Hotel Punta Islita

At nearly 15 years old, Hotel Punta Islita is a granddaddy of Costa Rica’s eco-resorts.  This attentively run mainstay shares its crescent-shaped stretch of beach with a neighboring village, Islita, which has been transformed into a thriving outdoor community art project by Costa Rican artists. The hotel’s 23 private bungalows and villas—and a few larger buildings housing nine expansive suites—are spread in tiers down a hill above the Pacific. At sea level, guests laze between beach, pool, restaurant, and landscaped gardens at the Borrancho Beach Club. The hotel offers activities like zip-line tours through the rainforest canopy, golf, hiking, bird-watching, and kayaking, as well as more eco-conscious ones like leatherback sea turtle encounters and cultural visits to the surrounding communities.