My husband and I enjoyed a perfect honeymoon at Cristal Azul, absolutely perfect. It surpassed our expectations on so many levels. To note: this was not my first trip to Costa Rica, I had spent a semester in college living with a host family and returned a few years later with friends but it was my husbands first visit. We spent a week in early March and still speak of the food, the adorable dogs, the empty beach, Henner’s hot sauce and napping in the hammocks almost daily. Having now experienced Cristal Azul I will start this review by saying that this place will always be a favorite of ours and one we will return to for sure, (easy access from NYC & reasonable fares) but it is not for everyone. Having traveled throughout the country before, I can say that this area is my absolute favorite and the only one I want to return to again.

It should go without saying that in order to enjoy the type of privacy and remoteness that Cristal Azul affords, you also have to trek yourself out there. It took us three hours to drive from the Liberia airport but we enjoyed it. Zene gave us excellent directions and suggestions on where to stop for gas, food and ATM. The last part was on dirt roads, which added to our adventure of traveling in Central America. The road up the Cristal Azul is steep and windy but oh so worth it! Once you arrive, Henner is quick to offer a cold beverage and all we could smell was the delicious aroma of dinner being prepared coming from the kitchen. We spent over an hour in the rancho talking with Henner & Zene taking in the views/chatting it up with other guests before we even made it to our “cabina”, which had even better views. (We left NY in the morning and by sunset we were in the pool with a cocktail in hand.)

I loved our “cabina” and would rent one yearly if I could. There were only four in total and all are far enough from the rancho for quiet sleep time but also close in proximity to each other. This did not affect nor bother us at all because we only used ours to sleep, shower and change. The rest of the time we were in the pool, the hammocks or on the beach. We could tell that each room was quite large and our bathroom had plenty of shelf space to allow us to “move in” for a few days. The furniture and décor was tropical, “beachy”, of good quality and classy too. Rooms were cleaned daily, beach and pool towels were provided, and the beds were soft yet firm, and comfy. The AC was very strong but we opted to sleep with the screen door and fan. By far the best thing about our cabina was our outdoor shower. You just have to experience taking one for yourself to appreciate it. Oh, and every morning there were monkeys eating mangos in the tree outside of our bathroom! How cool is that!

The “common area’ shared by the small amount guests the hotel can hold, is a huge “rancho” that looked out over a vanishing edge pool and patio with day beds and a covered table. Off to one side was a suspending deck with hammocks and a small table (we had breakfast here one morning) perfect place if you want some quiet time. The rancho had oodles of games, puzzles, good music they provide (you can play your own too if you like, there is an IPod hookup) and a beautiful pool table that comes with a great story involving a professional pool player/past guest. It is a completely open, “Tiki Hut” type of structure with a palm roof, (that was recycled plastic that looks exactly like palm) and amazing views from wherever you park yourself. We were immersed in “jungle” and in touch with nature! (But not too much!) The pool – divine. Cool, crystal clear, and literally on the edge of the hill with the best view of all on the property. I will refrain from sharing the picture of me with on the edge but there are plenty of pictures posted here that can give you only a hint of what it has to offer.

Our food was amazing and portions were plentiful. A bit more expensive than some places but also the nicest place we ate during our trip and in our lives in general. And beach casual! Henner set the table for us one night with flowers and candles by the pool, cross your fingers for this treat! We could not believe that amazing canopy of stars that were above us for our meal…and no bugs! I doubt we will ever experience something that private and romantic again unless we win the lottery. Thank you Henner! After dinner he laid out candles by the day beds and we took post dinner naps by starlight, listening to the ocean. Spectacular!

Activities were available and we opted to do the Butterfly Farm Tour with Mike, Zip Line Tour & an afternoon fishing. In hindsight I could have skipped the Zip Line but that is because I prefer that San Miguel had no crowds or retails shops and was just empty beach versus Samara which really only had shopping, restaurants and a packed beach. If you like to shop, do the zip line in the morning and spend the afternoon in town. Ourselves, once done zipping we drove as fast as we could back and jumped in the pool. Do not miss Mike’s tour or the lunch place on the beach (I forget the name but it is the only one “on” the beach). We ate at several local places for lunch during our week there. Our advice: eat at the Costa Rican owned/operated places.

We felt the value of Cristal Azul was excellent, worth every penny! The hotel and the grounds are so charming and tropical, the service is five star, food is fantastic, everything is well maintained and cared for, unforgettable, breathtaking views, plenty to do and the kindest hosts ready to point you in all the right directions. Perfect if the small, intimate, pampered experience is what you want and quality, comfort and cuisine matter greatly. We almost stayed at another hotel close by so if you are debating let us offer you this advice: Cristal Azul is the only hotel in town with ocean views and all hotels require you to drive to the beach. In our opinion, it was by far the nicest hotel in town and most authentic. We are already trying to gather a group of friends for a return in 2015!

