For years, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort has held a spot on many points and miles aficionados' hotel bucket-list. Located in the forested hills of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, it offers beautiful views of Culebra Bay and a sense of seclusion that’s hard to find.
On my recent three-generation trip with my mom and two daughters (7- and 10-years-old), we soaked up plenty of highlights: uncrowded pools and beaches, resort activities, and plenty of relaxation. The resort is popular with families, yet it never felt crowded – even at restaurants and the pools.
But despite all its natural beauty, the property could use a bit of a refresh. Thankfully, one is coming soon … actually, it's already underway, with the main restaurant and family pools getting the biggest facelift. Fingers crossed the rooms get a bit of love, too. If you're planning a visit for yourself, the renovations are expected to be completed this November.
Overall, we had a lovely experience at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo … but it's unlikely one we'll repeat anytime soon.
How to Book the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo
I'd had my eye on this hotel for a while, but it wasn't until January when we sent a hotel alert to Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members that I finally pulled the trigger and booked it.
Unlike most hotel chains these days, Hyatt sets the number of points you need to book a free night based on an award chart, divided up into eight different categories. When I booked, this hotel was a Category 7 property, costing 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night. I was happy to cash in a stash of Hyatt points – or in my case, Chase Ultimate Rewards – in favor of paying the $1,000-plus nightly room rate.
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Unbeknownst at the time, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo would fall victim to Hyatt's annual award chart changes, moving from a category 7 to category 8 hotel just two months later. As a result, the standard room rate jumped from 30,000 to 40,000 Hyatt points per night. With Hyatt's peak and off-peak pricing, you might find rates as low as 35,000 points … or as high as 45,000 points, depending on when you book.
You can use your World of Hyatt points to book suites, too – ranging from 56,000 to 66,000 points for a standard suite, and 70,000 to 90,000 points for a premium suite.
Your best bet to find availability is to use Hyatt’s new award calendar to determine if the property is available using points for your specific dates and at what rate. The resort has 131 rooms, 21 suites and vacation rentals, but even still, your options might be limited.
For my own stay in July, I transferred 90,000 Chase points to Hyatt to book a three-night stay. The resort typically charges a 12% daily resort fee, but this is waived when booking on points. Not bad for a room that cost over $900 per night during our stay … although I might think twice about booking at the new, higher rates.
You can also book the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort through bank travel portals like Capital One Travel, Chase Travel℠, or American Express Travel®. Amex sweetens the deal by giving travelers with *amex platinum* up to a $200 statement credit on The Hotel Collection stays of two nights or more, as well as a $100 onsite credit, and a potential room upgrade.
Overall, the best value for booking these rooms is using World of Hyatt points. You can earn them by staying at Hyatt hotels or spending on a World of Hyatt credit card. Or if you've got a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the *chase sapphire preferred* or the *chase sapphire reserve*, you can transfer those points to Hyatt to book.
At Thrifty Traveler, we don't accept freebies. We use our own points, miles, or cash to pay for every single flight or hotel you see reviewed here – including this one.
Location, Checking In
We flew into Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport Liberia (LIR) airport in Guanacaste. There was one plane ahead of us and getting through customs probably would have taken us about an hour if it wasn’t for a kind customs agent who pulled our family out of line and into the line for Costa Rican residents.
Airport transportation can be booked directly through the Andaz starting at $153 one-way for private transportation. However, thanks to a tip from Travel Mom Squad, we booked through Maleku Tours for a much more reasonable price of $140 roundtrip. Our driver, Luis, was waiting right outside the airport with our name on a sign. The drive to the Andaz took about 35 minutes, but Luis kept us entertained the whole time. He gave us an overview of the area and did a really great job of engaging the kids during the drive – and despite what I had heard about the roads, the trip was smooth and easy.
One of the biggest wow moments of the trip came when we first walked into the lobby. Trees and crystal clear water lead you down a short path to a beautiful, arched lobby, made with local bamboo, and a scenic view of the forest and bay.
We were greeted with cold towels and fresh coconut water (in a coconut!) and directed to a couch overlooking the forest. The front desk took our passports and completed the check-in process then provided us with a brief overview of the property and amenities, all of which took only about 10 minutes.
