Rooms are down several steep staircases from the tiny common area perched atop the hill. Aversive muzak played nonstop in the bar/restaurant area which permeated the whole place. Not a peaceful costa rican environment.

We had an amazing stay! The staff was friendly, the food was delicious, and the view is amazing!

The view from the restaurant is breathtaking. The restaurant's food is delicious. But the room we stayed in, the toilet had issues. First, it had no cold water going into the bathroom sink, shower and toilet. The maintenance team resolved as the main line was turned off. Then the toilet was howling every time you flushed for 20 seconds. Sounded like you were at a sports arena with foghorns. They said it was trapped air in piped. The howling/screeching sound lasted the entire time we stayed (one/night). I explained and showed a video to the receptionist and she just gave me a blank stare and said that there is air in the pipes.

Villa Ballena is a tucked away gem. About 10 minutes up a narrow and steep road off Hwy 34 you end up a jungle setting. Edgar is bar/restaurant was fabulous

The morning coffee at the restaurant needs improvement. There are a lot of stairs. Nice pool.

Everyone at Vista Ballena was welcoming and friendly the pool area/restaurant bar area was so relaxing. Definitely a must go to place!

Amazing food, views and service. Nice clean rooms with a great view from the balconies. Will go back next time.

What a beautiful place and such a find! We absolutely loved this place. The common pool/dining/bar area was the highlight and is as gorgeous as all the photos. It has a two-level infinity pool that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, Uvita townsite below, the national marine park and is the best view of the Whale Tail Sandbar. The adjacent bar places great ambient grooves perfect for the place, has a great selection of drinks and same games to borrow if desired. Plenty of lounge chairs as well as tables/chairs if you want to eat, play games, etc. Restaurant offers a great mix of all sorts of dishes, and BIG portions. The rooms all offer the same beautiful view of the ocean and each has its own patio with table and chairs. Rooms are of a good size and the bathroom too. Mini fridge available. The only drawback to the rooms is no in-room safe. The road to get up to the property is STEEP and very narrow, and there are many, many stairs within the property, between the main restaurant/pool/reception area building and the two room buildings. We didn't even make it down to the lowest one to check out the yoga platform. There is some handicap parking available but I imagine that driving between main building and rooms would be the only way to get around.

I’ve stayed at Vista Ballena several times and always had a wonderful room and experience. This last time was not so good. All I can say is, do not accept a room on the bottom floor. Not only are they an extremely long hike up the stairs to the restaurant area, but the rooms are just not nice. Just a plain ugly room with 2 very uncomfortable double beds. I only had a sheet on my bed when I arrived - no bed cover. Just a blanket in the closet. Not good for the price you pay for a room there.

The views are absolutely amazing here and the staff are so friendly and hospitable. The hotel, pool, and grounds are well kept. Would definitely return!

The ocean view was excellent.

The pool is amazing and the views!!! I enjoyed the staff as well, they were very helpful and kind!

The road is ugly Narroed to one lane when 2 are needed Far down stair are the rooms Price doesn’t make sense

Can't review since they cancelled my reservation the same day of the trip

Our family enjoyed stayed at this hotel, the access is easy, steep hill tha makes it more exotic, amazing view from the mountain to the sea and great swimming pool, room are big with amazing view on the Pacicfic ocean. We saw Toucans every day :) Easy access to the beach for surfing. Service was excellent and breakfast that was included with the room was great! A must in Uvita area!

The location of Vista Ballena, and the view, were amazing; this made the hotel so promising. The main area (dining, bar, infinity pool) were wonderful. The rooms were... meh. They were very outdated, but pretty clean. The AC worked fine. The wifi was extremely spotty in the rooms, yet they advertised as having wifi. We were only able to connect once or twice from our room during the 24h we were there. The wifi was fine from the main area. 1/3 meals was great and the other two were also just okay; the included breakfast wasn’t great, and we think we may have actually been charged for it. We expected a lot more from this “boutique” hotel based on reviews, and just left us desiring more.

We had a great stay and truly enjoyed the pool and view. Th staff was extremely nice especially John, Walter and Albin at the bar. They made are stay fun and entertaining. The food was very good and the sunsets view where amazing. The facility as a whole could use a little facelift. Public bathrooms were a little dirty and rooms could use a coat of paint, but over all it was a nice stay.

The vista from this hotel and the lobby pool is magnificent. The local area and beaches are amazing and diverse.

We stayed for two nights at the Vista Ballena. The hotel was up a very steep single track road which could be interesting in the rainy season or when it is dark. The rooms all had a sea view and were comfortable but they are not luxurious. Some of the room fittings could be classed as dated. However, the view was stunning. I do not think there is another hotel in the area that would have such a fantastic over the bay and that alone was worth every penny. There were wild toucans in the trees by the restaurant and pool and the pool was beautiful with stunning views over the national park and a great place to view the sunset. The bar/restaurant staff were brilliant and made us feel welcome everytime we went there. The restaurant menu wasn't great, but the food was extravagant in size and always prepared fresh.

Beautiful hotel with breathtaking views. The staf is great. We loved our stay and will stay there in the future.

Lovely hotel with great views! Restaurant serves a good choice for dinner. Hotel Is a little way out off Uvita slightly off the main highway and easy to miss as it's about 1km up an unpaved road. Well worth a visit - if it's the wet season, pack an umbrella as some of the rooms are separate from the bar / restaurant area which can mean you may get soaked heading for a drink.

Lovely hotel with great views! Restaurant serves a good choice for dinner. HotelIs a little way out off Uvita slightly off the main highway and easy to miss as its about 1km up an unpaved road. Well worth a visit - if its the wet season, pack an umbrella as some of the rooms are separate from the bar / restaurant area which can mean you may get soaked heading for a drink.

Very clean hotel with great views of the jungle and ocean. Food was very good, not great. Sitting poolside watching toucans hopping through the trees overhead and listening to howler monkeys in the morning. Room was clean but very basic. Staff was wonderful, always making us feel welcome and taken care of.

Delightful facility and staff. What a place to enjoy the Costa Rican life!!

A confusion regarding the room we booked not available the first two nights out of 8 but we moved to the booked room on the third night. The hotel was beautiful and all the staff very helpful and friendly

A confusion regarding the room we booked not available the first two nights out of 8 but we moved to the booked room on the third night. The hotel was beautiful and all the staff very helpful and friendly

Absolutely love this place!

The hotel is very nice and confortable with amazing views... but I dont know if its at level that is being charged per night. Also, I have to say that is NOT safe for children and elders. It has too many stairs, cliffs and the hotel has as a pet an AMERICAN STANDFORD dog. I believe this is a dangerous dog to have around people, specially kids. Regarding the restaurant, the food that was able to get to the table was good, but some orders came incorrect and one did not even got out... some plates were not as described in the menu and one order not even came thru, because there were too many orders ahead (6). I do have to say that the rooms are nice and clean... I only recommend the hotel for young people willing to walk hundreds of stairs from the room to the pool/lobby.

The hotel is excelent and gives us a great view of the Bahia Ballena and the famous whale tail, a rock formation in the Uvita Beach. The staff is really nice and polite.

Nice hotel and staff, close to the beach, bad road to access the hotel too narrow and not completely paved.

This is our 2nd stay at vista ballena, because the view is spectacular and the staff are always outgoing and friendly. The new owner is a genuine blast and is trying super hard to make this hotel a remarkable experience for guests.

Positive experience. Nice restaurant with quality food. Internet strength is a little weak in spots and you disconnect often.