Nice resort but need to drive between 2 to 4 hours to see waterfalls, rain forest and most activities

Loved it was there with my family!

Our stay at the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort was nothing short of perfect! The property was beautiful & well maintained, the staff was friendly, the food was delicious, & the excursions were well organized & fun. Our room was cleaned & restocked to perfection each day & we were so happy we’d thought to reserve a room with an ocean-facing balcony. Each night, the sunset was an event not to be missed! In addition, the serpentine, infinity pool was large enough to provide guests with varying levels of enjoyment. A water volleyball game at one end of the pool went unnoticed by guests looking for quiet relaxation in another area. Over the course of our week-long stay, we got to experience the warmth & friendly service of the resort staff. We looked forward to being greeted each day by hostess, Karen, who greeted us by name & easily recalled our dining preferences. In addition, Josue and Gustavo, stand out for their exceptional service & sincere interest in our comfort & enjoyment of the property’s many amenities. As vegetarians/pescatarians & coffee lovers who do most of our own cooking, we were concerned that the resort would not meet our dining preferences. The opposite was true: the breakfast buffet at the resort restaurant, Pimento, had something for everyone. Local fruit, along with the biggest buffet we’ve ever seen, including egg & quesadilla bars, provided a substantial start to each day’s activities. Servers were friendly, attentive & refilled our cafe con leche until

Way over priced for what it was . Staff was short handed . Not paradise for theses prices ! Food was good nothing great ..

Awesome trip!! People were so nice and friendly

The staff were very good bent over backwards to serve . The food was out of this world

Staff were excellent and extremely friendly.

I had a good time with my family, not much dining options so had to always eat out.

Great stay at this JW. Friendly staff and great food options.

We absolutely loved every minute of our stay at JW Marriott Guanacaste. The staff was friendly, helpful and always available. The pool was amazing, along with the beach. Our ocean view room was just as we expected -- breathtaking view! We highly recommend a visit here.

Spent a full week at the JW Marriott and had a really great time with my family (wife and 2 girls 10&11). The hotel was really great when it comes to the pool, beach, staff, parking, and rooms. But really the only downside, is that even for a guy who does pretty darn good for himself, the food prices are just plain crazy, and the selection is very mediocre. $24 for a ham sandwich people, $26 burgers, $22 chicken strips, and if you want to eat at the italian buffet $50 a person for mediocre pasta and pizza...I heard the country can be expensive but its just kind of ridiculous.

Beautiful property right on the beach. Many things to do within the property. Variety of live music every evening in the central plaza.

One of the best resorts at which we’ve ever stayed. The food at the restaurants we visited was world class, the staff was friendly and attentive (a special shout out to Marco for leading morning yoga practices on the beach), the fitness center was well-appointed, and every day felt like paradise!

The staff were awesome. Karen and Juan were two of the amazing employees we will remember from the restaurants.

For the price point it was a bit of a disappointment. Food and service on the resort was mediocre at best with the Italian restaurant being the worst. Would have expected more from a JW Marriott.

We just got back from a week at the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa and we had a such a great time. We flew in to the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (Liberia Airport), used the recommended transport ( Go CR Vision ) on the JW Marriott web site for our transportation to and from the JW. and made the reservation on line. They were ontime both times and had great service! The entire stay was wonderful at the JW Marriott. We visited all restaurants and used room service and had great service and food was amazing. The other thing that was a pleasant surprise was that every time we pointed out our youngest daughters allergies (dairy and gluten) they could always remake something on all menus that would accommodate her as well as me as I am a vegan. The Tamarine was my personal favorite and we ate there a few times. The coffee/ice cream shop was great for coffee in the morning. I honestly have nothing to complain about. The property was beautiful and clean, the service was wonderful and we just had a great time. We took one excursion, a catamaran / snorkeling trip and made the reservation via the tour office at the JW and that was lovely as well. We didn't have any safety concerns but also didn't go into any cities on the whole trip and generally stayed with recommended tour groups or transportation services. There are iguanas and geckos everywhere! Also didn't have any mosquito problems on the property at all!

Lovely!