The Room
After check-in, a golf cart took us to our two double bed forest-view room in building number six, where our luggage was waiting. Our building was ideally located on the same level as the pools and several dining options, and just one level up or down from the gym, spa and beach.
This spot is especially ideal for families with young children or anyone with limited mobility since the resort is extremely hilly, a bit spaced out, and has lots of steps. That said, golf carts were generally easy to find (with the exception of at check-in and check-out times) and you could order one at any location on property to take you where you needed to go.
Our first impression was that the room was spacious, clean and well kept, albeit in need of an update. To the right of door, was the main space with the beds, TV and a chair.
The beds were firm but comfortable. However, the pillows may have been the worst hotel pillows I’ve experienced in recent memory. They were so flat that even doubling them up left my neck in an uncomfortable position.
While there’s only one nightstand between the beds, it has four regular outlets and four USB outlets, as well as multiple controls for various room lighting settings and fans.
We appreciated some special touches in the room including hats, flip flops and welcome snacks of mamón chino (Costa Rican rambutan), bananas, chocolate cookies and coconut balls.
A large armoire and desk divided the beds from the bathroom, giving the space a bit of privacy. The armoire included plenty of space to store luggage and clothes.
It also housed the fridge, mini bar, coffee maker, tea kettle and safe. A variety of water, soda and snacks were complimentary; however, the beer and alcohol came with an extra charge.
The bathroom was roomy, with separate areas for the toilet, sinks, vanity, and shower. The rock floor brings a nice aesthetic, but is not the most comfortable to walk on. Shower amenities are Lather brand with a nice gender-neutral bamboo lemongrass scent. And as someone with long hair, I found the blow dryer quite powerful, which is a rarity at most hotels.
The shower was huge with glass doors opening up to the patio. Given this, as well as the frosted glass doors on the inside of the bathroom, the bathrooms significantly lack privacy. The open concept also poses challenges for anyone trying to get to the bathroom with people sleeping, since the lights are visible on the other side of the armoire.
Despite the lack of privacy between the shower and balcony, the balcony was an excellent place to enjoy some peace and quiet and watch for birds and monkeys. We spotted several different birds, but unfortunately no monkeys from here.
Even with all the heat and humidity, the room temperature stayed comfortable for the entire trip. Overall, the room felt spacious and comfortable for our group of four, but we found it lacking in terms of privacy.
The Property: Beach Club, Pools, Gym & More
Beach and Casa de Playa Beach Club
The resort has two beaches, a public beach located at the resort and another private beach club. To get to the resort beach, you walk down a few sets of wooden stairs and through a bit of the forest. The beach was relatively quiet, but offered a roped-off area for swimming and other water activities like snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking. You could also rent jet skis here and participate in a coral building activity for an additional fee.
Andaz guests can access the private Casa de Playa beach club via shuttle or boat. We opted for the boat and I highly recommend catching the first boat of the day at 9:30 a.m. In doing so, we were the first guests at the beach and had the pool to ourselves for nearly an hour and a half.
The beach club was a real treat with a little something for everyone – beach, pool, kayaks, paddle boarding, giant outdoor games and plenty of different seating options.
It was also the place we saw the most monkeys (howler and white-faced capuchin), which was a huge hit with the kids. The staff was friendly and walked around with popsicles throughout the day.
The beach club also houses the Meso Mediterranean restaurant (more on that in a bit) which is open for lunch and dinner. However, the power was out when we were there, impacting all drink and food options that morning.
Pools
The main resort features four pools and several stations nearby that offer bug spray, sunscreen, spa water and towels.
The main pool area is made up of three separate pools. The first is a smaller, more standard swimming pool that sits above the others and offers limited bed-like seating. Below that lies the most popular pool … and really the only one that’s ideal for families.
It includes several entry points, two rows of lounge chairs with a limited ocean view, rock features, and a large sloped entry that's great for children. The iguana sightings during the day, and bat sightings at night, also helped keep the kids entertained. However, there wasn’t much to do at the pool, and by the second day my girls got a little bored of it.
The third pool in the main area was just on the other side of the walkway down to the beach. It is a deeper pool not suitable for young children and was the least popular during our time there, resulting in plenty of open lounge chairs.
