TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

When we arrived at the resort, we were greeted with a cold towel, a drink and smiles, from the staff at the main lobby. The check in was fast but our room was not ready when we arrived at 1:30PM. We went to eat at the buffet (Market Cafe) and explored the main area a bit. Our room was ready at 3:30PM and the van brought us to the room. Our bungalow suite with jungle view also had a partial view of the ocean, which was perfect for my fiancée to do Yoga on the balcony in the morning. The suite was pretty big, two large sinks, spacious shower and the bed was comfortable. Food was pretty good. We had two dinners in the Italian restaurant which we really enjoyed. Two or three meals at the Seaside grill, and a couple at Himitsu, where we reserved the teppanyaki table once. All meals were good, not Michelin star ... but good. Also, the portions from restaurants were a bit small for us. The resort was apparently at 55% capacity, but there was still a lack in chairs by the pool, mainly because of people reserving them and not using them, despite the signs and lanyards on every chairs. By the quiet pool, a set of chairs had towel clips on them from the time we got there at 8am till we left at 1PM, without anyone ever showing up. The beach is right by the resort, a few steps from the two main areas. Once again, big lack of chairs there, there was 10 long chairs and 2 small chairs for the whole beach. Also, one trashcan at one end of the beach and another one at the other end. Throughout the resort, there was a big lack of trashcan, so lazy people just don’t pick up their stuff and it flies on the beach and resort. The day activities were not announced very well, and could only see them on the app, as they were not announced on the board with the rest of the nigh activities. We missed out on a lot of them, as we didn’t explore the Hyatt app a lot past the night activities, food and amenities. Beside that, the site is beautiful; birds, lizards and wildlife all over the area. There is a lot of hills and steps between the areas, like the pools, restaurants, beach and such, so be prepared. To go from main area to other areas, the van service is great otherwise. If you go snorkel at the beach, you will see a wild array of fish and sea creatures. The water is clear and pretty calm in that peninsula. We took a tour with Amstar, the Arenal Volcano Rainforest and Hotspring. It is a 14 hours escapade which might scare off many people but let me tell you that it was much smoother than we expected. I’m a chubby 44-year-old with a herniated disk, and my fiancée had a knee issue from the week before our trip. Well, this activity was made in a way that was perfect for us. They picked us up at 8 in the morning from the resort, we drove about 90 minutes with a group of 6 (group vary from 6 to 18) to a boat. The boat took us on an artificial lake where we saw monkeys, birds and saw the volcano from afar. After the boat trip which lasted about an hour, we reached our bus who was waiting for us. They brought us to a rainforest park where we had lunch before our rainforest trek. It was about 1.4KM but we stopped every 10 meters or so to see frogs, birds, monkeys, vipers, flora and whatnot. The suspended bridges were fun to cross. After the rainforest we went to a hotspring park nearby where we soaked for a couple hours. We had an amazing lunch at the buffet and went back to our resort. This was by far my favorite part of our trip, as I enjoy wildlife. I was personally expecting more of a 5-star resort considering the price and the ‘’Secrets’’ tag, but it was more like a 4 star with friendly staff I want to finish by saying that the staff was very good. Shoutout to Kenier, Cherry, Anderson, Ditzi If you have mobility issues, this resort might not be for you, but if you want to do your 10000 steps a day with some stairs and hills, then you will enjoy it!

Stayed before in 4/2023, completely different experience since Hyatt purchased. Less welcoming, less flexible, Preferred Club status not worth it. Breakfast buffet great but buffet never open at dinner. Restaurants meh except Seaside Grill. Gym with no updates, old and broke cardio machines, missing strength training attachments. Customer facing staff always very friendly and kind.

Second visit to Costa Rica, since we loved our previous visit to west coast we planned to only stay at a resort on the Pacific. We knew about the hillside layout and took full advantage of usually prompt van service to and from our room. Vans with only a couple instances were either immediately available came within minutes to take you anywhere on the property you needed. First adult-only resort and it was nice to not have any kids around. Enjoyed meeting many wonderful and diverse guests. The vibe was very friendly and welcoming. Resort had everything we desired nice beach (it is a cove/bay--not oceanfront). Pools were great. Did not have issues finding lounge chairs and being Preferred members enjoyed 2 days of free Bali bed assignments. Food was better than expected especially Portofino the Italian specialty restaurant. Staff were exceptionally friendly, caring and patient. Upgrade to oceanfront room was welcomed and while the room was a smidge smaller than some other rooms it had everything we needed. Housekeeping was great and mini-bar refreshed every day. Enjoyed beachfront pick up for snorkeling excursion. Nightly entertainment was enjoyable and shows lasted about 30 minutes. We'd go back! (Americans 65 and 69)

We booked this vacation with high expectations, but unfortunately the overall experience fell short from arrival through checkout. Check-in was fairly unremarkable and lacked the warm, welcoming feel we associate with resort vacations — there was no greeting, drink, or towel upon arrival. We were also immediately offered a $100/day “Preferred Stay” upgrade, which we declined. Prior to travel, we paid extra for a King Deluxe room with an ocean view, but were initially assigned a “standard panoramic view” room that was much smaller than expected. After returning to the lobby and presenting our booking confirmation, we were told the room we had reserved was considered “preferred,” meaning the benefits were only fully realized by purchasing the preferred package. Sorting this out took significant time and ultimately impacted the first day of our stay. We were later moved to an upgraded room, but even that room showed noticeable wear and tear. Furnishings and finishes were dated, and it didn’t reflect the quality we anticipated. I’ve included photos for reference so others can see the condition firsthand. The property overall appears tired and in need of renovation. While advertised as a 5-star resort, the experience did not align with that rating. Service throughout the stay was inconsistent. Dining options were limited, and food quality was underwhelming. We ended up dining at the Italian restaurant multiple nights simply because other options didn’t appeal. There was no pool service, so guests needed to get their own drinks, and room service orders were occasionally incomplete. While every trip has its imperfections, this experience was more frustrating than relaxing. I personally would not choose to return and hope the property addresses these concerns for future guests.

The spa services were amazing! Noe & Marilyn took excellent care of my wife and I. Definitely a 10 out of 10 for the spa services. The food was good. I would give it a 9 out of 10. The rooms were great as well. I will give them a 10 out of 10. The resort also offers guided activities, such as snorkeling and kayaking, which were also a highlight of our stay. The resort guides, Cherry, Daly, and Anderson, were very attentive and knowledgeable, and very encouraging when it comes to participation. My only drawback was having to take the shuttle everywhere you go because the resort is very spaced out and there are a lot of heels. Overall, this is a very beautiful resort and a very wonderful experience that we’ve had there. The people working on the resort made our experience one of the best we’ve had. Final shoutout to all the shuttle drivers who keep the resort running. We will definitely be coming back when we visit Costa Rica again.. This would’ve received a full five stars if the locations on the resort were more accessible.