Big Problems at Tulemar??
 

Because of all the favorable comments on this forum we have booked the top floor of the Mot Mot Villa at Tulemar for the MA portion of our family trip in August. Today I noticed that all of the most recent reviews of Tulemar & Mot Mot in particular are HORRIBLE! So it is not just one disgruntled traveler. It sounds like the villas are not being maintained. Has anyone on this forum actually STAYED there recently? When I went back and researched this forum it appeared that the people recommending Tulemar recently didn't actually stay there they were just sharing word of mouth. Right now I wonder if I should change hotels.

Geesch! I just reread my post and realized it sounds like I'm accusing people on this post of misleading me. I apologize, I did not mean for it to sound that way. I have been using the Fodors forums in planning trips for the past 12 years and the helpful information I have received has been immeasurable! I'm just panicing at this point. Sorry!

Hi!! I just talk to Alonso at Tulemar...he is going to try to contact you tomorrow...or can you be so kind to e-mail him!!

R.A Luis

Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

I have only communicated with Randall at Tulemar. Is there a different email for Alonso?

We were there in February and it was, for the most part, fine. We were in the older bungalows and they were bigger and better than we anticipated--even without a balcony. We went there for the beach, not the room. It's one of the few places in CR where a couple can enter the water together and not worry about bags, books, etc. being stolen For about $300 a night, many people expect more, but we got just what we wanted. It was the unacceptable rudeness at the restuarant on our last night that will keep us from returning. Except for that incident, everyone was very nice and eager to make sure we experienced what we wanted.

Davy

If you e mail Randall ask him to give the mail to Alonso...sorry but i have no idea about e-mail addrs. in Tulemar!!

Alonso I beleive is the person in chrage for reservations!!

Check the propertie next door..tulemar.net

R.A Luis

Just buckle up and enjoy the ride in paradise!!

We stayed on the top floor of Mot Mot last year...we LOVED it! I can't imagine anyone having a problem with the Mot Mot. Amazing views, a huge, incredible wrap around porch with a hammock and furniture to lounge on. Monkeys on your porch every morning around 6am. Very close to the pool/breakfast area, and a quick shuttle down to the beach area. I highly recommend it!!

I got a reply back from Alonso and he said the hotel manager and the villa owner are aware of the problems and it sounds like they are addressing them. I was glad to hear that.

Hi, I'm bumping this because we're considering the Mot-Mot and would love to get some feedback from anyone who's stayed there recently.

Thanks!

One of our favorite spots. The private beach is beautiful. I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Only one complaint over the years, from an impossible customer that hated everything, everywhere.

This was over something that was not the hotel's fault. There was no water in the entire area for two days, and the hotel's reserve tanks ran out.

These guests were given the option of leaving after the first night, and receiving a full refund. They opted to stay the entire three days, and had water by the last day.

The management comped them a dinner and all of their room service. The maids hauled water to their room daily so that they could flush the toilets.

These guests complained upon their return, and still sought a full refund. I think that hotel did a great job in difficult circumstances.

I hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel Professional)

We are a family of 5 and I was quoted $725/night. That seemed outrageous. Does this sound accurate? We will be there in February, the peak season, but it still seemed very high.

Most of the reviews I have read have been very good.

$725 is OUTRAGEOUS. I assume that's for 2 separate bungalows...at least I hope so!

We stayed at Mot-Mot last month. I can't imagine that the price you were quoted is correct. I think we paid around $350/nt for 4 of us. Mot-Mot was great. You can skip to the middle of my trip report to hear about our stay there. Just click on my screen name and look for my post titled Costa Rica Trip Report.

Thanks AG, glad to hear that things have improved.

Is a car necessary if we stay at Tulemar? The only places we want to go are on a few tours (ATV, zipline) and to restaurants at night.

CathyF--I should clarify that we only had the TOP floor of Mot-Mot so the amount you were quoted was probably for both the top and bottom floors.

nina--Cars aren't necessary because taxis are pretty cheap. I think it was about $6 everywhere we went (to MA Park and a couple of restaurants).However,we flew in and out of Quepos and the shuttle fare to and from the airport was $20 each way.

Thanks ag, You're helping me out a lot here!

How was the trundle bed in Mot-Mot? My 15 year old will have to sleep on it, is it big enough (he's 5'9")? What about the other beds, were they comfy? I read some reviews that said they were old, sagging mattresses.

I may rent a car if it's really only a three hour drive, that's nothing.

If you do tours in MA will they pick you up at the hotel?

I read your review, it had lots of great information, thanks!

Nina, all the beds were fine, even the trundle. My son is 6'3" and slept on it. But then again, he can sleep ANYWHERE! :)
All of our tours picked us up and returned us to our hotel.

Thanks so much ag, I can't tell you how much your posts are helping me!

Can you make any recommendations for good restaurants near Tulemar, or any tips in general for our stay there?

Any tours that were really good or any we shouldn't bother with?

I appreciate your help, Nina

Where is the TV in Mot Mot..I know it shouldn't matter, but the kids will want to sleep where the box is. Oy vey.

The tv is in the bedroom but there aren't many channels available and it doesn't get very good reception.There is a VCR and I noticed there were tapes at the reception desk but we didn't watch any.

If you like horses, Finca Valmy tours is great. They will pick you up at your hotel, it's about a 30 minute drive ot so to Valentin's place where you start the ride.

Sorry nina, I didn't see your other questions the first time. As far as the restaurants, we really didn't venture out as much as we had planned on. El Avion (the restaurant in an old cargo plane was horrible). I would go with recommendations from other Fodorites on this site. The Tulemar restaurant isn't great but its not bad either. Breakfast and lunch were actually pretty good. We liked the chicken quesadillas best (NOT the beef!).We ended up eating there a lot because we were either too tired (lazy?) too go out or it wasn't pouring rain. We had room service there one afternoon too. As far as tours, we did the 1/2 day white water rafting but I would recommend the full day instead (unless you are rafting somewhere else on your trip). Also,if you really want to see the wildlife, hire a guide and tour the Manuel Antonio Park. There again, unless you are going to the Osa where you will see a lot more wildlife.
The private beach at Tulemar is great because it is very nice and very few people. Everything you will need is down there--no charge. Bring a good book too because there is plenty of shade once you've had your fill of sun. The only thing that's kind of a pain is that you can't walk to the beach (its pretty far) so everytime you want to go down there you just call the reception desk and they send a car to pick you up and drive you there. We also had to call and for the car everytime we needed to go to the reception area (e.g.for a tour pickup).There is no charge or tipping for the rides and we never waited. Most of the time by the time we walked out to the driveway, they were there. From Mot-Mot you can easily walk to the restaurant and pool.Warning-As you might expect the snacks and drinks in the fridge and bar in the room are very expensive so if possible, bring your own goodies!

You don't need a car, but we had one and appreciated having it. We drove down to the private beach, and could come and go as we pleased. Also made going out to dinner easier, down to the public beaches, and the park. It was very convenient.

Restaurants in MA weren't as great as others we've been to in Costa Rica, but these are some:

Ronny’s Place - good meal...VERY casual, but the best for the sunsets/view, get there early and wait so you get a good table.
Marlin - great fresh fish off the beach, we went for lunch
El Avion - is also good for sunsets, food was OK, I wouldn't say it was terrible though, we didn't regret it nor did we rave about it.
Napoli Pizza - didn't go there but heard decent things about it.
Barba Roja - supposed to be very good, didn’t make it there