There’s also an adults-only pool that offers the least obstructed view of the bay, plenty of loungers, a few covered beds, and an overall more relaxing environment.
The pools were spacious, generally quiet, and matched the overall natural vibe of the hotel. However, given the number of activities throughout the rest of the resort, it felt like the pools were lacking in comparison … either that, or I needed to do a better job just relaxing.
Gym
The gym is broken into two areas: an indoor gym and a separate outdoor gym deck located nearby. The main gym has a variety of treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, free weights, a few weight machines, and an open studio space. If you’re looking to rack up some free Hyatt points for your Peloton workout, your only option is a single Peloton bike with wobbly handles.
The covered workout deck is a nice change of pace from your regular workout. Beyond fresh (albeit, humid) air, you can find a mix of equipment that isn’t typical for a hotel gym, including battle ropes, kettlebells, TRX and more – all that on top of the typical free weights, benches, and rowers.
Overall, the gyms felt spacious with average equipment. The open deck is awesome in concept, but the distance between the spaces makes it challenging for someone who wants to use a variety of equipment during their workout. Both gyms also got warm pretty quickly, even in the early morning hours. That said, they were very well stocked with dry towels, cold towels, cold water, and fruit.
Spa
The spa offers a variety of experiences and I opted for a 60 minute massage on the last morning of our stay. Each massage room is its own private suite with a balcony and bathroom, just a short walk from the spa entrance and locker room.
I was welcomed with a small refreshing drink and on the walk to the massage room, took a quick stop to release a flower over the bridge to honor the Chorotega, an indigenous tribe from northwestern Costa Rica.
The massage itself was enjoyable, but didn’t stand out in any way. I would have loved some time after the massage to enjoy the space; however, I believe that comes with an added cost.
The main spa area also included a steam room, cold plunge (that felt more refreshing than cold), multiple showers, and some outdoor lounging areas.
Activities
Where the resort really shines is its variety of activities. It offers something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a wild river raft, nature walk, or a chance to volunteer in the local community. Be sure to check out their activity list and weekly event calendar for all options, free and extra.
We took an empanada class at Chao Pescao as a family. It was a highlight of the trip for most of us, but lacked a bit of engagement that we’ve experienced in similar classes elsewhere. To start, we were greeted by the chef and a translator. They provided a brief overview of empanadas, the ingredients, and the whole empanada-making process.
From there we were mostly left to our own devices until the empanadas were ready to cook. Perhaps the language barrier played a role, but I would have expected a bit more engagement given the cost ($172.20 for the four of us).
We ended up with four to five empanadas each, so come hungry and prepare for leftovers!
I also took advantage of a free meditation class on one of the open decks near the spa. It was a beautiful relaxing experience with only two other participants. Just be mindful of scratching on the roof above since I narrowly escaped getting pooped on by an iguana while I was laying with my eyes closed.
Kids Club
The kids club, Cambi, was spacious and convenient with fantastic staff. The club has a baby room, climbing treehouse, video game area, arts station, and outdoor wooden obstacle course. It’s probably best suited for babies and kids around five to eight years old. My 10-year-old enjoyed some of the extra activities (pillow painting, and hair wraps with nails), but wanted to spend less time there than my seven-year-old.
Missing: Gift Shop
Oddly missing from the property is any sort of gift shop. While the resort provides sunscreen, bug spray and numerous other items, finding a place nearby to pick up anything you may have forgotten could be a real challenge. And if you don’t plan to leave the resort, this leaves the airport as your only souvenir option.
Dining
There are four restaurants and a coffee shop on property, in addition to poolside options and in-room dining. While you’ll pay resort prices, they felt fairly reasonable compared to similar style resorts.
Chao Pescao
When it comes to dining at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Chao Pescao was the star of the show. Chao Pescao is marketed as a culinary journey through Latin America and the Caribbean, and it certainly lives up to that. In fact, the menu itself is a map of the region.
As a free appetizer, we were given a mug of seasoned popcorn and chickpeas that was a big hit. It was “Margarita Week” while we were there, but we stuck with the standard drink menu where I tried the Puerto Rican Jayuya ($16). For dinner, we shared the homemade patties ($15), sugar cane brisket ($24), palmito salad ($12) and provoleta cheese dip ($16), plus buttered noodles ($9) for the less adventurous of my children. We wrapped up with churros ($9) for dessert and left comfortably full.
