Across the street from a tree-filled park and the cleanest part of the city's beach, Hotel Tioga opened in 1959 and is run by the original owner's son. Face-lifts over the years have modernized it, but glimpses of the past hang in hallways of the first to third floors with black-and-white photographs of Puntarenas in the early 1900s. Your best bets are the 11 "executive" guest rooms upstairs, with balconies overlooking the gulf, pleasantly decorated with colorful, tropical prints and heavy varnished dark-wood furniture. The courtyard centers on a pool, and the second-floor restaurant is open to cool breezes off the gulf.
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