Occidental Papagayo reviews
7229 TripAdvisor reviews
Not a very good experience ..
Donna C (Shirley) on Mar 16, 2024
I’ve stayed in Barcelo resorts but this one definitely was not as good.. had a bunch of problems.. no hot water for 2 days, cold food at buffe every day,no electric in 1/2 bathroom.. thousand ants shooting out of hot tub jets.. and we stayed in the premium master suite .. did like usage of golf cart ..pool was nice housekeeping was the best.
Passable
John R (Glasgow, United Kingdom) on Mar 15, 2024
The hotel is stunning and very picturesque. It is a little on the tired side and is in need of an upgrade as soon as possible. The staff are excellent, the food is ok, cleanliness is as it should be but our bathroom was a major let down, room 127. The bath had a shower over it, which was good because the bath was cracked, badly marked and had a repair at the plug hole, which was very obvious. Also no plug for aforementioned bath. The bath area had been painted black on the walls and it did nothing to enhance the experience. We had access to the Premium bar, which was great as the drinks in the normal bar were a major let down unless you were drinking cocktails. Pool areas, especially the wet pool with swim up bar were great, with plenty of sun beds.
First timers
mls18001 on Mar 14, 2024
Excellent service and friendly staff especially Louis at the front desk he is an absolute gem. Really enjoyed our stay. Beach was great pool not busy which was really nice. Clean rooms. Again the service was amazing
dont stay
Cruiser693757 on Mar 14, 2024
food is horrendous bars terrible ,staff indifferent no management seen in 9 days no response to problem.people complain about stairs but you can see that before you book so that is on me but be aware this is a Cuba level resort food garbage no water pressure no hot water no one cares you will eat somewhere right after you get off the plane,cuba not great but its half the price off this resort
Two weeks in Paradise
Tracy E (Saskatoon, Canada) on Mar 14, 2024
We travelled as a foursome to the Occidental Papagayo for two weeks at the end of February. I had done a lot of reading on Trip Advisor prior to going so we all had a pretty good idea of what to expect. The hotel is a beautiful example of colonial architecture with rich dark wood everywhere. We arrived at 0830 in the morning from an overnight flight. We knew our rooms would not be ready until later in the day so we packed our carry on suitcases to get us through the day. As expected, we got into our rooms around 4 pm that afternoon. We had a premium level suite. It was sufficient for our needs but as has been noted by many, it was dated. Our room was kept clean and towels and linens changed regularity. We did tip our cleaning staff every day…about $4-5. There are a lot of steps in this resort. For us, it was not an issue but for those with mobility issues, it is likely not the best choice. There are shuttles that run regularly if you phone the front desk and request that service. One thing of note that we really can’t comment much on was that we heard repeatedly from others and staff that since Barcelo hotels took it over, the Occidental has gone down in service and quality. We have nothing to compare it to but when you hear it from staff and guests that have been there previously, it makes one think that there may be something to it. The food in the main buffet is certainly not a North American 5 star restaurant, but then I wouldn’t have expected it. For a Central American country, it was good, hot and fresh. I would consider it a 3 star by North American standards. We never went hungry and always found something to our liking. We sampled lots of traditional dishes that were offered and some regular things like steak, spaghetti, and chicken wings (which were huge by our standards…and excellent). We tried all three specialty restaurants. The Grill and the Italian were far better than the Oriental. Being premium package guests, we had access to the premium lounge which we enjoyed for playing cards and after dinner drinks. We found the choices of drinks and the wines with dinner to be acceptable. The in room bar fridge was stocked daily but was extremely limited. Two cans of beer, a coke, a Fresca, and two bottles of water. A nice touch was the bottle of champagne in our fridge when we arrived. We took it to a specialty restaurant which the staff was more than happy to serve to us. I had done a lot research on tours prior to going. We used On the Beach tours which has a permanent desk right in the lobby. JJ was excellent. We went to Nicaragua, on a rainforest/waterfall walk, a jungle river cruise and a day at Cocoa Beach. The tours were exactly as advertised. We all felt they were good value for money. We went down to the ocean several days. Be advised that it is quite a walk but there is a good path to follow. The beach is pretty but few people were actually ever in the water. We tried to go kayaking with the hotel at least twice but never got to go because the wind came up. For the safety of their guests, there is no kayaking when it is windy. If you want to try going, be sure to book the 0900 time slot. It is the best chance to avoid the wind. I had a massage on the beach. It was well worth the $40USD for an hour massage. Overall, we had a fantastic time in this beautiful country. The people were all so friendly, even when there was a language barrier. We would like to come back to Costa Rica in the future but would probably go to the Puntarenas area to see something different.