JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa

I was at this resort for a business meeting. It was expensive to get there and expensive to get back. The roads were not the greatest so seeing the resort at the end of a 2 hour long bumpy sojourn felt amazing! I was nauseous and tired from the drive so to see the road open up to a resort this beautiful made me smile. It is in a very serene location and aesthetically pleasing to look at. My check in: I am not always a huge fan of resorts because they are programmed to do things a certain way and don't necessarily assess a situation before approaching a guest. I was not in a great mood because of the drive and wanted a second to catch my bearing before exiting the van. Instead, my things were yanked off of the van and I had to wrangle them away from the bell man. Since I needed my documents to check in and I needed my computer for a meeting, trying to convey that I was going to keep my things, rather than hand them over and wait 3 hours to get them, became a battle that set us off on the wrong foot. Eventually, I was led to a room where I was supposed to check in...this was a HUGE departure from the typical check in counters I have always seen in hotels. It was a nice sized room set up with desks like an office. It was air conditioned with huge sofas and comfy seats. Each check in person sits at a large desk and interacts with one group, person, family at a time. While there, they offer you a specialty beverage and then you wait. That was the second most frustrating thing the check in area is woefully understaffed most of the time. When I got there, only one person was checking in people. I had to sit for over 20 minutes waiting for one family to check in when all I wanted to do was get into my room, take a shower and unwind after 10 hours of travel. Eventually, I got into my room and the ocean front view made all of the aggravation worth it. There are many options for meals...the resort has about 5 restaurants, but they are all VERY expensive. I'm talking $30 for a hamburger. In addition, the reviews about the food and my colleagues assessments of the food were not great either. I read about the offerings and the cost before getting there so I made sure to enjoy my free breakfast (as a Titanium Elite member) fully! And then I made sure to have a reasonable lunch ($29 for a grilled chicken sandwich and fries) and skip dinner. Knowing how bad the roads were, I was loathe to travel to any of the surrounding towns so I stayed on property. I have never travelled and not partaken of the local food, but after crunchy rice at two different meals, I gave up. The beach was clean and inviting, the pools were the same. I spent most of my time enjoying the surroundings. Nature was everywhere in abundance and I made sure to indulge in every bit of it. Birds often settled on your breakfast table. There were lizards and other reptiles sunning themselves on the pool patios, I saw little monkey paws in the sand...it was glorious! Overall, I had a really nice stay at this resort. The location is gorgeous. I had an ocean front room and the view was spectacular. The customer service was also great for the most part. Some hiccups along the way, but nothing worth truly complaining about. I will say that there is some difficulty communicating in English and that's to be expected, but when there were miscommunications I felt that the Marriott employees went overboard to convince me that I was the one with the misunderstanding when it was actually a language barrier on their part. I am not convinced that I would return...the expense and hassle are not high enough for me to consider a return.

I went for my 60th bday and had a wonderful time. However, they over charged me 678 dollars. When I got home, I let them know and was told numerous times they would credit my account. This never happened until I filed a dispute with my credit card. THEN, they finally credited my account. This was extremely poor customer service and I hate that I have to give such a poor review because the wait staff at this resort were wonderful and the resort and food were exceptional. The resort just needs to be more honest when a refund is due and get it done ....not just give lip service that it is going to be done.

We had a wonderful stay at this resort betwen Christmas and New Year. The property is beautiful and well kept. All the staff was extremely pleasant and the service impeccable. We traveled with our teenage kids and they also enjoyed it a lot. The food was very good at all the resort´s restaurants and our waiter´s service at the beach was awesome. Special mention to Luis Vicencio, who made us feel at home.