Beautiful property right on the beach. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Many activities offered at the resort which is included in your stay, We really enjoyed the cooking class and mountain biking tour. There are also activities around the property in Hacienda Pinilla. We loved the horseback riding tour. The concierge and the transportation staff were very helpful and always made sure we were taken care of, especially if we had a schedule change. The property is 30 minutes from Tamarindo so we were able to do some shopping. We loved staying here and plan on coming back again.

Staff and grounds are impeccable. Highly recommended.

it was absolutely beautiful

Beautiful property

Food and beverage could definitely use some help. The food was not up to par with Marriott anywhere else and the drinks were watered down

Pricey is ok, but only if you provide excellent service and food. This resort keeps the high prices but does not offer great service or even good food. There are times during the day when many restaurants are not even open. The quality of the food and preparation was not great.

Very nice and unique property with every suite unique in this top rated stay. Staff very kind and friendly

This property looks aged and the food options on site are bad; it's a bit far from any other options as well. We were thankful to have a car to go off site for meals. Service wants to do well but they fall a bit short; bored and over worked maybe? The infinity edge pool view to the ocean is beautiful and the large pool is quite nice. However, many other resorts have a pool. Room AC was cold and we slept well. We would not likely return. Costa Rica is so beautiful and this hotel feels like a lonely island away from the authentic beauty of the country.

Z

Nice hotel for a family vacation. Pool and beach were great! Excursions were wonderful but expensive. The restaurants on property were not great and not of the quality you would expect in such a nice hotel.

Ocean access was great.

Remote property and quiet. Staff is the star of this resort.

Many of the restaurants were just ok. Also, their menus didn’t change at all while we were there. Could use some variety. Salads weren’t on the menu. Had to make a special request to get one.

Online room reservations are deceiving. Reserving a ocean view room may give you a peak of the ocean from your terrace . It is not clear that to really see a view of the ocean you need to reserve an ocean front room. Also if you have any difficulty walking be aware of this property being very large and walking around the pool to access the steps into the pool can be a long walk.

Beautiful resort. Always chairs available at pool Walkable beach.Staff so friendly and helpful Downside Very rocky in front of resort. 30 minutes away from Tamarindo

Grounds are beautiful, beach breath taking, staff is so attentive to your needs, dress is very casual at all restaurants and activities, it’s 1.5 hours from hotel but so worth it…. Wouldn’t leave resort next time… no need.

Excellent staff! Great pool, beach, restaurants, food!

Simply beautiful.

hotel is a top 5 in Costa Rica. Staff was amazing. Every single person that worked at the hotel was outstanding. Can't wait to go back.

Staff and service was amazing.

It was a pleasure to stay at resort! The staff was kind ,assertive and quick to assist with any needs!

Thank you. It was great

Massive resort with no shade and a strange, unthoughtful layout. Refrigerator was broken the whole time despite calls to maintenance for repair. Food was bland and incredibly expensive. There are many great restaurants in Avellanas and Playa Negra, but if you don’t have a car, it will be a $50 cab ride each way. The pool bar closed the kitchen early and would not serve late afternoon snacks despite it’s posted open ours which extend to 5pm. “Ocean view” room was a peek a boo view through palm trees. Housekeeping was awesome (loved the extra touches) and overall cleanliness is amazing (par for the course for CR).

The property and the pool are beautiful! All of the staff was amazingly nice and everything is kept so perfect and clean.

Awesome place

The staff was very friendly. Everyone genuinely seemed to want to make the stay pleasant. The beach was awesome.

Awesome sunsets, the pool was fantastic

Food options are significantly limited Visual beach experience varies widely with high tide and low tide .

Unfortunately, this property has gone way downhill. From the landscaping to the waitstaff to the food. As a matter of fact, you’re basically trapped an hour away from everything with the inability to get anywhere for less than a $96 cab ride. I have traveled all over the world and quite honestly I’ve never been more disappointed in my decision to stay at a JW. Typically, JW is one of the best chain resorts you can find at a relatively reasonable upscale price. Save your effort and energy and book at the W or Westin. It’s much closer to things and the properties are far superior than JW. I stayed at JW for 9 days and didn’t have one decent meal. Not one….and I can assure you, I’m not a food snob. The food was always over cooked or undercooked but mostly undercooked. When you order a steak or a burger, at medium well it would come bleeding. At one point I ordered room service in the morning and received fruit from another room that had already been eaten along with jam that was already opened and used. It was really quite disgusting especially considering Covid. I did voice my complaints several times but it basically fell on deaf ears. The staff is simply doing the very bare minimum job that they can do. No longer do they meet or exceed expectations. Which quite honestly is some thing that you would expect from a JW. While I loved Costa Rica, I would not stay at the JW property ever again. I am beyond disappointed.

