Hotel Villas Playa Samara: Has its own charm...give it a chance...

Beach: Clean, view is beautiful but the water is murky due to volcanic ash washing into the ocean. There is cleaner, quieter beach to the left of the cliff. You can walk, bike or get a taxi there. It isn't far. There is no beach bar or music to relax to. We met a Canadian living in Costa Rica and he said that the beaches in Samara are the nicest compared to Tamarindo and other areas that are more up north. Pool: Only one pool and pool bar. The drinks are way better when their ordered there. Sna [... read more]cks are pretty good (hamburger was tasty). Bartenders seem disorganized and confused about how to efficiently take orders and serve patrons. And there being a language barrier at times makes things a little bit more difficult. Either way try a MICHALADA (beer, lime juice, salt and tabasco). Service: Some servers were awesome while others didn't speak English and had no sense of urgency. It could be that they were not trained properly by new management that has taken over. Overall, if you're patient, you will get what you ordered. Food: Good selection, good quality for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Desserts were lacking in flavour/variety. Everything is all naturally grown and the chicken/beef are all farm raised. Juices had pulp and tasted freshly squeezed. Rooms: We had room 474, it had a TV, king bed and everything was modern and clean but it did not have a view. However, others we spoke to did not have a TV and/or there were other issues or the room looked older than ours. Hotel: Pretty far from any place you really want to go to. It is a 2.5 ride from the airport and pretty much anywhere you go for an excursion. Roads are curvy and bumpy so be prepared. You may get car sick, make sure you take gravol. Wifi available at reception and in rooms but some areas may lack a strong signal. Felt safe at this hotel - security at entrance wise. Do not go walking at night on the beach with your personal belongings, a guest had her purse stolen while walking back with her friends. Lost her passport, wallet, ID and had to travel to San Jose to get to the US Embassy. Grounds are kept clean. There is no nightly entertainment or group activities. Generally gets quiet at the hotel around 10 p.m. There is a bit of construction going on around the restaurant/gym area. The power did go out the last day we were leaving so many of the rooms and restaurant area were without any electricity. Not sure how long it took to get back up but they had some minor issues going on. But our room did not have any problems....so you may want to request it :) Convert your money if you decide you want to spend more than $100-200. This hotel will not have enough money to convert more than $50 US. Town: Approximately 30 minute walk to the right of the beach. 20 minute bike ride (but watch out you don't come back around 3-4 p.m. when there is high tide. There are a few vendors, convenience stores, restaurants that you can check out. It is very small and safe if you leave important belongings in your hotel. You can pay with US or colons Excursions/Car rental: Book through hotel (Monkey Tours) or at Downtown Samara area (it may be cheaper). If you want to book a car, make sure you check prices on their websites because they will charge you an arm and a leg in person. You can pay by credit car, cash US or colons. Remember to Bring: Water shoes (it will save your life, especially if you're going to do any excursions), bug repellent (you will need it but the hotel does not sell it), gravol (I don't get sick on the plane or car or boat but needed it when I was on the shuttle back to the airport - I think my body had enough of those crazy rides). **This hotel has just recently changed management and are new to the all-inclusive hotel business. Over time, I see them doing well but for now, it doesn't hurt to give them a chance. It has its own charm.

Riu Guanacaste: Gorgeous Costa Rica!

We truly enjoyed this resort. The food was very good and service was excellent. Very clean and well kept overall. We attended for a destination wedding and the staff were very attentive. We enjoyed the evening and lobby entertainment. The rooms were nice and a great view of the mountains or ocean. Rooms wth a court view have a view of other rooms. A mountain view would be my recommendation as it is quieter. Be aware that the bathrooms smell funky in every room. The hotel would benefit from look [... read more]ing into it. Overall great trip and will definitely return so that we can complete more excursions !

Riu Guanacaste: Satisfactory

The rooms had a definite sewage odor. The toilet broke after each flush. The rooms were tired and my daughter's room had ants. The linens were too old had tiny tears in them. We should have been made aware when we upgraded to ocean view that it also included exponential noise from the stage area as the week progressed. If you are planning an early morning excursion - then ocean view rooms are not for you! The buffet was enjoyable. The Italian restaurant was the best a la carte and I would recomm [... read more]end the lasagna and the Antipasto buffet was really nice. The Japanese restaurant had wonderful fresh sushi, but the rest was not great. The Gourmet restaurant had fantastic presentation but lacked flavor. The ceviche was creative but was mainly acid and flat. The alcohol was questionable especially at the pool. I think that even the "top shelf" was watered down. There definitely is something going on with that. The "house" red wine was brutal. Make sure to request their Cab sauv....It is actually in a bottle. The service overall was excellent. The staff were sincere and always tried to make our stay the best possible experience. The cleanliness overall was satisfactory. The pool was fun and the games were very creative and fun to watch. There were enough chairs for everyone. The beach went from rocky to sandy and there was always room for chairs. It's a lovely location.

Riu Guanacaste: Beautiful resort

Everything was handled from the welcome drink when we arrived, baggage taken to our room, and seamless check in. There was nothing left to do then enjoy the beautiful week we had in Costa Rica at the Riu. Hotel was beautiful, very clean and well cared for, staff were courteous, food was plentiful but just okay. Great week in the sun. Beach was nice too.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Great resort

Transportation to and from airport was good. Check in was very fast and efficient. Grounds were beautiful, rooms were very nice - bathtub in the middle was strange but they were clean, well supplied and comfortable. Food at the buffets were very good - Thursday buffet had loads of lobster - delicious. Several pools ranging quiet to active - no issue getting chairs. Drinks were good - service as well - better when tipping. Entertainment was good. Beach was nice to walk but not an area to swim. Mo [... read more]nkeys are close by and we had a blast at The Monkey Bar just a short walk down the beach. Location is quite remote and most excursions were an hour or more away. Beautiful country, weather fabulous (early Dec 2015) excellent time and would definitely return to Riu.

