JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

When we arrived, and saw the vast size of this resort we though it was going to be a wonderful week. I had booked an "Ocean Front King" well they put us on the first floor, which is actually down two floor from the street lobby. We had very little view of the ocean as the trees and ground were in the way ,also ants were all over the patio. We asked to be moved. But no one was able to make that happen. I have no Idea why the resort was 25% full at best, understandable as I was the slow season. To top it off they were renovating the rooms above us (construction noise) why renovate the wing that is occupied and not the ones that are not, I have know Idea. Next morning asked again to be moved, told I would have and answer by noon, no call. My wife and I packed up, cancelled the rest of our stay and headed over to another resort which was absolutely lovely & very accommodating. Staff was very nice but couldn't seem to get anything done, even requested wash cloths as our room had none, was told yes, they never showed up. See our room view attached. In our opinion the web sight of the "Ocean Front King is not accurate when it comes to the first floor accommodations.

This is a wonderful hotel with a world class very large and beautiful meandering infinity pool with great ocean views. One thing you need to know is that this hotel is a 30 minute drive from the nearest town. So if you want to have short walks to shopping and numerous restaurants etc do not stay here. The hotel does have four major restaurants, a sports bar and two pool side grills so there are multiple dining options on sight. The facility and grounds of the hotel are stunning and meticulously maintained. It is an elegant Spanish themed design with beautiful stone and tile accents and lush tropical landscaping including fragrant flowers and a host of Costa Rica's over 900 bird species. There are all manner of tour options that will pick you up at the hotel but you need to make the reservations at least the day before. I recommended that you fly into the airport in Liberia with the option of either renting a car or taking a shuttle. The airport is an hour and half drive from the airport. Shuttle rides to and from the airport are $100 and up. After much research I rented a car. Driving in Costa Rica is similar to but also very different from the States. Signs are in Spanish and there are very very few traffic lights. Driving in Costa Rica requires intense focus at all times for multiple reasons. (Google driving in Costa Rica) Also don't even think about getting behind a wheel after having even one drink.

It’s a beautiful hotel with nice pool views and easy access to the beach. It’s more secluded and not walking distance to anywhere else outside of the hotel and beach. It’s a perfect place to stay and relax, and if you want to venture outside, it would be convenient to rent a car. They have a variety of food options. The food was decent, but the steakhouse was definitely a better option there.

JW Marriot, Guanacaste is a very nice hotel, however I would not call it 5 stars, as for my standard. I found it to be over priced for what they had to offer and hotel outdated in design and function. Elevator broke on two occasions, luckily we were on the second floor. Staff was very friendly, happy and eager to please, pool side service was excellent wait and bar staff bar worked very diligently to make sure, that while under their care we experience the meaning of "Pura Vida". Front of the house workers, bag handler, Jose, remembered all of our names, his greetings were always warm and welcoming--- like family! Maid service was superior, we throw out something that was broken and housekeeper repaired it and placed it on the night table, room cleaning was immaculate. Owen Morales, over at Destination Services was very knowledgeable and friendly, I would recommend booking with him for amazing tour experiences. The Agent at Alamo rental, Luis was incredibly helpful and courteous. He went above and beyond to assist us with our rental. While the rental process took longer than we expected, it was worth the wait as we received excellent service. Don't know if doing the rental online would cut processing time, but if you're are not in a rush, I highly recommend this location.

Like most I don’t write reviews often but the exceptional experience we had at this resort has compelled me to share our experience. Our original flight was cancelled and we ended up arriving a day late. Our room was upgraded [I have Bonvoy elite status] and they kept the original number of nights we had reserved. Great interactions with all staff. Everyone was friendly and wanted to ensure we enjoyed our experience. I highly recommend staying here!

Not a 5 star hotel. Service was good and friendly staff, food was average. But front of the house needs improvement. They missed the mark and disappointed when an important request was overlooked and not done. The Steakhouse Was acceptable, but some of the wait staff needs training as a drink was spilled on me on occasion, and appetizers taken away without asking, they had to reserve us. the lobster was overpriced and would not recommend. It was an average steak house, not 5 stars.

I have to write a review. I was so disappointed. After a 7 day stay in Costa Rica at other hotels we ended our trip here. I think I am done with Marriott. The property has the potential to be so nice and given its size the maintenance could have been a lot worse. We had a beach front room that started leaking water from the ceiling. Hotel staff did move us to the Presidential Suite which was nice of them but the entire experience was inconvenient. There was no turn down service after being told there was. The spa was run by people who didn't speak English. The spa could use a lot of improvement and was definitely was not at the level it should be. My spa service was supposed to be an hour but was a half hour which I did mention and was given a slightly lower rate... but that wasn't the point because the experience was ruined. The girl that worked in the coffee/ice cream shop was on the phone and completely ignored me and kept talking so I walked out. The breakfast buffet was AWFUL- here you are staying in Costa Rica and they serve you awful options, no good fruit or coffee and a waitstaff that can't speak English and is SLOW. Our dinners at the asian and steak place were good but the steak house waiter forgot our appetizers and we were not served for over an hour while people that walked in after us were being served.I said something the waiter told me seafood takes long to cook (which I told him it didn't) instead of just admitting he forgot to put the order in! ughhhhhhhh so disappointing

My wife and I spent 8 days there last month. This was our eight trip to Costa Rica. We found the resort to be very nice, clean and the grounds very well kept up. Every meal was very good and was priced appropriately, though I do agree with some comments here that they could use a few more options for the price conscious. Our (ocean view) suite was exceptional in comfort and amenities. Housekeeping did a great job of making sure it stayed that way. I started running through the list of staff members that stood out and the list became long. EVERYONE provided friendly and professional service and seemed to have an interest in insuring our stay was enjoyable. As we have always experienced there, the Costa Rican people are the jewel. We would not hesitate to book it again.

To be avoided in my opinion. Liberia airport is almost 2 hours away by taxi. ($150 each way) We got in at around 9pm. Check in was uneventful. Asked about getting some food but was told the only thing thay have at this hour is room service. That is fine but no one answers tge phone when I call. Tried for 2 hours and decided to just go to bed. Back to the check in, Tried to arrange transport for the following day back to Liberia for an eco tour that we had reserved, but the on site transportation lady said they have no availability for the ne t morning. Here is where it gets interesting, apparently they will not allow uber or taxis on to the "private property" not sure how to get around this but no one will answer the phone at the front desk, or any of the pre programed buttons on the phone. No one in the lobby anymore. Getting a wierd Hotel California vibe. Will never be back and hope my first day here will save you from making this mistake. Its deffinetly pretty but location and overall convenience is awful.