Riu Guanacaste: Beautiful Resort

The Riu Guanacaste was a beautiful resort with lots of amenities. The rooms were spacious and the cleaning staff was excellent. The grounds were nicely manicured. The pool was fabulous with lots of chairs in both sun and shade. The beach also had lots of chairs and you could seek sun or shade there as well. The beach was nice, but there were lots of rocks in the water. If you walked down the beach 5 minutes, it was much easier to get into the water as there were much less rocks there. The [... read more] food was quite good, and there was a lot of variety each day. One thing I would like to see improvement on is the way the restaurants handled reservations. We saw monkeys on the grounds and just 10 minutes down the beach, we were able to feed the white-faced monkeys. Lots of excursions to choose from. A fabulous and memorable family vacation!

Occidental Tamarindo: Beautiful sunsets

Beautiful sunsets on the beach. It is a very clean resort with staff willing to go above and beyond to ensure a home away from home. I did not order the wifi and was told it was sketchy due to high winds. Food was amazing. No al la carte restaurant due to private booking and I was entitled to 2 reservations so I was disappointed with the service. Evening entertainment was lacking and very rushed. Do not go to this resort to swim and snorkel as the beach had high winds and rocks, more of surf des [... read more]tination. Lots of touristy things to do within a couple of hours and Tamarindo has a beautiful beach to access via bus 5min or walk the beach when low tide.

Occidental Papagayo: Has potential but not well run.

Beautiful property and location. Check in was really late and unorganized. Guest services was not available nearly enough. You had to go through them to make a la carte reservations but could only book 24 hours before. Because they start late and finish early, if you are on an excursion you can't make a reservation. We were able to eat at the Italian and it was good. The wait Staff were lovely but didn't know anything about wine in terms of what kinds they had to offer. We came back late after a [... read more] 17 hour excursion and we could get nothing to eat. We were told by one employee that there was nowhere to get food, then another employee told us to go into the disco and we would find finger food there which was adequate. We ran out of hot water in our room and had to have keys redone 3 times and the safe re-keyed once. Rooms were clean but air conditioning was very poor considering the heat. Wifi was scetchy at best. Nightly entertainment was one man with a sax in the lobby. Entertainment staff were great. The only bar around the pool was only for show. It wasn't functional and only one staff member taking drink orders for the entire pool. Again they were great doing the best they could to keep up, there simply were not enough staff. The pool was cloudy and murky all week. Food was good but a very small buffet. The Grille by the pool had good food as well at lunchtime. The bar "by the beach" is nowhere near the beach or the pool. It is in between the two and there are no toilets close by. When we checked out we paid our bill in cash and they had no change available. Do not book tours with Benito from Air Transat. He is misleading and uses scare tactics to get your business. He shows you one tour and you think that is the one you are buying then you go on a different one day of. Very disappointing. He just walked away when we questioned him at the airport. That was the first opportunity we saw him after the tour. All in all not a terrible place and it has so much potential. We got a good deal in terms of cost and I feel it was good for what we paid. Just needs some TLC.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Costa Rica is Awesome!

Sunny and hot every day in Liberia. The Riu Palace is a First Class Resort: the food is delicious, the restaurants don't require a reservation, the Brand name Liquor is excellent and the Staff is very friendly and happy!

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Excellent resort

Highly recommend this resort. No complaints about anything. Resort is small, staff very accommodating, clean. Relaxing atmosphere, beautiful beach. Quiet, lots of day excursions available. Very hot, not a drop of rain. Keep hydrating. Food good, much better than Cuba or Dominican. Might be a little too quiet atmosphere for some.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Everything we hoped for.

Dreams did not disappoint. We wanted some isolation and that is what we got. Everything was exceptional. Sure, some of the chairs around the pools were taken early but we never had problems finding some. The food was exceptional and the nightly entertainment was exactly that, entertaining. The beach was beautiful and we'll maintained. Sand as far as you could see and great for swimming. I really liked to be able to stand on the beach, loòk left and right, and not see another resort. I would g [... read more]o back in a heartbeat.!

