler (4/5): You get what you pay for. - Careful about using the pics to define the stay. My room was tiny, and very basic. Was okay for a single night; I wouldn't have stayed with my family however. Area is reasonable, but is essentially in the local village. The beach is behind the property, but is nothing special. There is a hammock for use as well, and the pool looked fine (I didn't swim) as did the open air restaurant (I didn't eat there, but rather just down the coast). With documented concerns for vehicle break-ins at the nearby crocodile bridge and national park parking lot, you do have to wonder about safety (although the vehicle lot does have a gate, yet I never saw it closed). Close to tourist options such as crocodile tours, the national park, and you can travel south for 5-10 minutes to get a nice meal (or experience what Jacobhas to offer). Beautiful Macaws in the area made the experience worthwhile in my case, however there's a reason the price was so inexpensive. You get what you pay for.
• A.R. (2/5): - Not ready for prime time. Should do the world a favor and close.
• Sharon (8/5): In & out. - Nice Beach Front Hotel. With Breakfast,and Wi-Fi. We had a basic room. No Fridge, no closet. We got what we paid for. A bed, a bath, AC & TV. stayed the night and left in the morning. No complaints.
• Frank (8/5): - Great stay, breakfast was really good, over very good.
• Tim (6/5): - The cook was off the hook!!! She came out of the kitchen and discribed each dish, answered questions...and then delivered our dishes prepared to perfection. Honestly, the hotel is tired... it's once glory shows but lacks it's once glorious luster. But the kitchen ( if they can hold on to this cook ) makes up for everything.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Lovely view of the sea from our room but the room was quite small. Breakfast was good and parking easy
• Verified traveler (4/5): - Liked the pool and the proximity to the beach. Girl at reception went out of her way to help us organize a tour. Arrived early and were able to store our luggage and use the pool. Didn't like - only one bath towel and one small towel for 2 people. No place to hang any clothes. Slow service in the restaurant and mediocre food.
• Verified traveler (4/5): - The pool was not clean. Pool and kiddy pool had algea. Room was not clean for our second day
• Eric (6/5): - All fine but the sheets in bed were suspicious. The only place in a bunch of much lower quality hotel where we finally took our sleeping bags. But people are nice, swimming pool just fine and beach access great
• Drew (10/5): - Staff was incredible! Did my laundry, provided breakfast, even provided transportation to my next destination. The receptionist, Mary Jo, was super nice and very helpful!
• Sidney (10/5): Great location, wonderful staff - The first room we were given wasn't great, but they moved us the next day to a far better room with a view of the Pacific Ocean. We loved the place, the food was delicious, and the staff was fabulously warm and accommodating.
• Bill (4/5): Run down hotel in a great location - Both room and bed are small, with I’ll fitting sheets. Shower never got above lukewarm. Paint peeling walls and tile in need of restoration. Room outfitted with two thin scratchy towels and no water glasses. The staff was very friendly and helpful in getting amenities that should have been in the room. Location is great, with beautiful view of beach/bay from the balcony. In the AM there was a spectacular view of the Scarle Macaws in the trees on the hotel property. The beach has a good bit of trash that had been deposited by the tides. From the hotel it’s a short drive th Carara National Park and an even shorter drive to the ramps for the crocodile/bird/river tours.
• Donnie (8/5): Work in progress. - Gotta say I enjoyed my stay here. Yea,the beach still needs some work,but they(someone) is working on it. Instead of complaining about the trash(and it wasn't that bad) I spent a hour helping 3 guys who were picking up the plastic on it and then bought them lunch. It's everyone's ocean. The town itself is pretty cool,the motel is almost right across the street from the police station and I had no worry's walking thru the town and everyone there was nice. The best part is as it's just off the beaten path,it's quiet.Not alot of vehicular traffic. No riff raff..Awesome The motel is clean,the staff was just as nice as they can be and quick to respond to our requests.The food is good.(they could make the drinks a bit stronger but that's just me) The view is awesome. The room,well I went with cheap so no issues. Bed could have been a bit nicer but having lived on a boat for many years,they sufficed. No,this isn't a 5⭐hotel but no complaints. Can't wait to return to CR.
