JW Marriott Hotel and Resort & SPA, Guanacaste Reviews

Good restaurants, good swimming in the poo!l, poor beach

After staying at the Marriott in Jaco I ll admit I had high expectations. This place was twice the price and I hoped for a better experience than Los Suenos Marriott. To be clear, the facilities were top notch, but the check-in was long, it seemed they are running a skeleton crew and I had to go find service when I wanted anything. This is very secluded, so anything you want is Marriott... Dinner at only one open restaurant, only one steak on the menu, rib-eye. Although we ll presented with a delicious sauce, it was a piece of meat that would have resulted in a free meal at Outback! Riddled with fat. I ate less than half before calling it quits on a $50 meal. The pool as awesome, they even had a couple hot spa/tub (which I really enjoyed) and the beach was a nice walk. Bath had both shower and deep tub. The room had an espresso machine versus standard coffee maker with one normal and one decaf for a selection. Yes, the first part of the road, before you get to the gate will make you think you re lost! At almost $450 for a night, save your money, go someplace else...

A beautiful and very invested place, recommended for couples and families

Beautiful place. Service is exceptional. The rooms are great and the facilities are wonderful. The beach near the hotel is not one you can swim in and the hotel is argueably kid friendly. There are some kid activities, but other hotels in guanacaste are better for families. Food is EXPENSIVE and not great.

We stayed here for a number of nights and it was a very impressive facility. The swimming pool was amazing and we spent most evenings just floating around. Food was great in the various restaurants that they had and the location allowed us to explore the surrounding Countryside. Walking along the beach was good too. Definitely will go back here as we talked about this place quite often. It is a bit of a haul to drive from San Jose to here after a late afternoon flight but we made it.

Sunsets were amazing to

Great staff. Good accommodations. Location and beach are just ok.

Excellent place, the beach is not the best, but neither its main attraction, the sunset is glorious, it is really worth it

Great place! There are lots of food options and even an ice cream shop. I was with a group so I cannot comment on the food & drink pricing but I'd enquire about meal/drink packages. There are many things to do in Costa Rica so the concierges are a great resource to use, they are polite & helpful. The resort is located in a gated community and offers an additional peace of mind (even though Costa Rica is a very safe nation). The report is focused on families and couples travels so the atmosphere is relax and not wild. (this might change depending on the season). There are plenty of things to do around the area (Mt bikes for rent, nature walks, golf, beach, Lulu's, etc.) but if you want to do things in the mountains or rain forest expect a ~2+ hr drive. I highly recommend this place! Pura Vida!

Very nice view of pool and beach. Good service and many restaurants at the place.

I booked a handicapped and wheelchair accessible suite. ... after arriving it turned out that it wasn't. An attempt was made to prepare the room so that it could also be used by a wheelchair user, but this did not work. The mirror in the bathroom was way too high, you can't go under the sink, etc. That the doors are wide enough, there is a handle next to the toilet and the room has no stairs. ..... is unfortunately not sufficient. Otherwise it is a nice facility and the staff is friendly.

Cooking class was my favorite. A gorgeous resort with a most beautiful room; well decorated, spacious, clean, comfortable with wonderful bathroom and amenities. Wonderful full patio with a screen that could be lowered for privacy and to keep out bugs (we did not encounter any bugs at this hotel) but that could be because we had a lovely iguana perched in the corner rocks of our patio The pool was gorgeous and very well maintained. The beach is beautiful to look at but not good for swimming because of rocks and currents. The staff was very friendly. The cons about this hotel is that it is the middle of nowhere. If you do not have a car, prices to get into town or on a tour are about 3x what they should be. The food at the hotel was overpriced and not very good at all. We tried the buffet one night, so that we could sample each item and nothing was impressive. We passed on breakfast all together due to quality more than price. The JW Marriott does have an ice cream parlor which was pretty good. The JW Marriott Guanacaste offers a wide variety of activities in the in-room folder, but when we went to book them (the free ones) they said to just show up. The first was about Costa Rican Traditions, but it was to be held in the kids clubhouse and the kids were watching Minions so we said we didn t want to interrupt. We did sign up and pay ($15 each ) for a cooking class that was to be held in the steak restaurant. The experience was awesome. The chef and his assistant were very friendly and made our afternoon memorable. The chef showed us how to prepare Gallopinto (beans and rice a staple of Costa Rica) and muscles cooked in Cacique (alcohol made from sugar cane) Both the Chef and his assistant were very engaging and friendly. After the chef prepared the meal, he spoke about presentation and we were each able to decorate a plate, add a portion of the cooked meal, and then sit and enjoy the delicious meal.

