Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa

Property class: 3
Bahía Ballena resort with spa and outdoor pool

Choose dates to view prices

Situated by the ocean, Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa is a great choice for a stay in Bahía Ballena. You can visit the spa to indulge in massages, facials, or mani/pedis, and international cuisine is served at Pura Vida, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other features of this Mediterranean resort include an outdoor pool, a bar/lounge, and a snack bar/deli.
VIP Access

Reviews

9.6 out of 10, Loved by guests
Top-rated by travelers

Popular amenities

  • Spa
  • Airport transfer
  • Free parking
  • Free WiFi
$179 nightly
The total price is $203
Nov 28 - Nov 29
Total with taxes and fees

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 3 of 3 rooms

View all photos for Junior Suite

A spacious bedroom with a four-poster bed, a television, and a balcony with a view.

Junior Suite

9.8 out of 10
Exceptional
(7 reviews)
  • Ocean view
  • 538 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Master Suite

A spacious room with a bed, a desk, and a seating area.

Master Suite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(2 reviews)
  • Ocean view
  • 969 sq ft
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Family Suite

A spacious room with a high wooden ceiling, a bed with a canopy, two bedside tables, a sofa, a chair, a television, and a window with a view.

Family Suite

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)
  • Ocean view
  • 807 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed and 2 Twin Beds

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Total with taxes and fees
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About the neighborhood

Map
7 km al Sur de Uvita, Costa Ballena, Bahía Ballena, Puntarenas, 60504

What's nearby

  • Marino Ballena National Park - 1 min drive - 0.8 km
  • Playa Ballena - 1 min drive - 1.4 km
  • Uvita Beach - 8 min drive - 7.8 km
  • Catarata uvita - 15 min drive - 11.3 km
  • Playa Dominical - 32 min drive - 30.7 km

Getting around

  • Drake Bay (DRK) - 178 min drive
  • Airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Area shuttle (surcharge)
  • Free beach shuttle

Restaurants

  • ‪La Choza de Alejo - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Restaurante Marino Ballena - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Soda Ojoche - ‬14 min drive
  • ‪The Bakery - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪Los Gatos Locos - ‬15 min drive

About this property

Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa

  • Situated by the ocean, Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa is a great choice for a stay in Bahía Ballena. You can visit the spa to indulge in massages, facials, or mani/pedis, and international cuisine is served at Pura Vida, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other features of this Mediterranean resort include an outdoor pool, a bar/lounge, and a snack bar/deli.

At a glance

Hotel size

    • 21 units
    • Arranged over 2 floors

Arriving/Leaving

    • Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 8:00 PM
    • Contactless check-in available
    • Early check-in subject to availability
    • Late check-in subject to availability
    • Minimum check-in age: 18
    • Check-out time is noon
    • Contactless check-out available
    • Late check-out subject to availability

Special check-in instructions

    • This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
    • The front desk is open daily from 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM
    • Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
    • To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 48 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
    • If you are planning to arrive after 8:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
    • Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Required at check-in

    • Credit card, debit card, or cash deposit required for incidental charges
    • Government-issued photo ID may be required
    • Minimum check-in age is 18

Pets

    • No pets or service animals allowed

Internet

    • Free WiFi in public areas
    • Free WiFi in rooms

Parking

    • Free secured, uncovered onsite self parking
    • Onsite RV/bus/truck parking (fees apply)
    • Wheelchair-accessible parking on site

Transfers

    • Airport shuttle on request (available 24 hours)*

Offsite

    • Area shuttle*
    • Free beach shuttle

Other information

    • Designated smoking areas

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Reviews

Cristal Ballena Boutique Hotel & Spa Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

9.8

Cleanliness

9.4

Location

9.8

Staff & service

9.4

Property conditions & facilities

Guest review summary

What guests liked

  • The pool was described as big, great, amazing, beautiful, perfect, and a dream come true with a huge variety of wildlife-friendly surroundings. (21 reviews)
  • The restaurant served delicious meals with excellent flavors and professional presentation. (11 reviews)
  • Breakfast was consistently described as excellent, with many reviewers praising the quality and presentation of the meals. (6 reviews)
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From real guest reviews summarized by AI.
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Popular mentions

Service staff
Room
View
Food
Restaurant
Balcony
Ocean
Family friendly
Location
Birds

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Amazing location and the food is amazing too
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

The view from this hotel is beautiful! The pool is the perfect temperature and huge! Finally the restaurant staff are so friendly and lovely!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

The room was spotless, the reception disk polite, the food excellent, the staff attentive and the pool marvelous.
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

The family room was very clean and had an outside patio that was excellent for listening for and watching numerous birds, including toucans! The breakfast buffet was delish as well as supper. This hotel has a wonderful pool and area to watch sunsets. Staff was extra courteous, we will be back!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

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

10/10 Exceptional

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

10/10 Exceptional

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!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Lots of wildlife great pool
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Beautiful

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

10/10 Exceptional

quiet, peace, beautiful.
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Great customer service, and attention to deals!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

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

8/10 Very good

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

10/10 Exceptional

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!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

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!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

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
Verified review

6/10 Good

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.
Verified review

6/10 Good

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...
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

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!!!
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

I love this hotel so much it was comfortable and beautiful and the swimming pool is a dream come true. The service was excellent. The room was gorgeous. I slept like a baby. A wonderful wonderful property with gorgeous gardens and the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen flying.
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Unique property, well maintained , excellent staff and great view !
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Excellent hotel, beautiful surroundings and friendly staff
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Nestled into the nature preserve. We were there at the start of the offseason. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The room was clean and the view was epic. The pool area and restaurant were amazing. We plan on coming back someday to Costa Rica and if on the Pacific side we will spend more days here. Can’t recommend this place enough.
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Memorable stay for our family. The surroundings provide countless opportunities to explore the rain forest and the hotel provides a great place to unwind and relax. Great pool and restaurant.
Verified review

10/10 Exceptional

Wonderland

Amazing and magical place to stay.