Riu Palace Costa Rica: GREAT RESORT

THE RIU Palace Costa Rica did not disappoint. Food was great, grounds were clean, rooms were well air conditioned and the staff were friendly and polite. The nightly entertainment was well done and entertaining. My biggest plug at the RIU was they served bottled COKE ZERO which i was very happy to discover. It is the first time i have ever seen that and it added to a great experience.

Riu Guanacaste: Beautiful resort but needs a little TLC

This was a beautiful resort but is in need of some updating. The rooms had a bit of a musty smell and the furniture and bedding definitely needs some upgrades. The al a carte restaurants are glorified buffets which was disappointing as you just want someone to give you your food. Also with respect to the restaurants they were not open every day so you were restricted in your options. They also did not take reservations so in order to get in at a reasonable time with children you had to line  [... read more]up before 5:30 which cuts into your pool time. Overall this is not what I would consider a 4.5 star resort maybe a 4 at best.

Riu Guanacaste: Great place

Everyone at the resort are great. The resort is going under renovations , so some times the elevators would break down. I must say that the nexus staff underestimated the times to get to our tours and the endurance needed to complete them. We feel that Sunwing should have a sign in the lobby stating info about flight status. Riu activity staff should also have a sign telling us what are the night activities and shows.

Riu Guanacaste: Great resort

Everything was wonderful great resort, great food, amazing service the stuff was wonderful especially at the bars, very clean rooms also clean resort all around I would recommend it to everyone for a wonderful vacation

Azura Beach Resort Samara: Amazing Resort Location on the Beach...other aspects not amazing.

this resort was a mix of somet things being really nice, and others being not so nice. For example, food was pretty decent with fresh fruit and healthy options, flip side of the coin is for every sit down meal expect it to take close to 1.5-2 hrs. I am not sure why, it never seemed that busy. Maybe it was a food to table issue from the kitchen, I'm not sure. Also, the service was spotty. We could wait sometimes for over 10 minutes to be seated and then another 20 before being able to place our o [... read more]rder (hence the length of service time). THen the rooms. we had a swim out and it was nice. but the furniture was indeed molded and destroyed in some cases and falling apart. the room set up was also very weird with light switches being in odd places and faucets spraying on you from the back splash. I liked the quietness and the small size of the resort and the amazing beach right at your front door. I would say that is the best feature. I would say not 4 star and should likely be more of a 3.5 Also, cups and food and plates would be left in the hallways for days from ppl ordering room service and I did see one cockroach in my room. Not worth the $.

CC Beach Front Papagayo: CC Beach Front

This has to be the best vacation we’ve been on. People at the hotel starting with Anita at the front desk to the supervisor Jorge and the chef Christian were all amazing. We were treated very special by all stall. We also booked two excursions with Giovani and the service was excellent. Again an amazing vacation!

Riu Guanacaste: Fun resort

All and all a very nice hotel. Food was very good with a lot of variety. The Japanese was excellent although not being able to make reservations was a bit of a pain. The grounds were lush and well maintained. Beautifully landscaped. The pool is huge with tons of chairs and lots of places to sit in the pool bar. The rooms were comfortable and the ac worked great. The hotel is busy with lots of kids and families so a bit loud at times. But great for people watching. The staff was very frie [... read more]ndly. We’d consider going back to this resort again

Riu Guanacaste: Not a 5*

I was excited to return to this resort after a great trip several years ago but sadly have to agree with other visitors that this resort has gone downhill. Definitely not up to 5 star standards. The newly built section is nice. I stayed in the older section. Rooms and hotel in general are outdated and in definite need of repair and revamp. The food was a let down. Very repetitive and bland. Aside from the steak house, the a la cartes are just buffets serving food with very little dif [... read more]ference from that available in the main buffets. The music at both pools was pounding loud all day. Great for those looking to party, not for those looking to relax. The pool bar in the older section smelled like it had not been cleaned in months. The beach is nice, but public, with many vendors crowding the beach to sell excursions and souvenirs. None of them were pushy but still not what you want to walk through every-time you want to be visit the beach. The nearest bar to the beach is up at the pool, a long way to walk to refresh your drink. Can't comment on the entertainment as we did not attend any of the shows. All this being said, every staff member I encountered (and there are many at all times) was friendly and hard working. I would rate the staff 5/5.

Occidental Papagayo: Average resort

The hotel was average as far as services and food selection/taste. Lots of stairs if you like to work out. Not recommended for persons with limited mobility. The grounds are well maintained and the staff is nice.

Barcelo Tambor: Totally recommend!

