El Mangroove Papagayo, Autograph Collection

El Mangroove is a quality property with solid service. To address some of the other reviewers —the beach is not dirty nor muddy. It’s just not a typical white sand nor light sand beach. It’s dark sand with a grove of trees between the hotel pool area and the water,...

El Mangroove is a quality property with solid service. To address some of the other reviewers —the beach is not dirty nor muddy. It’s just not a typical white sand nor light sand beach. It’s dark sand with a grove of trees between the hotel pool area and the water, making for a leaf-covered walk and shaded sunning in the sand area, if you understand that oxymoron. Plenty of sun around the pool. I believe the resort is priced accordingly to other Marriott properties for this reality. Also, many small water craft use the area in front of the hotel area for mooring. If you’re looking for that quintessential, crystal clear blue water, sunny white hot sand, this is not the beach for you… but this could be the hotel resort of your dreams. The architecture is low profile, no buildings taller than two stories. It’s a pleasant modern neo-eco architectural physical presence in an undeveloped area. Quiet, clean, and well appointed. The ride from LIR airport was about 25 minutes. $95 if booked through the hotel. A hair confusing finding the individual with my name on the notebook paper sign as there was a massive throng of taxis and other pick up’s. Airport parking and waiting space necessitates the person meeting you to call your driver to swing around with the car. Completely understandable, kind of like our cell phone a lot situation in the US. The car was a clean, regular mid-level Uber, nothing special if that’s what you were thinking you got for $95. Checking in was pleasant, a tiny hair of a language barrier, so that might explain some of the other reviewers comments about checking in. It’s not rude. It’s just brisk because there’s only so much that can be said with minimal translation, hence the reminder to take a snapshot of the QR code on your key folder. Our room was ready at the requested time, the wonderful bellman, Cesar, took us in his cart and helped us with our bags. It was all seamless. The room descriptions on the website are a hair confusing to me with their groovy nomenclature. Basically it looks like you get a one room, or one room with a living room, or one room with a porch room that is sealed off from the bedroom. That room that has a hammock or swinging chair / porch area. (Think of a cube with three sides and a ceiling being sheet rock and one side being a full screen with a door the the bedroom.) You really can’t leave your windows open due to the occasional bugs and a few lizards, which saddens me. Very few rooms have a water view as the property is a skinny property moving away from the beach. Nor are there wave sounds that you hear because of the calmness of the bay. There are at least three main places to dine and all three have wonderful service and delicious food. The breakfast buffet is complementary for certain levels of Bonvoy members and its pretty darn amazing spread of Costa Rican delicacies as well as a very friendly and happy omelette maker. About $30. per person for the buffet. Another Caesar offered exemplary service around the adult pool. Lots to do in the region. Several folks hawking on the beach for tours and the hotel has a concierge to help you as well. As an example, for a couple, the hotel can book a “sloth tour” for $660, the guy on the beach for $450, and if you only had the phone number of the third-party tour guides they both use, you could go for $300. But that’s the way it works. The pool choices are great. The adult, sexy-looking black tile pool with chairs and cabanas along the sides, and on the other side, the family area. Both are really sweet and clean. Note because this is a forested and leafy area, leaves blow into the pool. They net them out several times during the day, they clean at night, they clean in the morning. The pool is not dirty. There are just some leaves there and if you ever swam in a lake, it’s the same idea — get it. The resort does not skimp on staff trying to keep it maintained, keep it clean, and manicured. We will be back. Sunny, friendly and attentive staff, great food, and good pools.

Deep in the heart of Costa Rica! This was our second trip to Costa Rica and a very different experience than the last, which was more eco-touristy. My relatives organized this trip and it was in the Pacific ocean side of the country, on the beach. The resort is one...

Deep in the heart of Costa Rica! This was our second trip to Costa Rica and a very different experience than the last, which was more eco-touristy. My relatives organized this trip and it was in the Pacific ocean side of the country, on the beach. The resort is one of Marriott's higher group of properties, the Autograph collection, so plan on spending more per night than in the center of the country or in the city. The large bay where we were afforded a calm beach for swimming, but even nicer beaches were only a short Uber ride away. The suites were perfect and the resort was nestled into the mangrove area foliage very artistically. Pablo, the concierge, treated our group and everyone else on the property like family. He made sure that the service everywhere on-site was perfect, from the restaurants (3) to the pools (4) to any needed tours.

Loved our stay at El Mangroove. We found the property through a search for Liberia airport hotels and found this lovely property just 20 min away, on the Papagayo Bay. We were only there one night before our flight and wish we had stayed longer. The hotel has a beautiful...

