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Welcome to Pura Vida! Nestled amongst lush tropical gardens, Villas Río Mar is an internationally acclaimed 3-Star Eco Hotel that promises a serene and memorable escape just a 10-minute stroll from the lively beach town of Dominical, Costa Rica. Our expansive tropical grounds, coupled with two large swimming pools and a private jungle trail create a sanctuary of tranquility. Each of the 61 rooms offers comfort with a private outdoor patio, AC, and TV, allowing guests to unwind while basking in the vibrant surrounding flora and fauna. One of the best restaurants in the area, our Crocodile Grill & Bar serves a variety of dishes crafted with organic vegetables grown at our own on-site greenhouse garden. The surrounding area brims with natural beauty, from pristine beaches to national parks and wildlife reserves, ensuring endless exploration and adventure for couples and families alike. Come surf, hike and explore one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse areas in the world.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Business
Park View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
800 m north of Dominical along the Baru river, Dominical 60504 Costa Rica
Villas Rio Mar
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Villas Rio Mar has earned a reputation for its tranquil atmosphere and spotless cleanliness, with guests consistently commending the immaculate rooms and pristine pools. While opinions on value and service vary—some travelers perceive the prices as reasonable and the staff as attentive, whereas others have faced issues with cost and customer service—the hotel's well-equipped rooms and beautiful grounds generally leave a positive impression.
The serene location near town and amidst natural beauty further enhances the appeal, although the music selection at the hotel has been a point of contention for some.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Tranquil
Rooms
Basic
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Relaxing
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The breakfasts are made to order with a choice of about six different meals, which is good. There are also cold options. The food was good although cooked in a little too much oil for me.
We had a pre ordered dinner as we were a group of 18. We had a starter, main and dessert and also a lovely fresh juice each evening. These meals were excellent and the portions were large.
There are two pools, one for doing laps and the other for taking a dip and relaxing around on the comfortable loungers. To get pool towels you have to hand in a voucher to collect a towel. Some of these towels were in awful condition and I would have binned them ages ago. A lovely place to relax by though especially in the shade in the heat of the day.
The grounds and gardens are beautiful and very well tended.
I always ask for a hotel close to reception so I don't have far to walk as my legs don't always work so well. The room initially allocated was a short distance away and up a slope - so we asked to change rooms and were given a room on a flat walk closer to the restaurant which was fine. If you want to use the safe you have to go to reception to ask for a key and then return it back when you depart.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don;t forget to pick up your safe key when you check in. And check the pool towels when handed...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Atención al huésped/Recepción at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 7 Feb 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience at Villas Rio Mar! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the delicious meals and lovely fresh juice served during your stay. We appreciate your feedback regarding the condition of the pool towels, we want to let you know that we just renewed all the pool towels to avoid any problems. It's great to know that you found the grounds and gardens beautiful and well-maintained. We always aim to accommodate our guests' needs, and we're pleased we could arrange a more convenient room for you. We hope to welcome you back for another relaxing stay in the future. Pura vida!
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Very easy seamless check in and out. Pools are pleasant, fresh towels provided. It would be nice to have more sun beds around it though... The breakfasts are plentiful, fast service, we enjoyed some dinners here also as walk to Dominical is somewhat long. The sunset on Dominical beach is a beautiful experience though. The dining area and gardens are pretty, well tended. The resident dog is friendly. The rooms are spacious, the beds comfortable. We had 2 king beds. In room coffee maker is handy, fridge worked well. When 4 people stay in a room like this it would be nice to have more than 2 arm chairs on the patio. (there are none in the room) The shower worked well, and the air conditioner was quiet, which we appreciate. All in all good value and pleasant stay.
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Date of stay: March 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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I spent only 2 nights in this lodge. The garden is superb especially for me who comes for wildlife photography. There are many birds that eat fruit. The room is spacious with 2 beds, 1 large and 1 smaller, the bathroom is quite large. The aisles to reach the rooms are very well done, you can easily arrive with big suitcases, they roll on their own. The restaurant is great, the staff is attentive, the cuisine is decent but a little expensive for my taste. The restaurant is said to be the best in the country, for me the best restaurant is in RANCHO NATURALISTA.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A nice enough hotel but with poor attention to detail and customer service. We'd booked our Costa Rica tour back in early May and were travelling as a family of 5. Coming from the UK we were travelling round and so travelling light, sharing one electric toothbrush base and bottles of shampoo and conditioner. All 4 of the other hotels we stayed in saw that we were travelling as a family and put us in adjoining rooms. This was very helpful as we were constantly back and fore with our youngsters, discussing when we might go to the pool, to eat or to our next activity. We mentioned the issue of room location to the front desk, saying that we realised that we couldn't move rooms because people were already in the adjacent rooms but to flag up that for other families in the future, it would give them a much better experience if they had 2 rooms next to each other. The reaction was that the rooms were in the same block, so we could just walk around. The adjacent rooms were 5 paces apart but we needed to walk 77 paces around the block to get to the other room. And at night, in the torrential rain, dressed in our night clothes, getting the electric toothbrush was a pain etc etc. If the girl on reception had apologised for the situation and said that they would try to avoid it for families in future, that would have completely diffused the situation but her dismissive reaction felt like poor customer service/public relations. We had no confidence that the message would be relayed on and so felt that the situation would happen again for other families in future. There were 3 girls on reception. One of them was very good, helping us check-in effectively and helping us out with a phone call when our transport did not turn up on time. The other 2 girls could do with further training in customer service/public relations. It is an issue of poor logistical organisation, probably unconnected with reception, when you don't put a a family travelling together, who have booked well in advance, in adjacent rooms. All the rooms in the block were identical, so it should have straight forward to organise. Failure to do so meant that what would have been a perfectly nice 3 day stay became a mediocre one.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Cordero Cerdas, Propietario at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 29 Jul 2023
Hello! Thank you very much for your visit and your review. We are very sorry for the inconvenience in his visit to our hotel. We always try to make the service the best for all our clients. Your review helps us a lot to improve all these details and make all our guests enjoy the hotel to the fullest. Pura vida!
