Costa Rica is full of "eco-lodges" that require a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a machete to reach. You know the vibe. But then there’s the Santarena Hotel at Las Catalinas. It’s different. Honestly, when you first pull up to this spot on the Guanacaste coast, you might think you’ve accidentally taken a wrong turn and ended up in a seaside village in Italy or maybe the south of France. But the humidity and the howling of the monkeys in the distance remind you exactly where you are.
It is weirdly beautiful.
The town of Las Catalinas itself is a car-free experiment. That's the big draw. Imagine a place where you don't hear engines revving or horns honking at 7:00 AM. Instead, you hear the Pacific Ocean hitting Playa Danta. The Santarena Hotel sits right at the heart of this "New Urbanist" dream, acting as a sort of sophisticated living room for the whole community. It’s not just a place to sleep; it’s the anchor for a lifestyle that feels suspiciously like the way humans were actually meant to live before we paved everything over for SUVs.
The Architecture is a Love Letter to the Past
Most modern tropical hotels are all glass and steel. Santarena goes the other way. It feels old, but in a way that’s clean and intentional. We’re talking about crisp white walls, intricate tile work, and those massive wood-framed windows that let the light pour in. It’s a nod to the great mansions of the old world, adapted for the heat of the Guanacaste coast.
The design isn't just about looking pretty for Instagram. It’s functional. The high ceilings and open corridors are designed to catch the breeze. You’ve got these expansive balconies that overlook the town’s plazas or the ocean. Sitting out there at dusk, watching the shadows stretch across the cobblestones, is basically a religious experience.
Charles Brewer, the guy behind Las Catalinas, wanted to create a place where people actually bumped into each other. He succeeded. Because there are no cars, everyone walks. You walk from the Santarena to the bakery. You walk to the bike shop. You walk to the beach. This pedestrian-first philosophy means the hotel feels integrated into a neighborhood, not isolated behind a gated wall like so many resorts in Papagayo.
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Those Rooftop Vibes
If you’re staying here, you’re spending half your time on the rooftop. It’s a fact. The pool up there is the crown jewel. You can see the horizon of the Pacific, the rugged hills of the 1,000-acre nature reserve behind the town, and the red-tiled roofs of the villas nearby.
It’s where the best sunsets happen. Period.
What the Rooms are Actually Like
Let’s be real: some "luxury" hotels feel like a sterile hospital room with a fancy duvet. Santarena manages to feel warm. The floors are handmade Cuban style tiles. The beds are actually comfortable—not "hotel comfortable," but "I want this mattress at home" comfortable.
You won’t find a massive TV as the centerpiece of the room. That’s intentional. The point is to look out the window. Most rooms have these Juliet balconies or full walk-out terraces. If you're lucky enough to snag a room facing the ocean, you'll be waking up to the sound of the surf every single morning. It's surprisingly quiet, too. Even though you’re in the middle of a town, the lack of cars means the "noise" is mostly birds, wind, and people laughing in the plaza below.
Eating Your Way Through Las Catalinas
You aren't stuck with a boring hotel buffet here. Ponciana, the main restaurant at Santarena, is legitimately good. They focus on what they call "conscious cuisine," which is basically a fancy way of saying they get their fish from local fishermen and their greens from nearby farms.
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The ceviche? Exceptional.
But the real magic is the proximity to everything else. You can walk thirty steps and find yourself at Pots & Bowls for a healthy breakfast or grab a beer at the local brewery. There’s a sense of variety that you just don't get at all-inclusive resorts where the food starts tasting the same by day three.
Coffee Culture
Costa Rica takes coffee seriously, and so does Santarena. The lobby bar is great, but there’s a specific energy in the mornings when the "townies" and the guests mingle over espressos. It feels like a real community. You’ll see mountain bikers gearing up for a ride and families heading to the beach with their gear, all crossing paths in the shared spaces of the hotel.
The Nature Reserve: 1,000 Acres of Backyard
Most people come to Guanacaste for the beach. And yeah, Playa Danta is great—the sand is dark, the water is warm, and it’s protected from the massive swells that make other beaches dangerous for swimming. But the secret weapon of the Santarena Hotel is what lies behind it.
The Las Catalinas nature reserve has over 40 kilometers of hiking and mountain biking trails.
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These aren't just flat dirt paths. They are world-class trails designed by experts. You can hike up to the "McHenry Peak" and see the entire coastline stretching out toward Flamingo and beyond. You’ll see deer, coatis, iguanas, and if you’re quiet, maybe a troop of howler monkeys. It’s a weird contrast—one minute you’re in a sophisticated European-style plaza, and ten minutes later you’re deep in the dry tropical forest feeling like an explorer.
Why the "Car-Free" Thing Matters
It sounds like a gimmick until you experience it. When you remove cars, the scale of everything changes. The streets are narrower. The air is cleaner. Children can literally run out of the hotel lobby and into the plaza without parents having a heart attack.
At the Santarena Hotel at Las Catalinas, you experience a version of Costa Rica that is highly curated but also feels more "human." It’s a rebuttal to the sprawling, paved-over development that has taken over much of the Guanacaste coastline. It’s an argument that we can build things better.
Is it Right for You?
Look, if you want a massive resort with "club vibes," a swim-up bar crowded with people drinking neon-colored margaritas, and a golf cart to take you everywhere, you’ll hate it here. Truly.
But if you like the idea of waking up, grabbing a surfboard, walking two minutes to the water, and then spending your afternoon hiking through a forest before having a glass of wine on a rooftop overlooking a cobblestone town... then yeah, this is your place. It’s for the traveler who wants to feel like they’re part of a village, even if it’s just for a few days.
Practical Tips for Your Stay
- Book the Trail Bike: Even if you aren't a "biker," rent an e-bike from Pura Vida Ride right next door. It makes the hills in the reserve a lot more fun.
- Playa Dantita: Don't just stay on the main beach (Playa Danta). There’s a trail that leads over the cliffs to Playa Dantita. It’s smaller, more secluded, and the water is often even clearer.
- The Seasonal Shift: Guanacaste is very dry from December to April. The hills turn brown and the trees drop their leaves. If you want that lush, emerald green "jungle" look, come in June or July during the "green season." You'll get some rain in the afternoon, but the landscape is stunning.
- Transportation: You don't need a car once you're there, but getting to Las Catalinas from Liberia Airport (LIR) takes about an hour. Arrange a private shuttle through the hotel so you don't have to worry about parking a rental car you won't use.
Actionable Next Steps for Planning
If you're ready to see this place for yourself, start by checking the tide charts for your stay. Low tide at Playa Danta is the best time for long walks along the shore, while high tide is better for paddleboarding. Reach out to the Santarena concierge specifically to ask about their "Town Center" events; they often have outdoor movie nights or live music in the plazas that aren't always advertised on the big travel sites. Finally, if you're a photographer, pack a wide-angle lens. The architecture of the hotel against the Guanacaste sky is something you'll want to capture properly.