Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
3486 reviews
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Mar 15, 2025Marriott more than JW
Almost 5 stars! Cannot give 5 stars as it felt more like a Marriott and not the luxury of a “JW” property. The bathrooms are very dated and I know you can do better. The pool and beach amenities are poor for a 5 star resort. There are no cabanas to rent and the staff at the pool is sparse with uneven service. With that said the property is beautiful and housekeeping is great
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Mar 12, 2025ONE AND DONE
Where do I begin? This is a $700 per night stay in a dated hotel that desperately needs updating. We had no hot water for 3 of the 4 days we were there and management did nothing to fix the problem or contact me about it. The grounds are nice and well maintained with plenty of local plants. Food and beverage service and quality is barely average, and many times your order is taken and never received, but billed, so monitor your check. Food is very expensive for what it is, $20 chicken wings, (That we waited 75 minutes for), $ 22 hamburgers, and $24 fish tacos that are worth $5. Drinks are also expensive and there is a 10% service charge included so watch your check. The breakfast buffet is awesome and worth the cost. Lots of fresh fruits, eggs, and local favorites. The resort is isolated and transportation can be difficult. If you're planning to go into Tamarindo for dinner or at night, make sure you have transportation back. Finding a taxi to take you back is difficult and expensive, the later it gets. I do recommend Tamorindo as there is something for everybody and plenty of great food, drinks and nightlife. I would be remiss if I didn't say that after several complaints I was given a 50% discount for food and beverages which amounted to about $200. Considering we had 9 rooms at $700 per day for 4 days, I think they could have done better but I appreciate the courtesy. Special thanks to Gabriel at the front desk and Nelson the F&B supervisor who worked hard for me and took time to listen and entertain my comments. They couldn't have been more courteous and professional. I loved Costa Rica and Tamarindo and will return for sure. As for the JW Marriott, one and done.
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Mar 08, 2025Amazing stay
We had an absolutely amazing time there! The grounds were well kept, the beds were so comfortable and the breakfast was top notch! One of the best Marriott’s I’ve been to. The only complaint is the service was a bit slow, the staff was running around working hard, they needed more help. Live music nightly! We enjoyed having drinks and listening in the hammocks. paradise.. Our concierge expertly helped us with making arrangements to the national parks and other activities, so appreciated. I also appreciated the upgrade as part of my Platinum elite choice award! we had a gorgeous suite! Amazing stay! I cannot say enough good things about this property.
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Mar 08, 2025
Return to Favorite JW Hotel in Paradise
This was our 4th stay at this amazing hotel. Always feels like coming back home. The grounds are amazingly beautiful, very clean and super charming (Spanish Hacienda style) - not modern which we love. And the staff at this hotel are very friendly, accommodating, and very professional. Especially in the Mansita Restaurant - where we had an amazing breakfast every morning. Brayan Peraza was our favorite, as by the end of the trip he felt like family to us. He went above and beyond for us no matter where we ran into him. We also had an amazing experience at Mansita with Josue Zuniga, Marlon Steven and Esteban Mora. They all are amazing and very hard workers as well. As far as restaurants, breakfast in Mansita, as mentioned, always great. In the evening, it turned into the Italian restaurant Pimento Italiano - very delicious - had 2 great meals there (Kevin Elizondo - server in Pimento also great). Palapa Grill - great for lunch - great burgers. Also had 2 great dinners at Sandbar Lounge (tacos were amazing & great margaritas). A Valdelomar, Carlos Duban & Dennis S - Servers there also amazing. Never dined at Tamarine this visit. Only meal that was underwhelming (and the most expensive and not worth it) was at Sabanero Steakhouse. This was our 2nd time dining here. (We tried it during our 1st time staying at this hotel and we were not pleased at all with this restaurant. But, we thought we would give it another try). Mistake. Some staff (including our server) seemed a bit pretentious and not very attentive (didn’t seem to want to make your experience special - and it was my birthday celebration dinner unfortunately). Server never checked in with us to see if we needed another drink or if we needed anything, which made for a super slow service experience and us having to chase her down - had to ask for drinks and bread. My husband’s salmon was good (not great) but my steak was very fatty. Will not re-visit this restaurant on next stay. The Rum Bar was fun (happened upon karaoke night) and delicious cocktails - made by Rodolfo. It was also nice to have nightly entertainment in the open air courtyard lounge under the stars. Great way to end your evening. Gelato was a nice treat at Waves & Cream. They also have a great little gift shop for all your needs. The pool is amazing and bartender (Carlos F) and our servers also worked super hard and in the hot sun (so shout out to Juan Cabezas, Aron Arce and Elian Hernandez - thank you for your great service). Thank you JW for another great stay and we look forward to our next visit.
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Mar 06, 2025
Felt welcomed before we even arrived
We just returned from a lovely stay at the JW Guanacaste. We felt welcomed before we even arrived, thanks to the kindness of Front Desk Manager Laura Perez. She and her staff (Yesenia and Adrian especially) were incredibly accommodating with our schedule and offered us an upgrade and breakfast as gold level members. The breakfast buffet is not to be missed -- a generous array of all things tropical and Costa Rican, along with omelet, chilaquiles and carved meat stands to complement the usual buffet favorites. Chef Alan was so generous in finding more costillas when they ran out, personally delivering them to our table. Jessica and Yubelka provided the most friendly service every morning. And Luis, who served us at La Palapa and Tamarine, was yet another genuinely friendly and attentive staff member. Our room was a delight, with a bed like a cloud and a balcony overlooking the pools. We enjoyed our visit to the Club de Playa for a more intimate beach experience (Marriott guests can visit for an additional $5pp/day.) Our favorite daily activity was walking around the headland and across the river mouth to Playa Avellanas and Lola's. Such a gorgeous wild beach. All in all, a fantastic stay.