We are owners in the Marriott Vacation Club and have had some very remarkable and pleasant experiences with all of their properties. To give some background, we normally do half of our vacations through the MVC and half our vacations outside of our ownership, we are Marriott Titanium level. In the last 14 months we have taken 7 fantastic vacations. The MVC Los Suenos Costa Rica property was high on the list of properties we wanted to visit and we were very excited when we booked our week (4/29-5/6/2023) in a studio kitchenette unit. MVC Los Suenos is a small property that adjoins the lovely Marriott Resort which allows MVC members to access all of their amenities.
We would like to share with other vacation goers our experience and give you “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” (please see list below). We wish to provide as much accurate information regarding the property so that you and your family can have the BEST vacation and can plan and pack for your trip accordingly.
We pack most of our groceries for our MVC weeks with the exception of refrigerated items, fruits and vegetables. We had arranged private airport transfers specifically so we could stop at the grocery store. We were able to check right in, put the food away and went off to find the grills to utilize. No grills on the property, no worries, I can make magic happen with a microwave. We have a free day on Sunday and will take a short trip to Jaco to buy a George Foreman type grill for cooking our food. We resorted to dinner on property at Diverso for the evening where we were served very good but expensive Sushi and Tempura Shrimp.
On Sunday morning, upon opening the refrigerator, we noted it was room temperature in the refrigerator section. The frozen food is quickly thawing but currently still good. At this point I went to the front desk to report the issue and we decided to go to the buffet breakfast (90.00+ for 2 people). Later in the day I went back to the room to check on the repair progress, the refrigerator was pulled out, but not fixed. At this point we have now lost all of our frozen food as well. I went back to the front desk and was advised they could not fix the problem without me being present. Really?? Fortunately, this was our free day to lounge at pool and we did not have any excursions booked. Would they have expected us to cancel an expensive excursion for maintenance to address their equipment failure? Eventually they brought in an oversized refrigerator that had no water hook up with extension cords running through our room.
The issue could have been resolved to satisfaction, at this point, but was not. We now have no food and will either be forced to pay for all of our meals or be forced to re-buy all new groceries which at this point, we don’t have the time. I spoke with the front desk manager who eventually got $100 credit approved for our troubles. I sent back a detailed written message along, with photos of the now wasted food. I explained that that this was not a satisfactory solution and requested the hotel to comp a COUPLE of our meals. They never responded, just went radio silent and ignored my message. All in all, the broken refrigerator cost us $300 in groceries and $1,000+ in unexpected restaurant charges. Based on the lack of care we experience by the management; we walked to other local restaurants as much as we could to give them our business. It would be very unfortunate if this were to happen to a family on a tight budget.
Needless to say, we will not rebook at this property again. We will go back to “The W” in Guanacaste where it has always been excellent all the way around!
So now for “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”.
• Private transfers from SJO to MVC Los Suenos were great using GMG Transferscr. Ask for Geo Molina. Professional, very nice and fluent in English.
• Highly recommend the AutoMercado, not overly expensive for a resort area. Approximately a 6-minute taxi ride. Very clean and well stocked grocery store with most everything including beer, wine and liquor. In the past we have had issues getting Tonic Water in Costa Rica, it was plentiful here. Jimmy Ts grocery store at Los Suenos Marina is very small and pricey, as you would expect at a marina, but the staff very friendly.
• Macaws were spotted most mornings by the trees near the foot bridge to the marina.
• Pools at the adjoining Marriott property were quite expansive and children will have a blast with the games and activities. The pool at MVC was small, but nice and quiet.
• Pack metal drink cups that you can refill at the water stations. On many of the excursions you cannot take plastic bottles with you and buying water on property is very pricey.
• MVC “Market Place” – is much more limited than at other MVC markets we have visited, as well as, very expensive. 1 small coffee and a bottle of water $11.00+
• Tour Companies were available in the lobby. Note to Marriott Bonvoy members, you cannot charge your tours to your room to get extra Marriott points, however golf, meals and spa can all be charged to your room.
• Studios sleep 4 people max, but that would be extremely tight
• Studios do not have cooktops- only a very small non-convection microwave
• Studio and property were very clean, but you still need bug spray
• No bathtubs in studio, important if you are traveling with little ones
• Good size refrigerator in studio unit
• No grills
• No pitcher in the unit to make drinks, such as Crystal Light or Kool-Aid
• Only 1 mirror in bathroom, needs a full-length mirror
• Their pillow and queen bed were comfortable but was more the size of US double bed
• Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash and Body lotion provided in full size containers but, only 1 small hotel bar of soap for handwashing for the week.
• 2 very small coffee packs in (enclosed in filter) in room for the week-1 regular and 1 decaf. At other MVC we always received extra filters.
• Very nice laundry room (free of charge) on 2nd floor but only 1 laundry pod provided for the entire week. Laundry room had 2 washers and 2 dryers along with folding table.
• We found all alcoholic drinks to be a bit watered down all around the property.
• Be aware of mistakenly double tipping, service charges are sometimes applied to your bill and sometimes not.
• Spa was very nice; Cindy did an amazing job with Sibo Massage and facial. Again, a tipping hint…. The 13% tax was built into the package price which can cause clients to tip on top of the taxes.
• Golf course was nice, but play early. Even with a 6:20 tee time, we were melting. You receive a discount if you book 3 rounds.
• Los Suenos Marina right next door is a short and lovely walk and has with a couple of nice restaurants. Highly recommend the Wood Fire Pizza and refreshing Sangria at Lanterna. Marina had plenty of little shops, everything from phone charger to Crate and Barrel.
Happy Travels!
US
SI
CR