Such a lovely experience here at JW Marriott in Costa Rica! The service was top notch - they were so accommodating! The rooms were updated and clean, the food was delicious, and the pool was sparkling! Will definitely stay here again.

Good property

If you are looking for avery quiet getaway with very few guests and very isolated then this is your spot. You are a 20 minute drive over sections of unpaved gut wrenching roads to even get to the main roadway. Limited dining options, so without a car you are trapped with their offerings at their inflated prices. Staff was friendly so you might want to bring seperate tip money. Tipping on the room charge does not filter to the actual server. The mountain bikes are in complete disrepair. They all need service or replacement. I.E. no brakes or gear selection.

Great location, beach, pool. Super friendly staff. Miles of beach to walk.

I would never stay there again! Booked their most expensive suite, and although on first glance everything looked amazing, the suite was not properly cleaned (found clump of hair on wall of shower from previous guest), tiles in the overhang were missing exposing rusted disgusting interior, and all of the shower and bath water fixtures were falling apart. TV in bedroom was also problematic, not being able to switch to English from Spanish. All of this would not have been an issue if we didn’t have to ask several times for these matters to be addressed. Additionally, the pool was freezing cold and the golf course, who charged $120 for a round, was not maintained or watered. The club rentals, which cost $60 were beat up and over 10 years old. All in all, very disappointing experience. Would never return as there are other amazing resorts throughout that region. Avoid at all costs!

Property is in a remote area with a very bumpy dirt road leading to the entrance. I got food poisoning on my 3rd day and never fully recovered until we left. Room fire alarm sounded off at 100AM and we didn’t get much of a response from the front desk. Loud music played by the pool on Friday night! Although the staff was friendly, we will probably not return.

This place is sooo beautiful the staff is very friendly . I would definitely stay here again

The property was beautiful, rooms were comfy, housekeeping was very good. The pool service and other restaurants were awful. There was a toilet issue at the pool restaurant which was rancid. They never fixed it. There was constant miscommunication with the front desk. Getting into the gym was told to get a key from them than they said you have to go to the spa. This kind of thing went on thru the trip. Running around to different departments.

Perfect spot for a family vacation with a beautiful beach and pool to relax. They have plenty of activities, but know they charge everyone $33 for the activities regardless if you participate or not. There is nothing close (walking distance) to do outside of the property and if you rent a vehicle know there's a main road that's unpaved and rough to drive on. The best tour we took from the hotel was the Buena Vista challenge, where the company drives you out to the volcano region for zip lines, horseback riding, and thermal water experience! Highly recommend the full board package unless you want to pay over $500 for food each day. Also, take plenty of single dollar bills for tips, it was extremely hard to get change anywhere in order to tip the awesome staff members. Only true downside was the small and high beds -- one of the kids rolled out of bed one night, but no injuries. Overall, well worth it!

Great property

Awesome as always! Good COVID protocols, main restaurant does a great job. Fine dining restaurants struggling to provide good service so maybe save and go off property instead. They do a nicecjob with group activities, bike tour, sunset cocktails, beach bonfire... love oceanfront suites.

Trip in November 2021

The hotel and staff were great! The hotel was clean, and well maintained. Food was incredible and fresh. One of the downfalls was trying to line up excursion's, they are supposed to be in from 8-4 but most of the time no one was there. Communication between the departments is not very good. The locations is very far from Overall was a very nice place and quiet.

The property was impeccably maintained, and the staff couldn't be more friendly and helpful. The location is remote; there's nothing nearby to see unless you travel over a bumpy unpaved road to Tamarindo. That said, there are plenty of amenities on property to keep you and your family occupied, including the largest pool in the region.