We stayed 5 nights at the hotel and our experience was very good. All the staff at the hotel are very attentive and are concerned that you have the best experience during your stay. Our waitress Karen left us an More

The super comfortable and luxurious facilities, personalized attention, has an Italian restaurant, an Asian one and a meat house, swimming pool area, golf court, and many activities to have a good time like spa, tours to different places, atv tour, zip line tour . high prices but according to the service provided. Very spacious and the sunsets are amazing, recommended.

This hotel is absolutely incredible. Beautiful location, grounds, rooms, ammenities. I would come back again for sure!

Beuatiful resort with friendly staff. The restaurants on site are great! Definitely going down on my list of future vacation spots

We stayed here this December 2019. It's a great resort, with good ambiance and really nice setting. 5/5 for sure, all the Marriott properties are really nice. We are gold members and always love staying here. It doesn't disappoint and we got a really good deal! The staff is great and the food is also great, right by the beach and it's a beautiful resort

The service is first class, they have several very good restaurants, as well as a magnificent ice cream parlor. I recommend the spa, great.

Beautiful hotel, fantastic buffet meals. Great concierge service.

Great staff. Great weather. Good food. Great facility.

Lovely stay! Spent 9 days here on our honeymoon. While we enjoyed some quiet days at the excellent pool and on-property restaurants, we definitely recommend renting a car and exploring the surrounding area too. The colorful surf-town of Tamarindo, Playa Avenallas, Playa Langosta and a few more beaches are only a short-drive away. Staff is friendly and accommodating - I especially appreciate amazing Elena in the salon who helped me practice my Spanish while giving me an A + blowout & Tatiana in the Mansita restaurant who helped me practice my Spanish over delicious breakfast. On-property horseback riding too was also an excellent way to spend a morning.

Sorry for my bad Spanish, but I need to practice more -> Lovely stay at the hotel! We visited 9 days at the hotel for our honeymoon. We enjoyed the lazy days in the pool. However, we recommend renting a car and visiting Playa Langosta, Playa Avenallas, Tamarindo and other nearby beaches. The staff are friendly and helpful especially Elena in the salon (her hairstyles are amazing) and Tatiana in the Mansita restaurant (she helped me practice Spanish).

We went here with friends the first week of September 2015, and it was outstanding. At this time of year the place was nearly empty. We litteraly saw no one at the pool the first day, and it's the largest pool in Central America. The pool is quite warm, like bath water. However, in the heat of Costa Rica it still feels good. The beach is not meant for swimming as lots of large dangerous rocks sit just under the water. However, if you bring comfortable water shoes it's great to walk in low tide.

It's important to note, this is in the middle of no where a 30min drive to Tamarindo, the closest town with places to eat. This is meant for a quiet retreat vacation, not for an exciting party time.

First class resort and even better service! Will be back soon!!

Beautiful location, excellent service, delicious food. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. An excellent, luxurious vacation spot!

The JW Costa Rica is a beautiful property. The food, staff, and amenities are amazing!

Other than lousy music at pool and very loud room air conditioning, it a very nice place!

A beautiful place, excellent facilities, its rooms are magnificent, its restaurants offer delicious meals, but the best and most important thing is the warm treatment of all its staff.
Thank you very much for your attention.

Very nice place but it's an artificial Costa Rica experience

Everything impeccable and perfect. As expected from a 5 star hotel. Comfort, service, cleaning, 24 hour attention. All first class.

