Riu Guanacaste: Beautiful resort

We stayed at the Riu Guanacaste in early January 2020 . The staff were all exceptionally friendly and co-operative . The food choices in the buffets were plentiful and always fresh and hot . The grounds were kept amazingly clean , with picture perfect gardens and landscaping . The nightly entertainment was pleasantly appealing to all . We missed both Friday night special theme nights but based on all the staging I'm sure they would have been a blast . A few cons we discovered were having to p [... read more]ay for drinks in the disco and not being able to book a la carte restaurants ( they are on a first come first serve basis and always had long wait times) . The all night sports bar definitely needs updating and food service added to its services ( all that is available is a cooler with cold hamburgers and hot dogs and sandwiches ) There is nothing else open after 11PM (other than the disco). Overall a great vacation and a beautiful country . Would return for sure .

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Excellent Location

My family returned to this lovely resort over New Years and it was as good as I remembered it to be two years earlier. Would highly recommend. It was excellent for multi-generational group, lovely walking beach and spacious pool side area. The staff are friendly and very good.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Fantastic Family Vacation

I would highly recommend this resort - we were a three generation group of nine and had a great time. Check in and checkout were both quickly and efficiently done with helpful and polite staff. Service overall very good as was the wide variety of food, I would have preferred a different system for booking at the specialty restaurants but our group went twice - the Italian and the Japanese (grandkids preferred the Italian). The grounds were well kept, steps from the ocean where they br [... read more]ought loungers and drinks, numerous pools to choose from (some did have missing tiles but were very clean) and a lot of loungers available for all. The rooms were a bit tired and a few items missing from housekeeping one day but quickly remedied with a call to reception and followed up twice later to ensure we had everything. A "shout out" must go to their photography staff who took some family pictures for us and also some candid ones of the kids at the pool - both pictures and prices were exceptional. I would rate the resort as a nine out of ten overall. We did a few excursions and the highlight was the day trip to Borinquen with ziplines, horseback riding, waterfalls and even a mud bath; we hired a private guide and Ira was very knowledgeable and personable. It was truly a memorable holiday in a beautiful Country.

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Beautiful Resort

First, I would like to thank Tripcentral in making my booking easy. They also assisted with my upgrade to Star Class and my request for two double beds in the room. The resort is beautiful, the staff are very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. I would recommend my friends to book through Tripcentral and definitely recommend Planet Hollywood Costa Rica. Truly a Five Star Hotel in Paradise❤️🇨🇦🇵🇹

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Excellent Resort Planet Hollywood Costa Rica

No hassles beautiful weather and country. Hotel had a real nice gym that was not too crowded. They put a lot of effort into making New Year's Eve really special. Restaurants and buffet food was excellent and we never had to wait to for a table and only had to make a reservation on New Year's Eve. The entire family really enjoyed themselves.

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Exceeds Expectations!

Planet Hollywood, Guanacaste was a dream! The hotel/grounds were beautifully maintained. Our room was perfect and was fully stocked with everything we needed. The staff speak amazing amounts of English and are always willing to help/rectify any issues! The food was phenomenal at all of the restaurants, our only complaint is that the bar staff are VERY inconsistent. It would be nice to see a bit more of Costa Rica present in the hotel (music, food, evening entertainment); however, everything was  [... read more]over the top impressive from our first day to our last! Thank you for an amazing 10 days Planet Hollywood!

Riu Guanacaste: Lots of character

This resort has lots of character. The rooms are clean and comfortable. The meals were absolutely delicious and offered a great variety of choices . There was something for everyone. The beach wa long and spacious. Some shade structures and a close washroom facility would be a nice addition.

The Westin Reserva Conchal Golf Resort & Spa: Fantastic resort, great golf

We love Costa Rica for the people, the weather and the natural beauty. The Westin gives us all this plus the comfort of an excellent resort. I find the golf course beautiful yet challenging.This is our go to in December and January.

Barcelo Tambor: Too much travel time/not all inclusive

I have to say that the views and the country were spectacular! Our family enjoyed the scuba diving and beach lunch. However since we were not provided an itinerary we had no idea how long the travel would actually be, it was long! The way there not so bad as we stayed in SAN Jose the first night. But the way back was terrible! We timed it and it took 20 hours from the time we left the hotel until we arrived home! We had to wait in the San Jose airport for iver 5 hours because we were paired with [... read more] a group from Montreal who’s flight left earlier, if we would have known this we would have never done this! Not to mention, this is not a 7 day all in trip, because we had to pay for our food on the first day, which was fine we had expected this, but the last day also, we stopped at a cafe that we had to pay for then we had no choice but to sit in an airport all day and eat there. In future if you are to offer this trip, there needs to be a better explanation of what will transpire! We were not the only family who felt this way! We spoke to 2 other families who felt the same and I am hopeful they will also provide their feedback. We had used air transit in the past and plan on doing more travelling in the future but We may look at other travel agencies as we were quit disappointed. Also we had to change rooms since the first room we were in had a broken door, no lock and no working phone. We asked for an extra blanket and towel and it took them 4 hours and 3 times asking before they finally provided it to us.

Secrets Papagayo 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.

Riu Guanacaste: Excellent Resort

The hotel was very nice and clean. All the staff were very nice and very happy to help. The food was great but the palace next door seemed to have some better food choices and selection. The pool and beach were very nice and relaxing. The only complaint me and my family had was by the pool bar close to the walk way around the kids club is that there was a smell of sulfur/sewage.

Riu Guanacaste: Just wonderful!!

From start to finish I had a wonderful trip, the staff in the hotel were friendly, personable and so helpful, the food and entertainment just great. The resort was nice and spaced out so never too many people in one place at one time. Only complaint- didn’t see a monkey.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort

Beautiful grounds great location wonderful staff. The steakhouse was awesome. The weather's delightful . Check in was every efficient and easy. Would have preferred cards instead of keys. Would love to come back again.

Azura Beach Resort Samara: Great Resort.

We had an amazing week at Azura. Great location, delicious right on the beach surrounded by wild nature. The food is great ! Beach is very clean, however don't expect anything extra (cabanas, fancy chairs). Hotel itself is very modern, clean, some attention to details needed ( hot water was giving us a problem for a few times, servise sometimes a bit slow ... this place needs better managment and more employees. Staff is overwhelmed. Inthink this place needs more activities, especially consideri [... read more]ng the fact that it is an adult only. Suggestions to the management training, activities (.yoga, meditation, would.be grat addition) overall experience is good!

Wyndham Tamarindo: Would Go Back !

Had a wonderful stay. Each room has a great view. Staff went out of their way to help. Three elevators never a problem with mobility . The restaurant , pool, public restrooms, lobby and rooms were all kept very clean. The shuttle to town runs frequently to town. A little Gem in the hills of Tamarindo!

Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica: Comfortable and enjoyable vacation

We found our vacation at Dreams Las Mareas very enjoyable. The room was large and had many amenities to make our stay delightful and the view of the tropical greenery very relaxing. The hot tub on the balcony was invigorating and a plus we did not expect. The attention to detail in all the food areas made for very delicious and appetizing meals with service second to none. We enjoyed the beach, rather than the pool area, since lounge chairs in cooler and shaded areas were always available.  [... read more] We were pleasantly surprised that the hotel made a fuss about being there for our 61st anniversary by placing a large banner on our room door, housekeeping made a large decoration on our bed and sending, and room service placed a fruit tray and a bottle of wine with glasses, bottle opener, etc. to celebrate the occasion. There was always a shuttle service cart to take us to distant parts of the resort and the entire staff made sure we were always satisfied with the service we received.

Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica: 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 👍