Guanacaste-Liberia Hotels

Weather was excellent ,the Riu Hotel is very beautiful,good food the drinks need a lot of HELP!!!!!! Liquor supply is very limited generic.

To start off, we did the roundtrip shuttle service to and from with GrayLine which I would recommend it was so easy, the only complaint was on our way back to the airport the driver made us switch cars halfway because another hotel guest was complaining and only wanted our driver. Not professional. Anyways, the resort was beautiful the rooms were great except for the beds were hard, if you can bring your own pillow I would suggest, they refill the mini bar every 2 days so stock up if you see the guy there. The pool bar was fabulous all the bartenders are great, the drinks are delicious and strong and no one expects tips. The pool and beach were great in May the water for both was very hot. We did an 8-hour excursion on first day with GUSTAVO you can find him on the beach he was a great guide, and was our personal photographer for the day we drove 1.5 hours to the rain forest did zip lining, water sliding, lunch, horseback rode to a gorgeous waterfall (about 30 mins) then hiked (30 mins) to the mudbaths, sauna, and hot springs.. a fabulous day for a great price. We went to Coca Beach for the afternoon one day, would definitely suggest doing it cute little town with good shopping and good bars, very casual, we did the water taxi over much better than a bus I would think. We did the scuba/snorkel trip one afternoon, the boys did scuba the girls snorkel only an 1.5 hour trip not the best snorkeling but worth doing we saw a giant stingray and sea turtles! We spent alot of the day drinking and eating, the food was definitely good for buffets lots to chose from. Out of the 3 restaurants you make reservations for definitely do asian and steakhouse, skip the italian not special. The steakhouse is the only one that you order your food the other 2 are half buffet half order. You have to make reservations for each dinner the day before you want to go so make sure you do that or you wont get reservations. We did massages at the spa.. good services overall not a typical luxurious spa experience of serenity and being waited on but decent for the price only $59 for 1-hour massage. Bring plenty of sunscreen the sun is like nothing I have ever felt before and they charge $35 a bottle in the resort store because they can. The club was NOT Pascha from NYC don't expect that but apparently its better on fridays and saturdays and the Casino was fun for the boys not really an AC experience though. Go to the Sports bar bartenders are fun there and the bar outside by the show is really nice at night too. Everywhere takes american money so no need to exchange and alot of places take credit cards too. We heard Coca Beach is dangerous at night so we didn't end up going there to go out. We went to Punta Cana last year and stayed at the Barcelo I would say the RIU was not as nice of a resort but there were more things to do in Costa Rica, definitely worth it especially for the all-inclusive.

Lovely staff, great hotel, beautiful location. I did love the private beach they have, very relaxing. Coco`s beach is very close by and they have great night life.

This is a small but lovely hotel in the middle of the Papagayo Gulf, there is a wonderful sunset view from our room where you can rest and relax. The staff is really helpful and always smiling - very friendly, the ladies take you to your room in a golf cart. When you get to the private beach, you may think you are in a different world, is great!

The staff was great and the hotel was nice although it is in a remote location that requires a 3 km drive on an unpaved road. We went at the beginning of the rainy season and the humidity was very high.

I had a great time! it was calm and relaxing not to much going on like other huge resorts. very few children and the staff was abosolutely wonderful!

The bayfront rooms are spacious and clean. End rooms have the best views. Some of it is dated but the view off the balcony of the bay below makes up for any small shortfall. The location of the room about halfway down a very large hill does require some physical activity. This is not a good choice if you have physical limitations. We felt that each day we got a very good work out without going to the gym. We found the staff at the bar and restuarant very friendly. The restaurant also was very good. We did not rent a car and we were a little worried about limited dining choices, However, the town had many choices and it is short walk down the road to reach them. We wish we could go every year and cannot wait to go back.

We stayed t the hotel for a week. We spent the perfect quiet holidays at the beach, in the sun enjoying the delicious food.

Beautiful location, room was a bit far depending on where you are placed…and food is not given after 9:30pm, which is a challenge when you are coming home from tours or enjoy eating at a later hour. I would suggest a more flexible schedule to eat at the hotel. Servers were nice and humble. Racoons are also a setback, as during our stay the racooons surrounded the pool area and get close to humans and spilled my drink.

When we got to the airport there are people all over hassling for your business, taxi should cost $50-60, no more for 3 people. Make sure and i mean make sure you tell them Occidental Grand, we got took to Occidental Papagayo for $60. Discovered the mistake and cost another $50 to get there. If you are here for scuba diving, dives were bad with bad visibility, didnt see much at all, 10 foot visibility, forget diving here. If you happen to get lucky and water is clear, it might be great but doubt that happens often.

It was great everyone was very helpful and nice. the pool was wonderful, the room was nice and the location was good for doing activities and going to beaches etc...

This hotel is set up beautifully. The landscaping is great and the pool area is gorgeous. The swim up bar is a great amenity and the bartenders were so much fun and warm especially Antonio and Martin. It is you want the feel of a resort but still get the charm of the culture this is a great hotel.

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Bula Bula for a week. It is 3 minutes walk from a wonderful and quite beach and it borders a nature preserve. The resturant is out of this world and the staff is genuine and nice. If you go, do not miss out on Asi's Tres Leches Cake -- we have never had better. This is a small boutique Hotel perfect for relaxing, which is what we did.

The views from all rooms was amazing! Staff was extremely hospitable, knowledgeable and eager to please. Everything was as we expected. The tour company located at the resort (Mardigi Tours) was outstanding! They go above and beyond on their tours with competitve prices. Will definitely recommend to anyone planning a trip to the Guancaste area of Costa Rica! Thank you Ocotal Beach Resort and Mardigi Tours!!