Riu Guanacaste: Riu Guanacaste

This was our second visit in 3 years to this hotel. And the third time we have stayed at a Riu in the past 5 years. We found the Guanacaste again to be impeccably clean, nice gardens and very friendly staff. All morning long each staff member that you pass along your way greets you warmly and with smiles. FOOD: We have not been fond of the food choices at any of the three Riu resorts we have stayed in. Seems repetitive and caters more to the North American Palette rather than offer more  [... read more]local food tastings. They have set up a efficient egg station for the mornings. A griddle cook continuously makes several over easy and sunny side up eggs and places them on a plate ready for one to pick from. However, I did find the cook was a bit rushed and heavy handed with the eggs and the yolks often broken. The Asian buffet was as good as our first visit. We did not try the other al la carte. Terrific environment for non smokers. There is no smoking on the property with the exception of your own balcony, the beach and the 3 smoking gardens they have provided for the smokers. They are cute little enclaves with trees and granite benches and picnic tables. One is reasonably close to the amenities set off to the side near the theatre. A second is located behind the lunch buffet. The third is off beside the parking lot in front of the hotel. A bit buggy at this one. It was actually quite fun to be there makes one feel like they are back in high school hanging with the cool kids. Terrific opportunity to bond with other guests. We had booked the same room as our last visit as we had such fun watching a large 30 member community of Howler Monkeys traversing twice a day along the trees besides the property line fence on the mountain view side. 3 years ago the zip line eco park was under construction and now that it is operational the monkeys seem to either have moved or the pack has dwindled. There were still a small handful but not the hour long show. There is a spot about a mile walk down the beach named the Monkey Bar that is such fun. Here you will get a close up interaction with Capuchin (white faced) monkeys that will eat out of your hand. It is best to go very early in the morning around 7am to beat the crowds. The first time we went we walked up the little road a to a trail just across from the restaurant that is there. It is a very short walk in to find about a dozen monkeys playing in the trees and the younger ones wrestling on the ground. Feeding the monkeys: We were advised by a biologist we met early in the trip not to feed them bananas as too much potassium is harmful to their health. This was back up by an elderly local gentleman we met who stated that he has banana trees in his yard and they never eat the bananas but from his other varieties of fruit trees. We were told it can even abort terminate a mother's pregnancy. We did find they like grapes and papaya but prefer the red grapes. We actually had green ones tossed back at us but never the red grapes. There is an opportunity to book a visit to the Riu Palace but we did not bother. Over all our stay at the Guanacaste was what we expected. Terrific staff with long memories and happy friendly dispositions. Three of the waitresses recognized us 3 years later. Count on it being very hot in February with 34-38celsius temperatures. I suspect that the guest room air conditioning, although quite comfortable, is controlled by the hotel as the thermostats do not seem to affect the room's temperature. But it is kept at a comfortable temperature. You can however turn the a/c down if you find it too chilly. We did notice that on the cooler days the a/c was not as strong. Local short excursions: Expect to pay higher than you are used to in other countries for taxi fares. Keep in mind that Costa Rica is a modern country with a reasonably high standard of living. The taxis are on a set rate and the hotel provides a shuttle service to visit Coco Beach and Tamarindo. Both fairly close to the resort. Both are cute little towns with plenty of souvenir shopping and restaurants. Each has a lovely beach to visit. On the previous vacation we saw the most amazing golden sunset from the beach in Tamarindo. Do not expect to view sunsets from the resort as there is a mountain blocking the view at the resort. The sun rises behind the mountains beside the resort where the eco park is located. All in all the Guanacaste is a nice place to spend your vacation. If you are the type who enjoys lazing in the sun around the pool then this is the place to go.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: A Little Piece of Paradise

It is a well maintained property located in a beautiful setting. Their eye for detail was evident in terms of the upkeep of the grounds, the pools & the restaurants. The staff was always smiling, very pleasant & helpful. The lighting on the property was poor which was a safety hazard. We didn't have any hot water in the shower for the 1st 5 days of our 7 day stay. Items were often overlooked by housekeeping (fresh glasses, packets of coffee) & the mini bar was not stocked every day. Not a [... read more]n ideal setting for the elderly or someone with mobility issues.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Amazing resort

Outstanding food and service. The pool is amazing. We really appreciated the Preferred section and all the restaurants. Yoga on the beach in the morning is very nice. Would go back anytime and I would refer my best friends there.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Great resort! 5 stars rated in all!

The greatest client experience i have never had. Excellent food, wonderful pools, nice location, extraordinary staff, great site! No negative points to say. I dream about living a future Dreams hotel experience soon!

