We got our own private bungalo with outdoor shower rocking chairs on the deck and a hamock. Even tho it was right in the middle of the resort we still felt quite tucked away. Inside was ac,fridge, tv, a king sized bed and beautiful bathroom.
There's a beautiful pool, restaurant, beach bar and even a pool table and ping pong. The resort runs road to beach so you're right there - perfect for beach time and sunset strolls.
About the crabs and iguanas, they're everywhere in every size. They are not a nuisance, just a really cool feature. And the turtles, we were on a sunset stroll one night and came upon baby green turtles climbing out of their beach nest and heading straight for the water. There were 15-20 of them taking the plunge and we were lucky enough catch it.
Luz de vida was the beach paradise we were looking for.
The staff were friendly and helpful.

We stumbled across this place and it was exactly what we needed! We wish we never left our little piece of paradise!

We stayed in our own large cabin that was very clean and had a king size bed. We had our own porch with rocking chairs to relax and watch the lizards. The rooms were clean and the bathroom was clean and spacious, it even had a rainshower faucet! If you lime, there are outdoor showers as well after your time on the beach - which is about a 45 second walk from your door.

Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They rent surfboards on site and will arrange tours for you.

We were so lucky to see turtles hatching right on their beach!! This place was awesome!!!

Arrived on xmas day 2010...our Cabina was right on the dusty road than runs the lengh of Santa Teresa, so that wasn't great.
Rooms are fairly dated, and water cut out on several occasions during our 5 day stay.

The people on reception were strangely incapable of basic communication.

We had a very unfortunate incident occur on our stay - the hotel booked us a taxi (and we agreed our destination and a price before we got in the cab). However, the driver then refused to take us to where we agreed, and ended up punching me in the face when we said we werent willing to pay (he tried to kick us out the cab in the middle of nowhere).

Obviously this wasn't Hotel Luz Da Vidas fault strictly speaking, but it was their reaction to it that was so dissapointing. Something like this can ruin a holiday, but they didn't seem to care that they had booked us a taxi with the local psycho! And when I asked to report the driver to the police, they were not helpful at all.

The beach front that Luz Da Vida sits on is truly stunning - and chilling out in the hammocks and surfing infront of the hotel bar is great - however I feel that the owners are happy to rip tourists off with high rates (on rooms, and drinks etc) and offer poor service.

Stayed here for 16 days, had a great time. The staff was very friendly, the beachfront fantastic. This is where the best surfing happens, and we love to watch. (a little too old to participate) Beach bar at Happy Hour is busy with lots of folks watching the sunset and surfers. The beaches in both directions are awesome, white sand stretches with rocky points to explore the tide pools or even swim in. Shore fishing is alot of fun, too. The negative reviews are posted by 'all inclusive' types, and bugs are everywhere in Costa Rica, so don't be swayed. Great place for families, we will be returning.