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Arrived and reception staff made me feel like an inconvenience.mobile phone was more important than guests Room left a lot to be desired Fridge did not work went to reception and the guy can back with me put the freezer section on full and told me to wait 30 minutes Back to reception I went to get a key for the safe not offered at check in and told him the fridge was still not cold . He came back and said it was an old fridge wait 24 hours this room is equipped with cooking facilities so a fridge is vital Next morning everything in the fridge was frozen didn’t have the time or energy to go and complain again. Please do not waste your money on this place the only member of staff who smiled was the lady at the pool bar
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don’t
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Cordero Cerdas, Propietario at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 5 Jan 2024
Thank you for your review of Villas Rio Mar hotel. We apologize for the inconveniences you experienced during your stay. We will address your concerns with the reception staff and ensure that the issue with the fridge is resolved. We appreciate your feedback and will work to improve our service.
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We stayed at this place for one night and had the worst experience of a two week vacation in Costa Rica. First of, the room was up on a hill. It was raining the evening that we checked in. We had to walk in the rain on a slippery slope to get to the room. We had hiked the entire day so we were looking forward to a warm shower. We found no hot water though and were told that the water heaters runs on solar. No attempt was made to rectify and provide us hot water to shower. Really? Is that Customer Service on a rainy day? There are no telephones in the room and so no way to contact reception except through WhatsApp messages only - no calls are allowed on WhatsApp. There is a local number that you can call however, that would be international calling for us. If there is an emergency on the property will the property make an international call on your phone as well? When I asked that question, I was not given any response. The next morning when we tried to walk down the slope to the restaurant, the path was closed. There are no markings to point the direction to the reception. Without signage we had to risk and walk down the hill and slippery moss covered path to the restaurant. The breakfast is very limited and serving sizes are small. Whoever was answering the WhatsApp chats was extremely rude and expected us to know that the property runs on solar so we should not expect any hot water in the evenings. Think twice about staying here would never recommend this place.
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Atención al huésped/Recepción at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 2 weeks ago
We are very sorry that your stay did not meet your expectations. We understand how frustrating it must have been to arrive after a long day and not have access to hot water. We also apologize for any difficulty navigating the property and any misunderstandings in our WhatsApp communication. Your feedback regarding signage and breakfast is very important and we will review these aspects. We appreciate your feedback and are sorry that we were not able to provide you with the experience you expected. We will take your feedback seriously to improve our guests' experience in the future.
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This hotel's attitude is very disappointing. We requested a deluxe room through our tour organiser but were informed they had gone but the we could have a "Villa Room" at similar cost instead. What we got was effectively a family room which had been badly abused (damaged floor, damaged furniture, a front door that only closed when locked, etc). It was in a position next to the car park where an excavator was loading a truck and at the back of the kitchens with no view. Following an immediate complaint we were told that they only had budget rooms as an alternative, The budget room was in the main garden (although adequate) it was far superior to the Villas room only smaller. I asked for the difference in cost to be refunded and was fobbed off with 'Manager not available'. I was finally given an offer of $40 off my last meal on the last night at their restaurant. Unfortunately, this offer came at 6:22pm whilst we were already eating our evening meal at an offsite restaurant in Dominical on our last night of stay. No refund was forthcoming at checkout the following morning.
The actual hotel bar / restaurant are nice although the breakfasts are stewed by 8:00am. The hotel pool is excellent as are the gardens that the bungalow rooms are in. The reception staff litied with the truth however, the serving staff are excellenet.
Dominical isnt really a great place, the beach is great if you are a surfer but there are other nicer beaches. Two of the restaurants we ate are were really good (Fuego and Phat Noodle).
