JW Marriott Hotel and Resort & SPA, Guanacaste Review

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Great resort. Staff was excellent. If i could give 6 stars I would. Was not as pricey as I expected. Just be prepared for a bumpy ride getting to the place

We decided to get out of town for one night of our CR stay and visit the nearby JW Marriott in Hacienda Pinilla for supper one evening. My wife ate the fantastic buffet and I went with the tenderloin and neither of us were disappointed. The service was fantastic and the food was great. Although the JW did not have the local feel that we had become accustomed to in eating establishments around the Playa Negra area, it was nice to step halfway back into a slightly more familiar environment (with paved roads and english speaking staff) for just a few hours. It was more expensive than more 'local' alternatives, but it was nice to be pampered for an evening after spending the remainder of our trip in the jungle and dirt roads of Los Pargos. The JW is definitely a place to visit (if not stay) while you are in the Guanacaste area.

We just returned from a week vacation at JW Marriott Gaunacaste. The location at the beach is breathtakingly beautiful and the staff is taking phenomenal care of the guests. Everybody was friendly and eager to make our experience in this paradise unforgettable. The buffet in Mansita restraunt offered great variety of food for any taste .all waiters provided excellent service , especially Ivannia and Wladimir. Would also recommend Dragon rolls, sushi and Bass ceviche at Tamarine restraunt. We also enjoyed steam room, sauna and massage at the spa. The receptionist at the spa Yin-yin was so nice and emphatic! She surprised us with a special fruit plate arrangements on our anniversary day. I would strongly recommend the resort!
The only minor complain is the quality of the small portion of the road to the hotel . Would imagine that it could -should be fixed .

We recently stayed here for four days before moving to a smaller hotel. It is the slow season so we had our choice of any seat at the pool or in any of the restaurants. The staff was very professional and eager to make sure you had a good stay. The beach is small but if you walk out to the LEFT and go beyond the corner - there is another mile or so of beautiful beach to walk on. We would walk each morning and watch the surfers. Alfredo at reception was especially helpful and answered all of our questions. We used the shuttle to go into Tamarindo a few times for dinner. The drivers for GO Costa Rica flew while they were on the Marriott property - young families in our van were bouncing around. That was the only time we felt the driving was a bit unsafe. We did the day trip to zip line, hot springs, etc. All coordinated by Go Costa Rica right on the hotel property. Very easy and well done. Driver was great. Food at all of the restaurants was great. Hotel is a little isolated which some people will really like. The shuttle into town offers other options too.

***BEWARE: WE HAD BED BUGS DURING OUR STAY***
Regarding our stay at the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa, I would like to first state that the staff at the resort were very friendly and courteous. We have stayed at many different hotels across the world at varying levels, and I must say that overall, I was very impressed by the level of staff. However, there was an incident at your resort that left my with a very sour taste in my mouth, and I do feel that management completely mismanaged the situation, and I cannot ever recommend anyone stay at this resort without knowing this piece of information:
During our stay, I was attacked by bed bugs on two separate evenings. On our fourth or fifth night of our seven-night stay, I woke up with 20+ bites on my left leg. This felt odd to me because I recall that day, I had not left the hotel room except to eat breakfast and eat dinner, so I did not go outside to the beach/pool or go walk through a rain forest or brush up against any grass. In fact, I had been so tired that day that all I did was sleep in our room the entire day. Originally, we thought a mosquito or spider had come under the covers. That night before going to bed, we checked the sheets for any bugs, and we found none. The next morning, I awoke with 20+ more bites, this time all on my right leg. That morning we had to wake up early for a tour, so we did not have much time to figure out what happened but we suspected bed bugs. When we got back to our room at 7:30 pm, we undid the sheets to look at the mattress, and to our shock, we found pellet-like droppings and blood stains that are consistent with bed bugs (we have pictures). When we called the manager / housekeeping, they made us wait for over 20 minutes before arriving. Before we could even recount the story, they were already defensive and said that this was "just dirt" and was not a problem and said that I must have "fleas". It was also strange that they said that they already had room made up for us before even looking at the situation or discussing the issue, which made me think that they had already known about this. I was very upset as at the moment I had over 40+ bites on my leg, and they were denying the validity the issue. At this point, the night manager had to call the front desk manager. Thankfully, the front desk manager understood the severity of the situation, and since I was very worried that we were going to take back bed bugs to New York, he said they could clean all our clothes, shoes, and luggage in the next day. At this point, it was already 10 pm, and I was too tired to argue any further and wanted to go to bed in our new room. The next day, management never acknowledged the situation - remember I had OVER 40 BITES on my leg. We asked that we not pay for the two nights that I got bitten, which I think was very reasonable since we paid thousands of dollars already at the resort for food, drinks, and spa services (as well as the five other nights we were there). However, they did not feel that this was reasonable, which is why I will post this account to all the reviews with pictures to show that this hotel did in fact have bed bugs.

