Fodor's Expert Review Villas Río Mar

This three-star affordable resort hotel, with two pools, minigolf, and tennis courts is upriver from Dominical beach on exquisitely landscaped grounds filled with orchids, bougainvillea, and hibiscus. It's especially popular with families, with a playground, minigolf, and four family rooms with kitchens and two double bedrooms. Superior rooms all have a/c. The newer junior suites have king-size beds, cable TV, and air-conditioning—a must, because those cabinas bake in the sun. Every room has a private porch screened with mosquito netting and furnished with chairs or hammocks, a small fridge, and a sink. Plants and elegant table settings fill the thatch-roof restaurant, notable for its excellent seafood at reasonable prices. A huge, luxurious pool has a swim-up bar and handsome teak pool furniture. Day passes, including lunch, are available to non-hotel guests for $18 per day.