I wouldnt rush back to Dominical. And if i did return, the Rio Mar would be the last choice of hotel on my list.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Make sure you get what you paid for when you check in!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Cordero Cerdas, Propietario at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 17 Feb 2024
Hello ! Thank you very much for your review and your visit to Villa Rio Mar. At the hotel we always try to provide the best service and quality to all our guests, seeking to ensure that they enjoy their stay and visit to the fullest. We deliver the room your Travel Agency reserved for you, because at the time of the reservation request we only had this category of rooms available. When you told us that the room did not meet your expectations, we offered you the smaller room but with a better location and without items that you said you did not need. We also explained that they would be different prices but that your agency had paid for the other room and you accepted. When you arrived at the new room, which luckily was available, you told us that it seemed fine but now you wanted a refund. The team directed the request to management who was not available at the time, when management responded we tried to reach you but it was not possible until that afternoon when you returned and declined the courtesy. We made an effort to try to solve the displeasure that occurred due to the room that your agency reserved, but our efforts were apparently not sufficient. On the other hand, we are glad that you enjoyed at least the bar, breakfast and the different areas of the hotel. We hope you enjoyed your visit to Costa Rica. Pura vida!
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Beautiful grounds and swimming pool, got used to seeing big green iguanas tramping around and even on the dining room roof doing their ‘salute to the sun’. Welcoming staff at Reception, in the restaurant, gardeners and cleaning staff. The rooms had been thoughtfully designed so you felt you weren’t actually attached to another villa, with a spacious covered entrance with a big fridge, comfortable bed and spacious walk-in shower. Always plenty of hot water. Walking down to the restaurants and beach felt slightly exhausting on the gravel road in 30 degrees with high humidity - fortunately managed to find a taxi for our return journey. We visited the Wildlife Sanctuary up the road and enjoyed the amazing views out over the Pacific from the hotel adjoining it. We miss waking to the sounds of beautiful tropical birds and enjoying a refreshing sundowner cocktail. We wouldn’t recommend swimming in the river as apparently there are crocodiles in there.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:The beach at Dominical appeared to be a surfers’ beach and quite choppy when we walked down there...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Cordero Cerdas, Propietario at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 24 May 2023
Hello! We are very grateful for your review and your visit. Thank you very much for taking the time to leave us this good review. We are glad to know that you enjoyed the hotel and the activities in the area very much. Pura vida!
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My husband and I enjoyed a week stay at Villas Rio Mar, and had a wonderful experience. The villa included a room with a queen and single bed, bathroom and private patio area. All immaculately clean. Great location by the Rio Baru, walking distance to Playa Dominical and town. The grounds are spectacular and well maintained....stunning flora and fauna. If you enjoy bird spotting/listening to song, this is the place for you. Beautiful pool area, where you can get food and drink service. The breakfast offerings (included in the room price) are absolutely delicious. Also excellent food and bar service at their Crocodile Grill. Found it hard to leave the place!
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Atención al huésped/Recepción at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 4 weeks ago
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience at Villas Rio Mar, Leslie! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the immaculately clean villa, the stunning grounds with beautiful flora and fauna, and the convenient location near Playa Dominical. It's fantastic to know that you found our pool area, breakfast offerings, and Crocodile Grill to your liking. We can't wait to welcome you back for another unforgettable stay! Thank you for choosing Villas Rio Mar.
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We are locals and live north of Domenical about an hour. We came down for a Valentines celebration of dinner and a show. We decided to stay overnight, and we’re not disappointed at all! Very reasonably priced for the area, clean, spotless room with enough air-conditioning, that you could hang meat inside! Thermostat worked great so you could control your. Both pools were very clean with several sun loungers around. The front desk staff was very friendly and helpful. They keep an English speaking clerk at the front desk or closely available. The included breakfast was buffet style, delicious, and had anything you could want from a Costa Rican typical breakfast to American scrambled eggs and bacon. Fresh fruit, hot coffee, soft breads. We will definitely stay here again.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:This is a lovely, beautifully manicured vast garden property. If you have difficulty in walking,...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Cordero Cerdas, Propietario at Villas Rio Mar
Responded 12 Mar 2024
Thank you for your positive review of Villas Rio Mar. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay, the clean room, friendly staff, and delicious breakfast buffet. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit.
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We stayed with our two kids in (12 an 15) in a family suite with two large double beds. It was quite spacious so I Think you couldn't easily get two extra beds in the room.
Best wishes.
Peter.
Hola Yan, los buses pasan por la entrada principal, tendrías que caminar 1 kilómetro para llegar al hotel, pero la vista es linda al borde Del Río y no se hace larga, El Centro de dominical está a 1.8 del hotel, y se puede ir a pie. Hay muchas sodas, supermercados y restaurantes, pero no hay cajeros ni farmacias, para eso tendrías que ir a Uvita que está a 20 minutos en carro, así que tendrías que ir bien preparada y sin necesidad de ir a Uvita la podrías pasar muy bien !
Dominical, Costa Rica139 contributions73 helpful votes
Estimada Sofia.
Las habitaciones en el hotel Villas Río Mar se encuentran distribuidas en 5 hectáreas de jardín tropical. Son bloques de 4 habitaciones todas con entrada independiente y una terraza que le ofrece un aspecto acogedor y privado.
Esperamos haber contestado a su pregunta si tiene alguna otra consulta no dude en contactarnos.
There are more places to choose from in the Dominical area.
PRICE RANGE
$216 - $282 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
villas rio mar hotel dominical, hotel rio mar, rio mar hotel
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of PuntarenasDominical
NUMBER OF ROOMS
61
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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