First off, the property is extremely isolated so you are basically captive. The restaurants all serve the same food choices and, if you happen to have a special diet like vegetarian, you have like three options. The resturants are only open for dinner from 6-10pm and only one place has lunch and only one location for breakfast. Even the pool bar (and towel service) closes at 5pm! They have a free shuttle to the Beach Club but it too stops at 5pm. Bikes are available, but guess what...stops at 5PM. The staff wants you to order room service for all food and is not accommodating or knowledgeable about the events of the day. For example, we made reservations at the only restaurant that had the meal we wanted in the morning and then 10 minutes before our time, they called and said the restaurant was closed. Very limited events and very poor service.

Limited food options at el sabanero restaurant

Very nice resort with beautiful beach

Great service! However the pool towels really need to be replaced. Also some renovation would go along way. We will definitely be back.

Amazing place! Way better than I expected. The pool and the beach and the views are all incredible. Felt very luxurious for a very reasonable price.

Best resort ever!

Aside from only a couple of their 5 restaurants being open and some amenities like spa services for the ladies being closed, this was the best resort experience I have ever had. Henry, one of the Bellmen, was absolutely wonderful and probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. Very genuine and wanted to make sure you had the best experience. In fact, the entire staff from check in to check out was fabulous. Cannot wait to return!

We couldn't have asked for a better

The property and staff were amazing. I would have liked more activities at the resort, such as shows and music. The music by the beach was only for an hour or two. Would have been nice if it lasted longer.

We were not aware of paid parking when my husband asked about the parking they just pointed him to the lot direction. Later during our stay we noticed they did offer valet which would have been more convenient with little children. We did try the food and it was not great we were looking for Costa Rican authentic or typical plates and it was all American junk food. The service was just not there and the shower had mold. We were not told about all amenities like the kids club clearing checking in with 2 children. The resort was fairly empty and we were given room 455 far away from it all. We were treated differently idk if it was because we were not all inclusive I’m not sure. The young guy at the pool would go to everyone around us when called but he would go to everyone to check in and see if we wanted anything they were very selective. One of our pool days there was a young lady and I noticed the difference she checked with most of the people if not all and I was able to place a bar order without having to chase the waiter down. The result is a more American experience with American food and American prices. We had to leave the resort as my kids didn’t eat anything on the menu. Apparently they do serve rice and beans but in the restaurant that was closed. We asked in one instance if maybe we can order somewhere some rice and beans and the young lady referred us to room service but nothing it was a waste of time we were told we can only order from the open restaurant.

The resort is beautiful and very clean. The service in the restaurants was very poor. Our drinks and food took forever to get and we were the only guests dining at that time. After 2 nights of dealing with poor service, we chose to eat our meals away from the resort.

A beautiful jungle oasis! After two weeks of adventuring around Costa Rica we booked our last two nights at the Marriott. Its set on a beautiful beach with surf and swimming. Lots of activities included like yoga and use of bikes to hit the path or MTB trails. We had a great massage with Adriana who also teaches yoga. The pool is amazing and faces the ocean. Overall vibe is zen and relaxing. It definitely was the best way to end an amazing vacation.

The place was almost empty and under staffed Horrible service The road to get to the hotel was full of huge holes Took 10 minutes just to get to the inside Beach was full of huge rocks Not a ace to swim at all Will not go back Poor service Food was ok Not much to pick from Rooms were clean Pool was clean No music at the pool area Good to relax But gets really boring after a couple of days

Beautiful property & staff was great. Hotel is not near much

Un lindo hotel, muy buen servicio buena comida, lo recomiendo 100%

The JW Marriott Guanacaste was a great place to relax. We particularly enjoyed the massive pool area and easy access to the beach. Resort activities were plentiful. My wife particularly enjoyed a daily yoga session.

This resort is seriously beautiful. The food is amazing. The steak house was our favorite and the chef is THE BEST. If you get a chance ask for Luis andres to serve you! He was amazing. Also the mixology classes by the pool bar were so fun!

I liked the kindness of restaurant employees. they were very considerate and liked to joke around. Also the food from the steakhouse was well worth the money. it was plated, gorgeous. and it was very delicious. I loved our room even though their wasn't a microwave haha. I loved the area. it was very beautiful seeing the ocean and the pool was amazing. we had to leave a little early because of a family emergency. they work with us. overall i will diffidently be coming back to them.