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Costa Rica Experience

Dreams Las Mareas was definitely a fantastic resort. Zero complaints, very cozy, delicious food, spacious rooms. Definitely in my top 3 destinations globally! I would return in a heartbeat! Staff was amazing too. Although we booked just 3 weeks ahead of time, we realized we might not get double beds in the room but the hotel upgraded us free of charge to a swim out room to accommodate. Although the upgrade was great, it doesn't bare directly on the review - it's the fact that the staff alw [... read more]ays wanted to ensure you were comfortable and enjoying yourself. They went above and beyond. We especially enjoyed the fact that it was a completely non-smoking resort - very rare.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Great resort

Grounds and rooms were beautiful, the staff very friendly. The food was good but not amazing. The bar tenders Tony and Orlando were so good at their job and made it seem effortless and always with such warm smiles!

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Great resort

This resort was more than I expected. When we arrived it was sunset and I must say It was breath taking. The beach was fantastic. The wild horses on the beach where so great to admire. They where right at home. The room was great. It was a type of small villa. Only 25 min walk to the village of Samara on the beach. Food was ok. The staff at front desk and for the tours where fabulous, they really know how to make you feel at home.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Definitely the best Rui yet

We have stayed at a number of Rui Palace resorts. Although we have not had any complaints about any of the Rui Resorts, the Rui Palace Costa Rica is by far the best yet. The grounds were meticulously manicured, the staff everywhere were very helpful, courteous accommodating and pleasant, the rooms were modernly decorated, clean, spacious and comfortable, the food was outstanding from the specialty restaurants to the buffet. The new set up of first come first served at the specialty restaurant [... read more]s is a much better way than standing in line for reservations. There never seemed to be a problem with getting a decent seat around the pool even without going down early in the morning. I would highly recommend this resort.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Clean new Riu

Great location lacking in friendly customer service lack of entertainment thru the day and also at night completely dead at 11 PM unless you leave the resort for disco (way to loud) or the casino both of which you must purchase drinks food adequate at best ,dinner only between 6-815 with no reservations permitted. this is too restrictive, offering no flexibility pool nice spa was nice

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Amazing resort

The beach was ok, the rest was fantastic. ( food cleanliness staff) all 5 star. Be careful when you book tours makes sure you ask how far it is, some are 1 1/2 hours away some others one are 5 hrs away and some longer. The only down fault to this trip was the flight. Not much room on the plane seats are small just pray there not a big person sitting beside you. The flight attendant gives us the wrong paper work which cause a big delay in Costa Rica airport.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Fantastic resort

From the greeting we received upon arrival to our departure when leaving everything in between was just fantastic. We loved the food and the pools where just beautiful. They did a great job with blending the resort with the beautiful surroundings. We especially had fun with the monkeys and the water slide at the resort Everyone at resort was beyond helpful and pleasant. Rooms were very comfortable and beautifully decorated. We can't say enough about this fantastic resort. Definitely re [... read more]commend it !

Riu Guanacaste: Fantastic Resort!!

Just home from a fantastic week at the Riu Guanacaste. Great day trip Zip lining - fantastic Sunset Cruise. The hotel was so clean and the staff did all they possibly could to make sure we had everything we needed. Was worried about the specialty restaurant line ups but not an issue. We would have a specialty Martini in the lobby and eat just after eight O'Clock. Wonderful experience.

Villas Sol Beach Resort: Great Resort

The hotel was very nice and clean. The staff were very friendly and fun. The food was pretty good for a buffet. There was a shuttle bus that took us to the beach and it was always on time. The maids cleaned you room for you every morning with fresh blankets and towels. The view was amazing from our balcony. The resort was great for families with kids and older couples. There was always activities going on at one of the pools with games and prizes. Overall it was a great resort and we had a great [... read more] time there with no problems!

Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Gorgeous views!

Beautiful resort! Landscaping is lovely and the resort is situated on a lovely huge beach. The staff were very helpful, the decor in our room was lovely. we had the most wonderful view of the ocean and sunset every night! Considering there were only 2 restaurants, there was a good variety of tasty food every day. Being an animal lover, I loved having beach dogs and kitties around to spoil since I missed my own from home. Also, some local horses got loose and had a wonderful romp up and  [... read more]down the beach one afternoon. Quite a wonderful sight! However, it would be nice if they had a different bartender in the main bar. He totally cleans his station every time he makes a drink, BEFORE he gives you your drink! Also, the resort needs some TLC such as more chairs by the beach and replace the broken ones! Pads for the chairs would be nice as well. Replace burned out lights, especially on the walkways and by the pool. And no TV or telephones in any of the rooms that I saw. While this may not bother many folks, I did feel a bit out of touch with the world and had to walk to the reception for any issues encountered.