JW Marriott Hotel and Resort & SPA, Guanacaste Review

Excellent experience, giant pool, jacuzzi, good breakfast, tasty food, great space inside the resort, the room is great, overall it is a 5 star resort.

FANTASTIC!! Staff is Outstanding. Very welcoming. The Food. I dare you not to over eat it is so delicious. Calming chill lounge music by the pool allows you relax or just get in the groove.

Loved it. Has everything. The most awesome place I've ever stayed. Staff attentive to all of your needs.

Family and I had a great time here. So much to like. Staff, beach, rooms, pools, landscaping. I take one star of because it's in too secluded of a location. Closest town is miles away.

Editing my review to talk about the spa. The full-body Swedish massage was simply *amazing*. No doubt the best massage I've ever had. The masseuse had the hands of God. And done in a relaxing semi-outdoor environment with real birds chirping and all. Sigh, I want to go back.

My last review was done in error. JW Marriott Guanacaste is a solid 4 for our family. The property is immaculately groomed. The pool is pretty big only 4+ feet deep but the highlight for my two girls. The food at the several restaurants is delicious and beautifully plated. The staff is incredibly friendly and very willing to assist with any issue you might have. The rooms are spacious, but the suites are definite winners. The only reason we did not give it 5 stars is the hotel's isolation. Great if you just want to stay at the resort during your full vacation (and the Marriott restaurants and transportation are a bit pricey), but difficult to get out and explore the area, try less pricey local restaurants, or activities. Overall, we would definitely stay here again and recommend it to our friends. I would rent a car once again explore.

Coming soon my son law parents just built a beautiful home enjoy it u guys deserve all of it hope see u soon

A serene place devoid of stress. One is mesmerized not just by the beauty of the place but the noble people that reside there. The resort in itself has all the services one can think of, that caters to every taste and style and ages. Be it a romantic getaway or a family vacation, JW has paid attention to all your needs, so all we needed to do was....enjoy!!
We just cant wait to go back!! An awesome crew, wonderful view and even more wonderful experience!!
Pura vida!!!

Expensive.. far away from town (10km drive).. lousy food. Awesome pool.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. the resort was beautifully maintained and we'll kept. Entertainment and dancing every night in the open air courtyard with beautiful comfy hammocks. Wonderful food and beautiful views. My only complaint was the cost for for drinks at the pool they were a bit high but similar to other high end resorts. Would stay again!

Absolutely amazing. The hotel was beautiful, and the pool was absolutely stunning. The staff was very helpful and never unpleasant. The hotel's restaurants were worth experiencing, if a tad on the expensive side. Though the beach at the actual resort was too rocky to play in, the beach house only a 10 minute drive away was perfect for boogie-boarding. Overall perfect experience.

Here having a good time with my friends sharing a good lunch

We had to make an emergency stop and it was the best one, people are very courteous.

LOVED this hotel!!! We had so much fun and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Also loved that the pool was open 24 hours. The rooms were beautiful and clean and the beds were so comfortable. Grateful to have experienced such a wonderful hotel.

What a beautiful property. The beach is a bit rocky and rough. But the sunset views are amazing! The resort has about 5 pools if you prefer that. The grounds are well kept and the staff are really amazing as well. Sergio who checked me in was such a delight.

This resort is really far from everything so you might want to rent a car if you want to venture off of the property. Otherwise, you can get a ride into Tamarindo for $20 round trip that you can arrange at the transportation office. The concierge office staff were very informative and helped us to book the tours we wanted.

The housekeeping was impeccable. They always left fresh linen and kept our room well stocked. They also came by in the evening to turn down our beds and provide ice and more linens if needed.

The rooms are beautiful, spacious and comfortable.

I enjoyed my stay tremendously.

Couldn't say enough good things about this place, other than fantastic.

Great Hotel, stayed here for two nights with an amazing beach side view. The sunsets are beautiful at this hotel, the food is amazing and the pool is wonderful.

My family and I had a wonderful experience and would recommend the hotel to anyone and in fact have recommended it several times since we have been home. It was such a clean, beautiful, well maintained resort with such kind staff willing to do anything for you with a smile. The breakfast buffet is free and it has a large variety of choices, the 5 restaurants all have incredible food and they are very concerned about potential food allergies. I hope we have the opportunity to go back and visit again and I would highly recommend this resort to anyone.

The JW in Guanacaste is a gorgeous hotel. The pool is huge and I was very impressed with the room.

I had a very frustrating experience with the service provided by the hotel. We started on the wrong foot - I arrived around 130pm after scheduling a $300 shuttle from San Jose to the hotel (note that I scheduled this through the transportation service that is affiliated with this hotel). Check in is at 3pm, so I expected that I might have to wait for my room. When I arrived the front desk, the person that handled my check in told me to wait at the desk (rather than going to the pool or a restaurant) because my room would be ready in about 15-20 minutes. I ended up waiting for 90 minutes with no real updates. I typically don t mind waiting for a room, especially if I am arriving before check in, but the front desk handled it poorly by making me wait. Once I was finally given my keys, I found that my luggage had been moved from a luggage cart to the ground and no one offered to take my bags to my room or show me where to go.