Our Deluxe King Pool View room (208) was awesome with an amazing breakfast for two. Every meal we had was excellent and Dallas prices. Service was over the top everywhere we went, from Alfredo the bellmen, to Maikal in the office, to Katherine at breakfast, to Dennis at the poolside bar, the the immaculate housekeeping daily, to the amazing Infiniti pool overlooking the ocean, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and moonrises! We will be back soon’ Gracias!

Service is the worst not enought personal. Room service misses items or sends incorrect orders. One day the order delayed 2 hours. The food was for my kids and they had no dinner because food came too late. This is not what the hotel was months ago where they had a great service. We also recieved a bad egg order upon breakfast. Eggs were rotten.

Over priced for what is provided. Charging as a 5 star hotel when in fact it’s more of a 4. Place has charm and the people are very pleasant but rooms are outdated. Road leading to hotel is horrible.

Great service, horrible food and dining

The food was horrible...almost everyone made this comment, we just had to return dinners. We were paying 700.00 per day. The facility was nowhere close to that quality and service. It’s a desolate location, no other dining options. Their smoothies we ordered, unlike what have experienced in Costa Rica, not fresh fruit, looked like a mixture poured from a bottle. The menu is 5 star expensive. I would never go back to that place!!!!

Awesome facility located within an Hacienda, extremely comfortable with very gentle and customer oriented employees.

Fantastic views. Pool was brilliant Employees were fantastic

The property and service was five star. The staff was friendly and helpful. The room, pool are grounds are beautiful.

The best place to stay!

Service it’s excellent!!

Poorly maintained beach, very limited food options

This is a must visit destination and resort, we had an amazing time😎😎!!

Great pool and good food at restaurants. Mostly pleasant and rooms were big and clean. Some service issues communication.

Beautiful peaceful faculty. Great choice of restaurants. The friendliest, most helpful staff I’ve ever experienced at any hotel anywhere in the world

Loved the hotel and location! Tried all the restaurants and the food is ok but loved everything else about the hotel.

Highly Recommended

Amazing beautiful resort. Staff was friendly, room was cleaned daily like clockwork, delicious steak house and thai restaurant, and wonderful view of the sunet. Does not get any better.

Nice beds. Big room and pool was awesome. Had issue with some things but got fixed

Confusing no good property msps onsite to clearly direct you.

Very private, ranch like setting, clean safe, and beautiful views.

The rooms and property are nice, although our building was set way back and the ocean view we had was quite minimal. The beach is small and not great for swimming. If you just want to lie by the pool then it's good. But if you are looking for a Costa Rica experience you need to leave the resort. A car is required. There are not many vegetarian options for eating.

Liked it! Well worth the money. Food and service were top knotch.

The resort is not in Tamarindo, and will not help with transit or calling cards except through their own company. Also, there was no Costa Rican food!! Very wlexpensive choices with almost nothing for vegetarians. No chairs on the beach, no lifeguards. Staff is very nice. We transferred to a smaller hotel in town which was much more enjoyable, with access to all the restaurants of the town.

Beautiful views. Staff is helpful and very friendly.

The friendliness of the staff especially Oldemar who gave us exceptional service and always a smile a very nice start to the day! Also Bryan who could remember what we ordered before and how we liked our coffee! very friendly! Rooms clean as well as the rest of the property well maintained! One thing we missed was having chairs on the beach but beautiful pool area! Also check in and out went well

I just can't say enough wonderful things about this beautiful property, the staff was so friendly and helpful at all times, located near an amazing beach, just walk right out of the pool area directly to the water, food was excellent, room was beautiful. We had such a fabulous trip. It is in a great location not too far from Tamarindo and from other local beaches etc.

Property was beautiful but too far away from civilization. Food and beverage was overpriced and since off the beaten path restaurant choices off resort were not much of an option. Rooms were great and property was well cared for. If you want a resort stay ‘only’ this was a pleasant place to stay.

The setting is unbeatable for Costa Rica in that it has direct beach access. The hotel itself is in great shape. The staff is great. Very warm and helpful. The only problem is in the room service and the Azul Grill restaurant (after these experiences we skipped eating dinner there again). The food was terrible. So was the food on the night of their New Year's Eve celebration. Inedible. Eat in town at Il Rustico (we had great pizza and homemade lasagna) and at Dragonfly. Bamboo Sushi was good also but their selection of sushi was limited.