This hotel was terrible. When we got there we didn't get our welcome drink which isn't much of a big deal however when we got to our rooms we were severally disappointed. We had payed an extra amount of money for an ocean view room and we couldn't see the ocean. We went to the front desk and they were very unhelpful, eventually moving us to a room where we could barely see the ocean. This type of service is completely unacceptable for how much money this "resort" costed. The food was extremely expensive and not even average and the pool was just normal compared to other pools. All pool chairs were reserved by 6:30 AM so you had to get up at the crack of dawn to get a seat. This hotel should be praised for its location, not the actual hotel. The workers were very rude and when I asked where the bathroom was, the worker told me the wrong directions and laughed with her coworker. The hotel felt impersonal and nothing like Costa Rica. Walking around felt like a shopping center with the amount of people and poor service. When we were getting picked up for an excursion they sent us to the wrong car and we almost got taken to the completely wrong area. The food was unbelievably expensive and costing over 10 dollars for water and 35 for chicken wings. At the gift shop, they were selling Sun Bum sunscreen for 50 dollars each. Not a typo. This is extremely cruel considering how some families may be in desperate need of sunscreen so they don't get terribly burned. The resort is also in a very remote location so it is not easy to go to a shop and get some... predatory behavior. All in all this is a completely money hungry organization.

We just got back from an incredible 3-day stay at the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort. As a family of 4 (me, my wife, and kids aged 9 & 14), it was a perfect blend of relaxation, fun, and family time. We spent time at the beach, playing in the pool, and exploring the area. We even did one of their free cooking classes! The breakfast buffet was awesome and the restaurants, while expensive, were on-point. Highly highly recommend!

We stayed at this resort for 5 nights. Hacienda Pinilla is a very nice area however there are some drawbacks. If you take a shuttle from Liberia to the Marriott you will not have any other transportation on the property grounds unless you rent a car or a golf cart, which is about 100/day. The grounds are nicely manicured and service overall is much like the rest of Costa Rica, patient, nice, and willing to help. The resort is likely on the verge of being outdated in next couple of years for a proclaimed 5 star hotel. I think the hotel is a solid 4 star. The price does not reflect the amenities or service of a 5 star hotel. Entire Pool had evidence of mold throughout the backsplashes once up and close. Pricing of beverages and food was very high and quality occasionally was worth the price but, not guaranteed. Italian restaurant had very long wait times, food was decent but not worth the price. Also we had to ask several times to turn the fan or A/C on for dinner. As sweating and drinking red wine was pretty uncomfortable! The steakhouse however was exceptional, food and service were well worth the price. As mentioned, Roaming the property grounds within Hacienda Pinilla to golf or use their beach club requires a bicycle ride (free) or some other form of transportation. The Marriott does not provide free shuttles anywhere. If looking for a true 5 star hotel (which they advertise), this is not the place. Plenty of newer actual 5 stars up in Guanacaste I would rather stay at. If the budget picks the hotel then know this is a solid 4 star, you’ll be content but, not blown away. It’s a safe solid choice.

We had such a terrific stay at the JW. I did not expect it to be as good as it was, in fact! We did not leave the resort due to our short 3-night stay; we had planned to go to Tamarindo to go surfing, but found the hotel excellent to the point it was easy to justify canceling that excursion. There are several restuarants, but we only tried two restaurants and the sports bar (called Sand Bar). The food was very good all around, with restaurant manager Andres a stand-out employee that personally took me through all of the restaurants and even coaching me on some of the best items on the menu. He is the best. Thank you Andres. The room was nice but not anything special. The beds are doubles and there is a single sliding door that separates the bathroom from the bedrom. That sliding door refused to stay closed for me but I did not complain to the hotel about it, so maybe it was an easy fix. However, it is an indication of the age of the rooms. The food, as mentioned, was very good but it also was EXTREMELY expensive. Think $28 cheeseburgers and $29 chicken tenders. The effectively have a captive audience that is far from anywhere else to eat and they price it that way. Drinks are abotut $16. Chips and guacamole was a relative bargain at around $12. For us we just ate a significant amount of food at the $49 breakfast buffet to try to last us through an early dinner. I had a massage in the spa and did not find that experience to be anything special. The treatment rooms were pretty sterile, in fact. The hotel was terrific though, and we would certainly return.

Bugs in room. Horrible, way overly priced food. $36 for 6 nasty fried chicken wings. Avian water $16.00 !!!! That’s for one small bottle. No place remotely off property to get food. This hotel has you by the baseballs.

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.

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.