Later, we booked a day trip to go white water rafting. This was booked through the hotel travel service. I was told that we would have a shuttle ride to our location and that we would be gone for 10 hours - no one mentioned that we would have a 4 hour shuttle each way with a total of 1.5 hours of rafting (and a 30 minute lunch).

Finally, when we got back from rafting, we went to an on site restaurant. We waited for 1.5 - 2 hours to receive our food. We asked for bread 3 times and didn t receive any until after our meal.

When I raised all of the above issues at check out, the on site manager offered to do nothing to help us after all of these issues. I complained about this to Marriott afterwards and was offered 5,000 bonus points at Marriott (worth the equivalent of 1/7th of a night at this hotel). They followed up with an offer of 10,000 points. Eventually I was able to discuss this with the general manager, who gave me a fair amount of compensation for our issues, but it was incredibly frustrating that it took so long to get to that level.

The GM made a point of telling me that this is not up to the standards he expects from his hotel and asked me to reach out to him personally if we ever decide to return to this location.

My rating reflects the quality of the service - I was very impressed with the actual hotel.

Wow what an amazing resort! The road to get you there will have you thinking you're lost or on the wrong road, but you'll emerge from the dark jungle and appear at the gated entrance. The property looks like an old hacienda but on a grand scale it's beautiful. They have a giant pool which is great to watch the sunset from. There is an observatory with a telescope you can make reservations for with the concierge. The rooms are beautiful as you would expect for a JW. They do a wonderful cocktail hour right at sunset accompanied by music. We had a fantastic stay and can't wait to go back! Pura Vida!

A gem!
Goodness me. Super clean rooms, employees look happy to be there, everything is perfect.
Hotel is very secluded from the town so perfect for a romantic getaway.

I will def be back

Great vacation spot! Staff is very friendly. There are several restaurants which differ in food which is a plus. They also prepared fresh fish we had caught for dinners and lunches which made the experience even better!

Amazing resort! Immersed in nature with access to beaches and a property with flora and fauna such as tropical flowers, mango trees, monkeys, lizards, and a multitude of birds and butterflies. Not only is the location spectacular, but what sets it apart is the attention to detail and dedication of the staff. Friendly, attentive, engaged, and dedicated to making sure your stay is care free and enjoyable. The restaurants are top notch and deserve to be recognized for their culinary art and delicious flavors. We enjoyed eating here as well as tasting the local cuisine off the resort. The local water and ice is safe to consume as well.

If you're looking for a place to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle, this is perfect. The location and staff exceeded my expectations in many aspects.

Awesome resort. Food and service were top notch. The pool was nice to relax in. We enjoyed a Nature Hike while staying here.

Just checked in and the property is very impressive. Dinner buffet was excellent and Livano salsa was there. Desert table was great.

Beautiful and relaxing. Staff is well trained and always helpful. Room was exceptional and the view was spectacular. Highest recommendation.

Beautiful resort. Very friendly staff and wonderful destination wedding experience.

I don t wish to exclaim what a true paradise this place is for fear of building up expectations that can t be met, but I honestly believe this is the closest to paradise I ve ever been, hated to leave and can t wait to go back. Btw, the staff and people in general, are the true gems of this place. We visited at the end of the rainy season at the end of November 2017.

Wonderful infinity pool, sunset locale, great staff!

Amazing facility. Great beach. Fantastic pool. Outstanding food and service. Highlight of our trip to Costa Rica.

Great resort. Pools are beautiful, on the ocean if you like the beach. Great customer service and comfortable rooms. Only downside are the giant bugs around the resort!

Beautiful, well maintained, super clean hotel in a dream location with huge pool, various restaurants and fantastic breakfast. Outstanding was the extremely friendly staff, we all felt really downright warm. We have never experienced this in the world before. Big compliment! Particularly noteworthy was Pedro from the restaurant Mansita, who took us to the nature reserve Ostional, a beach on the day of our trip thousands of turtles landed to dig their eggs. That was a fantastic one
Experience! Pedro has given us so many tips and has also shown beautiful beaches, he has made us very curious about this beautiful country. Overall, all employees were proud of their homeland. We will definitely be back, to Costa Rica and certainly again in the Marriott Guanacaste.
Clemente y Anja

Love the Sandbar Restaurant in J W Marriott! Chef Nixon created a deliscious amgus hutger and fries!!!!

Really nice hotel, great views and wonderful service. 100% recommended if visiting the Guanacaste area. Keep up the great work guys!

Excellent service and the restaurant is on its high points.

This place is awesome. Service and staff are great!!!

Great food and wonderful service! We are having a great time!

Beautiful hotel, lovely swimming pool and nice rooms. In fact everything is really good.

Wow... what a great resort!!! Isolated, not much kids, great beach and pool... we had an amazing time there

Very luxurious and lots to do. Quiet beach ...kind of Rocky but nice to be away from the manic crowds of Tamarindo

There are better places to stay in the Guanacaste region. We stayed here for a medical meeting & were disappointed. Staff is nice but not properly trained. The concierge was not good at all. We LOVE Costa Rica but not the JW Marriott. If you can spend a bit more...stay at the Four Seasons in Papagayo.

