It’s a timeless question for those seeking lodging: Should I book a Hotel room in an all-inclusive (AI) or should I book a vacation rental? Cut to the chase: for most folks, it comes down to food.
An AI provides food, in the form of buffet-style meals, and themed restaurants where they herd you in and out like cattle. A vacation rental provides a kitchen.
Travelers afraid of cooking opt for AIs, failing to see all the missed opportunity by chaining themselves to the hotel’s food.
That is just one reason to consider a vacation rental on your trip to Tamarindo. I can think of five better ones, not including the fact that Horizon Pacific Vacation’s property of the month for April 2018, Villa Verde I #9, is wide open, and comes with a beautiful kitchen… but we will come back to that in a second.
Here are five better reasons:
- Hotels offer meals; vacation rentals offer local color.
- Hotels have available rooms; vacation rentals have many rooms.
- Hotels are cold, unfeeling spaces; vacation rentals are cool, unique hideaways.
- Hotels have coffee makers; vacation rentals have full kitchens.
- Hotels throng with people; vacation rentals are small communities.
Let’s break this down some…
Prepaid Meals Stink
vice.com
Staying in an AI sounds nice at first. After all, they have food available all day. What many fail to realize is that this action chains vacationers to the hotel.
Eating out, trying the local food or cooking it yourself, means you have to pay twice for food. It means spending money on something the hotel provides as part of your stay.
Folks who stay in hotels rarely get to immerse themselves in the local cuisine. Tamarindo has an endless number of boutique eateries clamoring to earn your Trip Advisor review.
There are a few sodas in town, local-owned Costa Rican eateries, which are off the beaten path. Villa Verde puts you within 5-20 minute walking distance of them all.
One who stays in a hotel will not likely experience these memory-making experiences. Oh yeah, if you’ve never tried AI food… pack probiotics and salt.
One Room is Fewer Than Several
Hotels are famous for offering huge rooms, often big enough for two beds, a desk, and even some furniture. They even come with separate bathrooms. (That was a clever, and biased dig. Apologies.)
Vacation rentals offer more home-grown accommodations. In Villa Verde I’s unit 9, you have three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a common area, a separate kitchen, and small outdoor area.
Whoever it was that said “less is more,” obviously wasn’t talking about Villa Verde I. In this vacation rental, more is definitely more, except on cost.
Compare booking three hotel rooms at any AI to the cost of your own place, and you will see the reason more people prefer to stay in a vacation rental.
Cool and Comfy Beats Cold and Unfeeling Everytime
In Villa Verde I, you set the thermostat where you want it. If you don’t like air-conditioning, then you can turn it off, throw open the windows, and let Mother Nature keep your family comfortable.
There are plenty of places to nap away the afternoon, one king bed, two queens, and plushy entertainment room furniture as well. It feels a little like staying at a friend’s place.
Hotels simply can’t provide that kind of family-like atmosphere. Every room in a hotel is the same box, stacked on top of each other like shipping containers.
In Villa Verde I’s unit 9, you know you’re in Costa Rica. From the turquoise walls to the locally farmed wood furniture, it’s cozy and Costa Rican through and through.
Coffee is Nice But Bacon Rules
For the last 20-years, it’s become a standard to provide hotel guests with coffee makers, and the occasional microwave. In a place like Costa Rica, where we brew the best coffee in the world, coffee is a bare minimum.
In Villa Verde I, you’ll have a large coffee maker to make your morning cup o’ joe, but you’ll also have a full kitchen to cook whatever you fancy.
With several groceries within a short walk from the property, you can make bacon, eggs, and even pancakes without leaving your place. In the hotel, you’ll have to put on some clothes and hope they’ve started serving breakfast when you’re up.
Hope you weren’t planning to catch that good pre-dawn surf.
Villa Verde I’s unit 9 offers more than a great kitchen. It’s also wired with high-speed wireless internet, and cable TV, no sharing required.
Looking for a larger vacation rental? Investigate our whole catalogue.
Share Less of Your Pool Time
Fly a drone over Tamarindo and you’ll find that most properties have a pool, some great, some not-so-great. The hotels have great pools, no doubt. They also throng with guests, screaming children, and drunks.
If you’re still thinking a hotel is your best option, and you plan to hit the pool, plan to get there early to get a lounge chair.
In Villa Verde, the dozen or so units are half-filled with locals renting long term. The rest are vacationers like yourself. They’re all friendly, and most of them love to tell stories of their adventures in Costa Rica and elsewhere.
You can pass out reading a book, and not worry about someone disturbing you. You can also introduce yourself and get to know they neighbors during your stay.
It’s up to you. Truth be told, you may not ever see anyone at the pool.
Aprils in Tamarindo bring our earliest rainfalls, but nothing like the spring showers up north. It’s a great time to see Costa Rica bloom. The good news? You can book this unit right now.
Contact us to book it now.
Have other questions? Contact us anyway. We know everything there is to know about Costa Rica and the Tamarindo area. We love helping. Let us be your Costa Rica concierge.
Horizon Pacific Management & Rentals is located in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Offering vacation rentals, property management, long-term rentals, as well as a complete concierge service. Providing you with a local contact during your stay, Horizon Pacific is a company you can trust, with the experience you need.