Had a great time relaxing at Ocotal Resort with my girlfriend for a week. Staff was helpful and mostly fluent in English. The views were fantastic, well kept grounds with iguanas, coatis, and some beautiful birds roaming around. We had a suite which was large, clean and comfortable. This resort is a couple of miles from Coco and kind of limited as far as dining options within walking distance but only a $6 taxi ride to Coco. The beach is down a steep hill which was sometimes a long haul back up after a few cocktails, but a shuttle service is available.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel at the end of March 2012. The room had a kitchen sink, microwave and small refrigerator which was a nice touch. There is a pool within walking distance that is nice, but the nicest part was the beach club which is about a mile away and there's an hourly shuttle to take you there. It has a beautiful pool and is right on the beach. There's a smaill restaurant and bar at the beach club. The nachos were good and the drinks weren't as expensive as they were at the other costa rica hotels we stayed at. The location of the hotel is nice in that it's in a gated community. There is a JW Marriott in the same community, but it is 2 miles away. You can shuttle to it, but you have to pay $50 per person to use the JW's facilities. $40 of that goes towards food/drinks and the other $10 is to use their onsite pool. We tried to go into the nearest town, which is Tamarindo, and discovered that it's a $40 cab ride each way to drive the 12 kms from the hotel to the town. We decided to skip it and enjoy more time at the beach club.

Good place to get in touch with Guanacaste's wild life. While we were walking to our room a rabbit crossed our path. Iguanas and birds where often seen in the hotel grounds. Also nearby beaches are Tortugas nesting places. Hotel rooms are downhill so prepare for a short walk uphill to get to the pool, parking or restaurant. Beach Club is 2km away and in the same "Hacienda" is located JW Marriot hotel and some high class apartments/houses complex. There is no convenience store inside the hacienda so if you like some groceries you need to get to Tamarindo. I am costarican and this was my first visit to Playa Avellanas and it is now one of my favorite beaches in CR. Tamarindo and Grande are also very beautiful. My 5 years old son didn't wanted to come back home. He loved the place. Only low ligths are the road between Santa Cruz and Pinilla and the fact that we had to change room because the A/C was out of work.

We recently stayed at the Flamingo Resort and Spa. The hotel didn't have anything that really set it apart from others EXCEPT the staff. They were friendly and accomodating and made you feel very comfortable. The staff would recognize you and go out of their way to meet any of your needs. Overall, the hotel was clean and had very good restaurants nearby. Unfortunately, there was not many other things nearby.

One of our nicest travel experiences ever. Only complaint was full instead of queen beds- we are a tall family and were a bit crowded (2 adults, 2 children in room). Staff was exceptional, as was location & resort layout.

Very clean territory. People are nice and helpful. Food is good. Ocean is clear.

We went for 4 days, the location is great but the hotel needs maintenance, the staff was nice, we feel that they did everything to make us feel like at home, we love the private beach, we did kayaking, the downside was the Jacuzzi was off and the spa was closed, the mexican dinner and the italian were the best as far as the food selection is and if you like the wine as for the caverneg savignon........... if you lokking for a nice getaway pick this place, its far away from any town, perhaps the hotel managment could do more to create activities for the guest.

The hotel itself is beautifully designed. The rooms are very stylish, with beautiful bathrooms and comfortable beds. The pool is huge. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Special thanks to the people at the free (!) Kids' Club, who took great care of our 6-year old son (who insisted on going back to the Kids Club again and again after trying it once). There are several restaurants within the hotel, but we did not like the food in any of them, except, ironically, for the little poolside cafe. In addition to the not-so-good food, we thought the hotel was too isolated - it takes about 30 minutes to get to the nearest town, Tamarindo. But, frankly, that was not such a big deal. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and will definitely come back.

When I arrived at hotel, they did not have my room ready. Had to wait a long time with them on phone with [...] for them to clear up their confusion. On night one, the air conditioning went out. Was out for five nights. Claim they will reimburse us for the cost -- but that remains to be seen. Location is far from town.On night three, my ceiling fan FELL from the ceiling. They moved my room to one with an inferior location. They never even apologized or did ANYTHING to make up for the inconvenience -- and SAFETY issue associated with this. I had to pack my room and move to another room -- They seemed very unconcerned.A great place -- very nice -- but they need to learn a bit about customer service. The young people working were nice -- but there was never a decision maker present. Very disappointing and inappropriate for a Marriott property.

As an all-inclusive resort, Fiesta Premiere is well above the average in all areas. Do not misunderstand; this resort is not an ultra decadent 5 star experience. Nowever, for the money it was more than adequate, and, quite frankly, better than we had expected. The personnel were tremendously gracious. The food was decent(we are extremely picky regarding food), and by most all-inclusive standards, quite good. The breakfasts, expecially, were excellent. The grounds were lovely and beautifully maintained. The room was not luxurious, but well appointed and very clean. Internal resort transportation, required due to the hilly and sprawling terrain, was timely and effecient. In summary, we would not hesitate to return to the Fiesta Premiere or to recommend this resort to friends with the above stated caveats.

The grounds of this hotel were absolutely beautiful!!!!! I'm am mixed about whether I would stay here again. There were several hotel employees that are worth mentioning because of their superb service. However, the best service and absolutely fabulous attitude we saw from anyone in this resort!!!!! The main restauarant was way better than the 2 (so-called) up scaled or special restaurants. We had horrible service at the Mediterrian/Beef one. I would NOT recommend this one to my worst enemy!!! And I'm not even mentioning we had NO air and about dropped 5 pounds during dinner from water lose. The beach is nothing special since the sand in volcano and not white. However, as I stated earlier, we thought the grounds and hills for this resort were fabulous and worth seeing.