Loved our stay at El Mangroove. We found the property through a search for Liberia airport hotels and found this lovely property just 20 min away, on the Papagayo Bay. We were only there one night before our flight and wish we had stayed longer. The hotel has a beautiful vibe from the jump. Greeted by friendly bell staff and reception, with an easy check in and welcome drink. It's super stylish throughout from lobby to the many intimate pool settings, to restaurants and rooms. The hotel feels luxurious, creative and casual (my favorite combo). Beautiful gardens that are home to iguanas and parrots. Delicious food (we enjoyed Markoko for dinner and wonderful breakfast buffet). The Latin 3-piece band in the evening was a delightful surprise, as was swimming laps in the long pool at dawn before our flight. The staff was genuine and warm. We'll be back!

Overall we had a lovely 5 night stay at El Mangroove but there are definitely some kinks to work out. Check in process was a but clunky and didn’t feel overly welcoming. Woman checking us in was constantly talking on her radio or putting her focus elsewhere. Our room wasn’t...

Overall we had a lovely 5 night stay at El Mangroove but there are definitely some kinks to work out. Check in process was a but clunky and didn’t feel overly welcoming. Woman checking us in was constantly talking on her radio or putting her focus elsewhere. Our room wasn’t ready even though we arrived well after check in time. Typically you are offered a free beverage or something while you wait but we were just passed off to the bellman. We weren’t given much explanation about the property other than to use the QR code on the key envelope which we didn’t receive until our room was actually ready. The staff at the bars and restaurants were fantastic, huge shout out to Carlos at Makoko bar! He made feel so welcomed and happy to see us come back for our nightcaps. Decor in the restaurants was probably a highlight and felt better maintained than the rest of the property. Breakfast was very nice, shoutout to the omelet station guys! Food overall was very good with just a few service issues. Often entrees would arrive before bread or drinks. Pool service was inconsistent, seemed to be due to lack of staffing. One restaurant was closed for a private event which is not unheard of however we didn’t know until trying to make reservations, it would be nice to get a heads up at check in and we would have planned around that. The biggest downside to the hotel is the property itself. While it has a nice vibe and the design is quite pleasant the upkeep of the property is not there. Most things felt tired and very well used. Our room was nice and was one of the few that didn’t have the wired screened in porch living room. However the room overall did not feel very clean. Curtains were moldy, most surfaces had dust on them and don’t look under the beds or behind any furniture. Lots of ants which is not surprising given the location of the hotel. We arrived to trash in our shower and in the ice box. I found a dried up contact on the carpet as well crumbs from previous guests. The floors are mostly concrete and your feet felt dirty after walking on them. On a positive note the bed linens and towels always seemed fresh. Our mini fridge in the room worked sporadically and it was a pain to get ice. Our first night we had a critter visit us in the ceiling, most likely an iguana. While it interrupted our sleep for about an hour or so it wasn’t a consistent problem. We had a very nice unscreened terrace that felt private at the back of the property, only negative is the furniture is highly uncomfortable except for the swing which only one person could sit in. We ended up bringing chairs from the room outside. The pools are nice but again overall upkeep is not there. The “family” pools are actually significantly nicer than the main pool, which was tiled poorly and had a white film over the tiles. Very limited amount of chairs at the pools especially at the main pool where one whole side is reserved just for the cabanas. The ones not reserved are set on a grassy area that is basically just dirt rather than tile. There are usually waves of people coming and going so the opportunity is there to find a chair throughout the day. Throughout the day the pools fill up with LOTS leaves. Not much the staff can do about it as they are too small to have someone constantly cleaning while people are in them. They try their best with leaf blowers. Pool staff were very nice, especially one woman (didn’t catch her name) who was very pleasant and always made sure she didn’t accidentally clean up towels or chairs you were using. If you are really hoping for a beach vacation I wouldn’t suggest staying here. The beach is nice but the chairs the hotel puts out are awful and again set in more of a dirt grass area rather than on the sand itself. It is nice to sit by the shack bar and watch the sunsets though. Also the beach is public which didn’t bother us but it is not secluded and you will be approached by venders who all seemed respectful enough. All in all it was a nice stay but most likely would not return especially for the price.

We stayed here on the last part of our trip. The hotel has everything you need to relax and enjoy. The staff were great, the pools, the restaurants are lovely. The menu needs to be improved. For example, they offer vegetarian appetizers but it does not follow through on the...

We stayed here on the last part of our trip. The hotel has everything you need to relax and enjoy. The staff were great, the pools, the restaurants are lovely. The menu needs to be improved. For example, they offer vegetarian appetizers but it does not follow through on the main course. We did learn that if if you ask, they will substitute. It is definitely on my list to go back.

We had an AMAZING stay at El Mangroove in Costa Rica. From the hotel's shuttle driver who picked us up at the airport to the welcoming greeting as we checked in...our experience was POSITIVE!!! Staff was all professional, friendly, and helpful. Our concierge, Pablo, was a huge help arranging for...