The resort is nice designed and has a massive pool complex and the beach is not too far from the hotel. The hotel has all you need and the food is excellent, however it is remote you need a car to get here and it is not close to anything you will have to drive a little if you want to eat elsewhere. Don't miss having a drink at the bar veranda overlooking the resort.

Mansita Beach
Spectacular!!!!

Great place to re experience cr! Great food and service. Take advantage of avis on site.

First time at this resort in Costa Rica. Beautiful property and outstanding service regardless of where you are on the property. The restaurants have very good food and excellent service as well! For a nice and relaxing vacation, the JW Marriott is a great choice. The only downside for some folks may be that the resort is very isolated, as the closest town of any size is Tamarindo about 30 min drive away. Also, the road for about 1 mile before you get into the resort gates coming in is surprisingly rough and potholed. Once you get past that you're fine! Enjoy your stay! . P.S. There's scheduled transportation service from the resort to Tamarindo for $20 PP if you don't have a car. Recommend Adobe Car rental, as they were great to deal with if you need a car. Tell them you were referred by My Tan Feet 5, as that referral give you one free additional drive, and cell phone free of use while renting. Also, I HIGHLY recommend getting the GPS for an additional $6/day!

Resort is great, beach is beautiful, pools are great. Would not reccomend the restaurants on site, very expensive and very average food. Staff we very friendly and attentive. Rental cars are quite inexpensive.

It is a beautiful hotel.

Really very nice, the infrastructure is Spanish.

The rooms are large, comfortable beds, with beautiful views of the gardens or the sea.

All very clean, very tidy.

The food is so good.

Food is very poor in quality and diversity considering it's expensive value. Frozen food, bad cooking oils and old bread. Mansita might be the worst restaurant. Internet coverage is poor. Very few employees during the pandemic, makes you feel sometimes unattended and service in restaurants seems mediocre. Being frequent Marriott visitor, if you are thinking on coming due to the deals, think twice because this Marriot I would not recommend!

Beautiful resort. It is about 25 minutes from the restaurants of Tamarindo so if you plan on going surfing I would recommend renting a car.

Luxurious resort. Fast incredibly friendly staff. Not cheap and somewhat isolated. Good swimming beach is a 10 minute walk

Very good !!! Away from the trade ... but the room is excellent.
Beach is not very good for swimming ... but the view is beautiful.
I had a serious problem with the pool bar which was settled with the manager, but outside this, ok.

Was nearly empty during my stay, more staff than guests. Food is absurdly expensive, coffee is mediocre, pool is amazing, beach is cool. Amazing if you're willi g to blow $100 per person per day, less so if you're not.

Stayed here for a week during August. The weather was great and the place is run incredibly well. The rooms are impeccably clean and the beach access is perfect. This is by far the best hotel to stay at near tamarindo. The drive to it is relaxing and is a good buffet between all the noise and bustle of the tamarindo town. The restaurants are fantastic in the hotel and the food is prepared professionally. The steak house is incredible with some of the best food I had on the whole trip.

I highly recommend this hotel to anybody visiting within an hour of the area. The breakfast everyday was to die for as well. Waffles like you wouldn't believe.

I never write reviews but this is important. The basic hotel staff are always nice where ever you go especially in Costa Rica. We had reserved 2 rooms and had arrived at 930PM at night after a long 8 hr drive. Hotel admin was more concerned about closing and were persuading us to do in room dining. There were only 10 families at the resort so its not like they were busy. We insisted on going to the restaurant and that may have been a mistake since it was not tasty. Any how key card were given to us and no introduction to the property or any welcome. It was as if we had arrived at someones funeral. I had paid for valet parking but guess what I had to get the car myself with the spare key since no one was there when I wanted the car.
I had to convince the night time supervisor that he is a supervisor and not a manager when he introduced him self as a manager. No welcome, and no Pura Vida for us. It was not just us that felt this way but another family staying had a similar impression.
The night time "supervisor" was most likely related to the hotel manager. That night time supervisor "carlos" should not be in the hotel industry. When I talked to the hotel manager in the AM, he gave me the vibe that he also didnt give a _ _ _ _.
Best is for visitors to stay at a local hotel since at least you will get the Costa Rican hospitality.
All best!!!

