Punta Islita, Autograph Collection

Had a fabulous vacation week there with my family (kids 10, 10 and 12) in April 2025. We relaxed, swam in the ocean (often few to no other families on the beach), boogie boarded, hung out in the pools, went zip lining, enjoyed observing macaws, howler monkeys, iguanas, coati, went on an interesting garden tour with a fabulous multi-course garden meal, dined on the beach, loved every second. Rent a golf cart, especially if you stay high up on the hill in the larger villas like we did. Would go again in a heartbeat. Service was impeccable. Grounds are stunning. It was VERY hot -- 90s. Flew to Liberia, east 3 hour drive, mostly paved.

We came here as a family of 4 (2 kids ages 8 and 10). My husband has Bonvoy lifetime titanium elite status so we usually stay in Bonvoy when we can. This place was amazing. Overall our stay was relaxing, fun, and gave us the feeling of wanting to come back. I would have given it 5 stars as my only complaints were the slow flush toilets and the place could use some updates as it being advertised a 5 star resort. But this is an eco friendly fly resort with sensitive plumbing so it makes sense. Some of the rooms and lobby restroom need update as well. I just expected more update upkeeps being a 5 star resort. Service from the staff are 5 stars! SERVICE: All the waiter staff were great. Everyone remembered my daughter’s tree nut allergy. It’s such a small resort, they really get to remember your name and always greeted you with a smile. Joe was our go to guy for activities and any issues that arose. He was so quick to respond and was our girls hero of the trip! He is the absolute best! Get whatsapp downloaded on your phone bc that is the main way to communicate to the hotel/staff and they get back to you quickly. It was my daughter’s birthday and we just asked Joe to provide a candle for her. I was just going to grab a dessert from the buffet to sing for her. They baked her an amazing cake, candle, and had the DJ play happy birthday for her. They truly went above and beyond, you can’t beat the service here. Truly amazing people!! ADVENTURE: They provide so many activities in this resort. You will never be bored and everything is so close. Don’t miss the garden tour, it’s free and I learned so much! I’m not a garden/plant person and the kids and I learned so much about gardening and the amazing ways the resort helps the environment with the food waste. It was truly a different new experience, my kids helped pick fruits from the garden which they loved. We added the farm to table lunch which was awesome. You have lunch at the same garden and they describe how the pick and make the items, everything was delicious. And my kids got to eat some of the tomatoes they picked. The adventure staff were friendly, we did zip lining and monkey quest thru the resort. Zip lining was great for beginners. And I liked how there were escape routes at each zip line in case a little one backs out. Our monkey quest guy really went out of his way to make sure we saw monkeys and thankfully he was successful! We did horseback riding out of the resort but it was right next door and so convenient. You can skip the macaw recovery tour, you see macaws here at the resort all the time so no need to pay unless you want to learn more about them. FOOD: Food at the resort was amazing! Alma restaurant had the best breakfast and dinner. Aura beach club is the only place open for lunch. All superb! Dinner you have Alma restaurant or the resort beach theme. The kids LOVED seeing hermit crabs come out at night when we did the beach theme dinners. If you ever get tired of resort food, you can easily walk/shuttle/drive to the nearby restaurants in town. Don Ramiro was amazing, family run and the owner is so nice and friendly! Loved the vibe there so much. You do need reservations but may get lucky if they aren’t busy. Kimbute also had a good vibe and great food close by. ROOMS: This is where they can improve significantly. We originally booked the 3 bedroom Bouganvilla. We added a night last minute the first day since it’s such a long travel day. So we got a random 1 bedroom with our own small plunge pool overlooking the beach. It sounds amazing but the room was so outdated. AC was dripping down on the couch my kids were suppose to sleep in, water leaking from the toilet pipes, and shower water pressure was so low. If this resort did not advertise being a 5 star, I would not be so shocked. But it claims to be 5 star and that room was not 5 star. I would be very upset if I had to stay there the entire stay. We complained to the staff that we were not happy and maintenance to that room needed to be done before letting another guest check in that room. The staff quickly responded and apologized. They made it right by giving us a cabana on the beach and golf cart for free. The 3 bedroom Bouganvilla with infinity plunge pool was a dream! Only minor change I wish would be made is if the bathroom tiles and fixtures would be more updated. But overall that villa was perfect, absolutely made the drive from Liberia airport worth it! I never had issues with power outages, AC, or housekeeping as previous reviews have stated. This location is so amazing because you’re in the middle of the rainforest. You wake-up and see monkeys in the trees and macaws flying around your backyard. A dream!! POOL/BEACH: There are 2 pools here. One by the beach for kids, infinity pool by the restaurant adults only. The 2 days (out of 7) the kids pool was closed due to chemical issues. Thankfully we had our own pool in our villa so it was not an issue, but if you did not I would imagine you would be upset. I did see kids at the infinity pool so I’m assuming they allowed kids to swim there when the kids pool was closed (I hope lol). This place was perfect pool chair wise bc it’s such a small resort you did not have to fight for chairs. I saw empty chairs nearly all day at the infinity pool and beach! What a relief! The beach was warm and black sand. Gorgeous! SPA: My massage was amazing! Reasonable priced! Only amenity was a plunge pool so don’t expect a steam room/sauna. But the massage price matched perfectly what was offered and the massage was perfect. The treatment room was also so nice. MISC: Prepare for a long trip from Liberia airport. We rented a car but it was not really needed. The resort shuttle takes you everywhere fast (to the beach and restaurants in town). They also provide airport transportation. And the 6 mile dirt road is just as reviews state, very bumpy! It’s a far drive but worth the wait!

