JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Great spot if you are looking to just kick back and relax.

The hotel facilities (rooms, restaurants, pools and employees) were exceptional. Everyone was very friendly and made sure our stay was as pleasant as could be. Food choices and quality were excellent. It might not be the best choice if your interested in doing a lot of excursions to see Costa Rica as the resort is fairly isolated, so most excursions required a considerable amount of time being spent on tour busses.

Azura Beach Resort Samara: Pura Vida ....A very nice feel

Hola Three weeks prior visiting Azur I was in St Lucia,St James Bay Resort I mention this because I do travel to other countries and like to think I have some knowledge of other resorts. I was in Azur from December 10-17 The resort is a boutique style and very stylish with modern designs and paintings...... there are rooms with bath tubs on the balcony facing the pool :)) My room was always super clean and spacious, a big thank you to housekeeping I enjoyed the black sand 3km v [... read more]ery wide beach. The water was excellent and very shallow depending on the tides. I enjoyed the fact I did not have to get up at 7am or earlier, rush to save a chair. I loved not having to be close to others while sunbathing. One can walk appx 20-30 minutes into the quaint town of Samara. The staff was great and tried their best to give good customer service. My first two days it was challenging to get good service especially at the bar. It’s not because you have to tip large to get attention, I believe it is due to not being properly trained. I did speak to manager and explained I do not need white glove treatment. I told him that the bartenders should acknowledge a new person sitting at the bar. If they are busy all one has to do is say hello and give me a minute to serve you. The manager ( 3 months new to the resort ) was in agreement and was going to discuss with staff. After that service was better. The food was okay in some cases really good. There needs to be more variety and possibly change themes every other day. I truly still do not know what is Costa Rican culinary. I always want to eat the food of the country I visit. Once again I think the staff did the best they could and with more guidance they can do better and be great. Management has to do some tweaking i.e. bring water to the table upon sitting down instead of me waking around to find the water. All I am saying is the simple tasks will go a long way. In conclusion YES I did enjoy my stay,I enjoyed the staff. I would come back and hopefully the kinks will be ironed out. Gracias.... Pura Vida

Wyndham Tamarindo: Breathtaking views of Playa Tamarindo

Every room has an ocean view, very clean, very comfortable beds, friendly staff, bathroom door in room a little awkward, Bottled water is not free in rooms and 5us so beware, buy some in town at the store, very pricey snacks/mini bar, we just put the whole tray up on the shelf. Buffet breakfast is free, consisting of fresh fruits, coffee, juice, cereal, sometimes oatmeal, traditional rice and black beans, a potato sausage dish or fried plantains, scrambled eggs, few desserts & pancakes :) ``ba [... read more]con, fried eggs are available for 3.00us Pool is well maintained, refreshing and open till 10pm. Free shuttles to town and a beautiful beach bar / restaurant that you have free use of towels and beach lounges, food and cocktails are mouthwatering, though drinks are a little pricey averaging 9us, you can just go for a walk down the beach many cheaper bars or into town grab a couple from the store. The hotel is non smoking :) but there’s a smoking area out front. Will definitely return *****

Occidental Papagayo: Best resort

Very professional hotel. The food was extremely delicious. The staff were fun, again professional and a stress free environment. Didn’t feel stressed out or had any questions or concerned. I highly recommend this resort! 10 on 10 👍

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing Stay!

My only complaint was that we didn't get to stay longer! My first time staying at a Riu and I'm glad it was in Costa Rica. The food was amazing. The buffet and all a la cart restaurants were great. Our favourite was the steakhouse and Italian! (Tip: make sure you line up early, it's first come, first served). The rooms were good, exactly as pictured. The excursions that we booked through our airline (Sunwing) at the front of the hotel really made our trip. Each were well organized, well led and  [... read more]extremely fun. The resort itself was beautiful. The pool was fun and clean. The pool bar played great music for a great Costa RIcan/ South American/ Vacation vibe. The beach was great too! Had the chance to walk all along the beach and enjoy the monkies! ALso best part all the staff are so amazing! Bartenders, front desk, cleaning services, were extremely pleasant and made us feel so welcomed. Would stay here again.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Admirable, Pura Vida!