We love the hotel and the food. Also the service very nice our staying.
My spouse forgot her shades in the front of the hotel where is the people of parking 5 minutes more or less we realize she forgot them when we came back they were gone. The staff of the hotel in the area of lost and found did not give us an answer until now. So glamorous hotel and they are still steal things from the customers, shame on them, it was a 100 dollar pair of glasses what it matters is that nobody saw anything and lost and found never give us an answer. So please do not trust and take care of your belongings. The beach full of rocks. I would not recommend. Sorry but I'm honest.

We liked the hotel but they stole a pair of glasses that we forgot near the parking area. Nobody saw anything and the hotel was not responsible. This is an expensive hotel to be robbed by people. If we pay is because we want to be safe and yet can not be trusted, very bad that happens and with cameras where they stole no one gave us an answer. I do not recommend it for the lack of security. The beach full of stones I end up hurt. It is not worth a disappointment. I do not recommend it for families with children because the stones on that beach can be dangerous.

What a beautiful resort! Our vacation here was perfect.

Beautiful and exclusive place More beautiful could not be. And very safe.

One of the nicest hotels in the country of Costa Rica. We took advantage of the amazing pool and the beach just on the other side of it. Be careful if you do go to the beach though as there's a ridge of rocks just beyond the water line that is easy to slip on and get hurt with the waves splashing at you.
We also rode a zip line over the first canopy. The hotel did not run the zip line but the concierge did help us get the tickets and made sure it transport was on its way. (They do make you sign a waver that it's not the hotel's liability if you get hurt.)
The whole atmosphere is extremely relaxing; if you need a place to get away from the city and enjoy paradise at a laid back and stress free atmosphere then I can't think of a better place to go then here.

The resort is amazing and they made my 35th birthday an experience to remember. All the team members had 5 star customer service. The only thing is there is literally no signs or lights to get to the resort. Paving the roads would be the only suggestion/need coming into a J.W. Marriott resort.

A really great place to get away from the world. The resort itself is located on a very private ranch with gated access, and is several minutes from the nearest town. It features several restaurants, a beach right on the property, a pair of hotubs, fitness center, spa, onsite travel providers (see Diego at Swiss Travel for land tours, or Wahoo for water sports), travel service to various destinations, and what I'm told (and have no problems believing) is the largest swimming pool in central America.The rooms itself are well appointed, very clean, and have a nightly turndown service. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, and speak very good English. Expect to pay US prices for food, and unless you have a rental car, the closest offsite restaurants are pricey to get to. A secret for those staying at the hotel is that the room service menu is actually cheaper than the exact same food at the restaurants on the property. A good example is the Marriott burger; $16 for room service and $25 for the restaurant. Another piece of advice is that the front desk offers currency conversion at near government rates should you wish. Don't get ripped off at the airport currency desks, or by your bank in the US.

Amazing stay! First class service, rooms and amenities. Highly recommended!

Spectacular setting. Gorgeous flower & palm landscaped grounds surrounding a fabulous enormous infinity pool. Buffets were delicious with a wonderful variety for all tastes & treats. Perfect Pina coladas to enjoy while watching a magnificent Costa Rican pacific ocean sunset or pelicans diving for fish. Our room was palatial, immaculate & exquisitely appointed. Huge bathroom suite. Friendly caring staff. Petal strewn bed. Perfectly pampered

My wife and I just returned from a 10 day dream vacation. The JW Marriott Guanacaste was SPECTACULAR! The property is so clean, well groomed and service is second-to-none! We walked onto the beach right from our room, awesome! Food, drinks and staff are first class. They were constantly asking what they can do for us, we felt like royalty.
The pool is amazing, so large and open. the private beach is super nice. Easy transportation to Tamarindo, which is a quaint little town that is a lot of fun to hang out in. Best vacation!