Riu Guanacaste: Amazing resort, great vacation

Highly recommended resort. It's a solid 4+ star resort, with great amenities! If you're visiting during the high season (Dec - April) and want to explore Costa Rica on your own, please make sure that you book your car rental in advance... It's tough to get a rental and they are usually at $100+ a day. Also you'd be well advised to book an SUV, there are plenty of unpaved roads!

Riu Guanacaste: amazing place

loved everything about the hotel and Costa Rica. The people are great and very helpful. the weather is fantastic. the hotel food was the best I ever had a hotel. The rooms were very clean and kept that way every day. What can I say, it was perfect.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Family friendly resort

The pools and the beach were fantastic. The room was ok for a Riu Palace. The whole family was very disappointed by the food and wine at the resort but the pools and beach made up for it. Lots to do off the resort. We recommend zip lining and the ATV jungle adventure.

Riu Guanacaste: amazing resort

Rooms were nice.....grounds were beautiful. ....food was great.....lots of monkeys and iguanas. ....I will go back to this resort.....the sooner the better....This place is definitely a five star.....miss it already!!!!! ...

The Westin Reserva Conchal Golf Resort & Spa: Tremendous Resort!

The grounds were beautiful and well kept; our unit was spotless, spacious and the bathroom was very well appointed; the staff were extremely attentive and genuinely proud of their country and wanted to make sure you experiened all that you could; the water and beaches were stunning - you could walk at least an hour either way or walk the ATV trail; the food was excellent, the best we have experiened at any all inclusive and the wait staff were terrific.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Great vacation

Met all expectations...and then some! Second time there, and will go back again. Based on typical weather patterns, should plan to attend outside of rainy season...I.e., go December --> March. Free entertainment in late afternoon includes watching hundreds of monkeys cavort in trees about half mile down the beach. Massive new Zip Line will start 5 minutes away by Christmas

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Great place to Stay

Could not have ask for a better vacation. Hotel clean, great food, great beach warm ocean and wild monkeys to feed. All of our excursions were top notch Airport was 45 min away easy in and out Trip Central agent was wonderful in getting everything done for us will be contacting her later this year for a return trip, thanks

Riu Guanacaste: It was a nice resort.

The hotel was clean and the staff worked amazing to keep it that way. The service was wonderful. The food was good. The staff friendly and work fast to serve and very welcoming. The pool area was kept clean as the rest of the grounds..

Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica: felt like being in paradise

The Hotel was very clean and the staff were so wonderful and helpful. fantastic views, beautiful beach and pools. the restaurants were top quality and food was delicious. the bars were well stocked with quality alcohol and the bartenders were well trained.

The Westin Reserva Conchal Golf Resort & Spa: Great all-inclusive resort

Spotless, well maintained property. Rooms clean, spacious, modernized, with many amenities. Grounds well maintained. Many restaurants to choose from, but reservation system difficult to navigate. Food excellent. Beach is public so be aware that vendors are there. Staff are very friendly and helpful. I recommend Royal Beach section( adult only) for a premium experience.

Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica: Amazing piece of paradise

Great wedding vacation at Dreams, loved the rooms, grounds were excellent. Went on spider monkey zip lining tour and had a blast. This was our second trip to Costa Rica - Stayed at the Weston Playa Conchal last time... where next?

Allegro Papagayo by Occidental: Great times!!

The food and service were fantastic. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. The rooms were clean, large and had beautiful views. Pool Was great, lots of activities available. Would definitely visit again.

Riu Guanacaste: Rude guests marred a beautiful trip

I just returned from a week stay at the Riu Guanacaste with my adult daughter. The rooms are adequate, clean - beds are a little hard, pillows a little small, but in all a comfortable stay. Air conditioning works great. There was construction outside of our window which wasn't too loud but did start pre 8 am. The meals were varied and well prepared. There was a variety of vegetables, salads, fruit and a choice of meats daily. The desserts were underwhelming. Bar service was good and a nice vari [... read more]ety of drinks. There is an outdoor restaurant which has signs posted in English and Spanish at every entrance advising patrons not to remove food from the restaurant. This did not stop some guests from bringing nachos or French fries or heaping plates of food to their poolside chairs then leaving half eaten plates for swarms of large birds to come pick at. Very annoying. I spoke twice to people about bringing food and watched an American couple of women be stopped by a waiter and told they could not take food out ("oh sorry")... who turned around and used another exit. Their children were equally ill behaved. I wish the hotel had removed their plates or asked them to leave the pool when they found such disregard. Thankfully there were no shortage of chairs around the pool, we always seemed to find room under a pergola for nice shade. That didn't stop one family from taking our table from between our chairs and sitting on one of our chairs when the spot they picked was short for the number in their party. Rude. The entertainment staff worked hard and the evening shows were good quality and entertaining. The weather was HOT and humid, the pool was only slightly refreshing as it was quite warm and not well cleaned (could feel sand along the bottom and find floating straws, bugs, leaves - more to do with the guests than the hotel). The beach is rustic and the water clean but not clear. There are no umbrellas at the beach just a few trees to find your shade under. Poolside was better. In all a relaxing vacation with a variety of services.

The Westin Reserva Conchal Golf Resort & Spa: Dream vacation

I don't have a single negative thing to write about the Westin Conchal. The resort is beautiful, the food is delicious and the staff is accommodating. We traveled in a group of six and all of us will be returning in the future

Riu Guanacaste: Great resort

Great resort. Everything was more than we expected. Rooms and pool and grounds . were well kept. Bars were well stocked and there was a big variety of food. The beach was not attractive. Your trip advisor Elizabeth was excellent.