Buddha Retreat Hotel

Property class: 2.5

Choose dates to view prices

Consider a stay at Buddha Retreat Hotel and take advantage of a terrace, a coffee shop/cafe and a garden. The on-site restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi, and guests can find other amenities, such as a bar and a conference centre.

Reviews

7.0 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Restaurant
  • Air-conditioning
  • Breakfast available
The current price is NZ$247
includes taxes & fees
24 Oct - 25 Oct

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 2 of 2 rooms

View all photos for Exclusive Double Room

A house with a green roof, a porch with chairs, and lush greenery around.

Exclusive Double Room

  • Garden view
  • 50 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed OR 1 Single Bed

View all photos for Comfort Triple Room

A room with a bed, a wooden shelf, and a window with a view of greenery.

Comfort Triple Room

  • Garden view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Single Bed
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About the area

Located in San Juanillo, Buddha Retreat Hotel is near the beach. Shoppers can check out Frog Pad, while everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of San Juanillo Beach and Playa Cocal. Take the opportunity to explore the area for water adventures such as fishing. Visit our San Juanillo travel guide
Map
Playa San Juanillo Frente de la Plaza, Cuajiniquil

What's nearby

  • A coastal landscape with rocky shores, waves crashing against the rocks, and a backdrop of green hills under a clear sky.
    San Juanillo Beach
    17 min walk - 1.4 km
  • An aerial view of a coastline with waves crashing onto a sandy beach, bordered by dense green vegetation.
    Playa Pelada
    31 min drive - 19.6 km
  • A beach with horses running along the shore, boats in the water, and driftwood on the sand.
    Guiones Beach
    33 min drive - 21.7 km
  • Playa Cocal
    17 min walk - 1.4 km
  • Playa Pleito
    3 min drive - 1.4 km

Getting around

  • Nosara (NOB)
    29 min drive

Restaurants

  • Restaurante Chirriboca
    29 min drive
  • La Catedral De La Diosa Yaca
    24 min drive
  • Tiki Hut
    23 min drive
  • Ancient People San Juanillo
    5 min drive
  • Soda Victoria
    18 min drive

About this property

Buddha Retreat Hotel

  • Hotel near the bay
  • A terrace, a coffee shop/cafe and a garden are just a few of the amenities provided at Buddha Retreat Hotel. The on-site restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi, and guests can find other amenities, such as a bar and a conference centre.
  • You'll also enjoy the following perks during your stay:
    • An outdoor pool, along with sunloungers
    • Free self-parking
    • Breakfast (surcharge), a nature reserve and a front desk safe
    • Tour/ticket information, a banquet hall and coworking spaces
  • Room features
  • All guest rooms at Buddha Retreat Hotel have thoughtful touches, such as premium bedding and pillow menus, in addition to amenities, such as free WiFi and air conditioning.
  • Extra amenities include:
    • Hypo-allergenic bedding, Egyptian cotton sheets and Select Comfort beds
    • Bathrooms with rainfall showers and shampoo
    • Private gardens, ceiling fans and daily housekeeping

Similar properties

Exterior
Ostional Turtle Lodge
Cuajiniquil
  • Spa
  • Parking included
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning
9.4 out of 10, Exceptional, 53 reviews
The price is NZ$142
includes taxes & fees
23 Nov - 24 Nov
Ostional Turtle Lodge
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Frequently asked questions

Does Buddha Retreat Hotel have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

How much does it cost to stay at Buddha Retreat Hotel?

As of 23 Oct 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Buddha Retreat Hotel on 24 Oct 2026 start from NZ$247, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

Is Buddha Retreat Hotel pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Buddha Retreat Hotel?

Self-parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Buddha Retreat Hotel?

Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; check-in end time: anytime.

What time is check-out at Buddha Retreat Hotel?

Checkout is at 11 AM.

Where is Buddha Retreat Hotel located?

Situated near the beach, this hotel is within 2 miles (3 km) of San Juanillo Beach, Playa Cocal and Playa Pleito. Playa Ostional is 2.3 mi (3.7 km) away.

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Reviews

Buddha Retreat Hotel Reviews

7.0

Good

7.6

Cleanliness

8.6

Location

8.0

Staff & service

7.2

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 4 out of 20 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 8 out of 20 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 20 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 20 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 20 reviews

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great Place to stay near the beach! Tasty food and good service! Definitely will be back!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is hidden away on a dirt road. Once you enter the grounds, you’re met with pretty landscaping and a large, clean, and inviting pool. Parking is behind a rolling gate that you can open to access as needed. Breakfast is not included. Our room was very simple and basic. It was spacious enough but it had no character, no decorations, no safe, no fridge, and the floor was scratched up painted concrete. It was comfortable enough and met our last minute needs. This lodge has the potential for getting 5 star reviews if they’d attend to the rooms half as much as they attend to the yard. I get the feeling that they’ve had issues with guests damaging the rooms in the past because when we went to check out, they came and checked on the room before sending us on our way. I’ve never had that happen before. I feel bad if that’s the reason why they don’t spruce up the rooms and provide extra amenities.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff were lovely and inviting. Room was clean and comfortable. This hotel and restaurant combination is safe, friendly, comfortable, and relaxing. Beautiful beach is very close walk.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice place away from the crazys, rooms were clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly, English was a little difficult but doable.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified review

