The hotel is very nice and the room gets all the applause, very clean and the staff is nice, but it the alcoholic beverages are the worst category, I recommend that you bring your own drinks or buy one in any "Colmado" near, the food is good, but always cold, that is always cold, and the variety is extremely limited but had good preparation, the beach is very very good, excellent, the TV in the room is very small it´s seems a computer monitor, but this looks like a minor detail in contrast with the rest of the room, I strongly recommend the rooms with sea view, it is worth the monetary difference. if you are not very demanding and want to spend some days in a quiet place, I can recommend this hotel.

past the turn-style that is boca chica lies guayacanes and playa esmeralda. it's been renovated recently. i don't know what it looked like before but it's very tastefully decorated now. the rooms are spacious, the bathrooms clean with ample towels. the rooms are decorated with understated colors with local artwork. everything is very clean. it's quiet and relaxing. they do have music going near the beach but not at a level where the speakers are straining.
the staff are excellent. they're attentive and respond to your needs immediately but they're not overbearing. i also get the sense that the owners actually treat them with respect too. something that is lacking in many places here.
we arrived hungry and asked where we could buy food locally because it was between meals. instead, they brought out a large meat and cheese platter for us within minutes.
for those that are interested: the rooms have flat screen tvs, a/c, mini fridge, electric kettle, free bottled water, a ceiling fan, desk, bathrobes and a bidet. there's a small, but well stocked reading library. most of the rooms do not look out onto the ocean but they're all situated to provide a nice view of foliage or the courtyard.
it truly is a welcome change from many of the resorts that charge high rates simply because they're on the beach; yet the rooms feel like a airport motel 6. this place is cheaper than some of the more well known resorts but i feel it's a much better value.

Spent a delightful day/evening at Playa Esmeralda, in Jan 2010, after a mission trip. It's newly remodeled, and everything has been updated,and freshly painted. Was surprised to see a bidet in the bathroom. The help, especially Claudia and Emelio, were very polite and eager to be helpful.

Let's start with the positive. The resort was clean and new. They were just finishing a large renovation/upgrading of all of the rooms. The bathroom fixtures were new and the rooms were very clean. We felt safe there. There was security 24 hours per day. The security guards were pleasant and helpful. The staff were very eager to help and make our stay a good one. The beach is lovely and the pool was clean and refreshing.

Now the not so good. Soon after we arrived we realized that perhaps they were'nt ready for us and should not have accepted our reservation. There was only one other couple there from New York and they left three days after we arrived, leaving us as the only people in the resort, except for New Year's eve. Being alone at the resort was fine in itself. However, because we were alone, the service was pretty poor. The pool bar was not wroking when we arrived and we litterly had to searhc for someone to bring us a beer. Breakfast was a very poor and skimpy continental breakfast with INSTANT COFFEE. Imagine all of that great DR coffee and we had instant coffee. And no fresh fruit. The chef was from Rome Italy. Therefore, every meal everyday was Italian: Antipasto, pasta and meat/fish. There was no food available from breakfast until 1:30pm and then no food available until 8:30pm. NOTHING. There was no entertainment in the evening, evening though the entertainer was there all the time we were there. Overall, everyone there was very attentive but the systems they had to work with were faulty and, therefore, our vacation was not exactly one to remember in a positive way. I wish the new owners luck in building their business; however, if they continue to only try to appeal to Italian customers I think they'll have trouble.