Hotel Bula Bula

Loved the vibe of this unique place! So welcoming and friendly. If you want something off the beaten path, you have found the right place. Delicious drinks- enjoy the mai tais and if you want a treat try the swordfish nuggets! Quiet and out of the way- we enjoyed a special family lunch in Tamarindo.

Great food and pool- love hearing JGB deep cuts in the bar while swimming. Must-see for deadheads and a great place for all to stay. Best location and vibes in Costa Rica in my opinion. Would definitely come again. ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

The Grateful Hotel is amazing. Coming for “Sunday Fun Day” was one of the highlights of my long term trip to Costa Rica. Very respectful, competent, and friendly staff. Jhordan and Ernesto are the best bartenders that I’ve ever met. 10/10 would highly recommend!

From the moment I arrived via water taxi to the hotel, it felt like home. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it was my happy place immediately! I was welcomed by the day manager and brought to my fabulous room. I very quickly met people who knew many of the same people as me. We became fast friends and they were my tribe the rest of my stay. During my stay, everyone I met was like-minded, good hearted and down to earth. Grateful Dead memorabilia is everywhere and the hotel is very tastefully decorated. The music and playlists were perfect and fitting. Garrett from JMF was the live musician each night, amazing talent, great shows! Everything was wonderful from the restaurant (fabulous food) to the pool (refreshing) to the room (great A/C and fan) to the surroundings (including howler monkey's in the trees). The nature is beautiful, the beach is close and pristine. Mostly though, it was the hard working and super friendly staff that put this place over the top. Stellar service, smiling faces, accommodating and engaging. This ended up to be the trip of a lifetime and I will always hold such fond memories. I hope to be back again sooner rather than later. Fare Thee Well, Tracy

Atmosphere and food are excellent. Location is close to nice beach and you can take a water taxi to Tamarindo. The rooms are ok but the mattresses definitely need replacing as well as the fridge.

I had previously stayed at this small boutique hotel over a decade ago when it was under a different name and ownership, so was interested to see how things had changed. Of course, as a Grateful Dead themed hotel now, everything from the signage on the grounds, to Sugaree's (the restaurant), to the rooms, now have a touch of Grateful Dead decor to them, but I thought it was tastefully done. The basic but nicely decorated rooms, grounds, pool, and restaurant were just as nice as before. Howler monkeys even hung out in a tree behind the hotel for a while one evening. My room had perfectly functional air conditioning, a flat screen TV (although I never used it), a coffee maker and a safe, and I slept well every night. Wi-Fi was flawless throughout the facility. Steven (hopefully got the name right), the head daytime server (maybe daytime restaurant manager) was incredibly helpful with booking tours and helping to troubleshoot and resolve airport transfer issues at the last minute (muchas gracias!). Probably the best addition to the hotel was the live music at Sugaree's every evening and on some afternoons. If you're a surfer, it's a short 12 minute walk to the beach, Playa Grande Surf Camp to rent a board, or Café Mar Azul to grab one of their great tacos.

We had a grateful experience at the Grateful Hotel and their Sugaree Bar & Grill. Great live music, great swordfish, great breakfast, and a great (albeit expensive) souvenir tye dye tank top. We got picked up for the Estuary Boat Tour at their "dock" one morning and had a tremendous wildlife experience. Highly recommended!

Unique setting and location. A nice change of pace from the resort community. Thank you.

The showers in the rooms are in bad condition, spray all over or very clogged and no pressure. They need to changed out.