Well kept hotel, staff is personable and efficient. The manicured grounds are beautiful and mosquitos are non existent day or night! The rooms are spacious, extremely clean, comfortable and amenities are kept stocked and plentiful. The beach area is not as shown in advertisement that reflects white sand however this was not an issue for us. We did find the beach quite clean and pleasant to swim from or lounge, big bonus is there are no sand fleas or any type of biting insect to interfere with en [... read more]joyment. No issues with loungers, staff on beach will bring loungers down from a pile to accommodate you. They also collect the loungers that are vacated and as required are taken back for guests. If you leave your towel on loungers they are not touched. The service on the beach is amazing with drink orders being taken by a gentleman as there is no beach bar area. It is a bit of a trek to the closest bar so bringing an insulated beverage holder and filling before you go to the beach is advisable. The nexus tours are plentiful and rather expensive, don’t be too hasty to book with Nexxus as the same tours are offered for much less by reputable individuals on the beach. The food was plentiful however I was surprised that the quality of the various meals offered were mediocre and extremely over the top salted. Not sure why this was an issue but we’ve stayed at 3 star hotels with better food quality. The desserts lacked freshness and like the main dishes although plentiful lacked in freshness and flavour. Stay away from pre assembled little dishes of salad. No pasta station and pasta dishes were either under cooked, hard crunchy pasta or overcooked in a cheese sauce. A la carte , first come first served and difficult to organize, if you are able to be there to get a reservation you are seated right away if tables are available which is great if everyone is ready to be seated. They refused to put on the list if a table was available? This procedure needs to be revisited to enable guests the opportunity to experience the a la carte options in a respectable manner. Front desk might assign staff to oversee bookings as the front staff is plentiful and basically quiet most of the day and night. They handle check in and check out efficiently therefore time might allow for booking a la carte reservations. A plus is that English is well spoken and minimal if any language barrier to guests speaking English. A situation that we were disappointed with is due to check out and departure they tell you your luggage will be locked up and you are able to enjoy the premises until pickup after checking out earlier than required we are told the luggage stays in a section out of sight of the front desk and is not locked up at all. They express security cameras are monitoring, but this is not a monitored area as the cameras if active monitor the front desk. The section the luggage was placed was easily accessible around the corner of the front desk and close to bathrooms, people were accessing the luggage constantly with no one watching or aware of what was being done. We chose to keep documents of value on us and used a backpack to hold items. This should be relayed to guests not mislead to believe otherwise. They had tour guide and assorted items occupying the room and didn’t want to have to lock and unlock for access, so no secure lock up for luggage on departures!Also they should inform guests they will be taking the luggage out to the bus for pick up as many guests assumed the luggage would be loaded by staff from the holding area to the buses. This was the arrival procedure, you are told luggage will be taken into the resort and to exit bus and proceed to lobby. Leaving you are on your own! It felt a bit like we’ve had your $ $ you are leaving, so we don’t care. Not good if you want repeat customers. I would recommend to others however I would not return to allow an experience in an alternate setting.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: What a dream!

What a great week we had at Dreams! This hotel is 1:30 h away from Liberia airport and the ride was very pleasant. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with incredible nature. The staff at the hotel went above and beyond to make us happy. We had a small problem at the check in however was easily solved and we got an upgraded room with a great view. Food was delicious, staff was amazing around the pool and always bringing drinks for us. Monkey around the resort was so much fun. Every staff was very [... read more] friendly. Be careful at the beach with the stingrays. ;)

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Planet Hollywood...... best 5 start resort I have been to

Hotel and all premises are clean and prestine. Room is very clean and pool is warm with a very fun swim up bar. I would highly recommend this resort. entertainment at night was fun and top knotch.... out of this world...... The best restaurants is the japanese and the steak house. The morning buffet is very good. The italian restaurant was not good at all me being italian, the meatballs were like rubber bouncing off a wall the the sauce tasted like tomatoe soup. The mexican restaurant [... read more] was in the same boat.... the steak in the keisadeas was tough...... my partner had the chicken one and that was good and tender. Chucks burger place for lunch was delicious. This is the first time i had ever seen black sand at a beach. Beach was clean but I was leary about going in the water and not being able to see to the bottom as to what was swimming with me. I stuck to the beautiful pools Zumba and exercise in the pool was fun with Jeronimo Thank goodness there was trollys to drive us to the beach/pool and back because the roads are on steep inclines. All workers were totally kind and nice The only thing I really didn't like was the lighing in the room where the separate toilet is...... it is toooooooooo dark in there and the lighting should be replaced!

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Amazing Stay at Dreams Las Mareas

My wife and I stayed at Dreams Las Mareas for our 31st anniversary and had an awesome stay. The pools were amazing and our swim out room was beautiful. We like all the restaurants but in particular the Portofino and the Oceana. We would definitely recommend this resort and are looking forward to going back again.

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Incredible views in a unique place!

The hotel was very clean and modern and staff were wonderful. Food was delicious with lots of variety along with really solid house wines. The layout of the resort as well as it’s location is very picturesque.

