Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo, a Concept by Hyatt

Excellent stay!!! Definitely 5 stars. The staff is amazing and made my birthday special, thank you. The front office manager is amazing. The front desk, housekeeping, the bellman, the staff that came with the golf cart upon request, I am truly amazed but special thanks to Ingrid, such a gem!...

Excellent stay!!! Definitely 5 stars. The staff is amazing and made my birthday special, thank you. The front office manager is amazing. The front desk, housekeeping, the bellman, the staff that came with the golf cart upon request, I am truly amazed but special thanks to Ingrid, such a gem! And truly grateful to have met her. Thank you to Sebastian, Chris, Jordan. Everyone we encountered was amazing and there were a few other names I am forgetting. Definitely a place that is family friendly and great for relaxing. Thank you!!!

My husband and I spent four nights at the Andaz Resort on Papagayo. We used Hyatt points for this stay. The Andaz location is a very easy drive from the Liberia airport. We rented a car at Avis for our week in Costa Rica and divided time between the Andaz...

My husband and I spent four nights at the Andaz Resort on Papagayo. We used Hyatt points for this stay. The Andaz location is a very easy drive from the Liberia airport. We rented a car at Avis for our week in Costa Rica and divided time between the Andaz and the JW Marriott. Tip - if you rent a car, decline the mandatory CDW insurance if it's covered by your credit card company. Do this when you reserve in the US. You cannot do this at the counter in Liberia unless you have a printed letter from your credit card company. The peninsula itself is lovely. The resort is behind the gates along with other resorts like the new Ritz Reserve and the Four Seasons. It's lush (irrigated) and dotted with very large estates and beautiful views. The Andaz resort is built into hillside on Culebra Bay. It does not have open ocean access. The inner bay location makes this property very hot. The was barely a breeze the week we were there. And it's very hilly with tons of steps to move from the buildings to beach, spa, gym and other facilities. Yes there are golf carts but most folks want to walk so be prepared. For example, wearing leggings to the gym is not a good idea. It's a hike and part of the workout. You'll be sweating when you arrive. Plan accordingly. Picking the right building will help make your stay less of a cardio workout. We requested building five which was closer to the adult pool, beach, Ostra Restaurant and the gym. Though it's below the gym so it's a climb to get there. The buildings are only three floors with bird's nest style balcony . The feels is somewhat rustic and jungle-like which is nice. We saw and heard howler monkeys. There are ceiling fans in the room and balcony but it was very warm to sit outside after 10am. The rooms are pleasant with comfy beds. The room is divided from sleeping area to bathroom area by a wardrobe. A double sink vanity, toilet room and very large shower that opens to the balcony with floor to ceiling glass folding doors. The folding doors could be dangerous for children where fingers could easily be jammed in the hinges. Housekeeping was great - I loved that the women coiled my electronic cords. Hyatt.. please pay the staff a living wage! Some of these folks travel 2 hours to get to work. The floors are poured concrete and were a bit stained and certainly slippery when wet. Using a textured paint might have been a better idea. The linens were all quality along with provided toiletries. Check in and check out was seamless. Greeting with coconut water and cold towels was a nice touch. The staff will try to up sell guests on the a meal plan which we declined after reading the meh F&B reviews. It might make sense for those who plan to stay on the property the entire stay. We did not. Any meal for two people with 1-2 drinks will run $100 USD. The wine pour is about 2ozs so buy the bottle! We had lunch at Rio Bhongo and that was pretty good. Dinner at Chao Pescao did not impress. Drinks were watery and the food was disappointing. Did not present like a fine dining restaurant. Ostra was our best on-site meal and we sat at the bar for appetizers including a very good ceviche. Sushi is not served on Sunday or Monday so we missed that opportunity. We drove to the Marina restaurant called the Dive Bar for lunch after a morning of touring the area by car. Fantastic lunch, breezy location on the water, great staff and picturesque. Highly recommend. There is also a small store there where we picked up some things for the room. Coffee and Vinyls missed the mark. It opened late during out stay which was odd for a coffee shop. The menu was so limited. This would be a great asset if there were more pastries, bagels, fruit cups, bento boxes and ice cream or shaved ice. Lots of wasted space. Loved the gym and Peloton bike. It was nice setup and I used it every morning. The changing area has steam room, showers, lockers and lead to plunge pool deck. Highly recommend using this area to start the day. We did not use the spa, the kids club, golf or any tours. The beaches and pool did not impress. The adult pool was small, crowded and was not inviting. The main beach - Sombrero Oscuro Beach - was odd. Like a pond front trying to be a beach. Chairs scattered under mangrove trees - lots of roots and stones. The sand was akin to what you'd find at a pond - a mix of sand and dirt. Never saw anyone sitting here. There was no breeze and it did not look like a beach you'd find at a resort. The Claro beach was nicer and a short walk from Sombrero Oscuro. But there were no chairs at Claro. Not sure why. At the very minimum, Andaz should offer chairs and towel stand with cold water at Claro. There was no chair service at either beach. The bathrooms were up by the pool. Many stairs. We tried the of site beach club one afternoon. The boat ride there was my favorite part of this experience. The club itself was very crowded. We ate lunch at the restaurant while we waited for a beach chair. There was no service at the chairs. The chairs are very close together and again it was incredibly warm and still. After a quick swim we headed back to the hotel. I would highly recommend buying a day pass to the Four Seasons. For $250 (including taxes and resort fees) up to four people can use these facilities all day. That includes both beaches, both pools, some water sports, towels, and full use of gym and locker rooms. This resort is at the end of the peninsula and offers both bay and ocean exposure. The difference was profound. Very breezy and much cooler and vastly more comfortable. From valet parking to welcome drink and service at every chair it was a lovely day. The beach is a white sand with very comfy chairs with attentive service. The pools were huge, pristine and empty though the resort was busy. After a sunset, we showered and dressed for dinner in the fully equipped locker rooms with an attendant that was very helpful. We ate at an Asian fusion restaurant under the stars. A perfect day. The day pass and all our food and drink for the day was about $700. But staying at the Four Seasons starts at $2k a night so it felt like a great deal and well worth the price. The Andaz would be well served to expand the enjoyment and aesthetics of the beach area. Hammocks in the water? Chairs and service at Claro? A swim platform in the water? Had I been paying $1,000 a night for the Andaz, I would not have been thrilled. We spent the last three nights of our trip at the JW Marriott about 90 minutes south. Overall we found the JW Marriott more appealing than Andaz. I'll review that property as well. The entire staff at the Andaz was superb. No complaints there. I would suggest that the welcome include an orientation to the peninsula. What is available to guests and transportation options for off site activities. Guests who get off the property will have a better experience in my opinion.

