The Luna Blue Hotel used to be Hotel Zanzibar but changed owners a few years back. The new owners have done a great job in keeping the place up. From the moment I booked the room to checkout, the Luna Blue folks were extremely helpful and accommodating. I had asked to get a table set up in a standard room since my boyfriend was intending to do some work on his laptop. Via email they confirmed this would be no problem.
Upon arrival, the front desk checked us in and helped us to our room in no time. The room was musty, however the a/c quickly relieved that issue. By the time we came back from lunch it had cleared up. The room itself was spacious with a nice-sized bed, two nightstands, a dresser, hanging space, a safe, fridge and water cooler. The bathroom was great with better than expected water pressure (we were on the first floor). Each room comes with a little patio and furniture facing the jungle-like courtyard with a soothing sounding waterfall. Please note that while they have Wi-Fi, you must be outside to use it... bring bugspray!
After checking in we put our $20 deposit for 2 beach towels and got coupons for a palapa and beach chair at Mamitas Beach Club. I would suggest snagging a palapa early (before 10:30am) in case they run out, this happened to us once and we went during the low season (November). The beach club is 5 minutes away and has a small pool, a fine bathroom and a great restaurant. Drawbacks include, lots of people and thumping house/dance music. You might want to hit the roofdeck at Luna Blue if you want some quiet.
The best part about staying at the Luna Blue, was their ability to give us 5-star treatment. I got some strange rash on my chest and they immediately got me to a doctor around the corner. Another time we wanted to rent a car for the day. They made one call and a rental car was brought to us with contracts. I highly recommend staying here if you're looking to save on a room, but would like to be around people who are actually looking out for you. The wedding crowd that I went with all stayed at Gran Porto Real and they were treated like crap by their staff. I gambled on a standard no-frills room and ended up much happier.
I LOVE the area that this hotel is located in. It's farther north and the shops are much cheaper and the restaurants are cool as well. I loved that this area wasn't quite so busy and touristy. Did I mention there is a sports facility only a few blocks away with tennis courts and a running track free of charge to the public?