Needs improvement

Lots of wildlife on the resort which is great. Most of the staff didn't seem happy at all. Room was in rough shape, buffet way too small. Sitting area a little small. No coffee before 7am. Beach isn't accessible during high tide.

Stunning Resort!

This resort is stunning, the landscape is beautiful it'll take your breath away. The food was great at both the buffet and a la cartes. There were monkeys and lots of wildlife right on the resort. We really enjoyed the pool by the beach, there is a swim up bar and it had a great vibe. If you're looking for a relaxing quiet resort this is the one!

Okay Resort

Resort is very clean. Staff are attentive and aim to please. Food is unfortunately sub par. Very repetitious. Saw the same meals/food for 7 days. Not a place for anyone with walking issues. Can’t access the beach without going down narrow stairs. Also drinks from beach area is a walk. The shuttle is always available though and will drive you to areas where it is far to walk as there are many stairs. Good air conditioning in the rooms and showers have good pressure. Ladies on the beach give excel [... read more]lent massages. Overall okay vacation but if food is a priority for you, not the place to go.

OCCIDENTAL PAPAGAYO

I found Occidental PAPAGAYO very nice with beautiful view and very nice swimming pool and very nice beach. Some maintenance work is needed specially in rooms. Some of the points i need to mention are listed below. 1. Lights in our room 124 Building 1 is very poor and not at all good. 2. Safe was not working. 3.Kleenex were not provided for 10 days even after our requests. 4.Face towels and hand towels were not replaced or missed completely lots of days. 5. Room floor was not cleaned regul [... read more]arly. 6. In the main building in Men washroom one of urinal sign was under repair and was never repaired. 7. Food was generally cold in dining room. 8. On the positive note most of the staff was excellent and tried to help when requested. 9.There might be more points but you got the idea.

Occidental Papagayo, Liberia

Resort is beautiful.......We really enjoyed ourselves except for few things.......Definitely need more lighting in the rooms.....Housekeeping was not good as there were no fix timings and always forgetting something to replace towels etc.......Same thing with refilling the mini bar.......There was no fix timing......Safe in the room was not easy to use.....Asked for help with safe, no one showed up during the whole stay....Language was problem with not understanding English.......Hardly any cho [... read more]ice for food for vegetarians

Wouldn’t Recommend

We spent the first week of Feb here. The resort is nice and rooms are everything you need but… Food is NOT good! We are not picky eaters and no one in our party of four was happy with the food There is a lot of walking up and down hills. They do have shuttles but they need to have them running constantly from the beach up to the rooms The beach is very beautiful and there is great snorkeling there as well. There really is no nightlife if you’re looking for that in the evening. The maid s [... read more]ervice was the worst that we’ve had in 20 years! I wouldn’t recommend this resort at all. My husband and I got sick the day before we left with stomach issues and two weeks later we are still battling them.

Nice resort

After reading so many negative reviews on this resort, we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as bad as some people had described!! Yes, its dated and needs some updates but it is clean, the staff are friendly and acommodating and try their best. Some people reported the food to be "inedible". If you couldn't find something to eat, the problem lies with YOU and not the resort. There was plenty of selection at the buffet, with many entrees of local cuisine. The 3 ala cartes were fantast [... read more]ic. Lunch at the snack bar was great - particularly if you like chicken wings! They struggled somewhat with maintaining hot temperatures of the food at times but for us, that wasn't a huge issue. Also noted in many reviews was the fact that the drinks, especially at the pool bar, were watered down. This was not our experience in the least! The rooms are clean, and the housekeeping staff are diligent in ensuring so. They do not provide washcloths - it took 5 days for me to get one when I requested it. Again, not a big deal. Each room has a balcony/patio - make sure you keep your patio door locked or you will have raccoons coming in. There are also skunks on the property which don't bother you if you don't bother them! We are typically beach people but the beach was one of the disappointing things about our trip. There are about 20 stairs down to the beach and the sand is partially volcanic so its not the nicest looking beach. There are 2 pools - one with a swim-up bar. The resort is full of hills and stairs - we were unaware of this when we booked. Luckily they have shuttles that run constantly so you can jump on one of those and get around. Also, we found the resort extremely difficult to find our way around due to the location of the buildings - the buildings are not laid out in a sequential manner. It would be most helpful if a GOOD QUALITY map was given out on check-in. There is a map in the main building but it is confusing as well, AND it is in the main building. This would have greatly assisted us in the first few days to find our way around and ease frustration at getting lost! Also, if you are a smoker, there are only 3 designated smoking areas on the resort. You cannot smoke on your balcony/patio. Directions to the smoking areas was vague when we asked.