Wyndham Tamarindo: place looked nice but was pretty shady overpriced and unorganised .

cockroaches were in bathroom beautiful place tho maybe needs upgrades my phone was stolen and my buddys passport was stolen and we caught the guy at reception trying to steal my dates phone they were no help at all and raised our bill from shit that felll out of the fridge when we opened never again

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Absolutely Amazing Experience

Our recent stay at the Riu Palace was absolutely an amazing experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, the facilities beautiful and clean. The food was probably the best that I have had throughout my travels. There was an abundance of natural flora and fauna. When the Riu built this resort it was only allowed to develop 30% of the land. The rest had to remain in it's natural state to preserve the local environment. The mountains behind the resort are also owned by Riu and Riu has prov [... read more]ided support to the nearby schools and communities offering locals preferential opportunities for jobs. El Diamante an eco park is just outside the resort gates. Very impressed.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: A perfect vacation!

Resort was immaculate, beautiful grounds, exceptional food quality and selection, amazing cocktails, very friendly service. We loved walking to visit the monkeys on the beach! A great time on and off the resort. Highly recommend.

Azura Beach Resort Samara: Azura Beach Resort Samara

We just got back from a week at the Azura and what a week! Food was delicious. Boccata didn't require reservations and it felt like you were dining at an high-end restaurant. The Chill & Grill offered a wide variety of options for lunch and dinner and we sampled a bit of everything. No complaints at all! Room was lovely - cleaned everyday with no interruptions and turn down service at night was a nice treat. Only drawback is the time it takes to get to the resort. Be prepared for a 2-plus drive. [... read more] Definitely would go back. Thanks Azura for a wonderful time!

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Comfortable and attractive resort

We enjoyed our stay at Playa Villas Samara. The beach was awesome, great for walking early in the day or at sunset. The pool was immaculate. The dining room was open air with overhead fans. The food was OK. There was always an assortment of fresh fruit, the desserts were delicious and the main course always had something appealing. The bartenders made delicious coladas; my favourite was a mango colada. The staff was pleasant and helpful. On the downside, it was very far away from any of the [... read more] Costa Rican attractions. You were looking at a drive of 4 hours for the most popular. The resort did not offer any non motorized water equipment included in your stay.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Fantastic resort!

The RIU Palace Costa Rica was nothing short of amazing. The hotel is beautiful, the pools are big and the layout is great. The food was great as well!! If you are a beach go-er.. this resort may not be the place for you as there were very few beach chairs on the beach (I think the resort is more so for pool people I’d say). Then again, CR isn’t known for their spectacular beaches. I personally was OK with it but others may not be. The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was the “restaurant [... read more] policy” if you will. You have to show up VERY early.. like 5:30pm to get a chance of being seated and if you don’t, you may be denied and there’s no second seating. That was extremely frustrating for me and my bf. The food at the restaurants was good but the “get there early” thing was very annoying!! But, overall a fantastic resort; we had an amazing time!!

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Absolutely beautiful

By far the nicest hotel I’ve stayed in. Bed was as cozy as my own. Room service is included in all inclusive package and was a convenient feature. Pool side was spacious and three bars to accommodate. Beach was ok. Didn’t spend much time there. Service was impeccable, staff very friendly. Food exceptional. Excursions a little pricey but well worth it.

Azura Beach Resort Samara: beautiful resort

The resort is like paradise. We really enjoyed the beautiful ocean, the scenery, the hotel is spotless and the food was amazing. The rooms are cozy and fresh. We were spoiled with coffee and chocolates and clean linens everyday. The food was a great variety and amazingly talented in presentation and delicious. The staff work really hard and long hours and more staff is needed but they are friendly, try really hard with their English and work hard to make everything nice and they are war [... read more]m and kind and generous and always pleasant. We will go again for sure.

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: The best vacation!

We stayed at Planet Hollywood Nov 1-8 and we have nothing but positive things to say. We have never experienced such excellent service at a resort. The staff are attentive, polite & very friendly. They truly want you to enjoy your stay & work hard to accommodate. Our room was awesome - everything is modern, new, and very clean. The whole resort is spotless. We enjoyed the pool music (upbeat dance/ EDM) & Saturday night beach party. If you want to do things off resort, you need a car or book  [... read more]excursions. The beach is black sand & isn’t the greatest to lay out at, but there are plenty of beautiful beaches in the area (need car to get there). Some people complained about the walking from their suite to the pool or lobby but it was not an issue for us. We are fit and can handle the inclines, but there are golf carts that bring people to/from anywhere they want on the resort. And they run every few minutes. We never go back to the same places, but we would totally go back to PH.

Wyndham Tamarindo: Beautiful hotel, amazing surroundings

Very friendly people, hotel well maintained, always clean, beautiful views. Breakfast was very good and of good quality. The rooms were a good size, the bathroom a little tight in space.The only complaint we would have is the pillows: too hard to sleep on them.. The pool was well maintained and offered an amazing view of the ocean, the sunset and Tamarindo. The beach is not too close but you have the option to use a shuttle bus at some specific times. I would go back anytime.