JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3493 reviews

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  Had such a great time we stayed 4 extra nights!

  Had such a great time we stayed 4 extra nights! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and very much appreciated the many friendly and professional staff from the front desk & conceige to the restaurants to house keeping. This resort has a large sprawling pool overlooking the ocean, enabling guests to relax with the ocean in view in the afternoon and enjoy Pacific sunsets in the evening. Things to do include walking or hiking along the beach, riding the resort bikes, surfing at 3 different spots a short walk around the point to Playa Avellanas, snorkling by the rocks near the ocean swimming area, and golfing at the Hacienda Pinella course, a 2 minute drive down the road in the company of iguanas and a small gang of monkeys reliably hanging out at holes 1 and 10. From having stayed here before, we were very pleased that the Azul Restaurant overlooking the beach recently opened for breakfast, providing a tranquil ocean view and atmosphere every morning, enhanced by being complimentary due to our Bonvoy Titanium Elite status. The Tamarine Restaurant had a variety of excellent asian options and the Sabanero Steakhouse was a treat every time thanks to the excellent chefs and servers. We also enjoyed the Sandbar Restaurant and the beach bar/food especially the Choripan with a beer or two. Room service was quick and had delicious beef tenderloin. If you want to relax and do a few outings or day tours, this is an excellent place to stay although we recommend having a vehicle, especially if staying more than 7 days so you can visit other nearby beaches and go to nearby Tamarindo once in a while on your own schedule. There is now an additional road into Tamarindo, which helps to get there a little faster, maybe in 15-20 mins. Thank you to Laura, Yancy, and Luis at the front desk, Monserrat and Carlos at the Azul who warmly greeted us at breakfast everyday, and all the other staff we encountered! Love it here and plan to return!!

  Mar 27, 2025
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  Beautiful location average facilities

  The resort is located beautifully with its own beach and has an old world charm but looks very dated. The rooms are spacious and the ocean front ones have a beautiful view of the ocean. . The staff needs training in hospitality. The only hotel where a kettle is not provided in the room and it took a lot of discussion to get one. Food in the restaurants was average. The only positive was the kids play room and the pool was spread out and a pleasure to be in.

  Mar 26, 2025
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  Wonderful stay

  This is our second time at this resort and I will have to say it started out a little rocky. Our room was near the main lobby and because of a big convention they had music that night. . Since we had been traveling all day we were ready to go to bed early but because of the loud music it made it difficult. After going to the front desk they were able to move us to a quiet room which ended up giving me allergies so we moved back to our original room. The front staff helped us through all of this with so much compassion and understanding. The next day they found another room further from the live music. From then on our stay was wonderful with bits of extra highlights. The pool is huge. The gym is well equipped. The staff were always friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet is the best I have ever had. Our favorite restaurant was Tamarine Asian Fusion. I highly suggest the bulgogi beef. The cooking class and cocktail making class were both fun and informative. They celebrated earth hour while we were there and turned off lights. They organized a beach clean up among other things. But what made this ultra special was a manager named Morlin who was so personable and friendly. He went out of his way to chat and share his Pura Vida with us over many days. I think this was the highlight of my stay at the Marriott as he brought a bit of local knowledge and history into our stay. I must finally give another kudo to the nail salon girls who helped me with my hang nails and did not charge me. They were so concerned and just wanted to help. Pura Vida is alive at this hotel. I will be back.

  Mar 25, 2025
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  Mediocre at Best

  This was a very mediocre resort experience and we do not plan to go back. Pros: Pretty beach Large pool Relatively close to Tamarindo (30 minute drive) Cons: Slow, poor service Mediocre food for very high prices Not enough pool chairs Often windy & cannot use umbrellas A long way from anywhere else to see or do We came for a conference so the resort was selected for us. I think the biggest concern that I had was the service. I would spend hours at the pool without anyone coming around to take my order, and then if they did eventually come around, I could never hunt them down to sign for said order. The food at the resort was very average leaning towards disappointing and everything seemed sparse - towels were rarely available at the pool, staff was hard to find, water was difficult to track down. Every food/drink bill has a 10-13% service charge on it, but I don't know how much of that goes to the staff. Also, the buildings are an odd design, and can feel like a maze navigating to and from your room. The beach has lava flow in front of the hotel with a swimming area to the north. There is a rather significant rip current in some areas and signs warning of crocodiles. We walked South to the Beach Club where the lifeguard told us not to swim too far out due to recent croc sightings. Not the resort's fault, it was incredibly windy several days we were there so shade (umbrellas) was no available at the pool. This meant we were not able to use the pool. I would recommend they invest in permanent shade structures so they don't have to worry about the high winds. We have been to many other resorts that don't claim to be as high class as a JW, and we were very disappointed by the low quality. We expected more from Marriott and more from an exclusive resort like this.

  Mar 22, 2025
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  Lovely Vacation

  Our experience at JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa was incredible! From the moment we arrived, the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. The pool is stunning, and we loved the water aerobics class with Bryan—his energy made it so fun! He also taught Latin dance, which was a great touch. The restaurants served delicious food, and a walk down the beach was the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. A highlight of our trip was the wine tasting with Morlyn and Luis—they were so personable and made the evening unforgettable. Every staff member truly went the extra mile. We can’t wait to return!

  Mar 21, 2025