Gallina E Palo Beachfront Hotel

Great place to stay to enjoy everything Cocal. Brett the owner was a great host and full of local knowledge.

Staff is always around to help and keeps an eye out for you

This place is ... Only for the unsuspecting. Which we were. So hopefully this review helps. For context, I am a mom with two kids. When I called to ask about it, the owner went on and on about how it's a great safe place for kids. This place is at the end of a short road on Cocal Street, famed for being the hot spot for sex trade workers in Costa Rica (I now know). They only take cash, and they also rent rooms by the hour. There are sex trade workers outside the gate. There is a kid at the gate who is apparently doing something. It seems like you're in someone's derelict backyard. There is an abandoned looking house where the pool is. The pool has many broken tiles and I don't think it's usuable. There is a weird tree house structure on the property that leans to the one side. The rooms are strange, but they were clean. They're like these strange stand alone cabin or motel style. You have to pay the owner up front for all the days, no refunds. After our night arrival, discovery of the location and what that meant, and morning when we saw all the derelict buildings and there were still sex trade workers everywhere I was very creeped out. However, my kids then almost stepped on a dirty needle lying near the sidewalk. I lost it and demanded a refund. They said no refunds so I called the owner and said there was a dirty needle my kids almost stepped on. He didn't believe me so I had him come look. He yelled a lot saying it wasn't his. I said I didn't care whose it was, I just wanted out of there. He was a real **** about it and said I should learn how to ask nicely. But seriously. So anyway, I wouldn't recommend staying there, unless you are into this sort of thing.