Where you sleep in Manuel Antonio decides how much of your trip is spent walking, waiting for taxis or looking at the view. The area is a single steep road with a few distinct pockets, and each hotel here sits in one of them. The good news is that the whole area is small, so a wrong choice costs you a taxi fare rather than a day. Here is how to choose.
The main road: for walking to the beach
The stretch of the Manuel Antonio road between about kilometre four and the park entrance is the most convenient base. Restaurants, small shops, tour offices and the top of the path to Playa Espadilla are all within a walk, and the national park entrance is a short ride down the hill. The trade-off is traffic noise on the road side, and the steep return climb from the beach. Hotel Costa Verde, at about kilometre five, is a landmark here, with three pools, four restaurants, a Boeing 727 suite and a thirteen-minute walk to Playa Espadilla, while The Falls by Lalibela, near the Si Como No area, is the value pick, with free breakfast, a garden pool and a nineteen-minute walk to the same beach. Both suit first-timers who want to wander out in the evening.
Punta Quepos and Biesanz: for quiet and views
West of Quepos, the road to Punta Quepos climbs onto a forested hillside above Biesanz Bay. It is calmer, greener and cooler, with sea breezes and views, and it is where the larger resorts sit. The price is distance: you are a short drive from the restaurants and the park, so budget for taxis or a rental car. Parador Resort and Spa, with 130 rooms, ocean-view pools, a spa and a children's pool, is the full-service choice for families and groups. Shana by the Beach is smaller and calmer, with free breakfast, an adults-only pool and a four-minute walk to Biesanz Beach, a good middle path for couples.
Playitas: for a private beach
The Playitas side of the coast has the most exclusive stays, set in forest reserve with their own beaches. Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort is the splurge, with two beaches, two pools, naturalist guides and free breakfast. It is quiet and removed from the strip, so plan transport for dinners out and for the park, and expect the top of the local price range.
Quepos town: for budget and buses
Quepos itself is a working fishing town with the marina at Pez Vela, the bus station and cheaper hotels and hostels. It is the best base for budget travellers and for early departures to rafting or fishing, but it is a taxi or bus ride, about fifteen minutes, from the beaches and the park. None of our five picks is in town, but it is worth knowing for tight budgets.
Matching the hotel to the trip
For a first visit with walking and dinners out, choose Costa Verde or The Falls. For a family that wants pools and a spa on site, choose Parador. For a quiet couple's trip, choose Shana or, for a splurge, Arenas del Mar. In the dry season, from December to April, book months ahead, since the best rooms sell out and prices climb. In the green season, from May to November, rates fall and many hotels offer packages. Whatever you choose, ask about breakfast, parking and airport shuttles, and check whether your room faces the road. Three more options widen the choice: Si Como No Resort is an eco-minded hillside resort with its own wildlife refuge and a butterfly garden, which suits families; Gaia Hotel and Reserve is an adults-only forest retreat for couples; and Makanda by the Sea is a small boutique stay on the Punta Quepos hillside, close to Biesanz.