Stunning property. We were well looked after

Fantastic trip. Customer service was off the charts. And the best thing is that there were practically zero people there are the time so it made our trip all the better. I cannot express how amazing their customer service is, and I love the WhatsApp utilization for any contact resort. Truly amazing and we cannot wait to go back again. Notes: It is about 2.5 hours from the LIB airport but only around 70 miles so it is a slow roll so prepare accordingly About 6 miles of the drive at the very end is on a dirt road so it is bumpy be prepared We drove the whole thing at night from the airport so needless to say it is VERY DARK out there You are at least 30 min from any significant store and a solid 75 min from a big store in Samara which is awesome We did a big shop and cooked in our villa most nights, it was amazing.

The area is fantastic and pura vida but disappointing stay and it really could've and should've been better. The rooms need a major renovation and upgrade especially for this price point. I'm surprised Marriott considers this an "Autograph" property because it doesn't meet the standard especially since you expect everything to be in good working order. Let's start with the good: this property is in a stunning location with very nice vistas, pools, beach club and restaurants to enjoy all the nature has to offer. Because it's remote would advise getting transportation to/from airport if not renting a car. Love the focus on the environment with water bottle refilling station and natural materials throughout the resort with little use of plastic and other wasteful products. Alma Restaurant-serves breakfast and dinner. The food is good, fresh and reasonably priced with variety of beverages, appetizers, entrees and dessert. Aura Restaurant-perfect for lunch by the Pacific Ocean or snacks in addition to juices, healthy drinks and cocktails. Pools-very nice with easy access to showers, plenty of lounge chairs and a bar area. Shuttle-friendly drivers who will take you to the tiny "town" next door, down to the beach area or other sites anytime you want to go. They will also pick you up. The bad: The room. The bathroom was on par with a Motel 6 with chipped, faded tile, ancient faucet and showerhead with very little water pressure. The bed mattress was lumpy and the sofa also worn and uncomfortable. The door to our room broke and took an hour before maintenance guy could get access thru the bathroom window. The outside jacuzzi started gushing water onto the patio and maintenance guy saw it and never returned, it wound up having very little water so unusable. In room fridge didnt keep anything cold. Alma Restaurant-Highly inconsistent service , had some very friendly servers (Francisco, Diego, and Gerard) and some downright surly ones ("ready to order?! Room number?!" ) Be prepared to wait a long time for your food. drinks, and check with the exception of Aura Restaurant. Even though the most crowded was 10 tables max, breakfast always took 90 minutes. Dinner service also slow. The menu doesnt change so suggest going off property for some meals. Housekeeping-left dirty dishes and didn't leave clean glasses or water Front desk-friendly but not pro-active or solution oriented. There was a planned power outage that kept us out of our room from 8am-430pm with nowhere to be but outside without power. I understand that's not in the resort's control but they should've done something (even a room credit) since for 8.5 hours unable to use the room that was paid for. Also should've been warned at check in (not the night before) about the planned outage. Overall, with power outage, broken room door, malfunctioning jacuzzi and bathroom/room in need of major renovations, this was all something I've never experienced at a 4 or 5 star property and it's not so much the problems themselves but how they were handled. Or more accurately not handled since the staff was indifferent. The location is great but you will be disappointed if you get one of the "old" rooms. Much better choices

