Cariblue Beach and Jungle Resort
Thatched jungle bungalows and beach-side suites across the road from Playa Cocles, just south of Puerto Viejo
About this stay
Cariblue has two zones. The beach zone holds 29 rooms a few steps from the first line of sand at Playa Cocles: lofts, studios, an apartment and suites, some opening straight onto the pool with a waterfall. The jungle zone holds 22 rooms reached on foot through the trees: thatched-roof bungalows, a junior suite, the Jungle House, which groups three wooden bungalows for up to seven guests, and the Casa Familiar for up to eight. Standard, superior and triple rooms complete the 51.
Meals are at La Jungla, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, or at Sushi Wave on the beach side, and the Congo Wet Bar stands by the chlorinated pool, the saltwater pool and the jacuzzi. The Surya Spa also takes visitors from outside, and there is a gym. Puerto Viejo is about 1.5 km north, a few minutes by bike. On the Caribbean coast, September and October are often drier than on the Pacific side, a useful window when the west is at its wettest.
- Across the road from Playa Cocles, about 1.5 km south of Puerto Viejo
- 51 rooms: standard and triple rooms, thatched jungle bungalows, beach-side suites and two family houses
- Chlorinated pool, saltwater pool and jacuzzi, with the Congo Wet Bar alongside
- La Jungla restaurant, Sushi Wave by the beach and the Surya Spa
- Sloths, agoutis and monkeys often seen in the gardens
- 8.8 guest score from 1,293 reviews
Our take
Cariblue splits its 51 rooms between two worlds: thatched bungalows, a junior suite and wooden family houses back in the jungle garden, and lofts, studios and suites on the beach side, facing Playa Cocles across the road. Sloths, agoutis and monkeys cross the grounds often enough to make a tour optional. There is a chlorinated pool, a saltwater pool and a jacuzzi, with the Congo Wet Bar alongside, plus La Jungla for meals and Sushi Wave by the beach. The bungalows feel private but dim inside; I would take a beach-side suite, closer to the surf. I would book it for couples and families who want wildlife and a pool without leaving the property, not for anyone planning to swim in the sea every day.
- ✓Cocles has some of the strongest rip currents in the country, measured by University of Windsor researchers at up to 2.8 m/s. Swim only near the beach lifeguards of the community Caribbean Guard programme, whose posts are not staffed every day, and never enter the water at a red flag: it marks a current.
- ✓The Jaguar Rescue Center is a short ride south in Playa Chiquita; its public visits run at 9:30 and 11:30, Monday to Saturday, and it is closed on Sundays, so do not save it for your last day if that is a Sunday.
- ✓For Cahuita National Park, the Kelly Creek entrance in Cahuita village is on foot and works on a donation; the Puerto Vargas entrance takes cars and has a fixed fee. Both open from 8 am to 4 pm.
- ✓From San José, Puerto Viejo is about 217 km away, 4 to 5 hours by Route 32 over Braulio Carrillo to Limón, then south on Route 36. Avoid Route 32 at night, when fog and landslides are common; Transportes MEPE buses leave from the MEPE terminal in San José, in Barrio México.
- ✓The resort is about 1.5 km south of Puerto Viejo, a few minutes by bike on the flat coastal road, and guests report that bikes are provided, which makes evenings in town easy without a car.
Why we love it
- Directly across the road from Playa Cocles
- Three water options: a chlorinated pool, a saltwater pool and a jacuzzi
- Wooden family houses for up to seven or eight guests
- A spa open to outside visitors, a gym and a sushi restaurant on the beach side
Why guests love itCariblue suits families for one reason above all, its real family layouts: the Jungle House groups three wooden bungalows for up to seven people, and the Casa Familiar sleeps up to eight with a terrace and hammocks. Children get two pools and a jacuzzi, and the garden itself does the entertaining, with sloths and monkeys often visible from the paths. What families must plan for is the sea: Playa Cocles, across the road, is a surf beach with powerful rip currents, so the pools are the safe swimming option and Playa Chiquita or Punta Uva, further south, are the calmer beaches. A security check at the gate keeps the grounds for guests. I would choose it for a family with school-age children who like animals, less so for toddlers who want to play in shallow water every day.