Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica

We had heard good things about this Secrets property and they were all right. It is a smaller property vs other Secrets properties we have visited but that busted added a cozy feeling to what we have become accustomed to. Highly recommend

We stayed at Secrets Papagayo from November 7th - November 12th. My favorite vacation so far!! The property is quite hilly but you can get a transport van whenever you need it. We went snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding right from the beach. We saw turtles and sting rays and lots of fish. Yoga in the morning on a black sand beach. We hiked around the property on designated trails with beautiful views. You could walk down the beach and across some rocks and have a beach all to yourself. Definitely need shoes for the walk. Our room was clean and comfortable with a spectacular view of the bay. Andrey, Merari and Carlos made sure we were having fun at all times. They remembered our names and were genuinely happy to see us each day. We booked a catamaran excursion thru Amstar. We were picked up at the resort and taken to Coco Beach. The catamaran was fun, food was really good and the pina coladas were amazing!! We also booked an excursion with Herson Segura from Spanglish Tours. We went zip lining, went to a waterfall, hot springs and stopped for souvenirs on the way back. He even stopped at McDonald’s on the way back for us. He can customize whatever kind of tour you want and it was just our group of 8 on the tour. He took great care of us and is very informative and loves to show off his beautiful country!! I could go on and on. I can’t wait to go back!! FYI bring bug spray. Bugs aren’t terrible but they do come out at night.

This was our first time to Secrets Papagayo. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Do not let the weather threats of rainy season deter you from going this time of year. Our airport transport service told us that even during rainy season, this side of the island enjoys mostly sunny days. Due to the increased rainfall, there are many tropical fruits in season as well as lush, greenery, which he pointed out may die off during other times of the year when it is dry. I would like to point out that this is the most rustic Secrets we have visited, and we have been to most of them. It was 1/4 a mile or more of a walk to our little bungalow, which sat up in a wooded area with another 25 steps. We walked up and down hills to get to the pool / food daily, so be aware that you will likely not return to your room once you set out for the day. They do provide vans to pick you up if you prefer not to walk. This is a small resort. Our room was the tiniest room that we have ever had, but still comfortable. The rooms are mainly like a double condo with just two per unit. They each have their own air conditioning unit. The shower had great pressure and was the perfect size. The maid service was excellent and we had turn down service every night by the time we returned from dinner. The pools were well-maintained and the food was excellent. We did not spend time at the preferred pool area because there were not as many umbrellas and only one choice for food. There is not a wide variety of food as you have less choices as compared with most Secrets resorts, however, the food was top notch. We enjoyed the best steaks we have ever had while out of the country at an all-inclusive resort. As with a lot of Caribbean resorts, the desserts are not the best, but the gelato in the Coco Cafe is delicious. The thing I enjoyed the most was walking along the beach as far as you could see on either side of the resort. It was really neat to see the ocean and then the green forests in the background. We brought our own snorkel masks (we have the full face mask - purchased off Amazon...would totally recommend), but you may use the ones at the resort for free. My brother and I saw many sting rays and fish from just swimming off the beach from the resort. Be aware that there are more sea urchins than I've ever seen in one place! With that being said, the beach itself is a bit disappointing. The water is not the beautiful blue/green you normally see at places like this, and due to the volcanos, the sand is a black color. There are rocks, shells, and coral, so be sure to bring water shoes for this reason, along with the sting rays (my brother stepped on two less than a foot into the water). This is not the type of beach where you would sit and relax enjoying the beautiful ocean view with soft, white sand. I felt that I could be in a cabin in my hometown by a lake and have the same view. My husband and I both agree that this felt more like we were at camp instead of a luxurious vacation (the walk, condos, vegetation, etc.). We both felt that Costa Rica would be better appreciated if we stayed at a resort that was not all-inclusive and utilized the local restaurants, etc. If we return, we would like to experience it in that aspect. It seemed very safe and our transport driver told us that the only place you wouldn't want to go at night would be in the city itself. We did not do any excursions, but several people we met used a service called "Frank the Tank Costa Rica" found on FB. They did deep sea fishing, ATVs and a volcano tour at excellent pricing and had an amazing time. We would utilize this upon return. Due to the massive vegetation at the resort, we were concerned the bugs / mosquitoes might be a problem. We noticed the first night that the workers were spraying the areas and we had no issues at all. I did take bug spray but did not need it. The people of Costa Rica are genuinely nice and we enjoyed getting to know them. We had excellent service in the preferred club lounge bar with the bartender Vinicio, as well as our waitress, SuAnn, at the beach . We ate at the Portofino on four occasions and had Marco and Ashley as our servers. They were excellent. For transport to and from the airport, we utilized Maleku tours. This was a private transfer to and from the airport and was $100 round trip. Just some travel guidance - we typically take probiotics 1 week prior, the week of, and 1 week after traveling overseas. This usually prevents any stomach issues. I brush my teeth with tap water, don't concern myself with iced drinks, etc., and since starting this have never had an issue.

We found this to be a small resort by Secrets standards. It has however, everything you could want for a relaxing holiday or a more eventful one as there are so many excursions on offer. There are plenty of restaurant choices and by far, our favourite was the Aqua. Over the fortnight we were there, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there. What made it so special were the staff - Ligia, Maria, Pamela, Carmen, Leonidas, Fabiloa, Briayan and Leo - our apologies for anyone we missed!! They were always so polite and professional yet friendly at the same time and made sure we has the best of service every time we were there. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they truely are a credit to the hotel. That being said, we had good service at all the restaurant but the Aqua stood head and shoulders above the others. We took a couple of trips booked through Judy the Tui rep and she was great too. Very knowledgeable and her communication was excellent.We went into the Rain Forest to find sloths and another trip was a river cruise where we saw caymen and monkeys amongst other things. There are plenty of other trips we would liked to have done and will be back and will stay at Secrets again. Just one more mention - JJ!!! He's great.

This was our first time here at this resort and we stayed for 7 nights. The good: friendly staffs, drinks are good, foods are good, Coco cafe is very good, nature setting is beautiful. The bad: only 4 restaurants, the menus are somewhat limited, Sushi/teppanyaki are not good, breakfast at the restaurants are not open until 8:30 am, coco cafe is not open 24 hours and with very limited snacks but the drinks are very good, mini bar is not stocked daily, no beach volleyball, activities are somewhat limited, need more snacks in the Preferred Lounge,