Very good

We had a nice stay at this resort . Rooms were clean, but be advised make sure to lock all doors as the racoons will get in and destroy the room looking for food. Pools were great swim up bar was the best. Food well its pretty good but a bit on the the ricey side. Steaks at the italian were awsome. The snack bar was my favorite. The beach is fun, rent a ski jet from Roberto or go on the tour for 2 hours was a blast. Tours are cheaper and better if you get of of Roberto or Norice down at the be [... read more]ach, yellow shits great guys and Morice is the best tour guide you will get. Lets not forget about Gladys she does a great massage . All in all a great place for a holiday.

Don’t go there

Extremely hilly and shuttle only comes if you call it from room lobby or bar. No benches to sit on while awaiting shuttle. Not great as 75% of people were over 60. so basically you had to walk a lot of hills. I changed rooms 3 times. Every time the next room was worse. No hot water patio doors wouldn’t lock Safe not working Bar fridge not working. Always a long lineup of people complaining about the same thing. Sand crabs and bugs galore in room. Gross and large bugs. Raccoon got into my room o [... read more]ne night because patio door would not lock. Do I need to say anymore

Old Resort, Poorly Run

The grounds of this resort are beautiful. There is wildlife on the grounds plenty of birds, Howler Monkeys, etc. The major problem with this resort is that it truly is poorly run. Management is non existed and if you have a problem it is never dealt with throughout the week. They blamed Trip central for our booking mistakes and would never address the problem. When we checked in there was no one in the lobby it took over an hour for us to get into our rooms. The resort is big in area and [... read more] they had placed my elderly parents far away from us which was a huge concerns. They kept blaming TripCentral for this mistake. The food was always the same and the booze is all no name if that means anything to a traveler. I speak Spanish and spoke to one of the bartenders he told me the staff changes all the time looking to get to better resorts. The staff looks tired, you see during the week all the issues they have to deal with. The sad thing is the manager Raul (From Spain) will not deal with anyone, he sends out his lower staff to deal with angry customers which during our week was consistent. Sad this resort has a lot to offer just not run well and you see it from the top down as the staff (many of them) do not care.

Amazing resort!

Super clean, the food was great except for The Grill, (the meat was way over cooked for everyone at the table). Service was fantastic and friendly. The room was clean and well cleaned on a daily basis but a litle on the old side with some broken tile. The bed and pillows super comfortable. The excursions were all well organized and interesting however, a little bit on the expensive side and all in American Dollars. We are Canadian. The resort outside was incredibly beautiful and  [... read more]lush. The monkeys and other wildlife were really great to see. The pools were also fantastic with great service. My husband and I like to keep fit so the walking up and down and through the resort was a good thing for us. We are planning on going back this year hopefully around the same time.

Three star hotel

Just returned from a10 day trip to occidental papagayo ……. I give it 3 out of 5 stars …….. the good …… beautiful property , food was average to good …. the pools were good …… the shuttles were very available …… the staff , for the most part were very helpful and accommodating …… the room was sufficient …… The not so good ….. no atms , or money changing at the hotel , so you have to cab it to a nearby town ( approx $50 return ) if you need cash …… you can only book one ala cart restaurant for  [... read more]every three days of your stay …… the whole resort could use better lighting on the pathways …… the regular bar doesn’t have a good selection ….. the premium bar upstairs is better , for approx 25usd a day more , yet I wouldn’t call it premium liquor , outside the Johnny walker black …… Would I come back to this resort ? …. I would , if the price were right ….. apparently , other resorts in the same bay are much better , at a much heavier price tag …… you do need to keep an eye on the wildlife ….. unfortunately , I saw people feeding the raccoons , which renders them unafraid …… I actually had a couple in my room one night , after forgetting to lock my patio door ….. somewhat of an adventure chasing them around the room naked , but I managed , everything intact lol ….. the one thing I found unnerving , was one afternoon at the smaller swimup bar pool ….. on a weekend , there were a group of younger locals , that pounding down shots , until one guy puked all over the deck around the washroom area , while another had trouble getting out of the pool , to the point where he needed assistance ….. they really should have been cut off , but weren’t ….. To conclude , if you want a reasonably priced vacation in Costa Rica , this may be your place …… oh , and great fishing , camping got 4 dorado , and an albacore tuna ….. delicious ! …..as the hotel cooked them up for us …… an older crowd , of really awesome people ! ….. cheers !

