Guanacaste and Papagayo, Costa Rica

By Barbara Bagnall

View from Secrets lobby

View from Secrets lobby

We arrived at the Liberia airport on April 30th and stayed one night at the Hilton Garden Inn.  It is conveniently located right across from the airport.  When you are arriving on a late flight it is nice to stay close to the airport.  Accommodations were clean and comfortable and breakfast was included.  The next morning we had a transfer to Tamarindo which is an hour drive South.  We stayed at the Tamarindo Diria the first night. The resort is located right on the ocean front.  There is an extension of the resort across the street. The adults only pool is on the other side of the street. The hotel is right in the center of town, close to shops, restaurants and nightlife. We had an oceanfront room on the 3rd floor. You can boogie board, paddle board and surf right in front of the hotel.  Breakfast was included.  This is a good 3 ½ star resort.

Tamarindo Diria ocean view room

Tamarindo Diria ocean view room

We then moved to Capitan Suizo resort at the end of the town of Tamarindo. This is a boutique hotel with 35 units. The grounds are beautiful with birds, howler monkeys, squirrels, gray and green iguanas, geckos, collared anteaters and raccoons. There is a spacious swimming pool surrounded by native trees an open air restaurant and bar. You can surf or boogie board on the beach in front of the resort. This resort is good for couples, singles, groups and families.  Ideal for nature lovers who like to be surrounded by flora and having the facilities of a beach town within a walking distance.  Breakfast was included. This is a small, 4 star luxury leading resort.

Capitan Suizo

Capitan Suizo

I did a site inspection at the Cala Luna Boutique hotel & villas which is about 5 minutes walking distance from Capitan Suizo resort. It has 31 guest rooms and 11 Villas. I liked the Villas at this resort.  They are good for families and have their own swimming pools. The beach is quite rocky and the hotel will transfer guests over to the more swimmable beaches for surfing  and swimming.  This hotel is rated at 4 stars.

Cala Luna lobby

Cala Luna lobby

After checking out of the Capitan Suizo we rented a car in the town of Tamarindo and drove up the Guanacaste coast to the town of Flamingo Beach which was about a 30 minute drive. We stayed at the Flamingo Beach resort. It is in a very small town located right on the beach.

Flamingo Beach Hotel

Flamingo Beach Hotel

The ocean was very rough with crashing waves, so not that good at that time for swimming but the swimming pool was huge with a fun swim up bar.  This resort is good for families, couples and singles. They offer breakfast with the rate and also an all inclusive option. The room was very nice on the second floor which is on the same level and the lobby. We had a pool view/partial ocean view. There is a roof top bar and restaurant that was very nice. I would rate this resort as a 3 star.

Secrets Papagayo

Secrets Papagayo

We then drove up to Secrets Papagayo all inclusive resort. It is very impressive from the minute you walk in the lobby. It is high up with beautiful views of the grounds. The bungalows are located all around the property with the lowest category being in the Panoramic buildings which are the highest point on the resort. They have open aired trollys to take the guests up the steep slopes to get to their rooms. I requested a bungalow close to the main pool and restaurant which idn’t require calling to get picked up as you could walk to the beach, pools and restaurants. They also have a pool on the Spa side which is very quiet with bungalows surrounding that area also. There are a total of 202 guest rooms.

Honeymoon Room at Secrets

Honeymoon Room at Secrets

There is an Italian, Asian, Steak house , Seafood, Snack bar and the Market place, which is the buffet.  The food was very good at all the restaurants. This resort is a short 20 minute drive from the Liberia airport and a 15 minute ride to the town of Coco Beach which is very lively.

They have a preferred club which is an additional charge providing excellent services, a private lounge & bar and preferred club suites all in premium locations.  I would rate this resort 4 ½ star.

I have been to a lot of different areas of Costa Rica and this region is the best for the all inclusive and boutique beach hotels.  It is the dryer region.  The best airport to fly into is the Liberia airport.

The region is home to seven national parks, and the Guanacaste Pacific Coast is known as the “Gold Coast” or “Costa Rica’s Riviera” for its spectacular beaches.

Feel free to contact me for more information about your Costa Rican vacation!

Barbara Bagnall
Branch: Carmel Mountain
11885 Carmel Mt Rd Ste 906
San Diego, CA 92128 | Directions
Toll-Free: 800-795-0720
Direct Line: 858.551.4489

 

 

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