Fodor's Expert Review Hotel El Velero

This laid-back hotel is right on the beach, and, though nothing fancy, it has comfortable rooms and is an excellent option if you're watching your expenses. The palm-shaded, open-air bar and restaurant is often hopping with local expats and visitors exchanging fishing, boating, and real estate stories. Rooms have tropical decor with terra-cotta tiles, bamboo furniture, and large windows. Those on the second floor are nicer, with high, sloping wooden ceilings. Only two rooms (Nos. 211 and 212) have ocean views, but you're likely to spend plenty of your time in one of the many chairs and hammocks overlooking the beach—some are a shell's toss from the surf at high tide. The hotel runs daily snorkeling and sunset cruises on its own handsome 38-foot sailboat. In the restaurant, jumbo shrimp and always-fresh mahimahi are fixtures. Come on Wednesday or Saturday for beach barbecues. Drinks are two-for-one every day during happy hour, 4 to 6 pm.