Hotel Promotions

Resort Details

OnSite Dining
  • Azul
    Whether you are in the mood for salad, fish or ceviche, Azul will not disappoint with fresh entr?es for your memorable dining experience. Our Guanacaste restaurant?also offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.
  • Palapa
    Comfortable brasserie-style restaurant offering everything you love about a cuisine without the attitude. Features classic dishes such as juicy hamburgers made with fresh-ground beef.
  • Pimento Breakfast
    Treat your friends & family to a la carte options at our casual restaurant, located on the pool level of our hotel. Our dishes feature local ingredients infused with global cuisine, including international and Costa Rican options.
  • Pimento Italian
    Italian cooking is a celebration of local flavors held together by a singular appreciation of high-quality, seasonal ingredients, presented in elegant simplicity. Enjoy luxury meals at this Italian restaurant in Guanacaste.
  • Sabanero Steak House
    Our Steakhouse offers a comfortable, upscale ambience, replete with its signature cowboy or lobster. The menu features original variations of international premium cuts with a tantalizing array of local steaks, prime rib, organic chicken and hearty salads
  • Tamarine Asian Fusion
    Our Asian-Fusion Guanacaste Restaurant offers dishes from China, Japan, Thailand and Peruvian. Our Chef incorporates traditional recipes with a touch of Costa Rican ingredients. We recommend making a reservation before your visit.
  • Waves and Cream
    Satisfy your sweet tooth at our Coffee Deli. We offer a wide selection of Italian ice cream as well as the best coffee made in Costa Rica.

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_4.5 3486 reviews
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 4.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Marriott 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

    Mar 15, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 3.0 star tripadvisor rating
    ONE 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.

    Mar 12, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Amazing 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.

    Mar 08, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    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.

    Mar 08, 2025
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    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.

    Mar 06, 2025
Prices per person based on double occupancy including round-trip airfare via U.S. certified air carriers and round-trip airport/hotel transfers when arriving at airport closest to destination (for exceptions see Frequently Asked Questions), hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes. In some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days. All packages are based on the lowest hotel/air classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled, subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Fees may apply for carry-on and checked baggage-view Baggage Policies. Some resort fees, environmental levies and departure taxes are not included and may be payable in resort. View Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Cancellation policies apply. Bookings are subject to the Fair Trade Contract. All public charter flights are operated by ALG Vacations Corp: Allegiant Air: PC 18-231, A319-156 seats or A320-186 seats /PC 18-234, A319-156 seats or A320-186 seats; Miami Air operated by TUI Airlines Belgium N.V. : PC 19-085 & PC 19-117, B737-800, 180 seats/PC 19-091, B737-800-183 seats; Swift Air: PC 19-092, B737-400-150 seats; Viva Aerobus: PC 18-228, A320-180 seats/ PC 19-079, A320-180-185 seats/PC 19-094, A320-185 seats. CST2139014-20 120319