Hotel Makanda by the Sea: Where Luxury Meets the Costa Rican Rainforest
Makanda by the Sea is an adults-only luxury boutique hotel built into a hillside rainforest above Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. 33 rooms, nine room types, private pool villas, Pacific ocean views from every room, Árbol Restaurant, Shanti Spa and a wild beach below the property. This post covers what makes Makanda different from other hotels in Manuel Antonio and what the experience actually looks like day to day.
Official secure booking on makanda.com
The Setting: Rainforest and Pacific Ocean
Makanda by the Sea sits on a forested hillside 150 metres from the Pacific Ocean in Manuel Antonio. The property is built into the natural slope — tiered levels of suites and villas following the contours of the land rather than a flat resort footprint. Dense Costa Rican rainforest surrounds the hotel on three sides; the fourth faces west over the open Pacific. This position delivers two things simultaneously: jungle immersion and unobstructed ocean views from every room. Wildlife visits the grounds daily — white-faced monkeys, sloths, toucans and scarlet macaws are regular morning presences in the trees around the hotel.
Adults-Only at Makanda — What It Means in Practice
The adults-only policy at Makanda shapes everything about the atmosphere. The infinity pool is consistently quiet. Árbol Restaurant operates at an unhurried pace suited to couples dining rather than family meal logistics. The grounds and common areas feel calm at all hours. Guests report that the adults-only setting allows a level of relaxation that even excellent family hotels cannot provide — the absence of the dynamics that come with a mixed-age environment is felt immediately and positively. Manuel Antonio has very few genuinely adults-only properties at luxury boutique level; Makanda is the definitive option in the area.
The Rooms: Nine Types, All Facing the Pacific
Dining, Spa and the Wild Beach
Árbol Restaurant serves breakfast, pool terrace lunch, happy hour and dinner every day with Pacific views. The dinner service offers a Signature Set Menu built on New Costa Rican cuisine and a full à la carte selection — with a wine list that reaches from everyday glasses to Château Lafite Rothschild. Shanti Spa provides massage treatments, body wraps, facials and multi-treatment packages on a private terrace with 270-degree Pacific views. The wild beach below the hotel — accessible by trail or golf cart — offers sun loungers, towels, beverage service and WiFi in a natural, secluded Pacific setting.
The Floating Breakfast and Signature Experiences
The floating breakfast is Makanda's most photographed experience — breakfast served on a tray floating in your private pool, arranged by the hotel team and ready when you wake up. It requires a private pool villa room and advance arrangement with reception the evening before. Beyond the floating breakfast, the signature experiences at Makanda are the things that happen naturally: watching a sloth in the trees from your terrace at 7am, the Pacific sunset from the infinity pool with a cocktail, dinner at Árbol as the sky turns from gold to dark over the ocean. These moments are built into the property's design rather than sold as add-ons.
Booking Directly at Makanda by the Sea
Direct booking through makanda.com guarantees the best available rate — no OTA commission means the hotel can offer a better price than third-party platforms for the same room. Direct booking also means your reservation is handled by the hotel team: room preferences, special occasions and arrival coordination are addressed before you arrive rather than at check-in. The nine room types are described accurately on the rooms page — browse to choose based on your actual priorities. Review the reservation policy at makanda.com/en/reservationpolicy before confirming your dates so deposits, payments and cancellation terms are clear in advance.
Direct booking tips before you travel
If you like to plan with zero surprises, review our official Reservation Policy before arrival so you know exactly how deposits, payments, and cancellations work.
Useful links for planning your stay:
Ready to check dates and live availability?
Official secure booking on makanda.com