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I understand the title seems rather over dramatic and exaggerated in nature, and if you’re as big of a skeptic as me perhaps even suspicious. I do not blame you one bit.

I was in the same shoes, despite the lack of reviews under my belt (I’m working on it!), I’ve been using tripadvisor for the past 3 years and I spend a good amount of time before each trip, a total of at least a few hours before leaving the home country, just comparing places, and planning routes. It is not an exaggeration to say I’ve looked at at least a few hundred hotels/b&b/excursion places on tripadvisor, so when I saw Cristal Azul’s reviews with 5/5 ratings in such predominance, I was in disbelief. Afterall, this is a website where not even a $400++/night get such score.

Here is how they do it.

1. They treat you as if you’re their extended family, a guest at their home at the very least, not just a customer or a source of income.They perfect this by accommodating only a handful of guests at any given time. In fact, they only have 4 rooms, and yes each one has amazing ocean view that just rolls off the hill they’re situated on. The sheets and towels are clean, and A/C runs strong yet quiet.

   They have a number of employees that are all more than willing to help.

   The owners Zene and Henner themselves have impeccable hospitality. They will make sure, every morning you will have a bottomless cup of Costa Rican coffee, and breakfast be served when you’re ready. They will make sure there’s always cold juice, beer, mint water in the fridge. They will make sure everything in the room is just the way you expected. They will share their own medication if you feel ill(yes, this happened). They will be there with a container of rice if your phone accidentally falls in the pool(yes, this happened). They will tell you as much as you can take in about anything you’d like to know, from local politics, what locals do for living, how the area has transformed over the years to what to do tomorrow and where to go/eat. Do not make the same mistake we did, if you find them as interesting and fun to talk to as we, along with vast majority of these reviewers did, ask them to join, otherwise their respect for your privacy will have them limiting their pleasant “interference”.

2. They have amazing food.Let’s face the fact that no matter what restaurant I compare Cristal Azul to, the odds of the reader of this review in this world wide web having been to the same restaurant is in between slim and none. Luckily, there is a general rule called you get what you pay for. Granted, there are always restaurants that sell the atmosphere and experience more than quality of ingredients and flavour dazzling dishes, but for the sake of this review, let’s put them out of the equation. Bottom line, if you were to ask me “how much would you pay to have the same Cristal Azul dinner here at home?” My answer would be somewhere between $70-$100/person. I still remember the perfectly seasoned and seared local catch of the day(literally) tuna fillet with a side of rice and fresh salad including grilled banana desert and a few glasses that cost me not even half of that at Cristal Azul.

   The mango tree that you’ll find behind the rooms, if you’re not watching the monkeys eat the mangoes, pick one off the tree, for once you can be assured what you have in your hand is 100% organic, preservative free mango.

   Even with such amazing food at their disposal, they’ll give you tips, in fact encourage you to to eat at restaurants in the surrounding area, just so you get a richer experience.

3. Zene and Henner’s unique combination; American born and raised “Ex-pat” and Costa Rican born and raised local, offer variety of insights from easier to grasp perspective for people from North America. Them, having traveled many countries as well, I don’t doubt are able to offer you a very global, and non blinkered perspective on many things not limited to just Costa Rica. If you have difficulty communicating with them in English or Spanish, I can only suspect the lack of skill on your end. They may even speak more languages, but I can’t comment on those.
4. Their hillside pool’s infinity edge seemingly spilling over onto the pacific ocean in distance, that picture and the idea of being in the 10′N of the equator sun, that was enough for me to book the place. (Mind you, I booked this place before I even booked the flight, I had the time off, and once I saw this place, I didn’t care how and when, I just knew I was going there). The view, and that certain serenity that can only wrap you once you’re at a certain distance from other businesses and street noises, they have it all.

All in all, no matter how much you read about this, no matter how many 1000 words worth of pictures you look at, you will get more by visiting this place. Don’t get sucked into other places in San Miguel or the province of Guancaste the way we did(unless it is for something that can’t be offered by Cristal Azul i.e volcano view), or should I say go ahead and do so, so you can draw your own conclusion that this is THE place to go, either way, I’d like to take this last bit to thank Zene and Henner along with the staff members for everything from their suggestions and tips to the food to the warm heart you have reached out to us with. This vacation was definitely one of those that nourished my soul thanks to you guys. Take care, god bless!