The grounds were amazing, everything was incredibly clean. Loved the beach and pools. Nothing was a disappointment! The staff was second to none. I can not find a single thing to complain about. A friend recommended your Resort, so happy we listened.

Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: Amazing resort

Our stay at Planet Hollywood was one of our best. The grounds were kept very clean with no litter, the food was exceptional although be prepared to eat a little later as the reserved venues were very busy. Most of our dining in the reserved locations was at 9 pm. The buffet was also very good and more accessible. Staff are very friendly and courteous. The beach was beautiful and the seating in the shade was a nice relief from the heat as most days were 35 Celsius. The pool area was very nice a [... read more]lbeit a little loud as music and activities start at 10 am through about 4 pm. The catamaran tour was our favorite and we also went on a combined coffee plantation, sloth hike and waterfall tour which was great but a long 10 hour day. The waterfall hike was classed as moderate and for a 66 year old it was not as there are approximately 300 steps down to the falls after hiking about an hour. Overall it was a wonderful experience deserving of its 5 star rating.

Azura Beach Resort Samara: Great, quiet resort

Overall the resort was very good. Not a 5 star but a solid 4 star. Staff are mostly very friendly and generally provide good service. Weather was fantastic, not a drop of rain in 11 days and only a few hours of cloud. Not a place to go if you want to party though. Beach is very wideand nice to walk on, sunsets are gorgeous and the scenery is spectacular. Will definitely be returning to CR.

Riu Guanacaste: another great stay

another great stay at the Riu Guanacaste. although busier than previous trips - there are another 300 rooms - overall a fine experience. the food was great, the staff friendly and responsive, the entertainment at night was fine.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Best western Jaco Beach

The grounds were well kept, swimming pools were clean and well kept. A few more loungers would be good as many put their towels on the chairs in the morning then didn't use them. The room was adequate, bed comfortable, good working air conditioning, and the staff provided great cleaning, towels, coffee etc. A small table on the balcony would be nice. The staff at the hotel were excellent, A+ rating. They were so very friendly and helpful. The air transportation worked well, nothing to repo [... read more]rt on really. My only complaint about the whole experience was the way the ground transportation was handled. Although the vans were new, comfortable, with good drivers, we never got any vouchers, had no idea who the company was, no phone number, etc., left completely in the dark as to procedure for pick up etc. The night before leaving the hotel, I had the staff at the hotel call tripcentral about pickup. The lady I talked to was very nice but could provide me with no information at all. She told me to download the Air Transat App, which I did and it did give me the pick-up time, that's all. So if something was to happen where the driver didn't show what could we do. Keeping the customer in the dark like this creates a lot of stress. I think this part of the trip could be handled much better. Overall the trip was great, had a great time. Loved the beach, the sunsets, the town of Jaco Beach.

Riu Palace Costa Rica: Solid choice for a family with teenagers

The Riu Palace definitely has a 1980s Miami feel rather than the familiar Spanish colonial, but was the perfect choice for our family getaway in Costa Rica with 4 teenagers (with the minor exception of the in-room liquor dispensers!). The property was comfortable and well-maintained with generous sized rooms, great dining choices, and inviting pools and beach area. Staff were friendly and attentive. Access to the adjacent Riu Guanacaste property meant additional variety for meals, pool and wa [... read more]ter play. The Diamante Adventure Park next door was convenient and offers zip lining, wildlife sanctuary, horseback riding and more. That said, if you're just going to stay on the resort, you'll probably get better value in Mexico or the Dominican Republic!

Occidental Papagayo: Beautiful Resort with some drawbacks

This resort is beautiful and the staff is great but there are many hills and stairs to traverse. There is a shuttle to take you around the resort if you’re willing to wait. We found the food to be very bland with not much western style food selection. They offer a lot of cheap foods…..beans, rice, potatoes. Not much for meat selection. Never once saw bacon for breakfast. We had a bay view room in building 17. While the view was spectacular we had several critters in and around our buildi [... read more]ng. Raccoons, rampant throughout the resort, will try to get in through your patio door so keep it locked! In our room we found a scorpion, salamanders and crickets. The rooms themselves (in building 17 anyway) are a bit dated. Our shower leaked but someone promptly fixed it. The people that stay at this resort are on the older side so if you’re looking for parties you won’t find it here. I for one preferred that! Entertainment was very boring. One night they had a violinist and another night was a guitarist. We did pay about half of what we would have to go to a different resort so I can’t complain too much. Overall we still had a pleasant time. Shout out to Larry Ulate who we booked our excursions with. Super friendly guy who was very accommodating. The catamaran excursion was amazing as well as river rafting and the rain forest tour! We took the hotel shuttle one night ($40 US) to playa Coco and then took a cab ride back ($25 US). It’s a lovely beach town with shopping, restaraunts/bars only about a 10 minute ride from the resort. Coconutz bar/grill has karaoke every Tuesday which was a lot of fun!! I would recommend this resort to people on a tight budget. Bring snacks!

Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica: Beautiful but large resort nestled in a forested area

The grounds of this resort are well-maintained and extensive. The pools and beach were beautiful. The food and service were good and the staff were very nice. The only issue we had was with the restaurant dinner reservation system, which was haphazard and favoured the "executive members" or if you were willing to pay $35 US per person. Often, tables sat empty for most of the dinner service because they would be reserved for one of the above groups. This meant you had to eat inside the buffet, wh [... read more]ich was basically the same food every evening, tasty but nothing special. On Christmas eve, there was no buffet, only dinner on the beach, for which you had to pay a very expensive surcharge for the same thing normally offered in the buffet. The rooms and most spaces on the resort were clean, but for some odd reason, many of the outside walls were not. Also, it is best not to go here during Christmas and New Year's because the noise created from turning two of the pools into the New Year's evening event, which you must pay extra for ($100 US per person),Christmas Eve dinner on the beach was also $100 per person and there was absolutely nothing extra for Christmas day dinner just the regular menus. Also, the wines offered are only the two houses, red and white. All others were very overpriced, cheap wines. There is lots of wildlife, birds and nature to see on the resort and around the resort and there are trails through the mangroves too. You can easily see all three species of monkeys. We did the sunset cruise and fishing trip, which we booked directly on the beach. These were wonderful, too. There are lots of tours to take as well. There are car rentals right at the resort, and you can book online with Enterprise before you go. There were lots of kids activities and the resort really catered to kids. No one in our family got sick, and we ate and drank everything. Lots of great weak specialty drinks, so you can have many without getting too hammered.Lots to eat and the pool food was good.

Riu Guanacaste: will come back....

Loved the resort and surroundings. Issues: my son, age 40, does not drink alcohol. We had to ask repeatedly for extra water and pop. Got irritating some days. Also, the shower was unacceptable, but we didn't complain to change rooms. Water spouted out of about four holes out of a dozen or more holes. Should be better for a Superior room. Also ran into a grumpy maid on our second last day there. She was snapping at me in Spanish. Unacceptable. I fell on the hard ground the vendors wo [... read more]rk on and broke two ribs. Tripped over a substancial piece of tree root coming out of ground. This should definitely be cut out or something. The fall could have been worse. Nothing you can do for ribs. Otherwise.....I'd still come back if the price was right.

Villas Sol: Amazing resort!

Our stay at the Villas Sol hotel has exceeded our expectations. From its prime location to exquisite dining and immaculate cleanliness, everything was exceptional. The staff is both friendly and professional. Although one of the three nearby beaches was just a few minutes from our hotel, the shuttle service was convenient and available throughout the day. Additionally, the onsite car rental service was a delightful bonus to our experience.

Occidental Papagayo: 3rd Visit

Our 1st visit was pre-covid and I fell in love with the resort. All Inclusive - Adults Only ... Love the location of the resort only about 20 minutes from the Liberia airport. Resort is built on a hill so lots of hills and stairs which I enjoy FYI there is a shuttle if you don't like the walking. When the tide is out the beach is great. We prefer the bayview rooms for the view. This past week was our 3rd visit to Occidental Papagayo ... each time we visit the service and housekeeping is [... read more] less & less. The grounds are not as clean as they used to be. The coffee service in the AM is not as accessible as it once was - the only coffee available is at the main buffet and you have to ask for a take out cup. As far as the food, the buffet is the same food EVERY DAY. The restaurants for dinner have to be booked - 2 reservations for the week. GRILL - soup was delicious but tuna was extremely over salted & over spiced. Beef was very tough. ITALIAN - tuna was salty but not as bad as the Grill. Bar service around the pool was hit & miss. Also there is NO service at the pool until about 11am so you have to make sure you have water from the main breakfast buffet. No more plastic cups - CocaCola cups & paper disposable cups for drinks. No more bottle water at the buffets & only one water refill station at the reception. Supposed to get 2 bottles of water each day in your room but NOT always. This resort is getting old and needs some upgrading. NOTE: Keep your patio doors closed and locked due to the local raccoons which go room to room every night - people feed them so they are not shy. Do not leave anything out on your patio. Definitely make sure the safe works in your room and you lock things up. We didn't have any issues but we met a woman who's safe was not working she didn't call the front desk and hide her purse in a drawer under another bag & she had money missing a few days. Like I said, I love this resort not sure we would return for a 4th visit. Happy Vacation!