Hotel Pasatiempo

A small hotel with tropical gardens, an outdoor pool and private terraces attached to the air-conditioned rooms, Hotel Pasatiempo suits you if you want Tamarindo within walking distance rather than a sealed-off resort compound. The website is available in English and Spanish, which makes the first practical step straightforward even though no hotel staff languages are specified here.

The tone is easy-going and useful. You can return from the beach, drop into the pool, take a drink beneath the palms and decide whether the evening needs a restaurant table or simply a chair and a cold one. There is also a shared lounge and TV area, live music, sports broadcasts and evening entertainment when doing absolutely nothing has become a serious plan.

You are in Tamarindo, in Costa Rica's Guanacaste province, at 350 Av Central. Tamarindo Beach is about 0.25 miles away, a five-minute walk, so the sea is close without being the view from every room. Grande Beach is 0.8 miles away, while Langosta Beach lies about 1.1 miles away by road.

The address also works for a day away from the water. Las Baulas National Park is less than 1.5 miles from the hotel, and the Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge is about 1.5 miles away. Cafés are nearby too: Breaking Bread is around 300 metres away, and Cafe Colibrí around 400 metres away. That is close enough for a change of breakfast scenery, should the hotel's own coffee machine fail to inspire you.

The room choice is mainly about how much space you want around the people and bags. The Deluxe Queen Room is the straightforward couple's option, with a king-size bed, a private terrace and a garden view. If you are travelling with family or friends, the triple and quadruple rooms give you more room to spread out, while the Deluxe Villa is the obvious choice when a separate, roomier layout matters more than keeping things compact.

Every room has air conditioning, a fan, a private bathroom with hot water, colourful tiles and organic toiletries. Orthopaedic beds are a useful detail when your body has already had enough opinions for one day. The terrace gives you somewhere to sit outside, while the refrigerator and coffee machine cover the small but important return-to-room ritual: water chilled, coffee ready, door shut.

There is a seating area and desk, a wardrobe, a clothes rack, a flat-screen television with cable channels and free WiFi throughout the hotel. Daily housekeeping keeps the practical side moving, and laundry is available. The Deluxe King Room gives a couple a larger bed; the villa gives up to four guests the most generous space. All rooms are non-smoking.

The Oasis Restaurant sits beside the pool, looking out towards the tropical gardens. Breakfast is available, with continental, American, buffet and takeaway options, so you can choose between a proper start and something you can carry out before the day gets busy. Snacks and drinks continue through the day.

Local and international food are served in the restaurant, set in a palapa-style hut. It is a more useful arrangement than a grand dining promise: you can eat on site, stay close to the pool and avoid turning a tired evening into a logistical exercise. Special-diet menus can be arranged on request.

A pool bar adds fresh local food and exotic cocktails, while happy hour gives the late afternoon its own small ceremony. There is also a snack bar and minibar. Wine or champagne, fruit and other extras are available, and packed lunches can be arranged for days spent away from the hotel.

The outdoor pool is the centre of the hotel's non-diving downtime, with sun loungers, beach towels and a sun terrace around it. The gardens and outdoor furniture give you somewhere to sit away from the room, and the open-air bath offers another place to soak rather than immediately putting your shoes back on.

A wellness menu covers body treatments, body scrubs, body wraps, facials, beauty services, manicures, pedicures and waxing. Yoga classes are also available. This is the sort of afternoon that can be planned around a partner who has had enough of boats, fins and marine weather, with no need to turn relaxation into a competitive sport.

For more movement, the hotel can arrange safari boat trips, fishing, snorkelling, quad biking, canoeing, horse riding, hiking and cycling. Surf lessons, sunset cruises, turtle-nesting tours, sport fishing, zip-line adventures and excursions to Rincón de la Vieja or the Monteverde Cloud Forest are also on the activity list. Walking tours and local-culture tours keep you on land, while live music and evening entertainment take over once the light goes.

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport is about 36 miles away by road, with a typical drive of around one hour and twelve minutes. Tamarindo Airport is much closer, about 2.5 miles away, while Nosara Airport is around 36 miles away by road. Transfers from Liberia and San José airports can be arranged through the hotel, as can a shuttle service. Car hire is available too.

Check-in runs from 3 pm to midnight, and check-out from 8 am to 11 am. You need to give the hotel your expected arrival time, then show photo identification and a credit card at check-in. Cash is an accepted payment method. Private check-in and check-out, luggage storage, concierge service and a tour desk help when your arrival or departure does not fit neatly around the room timetable.

Free WiFi covers the hotel, and free public street parking is available nearby. Parking spaces are outside the property and limited, so availability matters if you arrive by car. Children of all ages are welcome; children aged six and over are charged as adults, cots for children aged up to three can be requested, and extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed.