Not so good experience

Hotel is outdated and tired: abundance of Mosquitos and bugs in a room. Located on multilevel ground, so you need a transportation to go to the beach or pool, restaurants. SMT waiting for shuttle takes 15-20 min. Stuff: some good, some do not care at all. Asking for something and they just ignore you Private events on a daily basis, they may block the pool area, so you suppose to go someplace else. Weddings and parties are frequent events. So, they may block restaurants/ buffets and we had to [... read more] chose where to go to eat from very limited options. Felt like unwanted quests overall. On several occasions they just do installations for event with construction noise 2-3 feet from your chair, so you kind of forced to leave. Food is average and variety is limited Beach: murky water with black/ volcanic sand and tons of jelly fish. Not mentioning gators (rare, but still...) ocean overall is 2 out of 10 experience. Compare to other Caribbean destinations (Cuba/ Aruba) I do not believe I spend $$$$ for that. For the same price I could have a week in Bora Bora 4 seasons.

Mind blowing

I consider this resort my second home I will come back again for a much longer stay!!! The staff was amazing and lots of daily activities that keep the guests entertained and the Amstar team was very convincing of choosing the best excursions Costa Rica have!!!!

To small and crowded for secrets

We arrived at this resort on April 4, though we had found a perfect resort. Three day’s later it came crashing down. There was an influx of 150 people, who were rewarded with an all inclusive. This resort is small and everything is centrally located in this area. They did have a quiet pool. Which they wouldn’t play any music at all. It’s different when people know each other, the atmosphere totally changed. The staff at this resort are fantastic. There just wasn’t enough room for all the guess t [... read more]o spread out the main area was just to crowed.

Outstanding Resort

Only 30 minutes from the airport to the resort. We have been to many all-inclusive resorts, this resort was the best ever. No shortages here and a very clean resort. The service was top-notch everywhere they could not do enough for you. The food was very good in all the restaurants, with no reservations required with the exception of the Asian Teppanyaki table. The entertainment team had activities during the day no pressure to join in and great shows at night. Most of the rooms are on hillside [... read more]s we were on the second level, we walked going to the restaurants etc and took the shuttle going up sometimes there is maybe a 5 or 10-minute wait if it is after the shows at night. Beautiful views everywhere you look. Highly recommend this resort.

Lovely getaway

Very nice resort with great staff and lovely landscaping. Really liked the two different areas. One was very quiet and relaxing. The main area was busy and very active. Enjoyed spending time in both parts of the resort.

Amazing Honeymoon

My husband and I spent a week here on our honeymoon. They decorated our room and made sure we were very comfortable and happy. The rooms were secluded and private which was nice. Lots of different types of food and loved the fact we could sit anywhere on the resort and servers would be there to offer drinks or food. We felt like royalty. We had the most amazing drivers who always picked us to drive us anywhere with a smile and always so friendly to chat with. Mike and Elij are who you want!!!

Decent resort

- The beach was open to public and the vendors are relentless on trying to sell something using sob stories. - clean resort, good food - same menu everyday - water activity equipment not cleaned i.e. kayak, paddles, life jackets, etc. - no nightly activities or entertainment (fairly boring stay) - promotion staff pushing to sell timeshare with incentive - housekeeping only changes towels everyday, linen remains the same - you can see some wildlife on resort, pretty cool - take bug spray  [... read more] - gift shop is overpriced, make purchases at the airport instead - if it weren't covid, we would have done excursions, and I think that would have made the trip more fun - probably had about 100 people overall at the resort, so finding a table or a spot was easy, pools or whirlpools weren't crowded - teppanyaki was only thing you needed reservations, and you needed to call bright & early in the morning, it's a bit overrated but sure why not check it out - temps taken regularly before entering restaurants - hand sanitizers readily available - nice to walk around the resort, good exercise and worth the view

Fun in the Sun

We spent a week in Costa Rica and it is a beautiful country!! Secrets Papagayo is a great resort. The food was great, but we found that the buffet was the way to go, always fresh and tasty. If you eat at the Italian restaurant, order doubles as the portions are very small. The staff were wonderful!! Always smiling, and they had the best dancers I have ever seen. The show on Valentines Day was amazing! Now the negatives.....the resort is very hilly, and unless you pay top dollar for the ocea [... read more]n resorts, you are walking stairs and hills. We have been to other Secrets resorts, and this one was very stingy with the in room alcohol. Even though we had a great time, with great friends, I would not return to this resort.

Super friendly staff!!

Very easy to get to from the airport, only 25 min or so. Swift checkin and delivery to our room. Excellent shuttle drivers all of them! Minimal wait time for shuttle service. Great layout with restaurants, shops, pool and beach all in one central area. Entertainment every night, just enough to be engaging and nice end to the day. Beach sand and water was perfect! Beach vendors are kind and never pushy, became friends by weeks end. Butler service on the beach was great - our favourite was Christo [... read more]pher! Restaurants were exceptional, really. I’ve never had such perfectly grilled steak! The local beef is delicious. So was all the fish that was offered. Could use a few more drink tables around the beach and pool loungers. And if you book a room above the 100 level, be prepared to take the shuttle service up and down the hill, super steep climbs if you’re on foot.

Trip

Resort was small and quiet. Not a lot to do on the grounds but super relaxing! We all ended up with a stomach bug ;( the restaurants weren’t anything special but the market buffet was GREAT!! We’ve stayed on another resort a few years ago and liked it much better ;(

Slice of awesome

Secrets Papagayo was excellent, panoramic view room was beautiful. Jeffery at the pool bar was entertaining and accommodating, JJ and Julio the drivers were entertaining and very friendly they remember your names and room #. Restaurants and food were excellent also Altogether Secrets was awesome would highly recommend to anyone 5 Stars in our books

Excellent Resort

Secrets Papayago is an incredible resort to stay in Costa Rica! Great scenery, excellent rooms that are very clean and well stocked. The service at the resort is first rate. A wide variety of food is offered at the 5 restaurants that is fresh and delicious. Beach areas are very short walk and easily accessible. Great spa facilities as well.