If you are looking for a fine, typical, standard Marriott Resort then this is your place! If you are looking for a JW Marriott that will blow your mind when you arrive, this is not your place.

There is really nothing wrong with this property except for the fact that it does not blow you away, like I would expect from a JW Marriott. The staff interactions were all fine.

There were also a lot of children at this property, just so you know.

Nice place to stay. Too far from every where else. Beach not so nice

Gigantic pool and wonderful staff. This hotel is the place to enjoy life on the beach.

Excellent service at all times...Buffett breakfast was awesome...the rooms were clean and everything was well arranged. Loved the pool. Wish i can come back soon

This is a nice hotel in the middle of almost nowhere, which isn t necessarily a bad thing.

We visited during a bit of the off season. It was rainy in the afternoons but sunny in the mornings.

The property is very nice, but service is somewhat limited for a JW. if you want to float in a pool with an ocean view and a bar they have that nailed.

The rooms are nice You will want Ocean View or Ocean Front here for sure.

The staff are very friendly (for the most part). We have enjoyed polite and engaging employees at this hotel with one exception.

The breakfast buffet is poor. If you want any meat, hash browns, pancakes, or waffles you have to order those separately. The do include omelettes.

This is our first trip to Costa Rica but it won t be our last. It's a fun place to have a little adventure. Friendly people and definite Central America feel.

The beach at the hotel is a nice walking beach. No swimming here. You ll need to go about 1/2 hour away for that but Tamarindo is nice.

Beautiful views in ocean-front rooms. The pool is nice, quite big, only 4 ft at its deepest and has lots of comfortable lounge chairs and umbrellas. There is also a shallow area roped off for little one's to safely splash about. Poolside food and beverage service is prompt and attentive even in the low season. Pool is open 24/7. Some food is quite good, some is not. All in all a nice resort that I would not hesitate to return to.

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.

I stayed at the JW Marriott Guanacaste with my family over the Christmas week (Dec 21-30). Overall, I have mixed feelings about this resort - while the property is beautiful and the pool area is very nice, the rooms have tiny beds, the service is very inconsistent, beach is not usable and room cleaning is atrocious. A bit more on each below for additional details.

The check-in process is very inefficient and way too long. If there is one person ahead of you, you can expect to be waiting for at least 15 min and there are only 2 check-in desks. The property itself if gorgeous and the pool is large with plenty of chairs around. The room was OK, but had two double beds for a family of four - that is just absurd. How can two people fit on a double bed? It was extremely uncomfortable to sleep and I think that JW could afford queen size beds (there is plenty of space to put queen beds in the room). I was paying $900 per night and was not able to sleep comfortably.

Also, housekeeping was awful. One day, we came from a tour at 5PM to our room and found that it was being cleaned. During cleaning, all our bedding was laying on the floor (including our pillows!). When the maid was done changing the sheets on the beds, she simply picked up the pillows and blankets off the floor and neatly placed them on the bed!!! So we were putting our faces on pillows that were on the floor!!! So much for quality room cleaning. The bathroom was also pretty dirty when we first checked in, with the shower clearly not cleaned properly. Definitely not what you expect from a JW.

The beach is essentially there for you to walk around only. There are no chairs and nowhere to sit or lay down. There are lots of rocks everywhere, so if you want to go in, there is only a small area where you can do so. Going to this property means you will be using the pool only and you should not count on the beach - beyond being there to look at.

Service is also very inconsistent in the resort. Some folks are very nice and friendly, always eager to help. Others never smile and seem upset when you ask them to help or generally do their jobs. The Mansita restaurant buffet is boring, limited and always the same for breakfast - the servers are good, but the cooks simply do not care. They do not keep an eye on the buffet to see if something is out and needs to be replaced - you have to go tell them - and then wait 30 min for that to happen. The pancake lady always looks angry. Anything you ask her is faced with a grunt - she never says anything back to you - just turns away. Very unpleasant. We had dinner here once as well, which was simply terrible.