We had an AMAZING stay at El Mangroove in Costa Rica. From the hotel's shuttle driver who picked us up at the airport to the welcoming greeting as we checked in...our experience was POSITIVE!!! Staff was all professional, friendly, and helpful. Our concierge, Pablo, was a huge help arranging for dinner reservations at the hotel's restaurants and one off site location. Restaurants served delicious foods and staff attentive and friendly. Gym equipment was good and pools were accessible and well kept. If we return to Costa Rica, we will stay at El Mangroove again!!!

Beautiful hotel. Very clean, and accommodating. Beautiful pools, and rooms. All of the Staff were excellent. Pablo the concierge was extremely helpful, took care of everything we needed. Thank you Pablo!! 10/10 Would recommend. Can take shuttles off the resort to where you need to go as well.

This hotel reception, staff, and service was so good. We wish we could have stayed longer. Your staff is upbeat, helpful, and very kind. After staying at another Marriott our first week and ending our vacation here, we know without a doubt we would return here just for the quality...

This hotel reception, staff, and service was so good. We wish we could have stayed longer. Your staff is upbeat, helpful, and very kind. After staying at another Marriott our first week and ending our vacation here, we know without a doubt we would return here just for the quality treatment. You made our brief stay for 2 worn down travelers exceptional and gave us the kindness that Costa Rico has to offer! Thank you so much

We took a 10 year anniversary trip booking a honeymoon package for 4 nights. Overall was a great stay but a few things to mention: 1. Service was overall great but somewhat inconsistent at times (pool service, room cleaning) but everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. If booking a special...

We took a 10 year anniversary trip booking a honeymoon package for 4 nights. Overall was a great stay but a few things to mention: 1. Service was overall great but somewhat inconsistent at times (pool service, room cleaning) but everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. If booking a special package, be sure to confirm at check-in and how to book certain items as there was limited communication in advance and some items ( spa services, cabana) may be booked up in advance. Absolutely take advantage of the $5-15 shuttles that can take you to Hacienda Blue or near by beaches 2. All beaches in Costa Rica are public and this hotel has no exception. There are security officers monitoring but everyone was nice and enjoying the beach. Would recommended to rent bikes to use the bike trail ( staying right from the hotel) to explore more of the private beach areas. Other resorts such as Andaz and Four Seasons appear to be further on the peninsula and have a more private beach areas. However, the pool is more of our thing and it was wonderful. 3. The food was overall good but would recommend at least one dinner at Hacienda Blu for sushi/ seafood off property 4. The real STAR was the sunset cruise with Azul arranged through the hotel to which we saw an amazing sunset, dolphins and explored the Gulf. Esteban and Paolo were fun, professional and knew how to make a 2 hours cruise exceptional in every moment!

Spent three nights here. The property is lovely. Room setup is unusual, with no a/c in sitting room, but we enjoyed being open to nature. Food was all excellent, especially breakfast. Restaurant staff were great, desk staff seemed a bit distracted. There seemed an overall lack of attention to detail,...

Spent three nights here. The property is lovely. Room setup is unusual, with no a/c in sitting room, but we enjoyed being open to nature. Food was all excellent, especially breakfast. Restaurant staff were great, desk staff seemed a bit distracted. There seemed an overall lack of attention to detail, which made the price feel excessive. Two major issues: the driver from Liberia airport messed up twice (our friends flew in separately). I would use an independent driver next time. Also note that the beach is disappointing. It’s a public beach with lots of litter and dog waste, the sand is black and grainy, and the water is murky. Recommend rather using hotel pools. Its location near to Liberia airport is a plus, but I might look elsewhere next time.

Wonderful hotel and facilities. The best thing about the hotel was the staff and the service with a smile…..always. Have never been to a country where the welcome was so special. The food was excellent. We stayed in block 3 and couldn’t fault the room….which was spacious and the bed...

Wonderful hotel and facilities. The best thing about the hotel was the staff and the service with a smile…..always. Have never been to a country where the welcome was so special. The food was excellent. We stayed in block 3 and couldn’t fault the room….which was spacious and the bed was super comfy. Glad to have had factor 85 sunscreen provided as the sun was fab but v strong. We did a sloth tour with ISSY TOURS…Very straightforward to book…..illias was our tour guide…and he was great and lunch out was good. No complaints. Thank you to all x

The resort is average. The rooms are weird, half of the room is not air conditioned as it is essentially a screened in porch. The rest of the room is small. The staff at the resort is very nice but expect everything to move extremely slowly. None of the staff...

The resort is average. The rooms are weird, half of the room is not air conditioned as it is essentially a screened in porch. The rest of the room is small. The staff at the resort is very nice but expect everything to move extremely slowly. None of the staff has a sense of urgency and expect very slow service. We wanted to go on one of the excursions but the staff was unable to schedule one for us. Be prepared, the excursions, like everything else at the resort, are exorbitantly expensive.