So much has been written about this destination. Mostly accurate; some slightly mis-stated. I'll focus on three elements. 1) ROOMS - About 54-rooms, plus nearby rental homes. Lots of reviews complain about rooms needing renovation. Of that I have little doubt. However, we happen to be assigned a smallish remodeled room with a mountain/jungle view. Didn't miss the ocean view because except for sleep we were rarely in our room. When we were, we enjoyed the vista from our ridiculously large veranda. Our room was nothing exceptional, but it was more than fine - A/C worked great, housekeeping was splendid, the King bed was very comfortable, and sheets, towels, etc. were perfectly fine. 2) CUISINE - Outstanding. Some complaints about being captive with limited selections and high prices just aren't accurate. The resort could clearly price the menu much higher and get away with it, but they don't. Pricing reflects locally sourced food, the local economy, and a dose of common sense. Breakfast and dinner menus in the dining room were without exception creative, healthy and delicious. In a week's stay, we never came close to ordering the same thing twice. Service is superlative. The staff really does care; hugs all the way around on departure morning. Lunch down on the beach and at the beach pool is light, tasty, and equally right-priced. And, speaking of cuisine, there are three restaurants in the nearby village of Islita (10-minute walk or 3-minute complimentary shuttle). We dined in the village two evenings - Kimbute and Don Ramiro. Neither are to be missed. If you eat in town, you may never stop talking about it. 3) BEACH - I mentioned the beach food offerings above, but the entire beach club scene is a page right out of the 1950s chic/hip/cool playbook. No loudmouths pounding pina coladas at the pool bar. Few vendors plying their goods. No early grab for pool chairs. The pool is quiet and refreshing, shade trees around the pool and along the beach preclude the need for umbrellas. The water is walk-in warm, and the surf is just mild enough for toddlers and seniors, yet just enough surf for beginner surfers. The beach is perfect for walks and horseback riding (only about 2/3 mile total length). Nothing could be finer than renting a Cabana for the day (all of $49 as of February 2025, with a small food and beverage service included). The very best "activity" of our couples week may have been the 90-minute full body massage and facial at an outdoor spa there directly on the beach, under a coconut tree with the surf softly breaking nearby. Punta Islita works for honeymooners, trekkers, seniors, young families...everyone. Just don't tell anyone.

This is an amazing place. The beauty and even more amazing the people. All the staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome. I loved the accommodations as focus is on nature. Felt so very lucky to have experienced this gem. I would mention in particular Victor and Joe who manage guest experiences and overall smooth running of the operation. I have never found staff more helpful and eager to insure a special vacation..

Our family of five spent five nights in the 3 bedroom villa Estrella this February, and it was exactly the vacation we were looking for! The property is remote, but that is part of what makes it so special. The views from both the main reception/pool/restaurant are breathtaking, with Scarlett macaws flying over from the nearby reserve. Dinner at Alma was nice, but we were happy to have a couple other options in town to mix things up so we weren't dining off the same menu every night. They helped us celebrate our daughter's birthday one night with a delicious homemade cake and birthday song! Breakfast there was very good- the avocado toast and caprese omelet in particular. We loved lunches down at Aura at the beach (try the guacamole and a spicy margarita!) The beach area in general was just perfect and we loved that it was never super crowded. The surf school was always there for renting surf boards or boogie boards. Food/beverage service in general was slow, but we got used to the nice relaxed pace. It's vacation, afterall! We did zip lining and horse back riding through the hotel - both a ton of fun with our guide Viales, who was just awesome. We found having a car necessary, especially as our villa was not part of the main hotel property. While shuttles are available and you can absolutely walk (just be ready to sweat!), it was nice to be able to move around at our leisure. We also drove into Samara twice (30 to 45 minutes) - one day for a fishing trip and one day for surf lessons. Our villa was incredibly spacious and comfortable and made us feel like we had our own little home. We swam in the pool every night. I hope to have the opportunity to return!

I stayed for two nights as part of a Backroads trip. This hotel was likely very nice when it first opened, but now it feels worn, especially the bathrooms. That said, the location is fantastic, perched above the beach with a charming beachfront area below. Our room was in a duplex, making it quite private and quiet. Most rooms offer lovely views of the hills and ocean. Service was the biggest weak point. Staff were not always around, seemed uninterested, and the wait for food and drinks was long—lunch took 1 hour and 15 minutes from ordering to being served. Additionally, the air conditioning in our room struggled to keep up with the heat and humidity and our bed was very lumpy. Overall, the experience felt like a basic Marriott in terms of service and food quality. Note also that the beach area is a fairly long walk from the hotel. We found the trip rustic but charming but others might want the beach more nearby. The hotel will shuttle you in a gold cart.

We loved this hotel! We had a room with a small space outside with a hammock, sitting area and small pool. The hotel pool at the top by the restaurant is beautiful and the infinity edge offers amazing views with your drink in hand from the pool bar. The servers and bartenders were wonderful and we enjoyed getting to know them…special mention to Eduard at the bar on the beach who did our mixology class with us. It was a lot of fun and we learned lots! There was lots of included activities to do at the hotel. I would suggest emailing the hotel and booking these ahead of time to make sure you get the ones you want. We did the dusk tour and mixology class. We could not get into the cooking class. The dusk tour was very good….we saw scorpions and many different insects. We also went to the macaw rescue (20$ each) which is very close to the hotel. It was interesting to hear about their rescue efforts. The food at the restaurant was really good and we thought it was reasonably priced. The service can be slow, but it allows you to sit, relax and soak up the scenery. Be sure to watch the sunsets as they are stunning. The beach area for the hotel is a very short walk down the hill (there is a van that will also take you there and pick you up if you don't want to walk). We loved walking the beach and going out in the ocean. Be warned that the waves can get quite big. Once you are in past the wave break it is okay. Although you need to time getting out! We had no difficulties getting chairs on the beach. There is a tiny wooden shack by the entrance to the beach that has small buckets to clean up the beach. You bring back the stuff you collected and dump it in the bins in the “shack” and put your bucket back so others can use them. We thought this was a great idea to help preserve this beautiful place.