This is a lovely hotel, set in the peninsula. The rooms are spacious with good maid service. Meso and Ostra are very good restaurants; Chao Pescao and Rio Bhongo less so. Breakfast in Rio Bhongo was regularly chaotic, taking too long seat people and too long to provide drinks, often...

This is a lovely hotel, set in the peninsula. The rooms are spacious with good maid service. Meso and Ostra are very good restaurants; Chao Pescao and Rio Bhongo less so. Breakfast in Rio Bhongo was regularly chaotic, taking too long seat people and too long to provide drinks, often getting the order incorrect. Breakfast at Ostra by comparison was excellent. The gym is very well appointed but gets very busy. The boat service to the beach at Casa de Playa was excellent and the boatmen were helpful and even went out of their way to show us dolphins. The drinks service at Casa de Playa was very poor, taking a long time to get drinks and a very long time to get the bill! The hotel were very good at acknowledging mistakes with restaurant bookings and tried their best. The cookies at the cookie and coffee place were very good. This is expensive as a hotel and especially when you add on the taxes and service charges, which add almost 25% to your expected bill. Not 100% five star but a very good hotel.

We LOVE the Andaz Papagayo. Just returned yesterday for our third visit to the resort and always come away refreshed and amazed at the hospitality. It will likely be an annual pilgrimage for us. On this visit we were upgraded to an Andaz Suite and loved having the additional room...

We LOVE the Andaz Papagayo. Just returned yesterday for our third visit to the resort and always come away refreshed and amazed at the hospitality. It will likely be an annual pilgrimage for us. On this visit we were upgraded to an Andaz Suite and loved having the additional room to spread out. Our suite was near the adult pool, which we enjoyed. There are a couple of new additions since our last visit. First, Ostra now serves a special breakfast for Globalists. It was awesome. Really creative menu and enjoyed the setting more than Rio Bhongo -- although we love that restaurant too! Also, they've added a pool to the beach at the off-site beach. It's a wonderful addition and makes the beach an even more enjoyable place to spend time. Service from top to bottom is top-notch. Everyone is incredibly gracious and kind. Special thanks to Patrick Schori, GM of the property, for all of his help. We also had a great conversation with Mayur Maharaj, the Director of F&B at the Andaz Papagayo. Absolute A+