Realy Nice Resort

Very nice resort, placed in area surounded with very rich vegetation, lots of exotic birds and animals, people around us were very friendly and relaxed. Stuff in resort was doing everything to meet our needs.

Amazing Resort!

This hotel was great! My first time here. It was recommended by a friend. The grounds were beautiful. I loved all the wild life on this resort. My room was large and clean. Housekeeping did an awesome job everyday. Except for replenishing my alcohol in the minifridge and replacing the coffee in my room. When I first arrived my safe was not in working order and I had to call twice and wait two hours for two people to finally fix it. The food was awesome! The excursions i did were so fun and infor [... read more]mative. I would definately recommend this resort and I will definitely be coming back for sure.

Exceeded Our Expectations

The grounds, although hilly, are beautiful. Glad there was a shuttle available to get from point A to point B. Staff all had smiles even though they were running their feet off. Our needs were met throughout the week. Very clean & lush resort with many great views of the bay. Very few people on the beach. Had a marvellous massage from Maria on the beach. On The Beach Tours had very appealing options to explore the area. They have a desk in the lobby. We booked a private Catamaran for 4 hours for [... read more] 11 people that was well run and informative by Executive Tours. Tasty snacks and wide range of cocktails, beer, etc. Snorkeled in a calm bay and visited a remote beach. Lots of shade on the Cat if you wanted it. Buffet was pretty good overall. A la carte choices included Asian and Italian 4 course selections. The beef was amazing! Drinks from the bars did their job! If it isn't strong enough, just ask for "mucho rum". At night it was essential to keep the patio door locked to avoid raccoons from opening the door to check for food inside your room. A little unnerving at first. Iguanas, monkeys, birds through the property.

Picturesque

The place could use at least 2 more types of restaurants. A great adult place to get away from the rest of the world among the flora and fauna. Courteous Staff was always ready to please. Give out a list of activities for the week on arrival Had to find the hidden billboard in the premises!

Great Resort

Beautiful Resort. Great pool areas. Great Beach area. Access to rooms only by shuttles. Not much variety in food..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

We truly enjoyed everything about Occidental Papagayo Resort

The resort was beautiful and so relaxing. The people who worked there were professional and greeted us every time with smiles and how is your day going. The food in the Buffet was fabulous. The Food Service Director would come out into the serving area and greet you. He would ask how you enjoyed the food. The waitresses were lovely and got to know us personally. Before we asked for coffee it would be in our cup exactly how we drank it. Black for myself, cream for my daughter. The drivers wh [... read more]o picked us up were kind and professional at all times. The housekeeping services were fabulous. My daughter and I came home and we can’t stop talking about our positive experience at Occidental Papagayos, Costa Rica.

Average resort

The grounds were generally nice considering the dry season. The rooms were clean and the bed was extremely comfortable. The food was average but the fruits were amazing!! The staff was generally friendly. There were no planned activities and the beach was nice. The resort is very big and there were lots of hills.

Very nice resort

Perfect location , only 1/2 hr from the airport. It’s a quiet peaceful resort. I don’t recommend this resort for people with mobility or breathing issues. A ride was almost always available. There are a lot of stairs & ramps. The beach wasn’t very nice. Hardly no entertainment at night. The food was very good, especially the 3 à la carte restaurants. The excursions were great. Friendly staff always willing to help you. It’s definitely not a party resort but if your looking for relaxing, [... read more] this is the one for you.