JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3539 reviews

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  Wonderful hotel on Beach

  Fantastic Hotel, stayed here for 6 nights in early December 2025. Had an ocean front room and booked a package thru Costco (which was cheaper than thru on-line sources). Everything about this hotel is great. The beach is beautiful and swimmable, pool is amazing and grounds are beautiful. Staff is super helpful, room was very nice and free buffett breakfast was amazing. When we were there the hotel was probably 40% full which was very nice and gave it a low key vibe. 5 stars for sure. One thing to be aware of is that this hotel remote compared to other locations in Tamarindo. It is about a 25 minute van ride away. We liked this but it limits you to eating lunch and dinner on the hotel property. There are a number of good restaurants on the property but they are expensive. So if this is an issue for you please be aware of it.

  Dec 20, 2025
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  Serious Safety Issues and No Corporate Follow-Up

  We stayed at the JW Marriott Guanacaste and experienced multiple serious issues that remain unresolved despite repeated attempts to escalate to Marriott Corporate. Occupancy context (for clarity): We booked a room for four and arrived with a fifth family member (a six-year-old). Once the hotel raised the issue, we immediately complied and purchased a second room. The policy itself is not the complaint — the handling and the additional incidents are. Major concerns: • Food allergy safety failure: My daughter has a peanut allergy. Despite clearly requesting no peanuts, her dish was served with peanuts. This is a basic safety failure that could have had serious consequences. • Security concern involving personal belongings: My phone, room key, and sandals were removed from the pool area. Using device tracking, I located the phone in a part of the resort we had never visited. After I locked and factory-reset the phone, it was returned to my room shortly afterward with no clear explanation. This was deeply unsettling. • Unprofessional handling of forced room charge: The second room was required after we had already checked in and unpacked. More concerning, after I attempted to end the discussion, the manager followed me into a public guest area to continue the confrontation in front of other guests. No voices were raised, but the pursuit itself was inappropriate. • No corporate response: I contacted Marriott on 11/23, 11/26, and again by phone on 12/5 after learning the case had been closed without contacting me. As of mid-December, I have received no meaningful response from Marriott Corporate. I have been a Marriott Bonvoy member for nearly 20 years and have never experienced this combination of safety issues, security concerns, management conduct problems, and complete lack of follow-up. This review is not about policy — it is about safety, professionalism, and accountability.

  Dec 17, 2025
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  Huge Resort!

  Very large resort with enormous pool! Easy to stay on the grounds for our entire stay, but I am glad we walked to an adorable cafe down the beach (Lola's) and took the transportation into town one day. We also did the resort's horseback riding outing, which was fun, especially riding on the beach. Our favorite restaurant was the Asian restaurant on the resort premises. Reservations are recommended. The breakfast buffet is huge and delicious.

  Dec 16, 2025
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  This Is An Excellent JW Marriott!

  Every employee, supervisor and manager of this hotel is as kind and helpful as can possibly be! I don’t recall a stay recently where I felt my business was appreciated so much! There is something special here! The property is beautiful. There is constant cleaning all day long. Plenty of staff by the pool to take care of everyone. There were a couple of minor negatives that I won’t mention because the positives far outweigh them. The one issue that must be dealt with is the raccoons. They should be trapped humanely and removed far from the property to be released. It is disappointing to have to be on guard on balconies all of the time so the raccoons don’t break into the rooms to raid the minibars or eat food on the balcony. It is not possible to sleep with the doors open to hear the ocean.

  Nov 23, 2025
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  Beautiful, wonderful experience.

  We just came back from resort where we spent our vacation and celebrate our 50 Th anniversary. This is the second time we are coming here. We are so happy to choose to do so. The resort is spotless, resort staff is very friendly. We liked all restaurants, food and service. There is restaurant by the pool Azul where we had lunch one time and I had Tempura salad which was wonderful. I told to our server Susana Araico who was very nice and attentive. I complimented the salad and, chef’s beautiful job who prepared it and Susana brought him to talk to us, his name is Hansel Ortega. I also want to say thank you Josue for his help and advice. We were surprised when we came to our room in day of our anniversary and room was beautifully decorated for our special day. Very thankful to all stuff. Thank you very much.

  Nov 20, 2025