• Shawn (8/5): Not so bad as some of the other reviews claim. - Yes, the rooms are outdated. The place needs some basic maintenance to both the interior and exterior. The beach is dirty because it's close to the Tarcoles River which empties all the garbage from San Jose into the Gulf. Tarcoles is a quaint little fishing town and doesn't have much to offer besides the same type of tours you can do in Jaco. But for the price, it's hard to beat. You aren't going to get a super modern hotel on a pristine beach for 50 bucks. Doesn't exist. But this place is decent. Pool is large, clean and refreshing. You will see a pair of scarlet macaws fly over the hotel several times a day. Rooms are small but have A/C and get the job done. There is a GREAT small restaurant just down the street. Soda Las Lapas offers excellent Costa Rican cuisine, especially seafood. Ask Doña Miriam to make you seafood soup with lobster. Delicious! Yes, the paint is peeling off the bathroom walls. The shower head spurted water sideways. The tile is old, as are the sheets and bedspread. There were cigarette butts on the roof in front of our balcony. There are bugs, ants, etc. But hey, it's Costa Rica. Live a little. Relax. Don't let the little things bother you so much. Focus on the Positive. I have lived here many years and for the price, you won't do much better. I plan on going back another time.
• joanne (8/5): Beautiful , quiet location. - Great location close to great hikiing and wildlife viewing. The owner was extremely helpful and very welcoming .
• Jean-Philippe (2/5): Horrible - We ended up changing hotel (without refund) because this hotel was so dirty and ugly. Horrible experience.
• erika (4/5): Disappointment - Wow. Where do i start. I wasnt expecting more than a decent room to sleep and an extra day on the beach. The staff was very nice and accomodating all the way around. The beach was full of garbage. Looked like medical waste. I dont understand why its like that. Did not swim! Saw a syringe too. The room was very basic, which is fine but there were bugs galore and not even a bar of soap. Also, a mango tree kept dropping fruit on the roof which was very loud. Then the power went out. Do i need to go on? I feel bad for the staff, they were great and so was breakfast.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Hotel Carara - The owner and staff are sweet and helpful.The food was great the rooms were comfortable. The only complaint I have is the beach is Full of garbage :( Overall a great place to stay for the money you pay . He has another beach not even two minutes away from there .
• Verified traveler (8/5): Nice hotel near Carara National Park - Very nice hotel with a good restaurant on site. We mostly chose it for its extremely close location to the crocodile boat tours and Carara National Park.
• L (6/5): Friendly but disorganised - The hotel was very rough around the edges. It's well placed to access the beach (a very dirty, messy beach that's more health hazard than coastal retreat) and you can walk to Carara National Park from it (though it's a lengthy hour long walk in very hot temperatures!). We went there for the birds. You can see scarlet macaws from the balcony, and there's lots to be seen, which was great for nature watching. The staff were very friendly, but the place was quite disorganised. The on site restaurant was only open sporadically, and only when we actually asked for it to be open. One night it was closed completely without notice because the hotel staff had gone to a local celebration.
• Zoe (10/5): GREAT HOTEL WITH LOVELY FACILITIES - In a REAL Costa Rican village, this hotel has fantastic facilities - great pool, lovely staff and good security. Also we saw iguanas and scarlet macaws out pf the hotel room window. Lovely ocean view - perfect!
• Neysa (2/5): Dirty & Paid in Advance. No room when we arrived! - Do not recommend!! Showed up & they said they had no room even though we paid in advance when we booked.
• Ramamurthy (4/5): Great owner and staff - I didn't know what to expect in Tarcoles, especially after my stay in Jaco. I took a room at this hotel only because all other options in Jaco were sold out. This hotel is in a time warp. I mean it felt straight out of the 60s/70s. The property requires serious renovation and improvement. There were issues with getting regular water in the tap in the morning. The shower was either hot or cold. The room was not clean. The bed was not comfortable. But you do have a beautiful courtyard, a backyard garden access to the beach (and the beach is just OK). However, the hotel staff go all the way to help you. Amir, the owner of the hotel, is super friendly and kind. He genuinely cares about people and takes care of his customers. We got along great and I was frank about what he needed to do get this hotel up to standards. This place so much potential. It is close to Carara National Park and so many other places and this hotel can truly be a hub for your activities. It's the opposite of Jaco..very quiet and tranquil. But do keep the above in mind if you are staying. It's probably good for a one night stay in emergency if you are enroute to other places.