In addition to the delicious food, the restaurant had one of the best views of the forest and bay. We were even treated with a beautiful rainbow during our sunset dinner!
Additionally, the kids loved the multi-page coloring book that kept them busy at the restaurant and on the plane ride home.
Ostra
Ostra restaurant celebrates Southeast Asian cuisine and includes a sushi bar, Perla. It’s the most aesthetically pleasing from the start, with a beautiful natural arch walkway to the entrance. Unfortunately for us, that was probably the highlight of the restaurant. The service was great – although the rock ‘n roll music was an odd touch – but the food was just average.
The meal started with an amuse-bouche of pho. We ordered thai spring rolls ($10) and pork adobo bites ($12) as appetizers which were both delicious.
For the main course, we tried the Ostra’s pad thai ($32) and Indonesian shrimp fried rice ($30). The pad thai used a sweet and sour sauce and the fried rice also had its own unique take, but unfortunately neither hit the mark.
For dessert, we tried the choco tibok tibok ($12) which was incredibly rich and definitely worth sharing. For drinks, we tried a few mocktails ($10 each), including the manatee, oriol and pumilio.
Rio Bhongo
For breakfast, there is typically only one restaurant option: Rio Bhongo. The standard option is a continental breakfast buffet for $29 or the Rio Bhongo breakfast buffet for $39, which is free for Hyatt's top-tier Globalist status members.
The buffet had a lot of variety and even a special kids station, but just wasn’t worth the money for us. I also heard at least one guest comment that some of the food was cold. Instead, I highly recommend the Costa Rican breakfast, which features gallo pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans), eggs, cheese curd, beef stew, fried plantains and corn tortillas. The gallo pinto and beef stew were incredible! My mom and I shared and still had food left over.
One day we were also offered a free chilled pineapple, cinnamon, and rice drink called fresco de piña y arroz, which is traditionally served when you’re sick. Even though we weren't feeling ill, this was still quite refreshing on a warm morning. They also passed around a free sample of corn bread. However, on the same morning, it took an exceptionally long time for our table to be acknowledged or even served water.
In addition to breakfast, Rio Bhongo is also open for lunch and dinner.
Meso
The only restaurant we didn’t have a chance to try is Meso, which they promote as a Mediterranean restaurant with a touch of Mesoamerican flair. You'll find this restaurant located at the beach club and it's open daily for lunch and seasonally for dinner.
Dining Plan
Before arriving at the resort, we were offered a meal package for $99 per adult (ages 12+) per day and $50 for ages five to 11. This includes the breakfast buffet at Rio Bhongo, and one appetizer and one entree for dinner at any of the restaurants. It also includes basic, non-alcoholic drinks.
We opted against this, but it could be very well worth the money for many people.
Service
For us, the majority of the staff really shined throughout our trip. From the golf cart drivers who played rock, paper, scissors with my kids, to the kids club staff who accommodated schedules so our girls could do the one craft they really wanted to try, my daughters felt extra special.
That said, we also experienced a few small mishaps. One being when we asked for a microwave be delivered to our room that took over an hour, and two phone calls, to get arrive (we had leftover empanadas to eat!).
Bonus Reviews
When I asked my family what they thought, here’s what they had to say.
7-year-old
Overall rating: 5 stars
Highlights: empanada class, taking the boat to beach, seeing monkeys at the pool, kids club, nice people
10-year-old
Overall rating: 4.5 stars
Highlights: food, empanada class, beach club, kids club, really kind employees
Critique: The pool got boring after a day
68-Year-Old (Grandma)
Overall rating: 5 stars
Highlights: staff, food at Chao, empanada class and overall cleanliness
Bottom Line
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo would make a nice, few-day stay as part of a larger Costa Rican adventure. With the variety of activities offered, you can easily make the stay as relaxing or busy as you’d like.
Overall, the secluded hillside setting can’t be beat. That said, the resort felt past its peak in both experience and hype. Service was mostly excellent, though a few issues stood out. Hopefully, the upcoming renovation brings a refreshed resort and staff.