Me and my wife celebrated our first anniversary here and it was truly an amazing and unforgettable experience. Everything from check in to check out was top notch service. The restaurants on property were amazing as well as the service. The rooms were beautiful with amazing views. We walked around the property one morning and saw monkeys and a family of raccoons. We saw the sunset and sunrise everyday on the beach and it makes for a very romantic setting. The pools are large and beautiful, as well as being open 24/7. Be sure to stop by the ice cream shop as it is delicious! A special thanks to Sergio who checked us in, olger at the pool bar, Esteban our waiter at one of the restaurants, the concierge services, and everyone else on staff who made this unforgettable. We will definitely be returning and hoping to make this our annual anniversary trip!

This hotel is a dream. My husband and I stayed there for about 8 days.
Pros Great security, amazing pools, the beach is amazing (softest sand ever), gorgeous views, amazing food, good service, and all the amenities you can imagine. Tamarine restaurant is the one to go to in my opinion. It's one of the nicer ones there but it's honestly the same price as everything else so you might as well go there more. The rooms are super clean and we had a great view and a huge bed.
Cons Everything is expensive. Pretty much nothing is included. The prices in that part of Costa Rica (almost no matter where you go) are pretty high for food anyway so I won't complain about the food prices so much. Literally, no place in there had a map so if you rent a car like we did good luck getting around without data.
Overall, dreamy place.

This is a covid hangout. We are staying here now and half the guests are not wearing face masks. It also appears that the staff doesn't reinforce the use of face coverings. Definitely a mistake booking this hotel compared to the last few we have stayed at during this trip to Costa Rica.

Great view. Great service. Great facilities. Just wish the food was a little better tasting given the price.

Best place to stay for a romantic getaway ever!!!! As usual in JW Marriott hotel, the service level is gorgeous. This time the Sabanero Restaurant chef was the star... We was walking around the hotel close to the restaurant, he invited us to know the restaurant and explain us all the menu... At night we went to the restaurant and the food was absolutely amazing... The beach is beautiful and the rooms are perfect for a relax time. Just 5 stars because there is not more possibilities! This hotel deserve a 10 about 5!

There is no usable beach. Excessive cost of restaurants. Rooms and attention very good.

Excellent hotel, Great enjoyment of a sunset overlooking the sea

We recently spent 5 nights for our 10 year anniversary and the experience was nothing short of spectacular. The staff were wonderful, the food was amazing and the scenery couldn't have been prettier. We planned a special dinner on the beach for our anniversary and it was an amazing experience.

bathroom with problems. There was little concern about sustainability because there was no rational use of water, for example.

Staff is exceptional. Very attentive and accommodating. Food is prepared very well with local and International choices. Room was clean and well maintained.

Off the beaten path..yet close enough to a tourist trap if you feel the need. Sunsets rivalling any I have ever seen. Hotel is beautiful as well and great food.

Tamarine Restaurant is the best. Vietnamese flan is a lovely mixture of ginger and honey.

The hotel was amazing, staff was friendly, and food was great. The room was not insulated well as we could hear people laughing and talking at all hours.

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!

A great hotel with great staff. The layout of the resort is the only downside. The lobby is on 3rd floor and beaches, pools and restaurants are 1st floor and it requires 2 separate elevators or stairwells to get from rooms down to 1st floor. Food options were great, the buffet was included with our room and had lots of vegetables and variety. The beach is rough and rocky but the pool is fantastic!

Really great place to spend my birthday excellent service wonderful staff.

Very bewtiful resort with an assortment of activities. If you re not here, you re not in Costa Rica.

The best hotel I ve every stayed at. Amazing place !

It was a beautiful experience. We loved it all. The Architecture was open Hacienda style. The rooms were spacious, and furnished with luxurious furniture. The Staff was very friendly and always helpful.
Language at times was a problem but every one made an effort to go out of their way to help. My wife and I had reached at 1 am in the morning, starving and tired, to know that we could order room service 24 hours a day was an indication that the trip was going to be great. But when the food arrived in 20 minutes, it was delicious and presented in a wonderful way. In Fact all the restaurants on the property were excellent, we had full service barbecue dinners on the beach, the free breakfast buffet was nothing short of gourmet, and for seven days we never got tired of eating our breakfast overlooking the meandering infinity pool and the Ocean. There were structured activities like water exercises, beach walk, botanical garden walks, stretching and yoga free for the guests. We were pampered, and every detail was taken care off. With so many things to do like site seeing excursions, adventure rides, water sports, there was never a push to do or buy anything, I would recommend this with all my heart for a romantic getaway, or a business conference. or a beautiful sea side wedding, I couldn't say enough about this place. Take this vacation and you will remember for life.