• Verified traveler (6/5): Nice hotel in a small town - We stayed just one night. The staff was friendly and the hotel is quite nice. We swam in the pool and walked along the beach. They have a lovely open air restaurant, which, unfortunately, was only open for breakfast- I'm not sure if that's normal. We were directed to a local "restaurant" 300 meters down the road, and we couldn't tell if it was open or not. We bought snacks at a neighborhood grocery. Within walking distance is only a small, old town; a neat cultural experience but not a destination.
• Verified traveler (4/5): Needs TLC - After a long driving and exploring day was looking forward to resting in a lounge chair by the beach at the hotel. The first impression was a run down appearance. The room location was the only positive feature was that it was the back end corner with a view by the beach. Lack of everything there after. No beach lounging as there were no hotel accommodations for that. It was a dirty public beach .The room was spacious although the Air conditioner barely worked as apparent by the floor fan that greeted us as we first walked in the hot room. Someone came in and shut it off while we went out for dinner. The noise of the fan made a terrible nights sleep. The bed linens were soiled or dirty....wasn't sure.... and they didn't fit the bed.. The pillows lacked any fluff.. The bed springs greeted our backs when attempting to lie on the bed. Occasional ants noted on bed and floor. No wash cloths or hand towels, 1/2 roll of toilet paper. The hot water for the shower was a heater system directly (electrically) connected to the shower head attached with electrical tape. Wasn't chancing a shower here. The shower was clean though. The restaurant was closed so we luckily went out to a wonderful restaurant called Vista Mar 3K south. They seem to take care of the flora & fauna very well with an irrigation system. Since we were only staying one night before heading back to San Jose we stuck it out otherwise we would have turned around and looked elsewhere. Breakfast sub par.
• Clint (6/5): Not terrible but - Loved the view from the balcony and the macaws. Pool was clean and hotel staff were helpful. Rooms were run down ... No towels in room, had to ask. Two tony little pillows and double beds not queen
• Christopher (6/5): The beach is covered in garbage - The hotel had a nice pool and was fine as we were only using it as a one night stop over. My big complaint isn't really with the hotel, it's with the town. The beach is a disaster. Plastic garbage all over the place.
• Verified traveler (10/5): A gem of a place right next to the sea - We stayed two nights on our journey South. What a lovely little place. We had an apartment with a balcony overlooking the sea which was such a surprise and spent a lot of time watching the many sea birds, scarlet macaws, hummingbirds and other pretty little birds that came into the garden. The room was comfortable and quiet. A pool was an additional bonus, and there was a good breakfast each morning. It's on the edge of a small local village with one main eating house where we had an excellent meal on both nights at very reasonable cost. Definitely recommend this hotel.
• Keri (2/5): Lovely people, not what I had booked - We booked a room with 2 queen beds andan ocean view but arrived to a very small room with a single bed. After fighting with the wifi (which it turns out rarely worked), we were forced to use roaming international minutes to find the booking confirmation showing that we were, indeed, to have a room with an ocean view and 2 queen beds. The clerk was very nice and moved us to a bigger room with 1 queen and 2 twins. Unfortunately that room was very dingy, the AC was on/off only (no temp or fan control) and barely cooled the room. There was no fridge and no ice maker, which means that my baby's milk spolied overnight. There was no view but there WERE 2 leaks in the ceiling. After 2 nights we were moved to a much better room, one with a view and working AC, as well as a fridge. However there was only one bed. This meant that my 1 and 4 year old daughters had to share a 2 inch thick twin mattress (if you could call it that) on the floor. If you are passing through and only planning to stay for a night or 2 it's not a bad place, but I would NOT recommend staying for any length of time.
• marla (8/5): Gods hotel to see the crocodiles and partots - We enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The tooms are clean and spacious. However there is a musty smell sometimes. There is not much to do around there. So you need a car.
• Earlene (2/5): Pictures are great but hotel is awful. - The neighborhood was awful. Beach was not accessible due to trash. Bathroom was awful. Not even covers on wall plug. Bugs in room and we had bites when we woke up. Pillow was so musty that I had to sleep on personal towel. Could be a great hotel if someone knew how to revamp it and clean up the beach. Never saw so much trash and junk on what was to be a nice beach. The breakfast was not worth eating except for coffee and toast which you made yourself.
• Verified traveler (2/5): Bad part of town, beware! - The rooms were dirty and rundown. The property is located in a very shady part of town. Staff was suspect as well. We stepped out for a bite and returned to find our room had been opened and someone had been in our room. We quickly packed up and left. I would not recommend staying here.

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