Totem Hotel Beach Resort

We were there for a few days during Spring Break and disliked it very much. This year we are going back to the area but are looking to stay in a different place. The rates were too high for the service. The website leads to a wrong impression. While we were there the place was run by desinterested teenagers. Good think we found a local that showed around and were to go! Those kids were in holidays.

Wonderful location with beach directly across the road and restaruant a few steps away from our room. I stayed with my girlfriend in a suite (bedroom and adjacent sitting room) at the front of the hotel with the swimming pool right out the door (literally six feet away). Room was well furnished with natural woods and clean tile floors. Bathroom was extremely small and water pressure dropped off every other evening. I was told by a real estate agent that this is common in Playa Cocles. Owners (Italian couple) daughter works front desk on weekends and evenings . Daughter is indifferent in attitude (18 years old) however the regular day person, Wendy was very helpful and professional. The son is the Chef (trained in Italy) who makes wonderful fresh pasta and breads daily. Restaraunt staff is very pleasant and professional. Breakfast is included, eggs, rice, beans, ham, cheese, fresh bread, juices and coffee. Fresh fruit was served only one day out of the five. Restaruant design is handsomely constructed of local woods Bike rental at the hotel is $5.00 a day. Biking up and down the road was fun and an enjoyable way to visit the local beachs (Playa Chuquita and Plya Uva). Surf lessons arranged by the Chef were $40 for 2 hrs plus 1 hour free use of the board. The instructor was very patient and knowledgable. The grounds were very well kept and pool was cleaned daily (I observed the cleaning from my roomevery mlorning at 8:15).

I booked directly with the hotel via email, specially requesting the only room with a TV and air conditioner. When I got there the person at the front desk, (the owner's daughter), who acted like she was on vacation, told me that the room was $30 more per night, and on top of that, that the room was booked. After going back and forth with her, and refusing to take NO for an answer, the room was suddenly unbooked. Great way to start my stay there. The bed was felt like I was sleeping on hay, the bathroom was tiny, tiny, tiny, there were electrical wires exposed. One of the window panes were missing. The pool was very small and looked like it wasn't cleaned frequently. For breakfast they served rice, beans, eggs, toast and fruit, so that wasn't bad. Overall, however, I did not like this place. Although I would visit the Puerto Viejo area again, I would not stay at this place. What a drag.

Stayed here by default, and was pleasantly pleased. Our reservations elsewhere got screwed up and the owners here were a lovley of expat itallian couple who moved here with their family. Beautifully designed property and comfy but dark rooms, though the a/c was a nice treat. The owners are super proud and hard workers and it shows in all the detail and care taken with this not so tico but oh so nice hotel/resort. the hotel is directly across the street from one of prettiest and cleanest beaches in the area. the small pool is a great place to read adn the surf shop though small is super efficient. not for the grunge set family friendly.

We had to stay here one night because out plans changes and most other hotels in the area were booked. We have stayed at lots of places in CR and this is the only one I would rate lower. It felt empty, as if we were the only ones there, which was strange when all other area places were packed. The pool was small and not swimmable due to algae growth. The doors had at least 3 locks on each one which mades me wonder about break-ins. The bed spread wreaked of stale marijuana smoke. This sounds odd, but the lighting was strange, like some parts were lit and other parts (both in and out of the room) dim. It added to the strange atmosphere. The room was large, which is nice, but there wasn't enough furniture for the space. My impression is that this is a great place if you are a young surfer traveling in a group pooling your money for one room. Lots of space for people to crash on the floor. The location couldn't be beat-right across the street from a beautiful beach. The lobby roof was cool and the lady who checked us in was nice.

Even though my boyfriend and I travelled there during rainy season it was by far the best place we stayed in all of Costa Rica. The room we stayed in had a perfect view of the beach which was literally right across the street, it was clean, huge (with a balcony large enough to host 4 other people we met on the trip) and had more than enough space for all of our travel essentials. The hotel is owned by an Italian family who are incredibly sweet, helpful and accomidating. Their young son cooks up an amazing dinner (which even people who don't stay at the hotel come to eat) and they even have a young daughter who put my boyfriend and I to shame with her knowledge of three languages. Totem makes things so easy for travellers, they rent out bikes (which you can take for a 15km ride down to a conservation park) and surf boards. If you are interesting in surfing lessons, they also provide that, one of the instructors, Adrian, was the most informative man we met on our trip, his company made our visit memorable. I would recommend it to young travellers because of its proximity to the lively city but also to families since the grounds are very kid friendly (including a great pool) My boyfriend and I are in our early-mid 20's and the experience we had in Puerto Viejo is easily summed up by stating that all we did was....eat...party...eat...sightsee. The food in this area of Costa Rica is by far the best and very different by comparison with its international variety from thai to gourment italian. If you ever listen to a review let it be this one. Totem is amazing, it makes you feel like you are staying with family abroad, all the essentials and comforts but not in your face, overly pushy, service. I couldn't thank the Totem family enough for all of their help and accomidation, we will definetly be making our way back there soon!

Been to Costa Rica a lot before and always try to look at Trip Advisor reviews however always take into account is easier to privide bad information than good. This is the only average review I have made. I understand Puerto Viejo is rather basic however for one of the most expensive hotels in Puerto Viejo i was not impressed. The satff were very unfriendly and the rooms very plain and no character. This hotel needs a lot of work and I must say not impressed, however was impressed witha hotel called Lotus Gardens and Jordan;s Jacuzzi suites. Stay here more for your money. The breakfast at totem is also awful.

We loved this place! We actually stayed there our first night and decided to change our plans so that we ended here just to finish our honey moon on a sweet note. Great service, food, excellent rooms. I mean excellent! We will absolutely stay here again

I stayed at TOTEM HOTEL recently and intend to go back in a couple of weeks, this place feels like home, it is comfortable ! The staff is very helpful, the food is good and the price can't be beat! I have been traveling to Costa Rica for several years, and I had my share of not so good experiences, until I found this place, they made me feel right at home from the minute I walked in, helped me in everything I needed, and they found me great deals in tours. I really recommend you stay at TOTEM HOTEL!

I stayed at Totem Cabinas for New Year 2006 and had a fantastic time. The cabinas are right on the beach, a long, wide stretch of sand with superb surfing conditions. We had non-stop sun for the whole week and the atmosphere on the beach was amazing for New Year. The locals claimed the beach was really busy but to my eyes it was still semi-deserted - the point being even in the very very high season there is still way more sand than people. The cabinas are spacious, stylish (bamboo everywhere) and clean, with sea views from the upper floor, and are great value for money. Best of all is the food: hard to believe you can get such genuine Italian food in Central America but it's true. The restaurant was always packed full of Italians, which is always a good sign in my eyes. They all agreed with us that the food was superb. We dined out at lots of different restaurants but honestly the food at Totem was the best we tried. The place is run by an Italian family, and the atmosphere is lovely. Will definitely go back, we are already planning our next trip. The only warning I would mention is the sea: if the red flags are up, don't swim - the current is very strong. But if you like surfing you'll be in heaven - Totem is right on the prime surfing spot (Totem also rents surfboards and arranges lessons). 10 out of 10.