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We were not looking for a five star resort because we find them impersonal and a bit tacky. We prefer “hidden gems” such as this that allow you to immerse yourself in the true character and culture of the area visiting. In this case, we wanted to be in a very tropical setting, small, a bit luxe for those much needed creature comforts and at a resort having minimal impact on the area and again, that feeling of immersion. Henner and Zene have not missed a beat at CA and you cannot go wrong here, worth every penny!

Rooms are perfectly appointed and have the most amazing ocean view we have ever seen in many years of travel. There are not many views like that left in the world so we spent most of our mornings and evenings just taking it all in. Queen beds were very comfy, sheets crisp and high thread count but my favorite thing was the super soft, fresh smelling towels. The only ones we had in our entire three weeks in CR. Beach and pool towels provided/huge/and changed daily. (Along with everything you would want to take to the beach…even Badminton…we are planning a Round Robin Tournament when we return with friends!). More than ample space for belongings in the cabinas and bathroom, gorgeous teak furniture that we learned was made locally and the highlight for us was the outdoor shower! I will never look at mine the same again. We also really liked the retractable laundry line that allowed us to leave our wet bathing suits outside to dry and not have them lingering damp inside our bathroom. And the screen doors were genius! We spent a few nights in AC until we realized that with the screens open, we could fall asleep and wake up the sound of the waves below, monkeys and parrots! But…..trust us you will only use your room to sleep and shower because you have the rancho and pool area; your personal heaven on earth and very hard to leave.

Overall, photos do not do this place justice…the views literally take your breath away! And if you like to hike or bird, the grounds are loaded with wildlife and you have access to excellent places to hike!

Food, best we had on our trip but take advice of your hosts and check out the places they recommend for lunch. Eat dinner in! Every meal was planned for us, with us. Very nice touch. We appreciated greatly the care that went into making sure we tried all the delicacies they had to offer and also the attention to what we could not or chose not to try.

The hill up to reach the resort was not as tough as we anticipated and we actually saw lots of wildlife on each drive so…our vote is thumbs up! You can’t get a view like that without working a little! Best part – apart from everything Henner and Zene have created at Cristal Azul was the privacy and the views!!!! Nice note: CA is only hotel in town where you wont have other tourists stopping by to see rooms or locals crowding the bar.

This is the real Costa Rica folks and I have to admit, leaving mad me very very sad. That view will be with me always. Bravo & Cheers to you both, we will be back for sure, keep the hot sauce bowl full Henner and guard that family recipe!

Overall about San Miguel:

We spent five days in San Miguel and three weeks in Costa Rica. This is an area of Costa Rica absolutely worth visiting if you want to see what the country probably was like before the world arrived. Having now spent time in SM, and dined at the two other hotel restaurants and seen the options to stay at, we offer this to travelers: If you are an experienced traveler expecting comfort and style, Cristal Azul is the only option. If you are looking to splurge and treat yourself, go for it, it is more than worth every penny we spent! Backpackers will find a hip spot on the beach that while in need of a some handy work, is perfectly suitable for young surfers looking for a good time, and a bargain. Only hotel in town right on the beach. Another hotel oddly located far off the beach had good food and an eager to please owner and staff. New, modern and cement it is perfect if you like the sterile, South Beach experience, not Costa Rican/tropical beach by any means. A third hotel with lovely looking grounds on the main road was closed but appeared very charming from what we could see from the road. Bottom line, as we realized one afternoon chatting in the rancho, Cristal Azul is the only Costa Rican owned hotel in town so if you want the real deal…stay there! Bring plenty of sunblock and a good hat, you won’t need bug block surprisingly! Water was perfectly drinkable and delicious. Don’t miss Mike’s Butterfly Farm tour or lunch at Tanga’s!

Stayed March 2013, traveled as a couple

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See what people think of Cristal Azul, a TripAdvisors travelers choice 2013 award winner in Costa Rica for three years in a row:

From Trip Advisor-

We stayed in Cristal Azul for 5 nights at the start of our honeymoon & what an amazing start it was…If we returned to Costa Rica we’d go and stay here again in a heartbeat – only next time we’d round up the troops & invade the whole place with friends & family, because this is what this place is perfect for. Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple (USA)

Our home away from home.

Personally, I don’t think anything in the area compares to Cristal Azul. The food was freshly prepared, very tasty, and imaginatively presented…Cristal Azul is indeed a true gem in a gorgeous tropical setting.Stayed December 2012 (Costa Rica)

A Hidden Gem is Outed!Stayed July 2012, traveled as a couple (Canada)

We had a great time at Cristal Azul, although we just stayed one night (we would have loved to prolong!).Stayed March 2012 (Switzerland)

In short, Cristal Azul is simply the best. We had the hardest time leaving and are already planning our next trip.Stayed February 2013 (USA)

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