CATALANICA

We stayed 2 nights at hotel Catalanica in the Solentiname archipelago. The hotel is on the other side of Mancarron island than the village. Therefore it has a remote feeling but as we were the only guests it felt a bit too remote at times. Donna Arlen and her family took good care of us. The food was tasty and the room clean. We did a tour with the father and son to the other islands in the archipelago. Unfortunately the weather did not allow to visit the cave and petroglyphs at Isla de Verdad. We did visit the Arellano painter family at this island. They showed us a lot of beautiful paintings and we did end up buying one. Please be advised there are 4 houses with different painters from the family, so do not make your decision about a painting until you've seen them all. At San Fernando we wanted to visit the museum but this was closed unfortunately. At Mancarron village we visited the church and archeology museum which was both interesting. We were also lead past different artesenarias all selling woodcarved birds in bright colors. Not really our taste ;) In Mancarron village the father of the hosting family pointed it a house and said 'Nuestra casa'. We suspect the family is only at the hotel when guests are around. It seemed to us they do not have their own quarters at the hotel and therefore make use of the rooms as well. The family was obviously present. From our room we could hear a lot of noise from the television in a common area which was on all day, mostly by the youngest child who was watching cartoons. Also in the chill area with hammocks the father did a siesta. The son did a very good job with rolling and packing our painting so we could take it along easily. There were also some animals who didn't appear very healthy to us: a dog who's constantly shivering and super shy for people, even afraid I would say. And a parrot whose wings are supposedly clipped and can only move around by foot in the tree she's put in. This we found very sad. We booked the stay with a Carmen who was not around. Also we made the deposit to a Spanish bank account. We suspect Carmen is the owner and the hotel name is a contraction of Catalonia (a Spanish province) and Nica. But this feels still a bit mysterious to us. Overall we had a pleasant stay but the concept felt awkward. Please be advised that English is not spoken here, you really need some Spanish and/or a translator app on your phone to communicate.…

Date of stay: January 2017

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Helpful

Share

emna3396 wrote a review Apr 2016

Boston40 contributions17 helpful votes

Not a place that I recommend.

When my (adult) daughters + I arrived on Mancarron we saw the hostel-like structure that is Catalanica with its glass screenless windows. When realized that we'd have to sleep in the heat in this hotel - with its closed windows (that I don't think opened - but even if they did we couldn't open them because of the possibility that insects would join us) - we decided to leave. In the interest of fairness - there were ceiling fans but I'm not sure what good they would have done. The decision to leave was made even though I had fully paid for 3-nights room + board. Fortunately we quickly found another hotel ( which had screens on its Windows) + were more than satisfied.

Date of stay: February 2016

Helpful

Share

Alice T wrote a review Jan 2016

St. Petersburg, Florida70 contributions19 helpful votes

What a View! Food Great too!

My husband and I had a wonderful time with Carmen, her cook, maintenance man, and her dog Nancy. The very kind maintenance man took us on a hike throught the forest. The food was delicious. I found three life birds on the property. Bring your own rum, and share with your host. Try to prepare for going by learning a little Spanish.

Date of stay: January 2016

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Helpful

Share

Silvertoptravel wrote a review Apr 2015

Grange, Australia510 contributions82 helpful votes

+1

stay at least two nights

Our Hotels were chosen by our tour operator and for some reason we only had the one night here. By the time the late panga arrives you do not have time to visit the village and get back before dark. Raquel is a very nice host with her friendly dog Nancy. The Hotel is almost self sustaining with chickens and some veg being grown on the grounds. This is not a wheelchair friendly place though as the hotel has a number of steps in paths because it is well up above the water. Nice common areas and Raquel cooks a good meal. Do take a torch with you. Stayed in Rosette Spoonbill Room. wished we had stayed longer. The hotel panga collects you from the Mancarron pier where the panga from San Carlos docks

Date of stay: February 2015

Service

Sleep Quality

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Room Tip: See if you can get a room on the eastern side as the breezes will be nice. Wifi in dining area...

See more room tips

Helpful

Share

cloudforestproject wrote a review Feb 2015

Pittsburgh, PA9 contributions16 helpful votes

Wonderful Guest house on the island

Three friends and I journeyed to Island Mancarron to visit with some of the balsa wood carvers for three days. It was an amazing adventure and we were all thrilled to be able to stay at the Vircam guesthouse which is the closest lodging to the boat dock. We are all campers/outdoor folks so this house could not have been a better fit for our tastes. We rented all three of the rooms ($20/room) so we had the place entirely to ourselves. As was mentioned in a previous review, you have to be a person who doesn't mind sharing your space with nature. We obviously don't. There was a bat who came to visit at night and a friendly spider in the shower. All good by our standards. The manager, Raquel, was very friendly and helpful. The best thing about this place though was the food. Fresh, delicious, beautifully prepared meals by a wonderful cook who takes care your every need. We came for work but felt like we were on vacation the entire time.…

Date of stay: January 2015

Value

Rooms

Service

Trip type: Travelled on business

Helpful

Share

PreviousNext