4/10 Poor

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Truly an experience not to repeat. I consider that it was not a real hotel, because there was no real reception, only a person in charge of giving you the keys and from there, you never have contact with anyone responsible again. The condition of the room is far from what is seen in the photos. - I booked a king bed room and got a regular double. - The a/c didn't cool enough, it made a lot of noise, as did the ceiling fan. - There were constant water and electricity cuts, even one of almost 3 hours that made us spend a terrible night. - The pool had a regulation of use until 10:00 p.m., however at midnight there were people in it who even played music with a very high volume and you could not sleep. In short, much to improve for this supposed hotel.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A very pleasant surprise!

We booked our trip to Costa Rica at the last minute and this was the only hotel with rooms available on the entire west coast. With no previous reviews, we were a bit concerned, but very pleasantly surprised! Hotel Buddha has been open for less than two months and is located in the delightful village of San Juanillo. The staff are very friendly, the rooms clean and comfortable (with both overhead fans and air conditioning), the pool inviting, and the restaurant quite reasonable with superb food. A beautiful beach is just a short walk away and appears to be very popular with local Costa Ricans. You can hire horses for riding on the beach, go fishing, or swim and snorkel. It is clearly off the beaten path with few tourists around. We stayed two nights, including New Year's Eve, and were treated to hometown fireworks. It is a dirt road most of the way down Route 160 with several streams to cross. A 4WD car is a must. The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge is 20 minutes south and well worth a nighttime visit! We saw 20-25 turtles laying eggs on the beach during a two hour walk. The guide's office in Ostional is clearly marked. Arrive around 6 PM to reserve a spot for the 8:30 PM walk ($10 per person). If you want elegant hotels, shops, and restaurants, head to Nosara, 45 minutes down the coast on Route 160 (this is the closest gas station by the way). Hotel Buddha is perfect if you want a true Costa Rican experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Amenities
Staff muy amable. Limpio. Habitacion comoda. Baño Amplio. Parqueo Amplio. Comida deliciosa.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Hôtel très mignon où nous avons passés qu’une nuit. La chambre était confortable et la douche chaude. Nous avions accès à la piscine et il y avait un parking sécurisé aussi. La plage est à côté dans une petite baie où l’on peut admirer les petits poissons et se baigner tranquillement loin des surfeurs.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Expert in hospitality tries to scam

We arrived to the hotel to find that the owner had received a booking just for two people. I politely clarified that if that was the case, we would happily honour extra beds, but I would first check with hotels.com. The owner claimed he didn't work with hotels.com, showed very little empathy to figure out the issue while he clarified he was from California, and had traveled the world a lot, knew a lot about how the world works. I'm still trying to figure out why he thought this was relevant to me. He first attempted to charge us for the extra beds (+15% cost). After I proved him that our booking included free extra beds and breakfast, he literally told us to leave the hotel and figure out how to get a refund. He reacted emotionally claiming we had been disrespectful to him. While we were looking for a new hotel on 30/12 lunch time in the area, he decided to provide one extra bed (not two, as our booking made him). Again, claimed that he didn't work with Hotels.com, ONLY expedia, which is not true as I've seen his hotel in multiple platforms. This was a clear attempt to not honor his commitment. After this, everything else was trouble. Thousands of mosquitoes in our room, we ask for help: and he clarifies we are in the jungle. Thanks for the info. 5 cars parked behind ours and we couldn't move the car on time: he asks us to pay the dinner bill before he moves the cars. A real crook. Good luck building up a business, Californian expert.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Staff & service
Not quite there yet. Pros: beautiful modern quiet room JoseLyn is nice, smiling and helpful. Great communication Cons: We were charged once we had book through Expedia. Turned out out that it came up double the price. Says it’s on the beach, know that it is about a 5 minute walk. The hotel is in town. Wiffs of dumpster or garbage near wall in pool area... No big deal. I had to clean the pool twice, filter was off most of the time we were there. We had an awkward experience checking in -like we were unexpected. We concluded that San Juanillo is a developing town. The Buddha is trying to bring it upwards, but is charging you as if it were already there. Don’t get me wrong the room is great, but the whole experience is not worth the steep price. Included breakfast is a joke (1 or 2 toasts and 2 eggs) compared to what is offered everywhere in Costa Rica (fruits, eggs, rice beans, plantain...) You want a handful of beans? $4 extra! We ended up eating at Soda Las Brisas del Mar. Great food, Tico owned and great prices.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Pros: location, restaurant on site, staff support, A/c, wireless, pool Cons: breakfast is included but is just one every day, rooms need more bed options for families
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel was nice , rooms clean , area very well manicured with a pool . Has an attached restaurant and the food was very good , even vegan selection. 1 block from the beach . Was a pleasent stay
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2018