Terrific Resort, Awful insects!

The staff were wonderful, consistently gracious, friendly and helpful. The food was uniformly good - lots of variety, exceptional cleanliness and meticulous preparation. We had minor problems with extremely spicy food at Himitsu. Another 1 or 2 restaurants on the property would benefit longer-term visitors. The shuttle service was also surprisingly efficient, and the drivers cheerful. Our bigger complaint was the biting insects, inside and out, everywhere! We all got hundreds of bites, w [... read more]hich itched and stung and lasted for days. Worse, there was no warning from Secrets so we could have come prepared with antihistamine creams or tablets. This, combined with the jellyfish infestation in the bay, left us some days wanting neither to sunbath or swim in the sea! Rather awkward for a tropical holiday!

Great staff, helful and considerte

Food is excellent although the choice of restaurants is somewhat limited. The japanese and Italian restaurants are excellent. There is a great selection of wines although they are over priced. Local performers are quite good and the 'party maker staff' add a lot. The entertainment center and staff are quite helpful and accommodating

Second time, almost as nice!

We still enjoyed our vacation at Secrets Papagayo. We had a fabulous oceanfront room which had a great view and was very private--we were in the room right beside the one we had in April. We like how the resort has two rooms only per bungalow! The sad thing was that a few of our favourite employees from April have moved to other resorts. However, we thoroughly enjoyed some of the new ones, especially a driver named Eduardo. He made getting around the resort lots of fun. The Market Cafe [... read more] was still wonderful for breakfast but we also finally had breakfast at Aqua, which was very close to our room. We should have gone there more often! Lunch was also good in the Market; our last evening at the resort we had a Chinese buffet for dinner there, which was delicious.The Seaside Grill was still nice. However, we really regret dining at the Japanese show table. Our chef had almost no personality and the food was just satisfactory. Portofino was supposed to be a lovely birthday dinner for me on our night of arrival. It was such a letdown. Other than the fake rose petals on our tablecloth, no special thing was done for the occasion (like a cupcake).... Our waiter was so condescending and gave us poor service. The evening would have been a disaster except the lamb was excellent. Sadly, we returned again for the lamb but it was cooked differently and not as good. The main pool area is very busy and loud so we enjoyed our loungers at the spa pool. The one serious drawback to this resort is the beach volcanic sand, which is dark and dirty on the feet. The bay does not look inviting so we have not ventured into the water. We did walk to the right as you face the water when the tide was low. Water shoes are a must as we had to cross over rocks to get to a "long" section of beach further down. Alas, no monkeys were to be seen. The Preferred Club was very good for a drink before and/or after dinner. Caesar continues to be the best bartender there. Kim Hartlen, our travel agent, did a superior job getting us this booking and we are pleased with her service so will use her again!

Fantastic

Excellent staff and a beautiful facility. We would recommend this resort to adults whether as couples or friends. There was enough to do on site but it's a wonderful country so try to get out and see it. The food was great. The room was clean and nice. The beach and pool service was amazing. A relaxing and fun vacation.

Superb Secrets Papagayo!

This has become our favourite resort after many, many trial runs. Lol. We loved it from the beginning. The staff were so sweet and friendly, one of the best we have encountered. The buffet was absolutely fantastic, especially with their breakfasts. There was even a coffee 'shop' called Coco Cafe for early morning coffees, smoothies, and baked goods. The evening restaurants were lovely, especially the Seaside Grill with its sunset dining! Golf carts are necessary since the resort is spread out bu [... read more]t the wait for one is not long and the drivers are very friendly. Bartenders at the two pools were so gregarious and talented. We are beach people and so did not like the volcanic sand and so stayed at the pools, which was no hardship. Our oceanfront room was small but comfy. 'Loved the room service box which was accessed by both the employee and us without having to meet! Quite unique. An IPad on a night table gives all the info about what is going on in the resort at the touch of a finger. Wonderful. We have already booked for this December! Kim Hartlen from TripCentral out of Halifax is the best T.A we have ever had! We live in Ontario and get the same excellent service from her as do her DownEast customers!!!

Cozy resort, beautiful sunshine, friendly staff

This resort is fairly small and a bit more rustic or natural than some. It is quite beautiful with comfortable, well appointed rooms and clean, well-kept grounds. The staff go out of their way to provide good service. The weather is predictably hot and sunny each and every day. Although the menu selection across restaurants is not huge every meal was tasty. The wildlife right on the resort property is fun to see!

Great atmosphere, friendly staff.

We stayed at this resort a few years ago and liked it so much we came back. Buildings and grounds could use some work but the staff, food and drink were still excellent. Julio deserves special mention, very helpful and an all around super guy. Be prepared for things to take a bit longer. Remember to relax, you're on "Costa Rica time". This is a very quiet resort. The bungalow layout is nice, no noisy traffic in the halls like apartment style units. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Our bungalow [... read more] was close enough to the spa area that we were able to get the free wifi that is available in the common areas. We rented a car from the Alamo desk in the lobby and drove to Playa Grande and Tamarindo. Stunning beach and great taco's at Taco Star in Playa Grande. Tamarindo was busy... I think Coco beach is nicer if you want to hit the shops. Resort was sold while we were there so it will probably get the needed facelift. I hope the price stays reasonable so we can go back!

Beautiful resort

A beautiful place to relax and enjoy the amazing scenery. The grounds are kept extremely clean and we were able too see monkeys and equanas right at the resort. The food was really good and we will certinaly revisit in the future