The other restaurants are OK, though still hit or miss. Azul Grill is great for lunch, but the Italian restaurant it becomes at night is a joke - limited menu and tasteless food.

The resort location is also very far away from everything and the Hacienda Panilla on which the resort is located requires you to drive for 4+ miles just on the property alone - so going anywhere is a 20+ minute ordeal. Sabanero (steakhouse) was good, but highly overpriced. Tamarine was decent in terms of food (sushi was awful), but service was very slow and inattentive.

Personally, I was disappointed with this resort and expected more from the JW. If I was to ever return to Costa Rica, I would not stay at this JW again.

I have hurt this hotel and it is something simply wonderful, and whether in attention, food and place is all equally good igual

Very classy. But you have to like a concrete environment to give 5 stars.

Worst service I ve ever received, At any Marriott brand, EVERY. As a titanium member I stayed over 100 nights last year because of work. Even the low-end brands of the Marriott chain are better than this property. I have been using Marriott for over a decade for my business, and I have lifetime status. I find this hotel to be an anomaly, and doesn t go along with the quality I usually expect & receive from Marriott. On top of all of this, I ve never been to Costa Rica, and it was my 40th birthday trip. So I was pretty bummed with the horrible experience we received.

The few positives-
The pool is nice, large, and has a decent amount of seating. There is a size small infinity pool portion, and another portion which is more kid-based so there is a divider to have some adult time. The pool is very cold and not heated so I did not enjoy that, I did make use out of the hot tub.

The rooms are clean and the beds are comfortable. They have a bug screen so when you sit on your porch you re not getting annihilated by mosquitoes. Housekeeping is good and is probably the only good service on the property.

If you can actually manage to get food at this resort, which almost sounds comical, the food is pretty tasty.
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Negatives-
Where can I start. It s impossible to get a dinner reservation because they overbooked themselves for how many people they re actually allowed to have in their restaurants. We couldn t even get takeout. There s no level of accountability on the servers to get you what you need,get it in a timely manner, and do it with a friendly attitude. Every day, every meal, was a chore, and took twice as long as necessary.

Even when we did make reservations, twice when we showed up, They couldn t find our reservation. Once they accommodated us & the other time they wouldnt seat us. I ended up having an argument with the hostess who barely spoke English. I told her the girl at the front desk s name who made us the reservation, and told her to call up there because the girl would remember me. She wouldn t do it and said there was nothing she could do.

Also there was supposed to be a dedicated person sitting in the lobby taking reservations for every meal breakfast lunch and dinner. Half the time she was not there because she was working half days in the restaurant, making it increasingly more difficult to get any reservations. If you tried to call from your room to book reservations, you either got disconnected transferred or hung up on.

I would avoid this resort at all costs. The property has the opportunity to be a really great hotel but it s not run right. Covid it is not an excuse, because I have traveled all during Covid, For work and for personal, And the other Marriotts are doing an exceptional job at managing the restrictions. For instance, I was at the Solaz in Cabo in July for my 10th wedding anniversary. It was the best vacation I ve ever had, and they had every covid restriction. There were hiccups, but you would never know because they were insignificant, due to the exceptional staff.

My husband even got sick in the car ride up to the hotel because of all the gigantic potholes, but, that s not something that will affect many other guests.

Marriot please save this costa rican property or close it down. You re doing a disservice to your brand.

Fine facilities good atmosphere and very successful service

Amazingly gorgeous property and over the top service received by each and every team member we had an interaction with. Special thanks to Katarina who checked us in and Sergio at the Bell Desk who helped us with recommendations.

The Rooms are beautifully decorated and spacious. You have to make sure you upgrade to the ocean front room for 40$ per night because the view is really worth it.

The Food was delicious and not very expensive for a 5 star hotel. We ordered room service 4 times and service was very efficient.

This is my third time in a JW and 45th time in a Marriott and let me tell you it is in my Top 3 favorites.

I will stay here every time I visit Costa Rica and I recommend it to everyone going there.

Thanks again!

Beautiful facilities as always, food has declined a lot