The most beautiful and luxurious Resort in Costa Rica. I recommend it for an unforgettable experience.

A perfect Costa Rican Hacienda paradise!
My wife and I absolutely loved this resort. Our room was big, clean, elegant and very comfortable. From the beginning the service and staff was the best and always helpful.
The food was incredible although you do have to pay for your meals but it was worth it.
The surroundings were so peaceful, tropical and wild.
The beach right in front of the resort is not the best, however, you can walk to the left of the property where you will find an amazing vast beach and it's so empty that you feel it was just put there for your enjoyment.
I wanna thank the resort staff and everyone who helps this place to be the beautiful paradise it is. I has an incredible time!

Very beautiful its beautiful resort and the attention of those who work there 100% good

Magnificent facilities, very comfortable and well equipped rooms. Breakfast buffet with wide variety and quality. Professionalism in the treatment and care of details. Very spacious and comfortable pool. We have enjoyed a very pleasant stay, long beaches for walks and first-class sunsets from the same hotel.

Absolutely love every JW Marriott I've stayed at but combining the beauty of Costa Rica and the impeccable service that JW is known for makes this a standout resort. The seclusion of it's location but the relative proximity to the airport (about an hour's drive) and to the local town make it accessible. The food never disappointed and the entire resort is there to make it feel like it's home. If you're looking for something that's truly first class, you should definitely consider the JW!

The place is a paradise but it is very expensive and difficult to access, if not with a private car ...

Totally awesome place to stay in costa rica. U get all costa rica is known for with excellent servicevn friendliest staff i have experienced . U have an awesome hotel in the middle of a jungle where u can walk n see wild holler monkeys eagles n many many more of the costa rican wild life. They also have mountain bikes at ur disposal n an unlimited amount of trails from begginners to pros to ride throigh jungle n end up at some of the most beautiful secluded beaches. Plenty of daily activities set up by hotel for both adults n children n did i mention probably the biggest pool in costs rica. Best time ever .

Pros
Service , front desk and reception is very good.
Sunset is beautiful.

Cons
All the restaurants in the property are bad. Tamarindo (Asian cuisine) seriously needs an authentic Asian chef. Mansito is average. Nau lounge is equally bad. None are up to the JW Marriott standard.The nearest town is 20 mins away.

Lot of big locusts in the property. Hope they can do something about it. Scares the guests.

The beach is rocky.

It does take 20 mins to go to the nearest Tamarindo town. Better to have a car if u want to eat out. One way ride in shuttle is $20

Beautiful setting, great restaurants, pool and service, golf close by at Hacienda Pinilla

Loved the JW. Make sure you leave the property and eat at some local Soda's

Celebrated my son and husband's birthday, fantastic place! We had a day of fishing and the chef here took our fresh tuna and made us some fantastic dishes! Amazing! This is a beautiful and relaxing place to stay! The only downfall is if you want to go off of the resort there is not a lot around. If you need transportation it is pricey. Wouldn't be a bad idea to rent a car. The extra daily resort fees that are added on for daily activities but we do not have a chance to use them. The rooms are beautiful and very clean, also comfortable.We all had a wonderful stay here, I would highly recommend staying here to relax, wine and dine!

Expensive. Very relaxing and fun for little ones if they go tide pools hunting on the beach.

The best resort in Costa Rica. Various local food to choose and taste. Biggist pool in Central America. The staff is great. Make you feel like coming home. Pura Vida you are all awesome.

Very nice and recommendable hotel. The bad thing is that there are no close places to go

I guess I was expecting too much from this place for the amount of money we spent here. I prefer service over a view. We were told you get both here. That was not the case. Stayed for a little less than a week and went to a different hotel later.
Much smaller with not as nice of a view , but I was treated much better than Mariott Guanacaste. I can honestly say that I have already told a lot of my customers, friends, and family to avoid this location and ultimately Marriott in general.

The rooms were great! The pool and beach were beautiful as well but the food was only decent and the entertainment was sub par. Not much to do at night and all towns are far away. Hospitality was great.

The best ... the beautiful beach and overcome relaxing

This resort, by far, has the most amazing property! From private, empty beach of volcanic black sand for surfing to riding horses down the beach at sunset!! They have it all!!

Beautiful hotel. Great rooms and beds. Great swimming pool with access onto beach(not recommended to swim, lots of rocks).

Breathe taking hotel. You can watch sunset everyday. The best customer service . Food is very good and delicious .

Good dining options, incredible pool, beautiful beach views, and nice rooms. A wonderful place to stay.

Definitely five star rating for service, food flavor, and accommodations. Thank you JW for the wonderful stay.

One of the nicest Marriott properties located in a gated development with access to amazing beaches and outdoor activities. 20 minutes from Tamarindo if you feel the need to go to a nice little bustling town for restaurants or nightlife.

Very beautiful resort on the beach, away from city life.