Ask ten travelers what a boutique resort Manuel Antonio stay should feel like and you’ll get ten answers, though they tend to circle the same things: a small place, a green place, somebody at the desk who remembers your name. At ECOTICA Boutique Hotel & Spa, that comes with a soundtrack. Howler monkeys open the morning from the trees behind the pool, and the day unfolds from there.
What a Boutique Resort in Manuel Antonio Really Means
Small scale over big numbers. ECOTICA has a handful of suites and bungalows rather than hundreds of identical doors, which is why the staff tend to learn your name and your coffee order somewhere around the first morning.
The setting does the heavy lifting. The hotel is built on a hillside on the main road in the heart of Manuel Antonio, with a 10-acre private rainforest reserve behind it that is left wild on purpose, for the animals that live in it.
The resort side is all there when you want it: swimming pool, Jungle Spa, gym, two places to eat and drink, garden and terrace, breakfast included, a concierge and a tours desk. Guests rate the stay 4.5 out of 5 across 203 reviews, and the comments tend to be about the animals, the quiet and the people who work here.
The Wildlife Is the Reason to Book
The property sits on a wildlife corridor, so squirrel monkeys, white-faced capuchins and howler monkeys move through the canopy most mornings on their own schedule. Toucans, scarlet macaws and sloths are watched from the pool deck and from room balconies, with no hike or ticket involved.
Howler monkeys usually wake you before the alarm does, a deep call that rolls across the hillside around first light.
When are the animals most active?
Mornings and late afternoons. Take a coffee, settle somewhere with a view of the trees, keep still, and let the forest come to you. For guided time in the canopy, the wildlife and nature tours go deeper.
Rooms, Suites and Bungalows for Every Kind of Trip
- Signature and Premium Bungalows sleep two, with bathrobes, air-conditioning, coffee maker and WiFi: a natural pick for couples.
- Deluxe King Suite sleeps three and includes a desk; the Double Queen Suite and Grand Bungalow sleep four, handy for families traveling together.
- Grand Master Suite sleeps six, with a microwave, bathrobes and wired LAN internet alongside WiFi, for groups who want everyone under one roof.
Every room is air-conditioned, non-smoking and connected, with cable television, hairdryer and in-room coffee as standard. You can compare layouts on the accommodations pages.
Pool, Spa and Table: How the Days Fill Themselves
Breakfast is included at La POZA, the poolside restaurant, open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., so an early park start and a slow, late morning both work.
The Jungle Spa opens daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for massages, facials and body rituals, at its best in the warm middle hours of the afternoon. YOLO Social, the bar and restaurant, runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with live music every night and live sports on screen for anyone following a game back home.
The gym is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the yoga deck in the rainforest comes with mats; groups are welcome to bring their own teacher.
Manuel Antonio National Park and the Beaches, Minutes Away
The park was created in 1972 and sits in Quepos, in Puntarenas province, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast. It is the reason most people point themselves toward this corner of the country: rainforest running straight down to white sand, with capuchins in the almond trees and sloths folded into the canopy above the trail.
Manuel Antonio National Park is open Wednesday through Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. Guests quickly learn to love Tuesday: it becomes the day for a long swim, a massage at the Jungle Spa, breakfast that stretches toward lunch at La POZA, and an afternoon of watching toucans from the terrace.
How do I buy tickets for Manuel Antonio National Park?
Tickets are sold online through SINAC at serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr. You reserve in advance and bring the ID that matches your ticket to the gate; each ticket is valid for one entry. Non-resident rates are US$16 plus tax for adults over 12 and US$5 plus tax for children 2 to 12, with children under 2 free. Our concierge is happy to walk you through it.
The Manuel Antonio beaches are close by as well, so a park morning and a swim in the afternoon fit easily into one day. ECOTICA itself sits up on the hill, in the trees, which is exactly where the monkeys are.
Arriving and Planning Your Days
A private airport shuttle between San José and Manuel Antonio is available on request at US$195, arranged before you travel. Tell us your flight and someone will be waiting with your name; you watch the country change through the window and arrive without having negotiated a thing.
Our tours desk books park hikes with naturalist guides, boat trips and whatever else is on your list, including an early start when you want the trails at their quietest. Browse our wildlife and nature tours and we will have it ready when you walk in.
On your last day, leave your bags with us and keep the day: swim, eat, sit by the pool long after checkout. Pool and beach towels, a safety deposit box and concierge help are all part of the stay, and the whole property is smoke-free.
Stay with Us at ECOTICA
ECOTICA is a boutique hotel and spa in Manuel Antonio, and an eco hotel at heart. The 10-acre reserve behind the rooms stays wild for the animals that live in it, and the corridor keeps them moving through, morning after morning.
Book direct for the best rate, and so we know who is arriving and what you hope to see. Send us your dates and your numbers and we will suggest the right room, from a bungalow for two to the Grand Master Suite for six. We would love to have you here: reserve your stay at ECOTICA.