The best rooms!! Pool & beach doesnt get any better!

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

Excellent attention, very beautiful place, good food

Location and atmosphere are 5 Star, excellent with great pool and beach. It's just a great property.

Staff and restaurants are 3 Star, I get the impression the staff are not happy and you can see that in the level of service. At check out; was never asked how my stay was, just "I see you already have your bill." The restaurants though not expensive for a resort are not impressive in terms of food quality.

I would stay there again, but service levels are below JW Marriotts standards.

This place is superb. Food & service is wonderful. Easy to get lost on the large premises due to the way its built. Need to walk around to orientate yourself.

The JW is a beautiful resort. The rooms are amazing with ultra comfy beds, over-sized bathrooms, plush towels and luxurious toiletries. The pool is comfortable with plenty of seating around. The best value is the breakfast buffet, or simply ordering off menu. The yogurt parfait is delicious!! The biggest drawback to the resort is it's distance to nearby towns and other beaches. Tamarindo is at least 20 minutes. Do NOT go to the Italian restaurant at the resort - it was probably the worst Italian food I've ever had.

Lovely room. Attentive and helpful staff. Beautiful grounds. Delicious and abundant food options at Mansita buffet. Nice activity options.

Very nice, spacious facilities, good food but they should offer a variety of dishes and bad customer service, they focus on foreigners and leave nationals aside, I don't understand why it is classified as Premium.

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.

Great Hotel. Really enjoyed our time there. The Grilled Chicken sandwich at the Azul Grill is awesome. Thanks Roberto.

Terrible check in process (arguments galore). During the check in process was advised that they had finally found an ocean view room and to come back 30 minutes later. I went back an hour later and my view is 80% trees with glimpse of the water if you turn your head at a particular angle. Daughter had some food; didn't like it; I haven't tried it. But the check in experience was enough to realize that I have just made the ultimate 4 day mistake.

Next time FOUR SEASONS / COSTA RICA. Never here again.

We love our oceanfront suite and the staff was great!

Excellent service, food was very good. We are at the Italian restaurant and I had the osso bucco which was outstanding. My wife had salmon which she enjoyed. The pool was clean, the beach area was a little small, and very little for beach activities.

Absolutely beautiful facility with excellent staff and fantastic food. They must have one of the largest swimming pools in the world in the way and whines around the large grounds. And one section of the pool has an edge that faces the beach and seems to go off into the Pacific. I'm guessing the hotel has 10 to 12 different beautiful courtyards I had so much fun walking the grounds.

The place is very beautiful, it is spacious, quiet and the pool area is very quiet.

Beautiful private oceanfront resort on remote acreage. Cool tidepools at low tide. Very breezy, keeps any bugs away.
Quality onsite restaurants but not much variety for daily dining during Covid restrictions.
(Rough gravel roads outside the resort not advisable for night driving.) Avis Car Rental office onsite.

Great accommodations. Friendly staff. Large pool and nice beach. Superior in very way.

What can be said about a hotel of these? Very little truth, very good food, if you have to give a little bit of care to the rooms that are on the East side of the Hotel, because it is. Something you neglect, but usually very well. Super friendly and tried all the staff. There is no complaint.

The beautiful hotel as well as the beach and the surrounding locations. And the exquisite food

It is a beautiful hotel with very good rooms although the quality of the meals and breakfasts are not up to par.

Excellent property. Gorgeous grounds. Friendliest staff. Rooms are clean and well apportioned. Spa is phenomenal.

Fantastic sunsets, remote location, full service, pricey for the level of service.

Your pools are huge! I was in that pool from day to night. And don't even get me starting on food. IT TASTES LIKE HEAVEN. I like this hotel

My room had a moldy smell the entire two days I stayed there. It gave me a headache and made me congested. The pools were nice, but I could not use the umbrellas due to the wind. So it was hot if not in the pool.

This was an elegant JW Marriott,,, would go back again

It's a good hotel but old. Everything is to expensive.

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.

Drinks were good staff was friendly and the views were amazing!

Super recommended, excellent service and pleasant climate ..

Everything, is thought out. The location, the staff, the food.

Had excellent sushi at the Japanese restaurant at the JW Marriot in Hacienda Panilla. Nice weather off season in June and beautiful views. Great service, expected price range and comfortable seating.

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

Spacious rooms, great service and the largest pool I've ever seen! I want to come back! 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!!!

Nice ambience, Big pool, friendly staff. And best of all for me was Kids play area. Kids loved it and they spend most of time there

Great resort with beautiful views of both the ocean and pool. Only downside is the entrance and the lack of local food around. Have to drive all the way to Tamarindo for more options but have to go through rough roads.