JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3476 reviews

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  Beautiful Resort

  There are plenty of reviews about this resort so I won't repeat what many others have already said. Details included in others' positive reviews are all pretty accurate. Instead I want to address some of the unfavorable comments that some have posted. 1. Vibe and Location. The town of Tamarindo, which is about 30mins away by car, is a beach town with numerous restaurants, hotels, airb&bs, shops, watersport (especially surfing) rentals, vendors ... you name it. It's a tourist hotspot and is bustling day and night, with many restaurants being accessible from the public beach. If this hustle-bustle, plenty-of-services vibe is what you want: go there instead. If you want a RESORT, then you're better off at the J.W. The J.W. is situated within a 4,500 acre access-controlled "hacienda" (Hacienda Pinilla) which includes private residences (lots of expats), a golf club, a separate beach club, an equestrian center, off-road biking trails, and a few other services. The hacienda has its own website if you're interested. The J.W. is isolated from what you could call "normal" Costa Rican communities. It is not surrounded by "normal". You are removed from "normal" Costa Rican civilization here - BY DESIGN. 2. Municipal Roads. Getting to the resort involves driving (or bring driven) for about 90 minutes along well maintained but always busy 2 lane roads for about 95% of the way from the airport. Every little town or settlement along the way will cause a traffic slowdown. 5% of the way, near the end, requires use of a horrible municipal road leading from the "highway" to the Hacienda Pinilla main gates. To this I personally say "who cares". If you're going to base your review on the quality of a small section of abysmal quality municipal roads leading to the resort, then the J.W. is not your problem: Costa Rica is your problem. This is what it's like here. Adapt. 3. Activities Outside the Resort. It will be a minimum 30minute drive to get almost anywhere, and potentially hours to reach some of national parks where excursions take place. If you get nothing else from this review, READ THIS: This is a resort. It is not situated, or priced, to be a "base camp" for frequent excursions around the province of Guanacaste. If you are planning many day trips to various locations: why stay at a resort ??? Go to a resort when you want to predominately use the resort's facilities. If you want a base camp to crash every night, get an airb&b in Tamarindo, and save lots of money. 4. The J.W.'s Restaurants. They are excellent. Don't believe others. Exception here is if you actually don't want local cuisine, and are looking for typical American breakfast comfort foods (pancakes, bacon, cereals, pastries) ... in which case I have to ask: why come to Costa Rica ? Sure the resort will have these unhealthy options, but I never went near any of it - local fare is just so much better in taste, nutrition, and quality. 5. Resort Condition. The J.W. is literally a hacienda within a hacienda. It was built and designed to have the look and feel of a hispanic country retreat. Lots of brown hues, thick wooden framing, subdued lighting. As far as I'm concerned it's absolutely beautiful, and the combination of its age and design characteristics give it a unique charm. I did see a few (not too many) broken fixtures/lights, some scuffed-up public areas, but for its age its actually very well maintained. If you want new, modern, sterile: go elsewhere. I plan on returning.

  Feb 22, 2025
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  Relaxing but Remote Resort With Beautiful Beach

  This resort is very beautiful and well maintained. The staff were friendly and helpful. There is live music on the patio in the evenings. However, it is VERY remote and about 1-1/2 to 2 hours drive from the Liberia airport so the offered excursions were far away, which added at least 4 hours to the day. I wanted to go horseback riding and do the ATV excursion but was told I could not because it required at least two people. Also, the resort includes an $85 spa credit. Don't believe it. The credit only applies to massages, not mani/pedi or other services, and massages start at $185. My usual deep tissue massage was $245. So that credit was pretty useless. I went to Taramindo for the sunset cruise excursion and had a massage on the beach for $40. Be sure to bring anything you might need because there are no stores nearby. There is a small gift shop but a spray can of suntan lotion was $50 and the women's swimsuits started at $175. Ridiculous pricing! Bottom line, if you just want to sit by the pool and relax, this is a great choice. If you want to explore or do anything more than that, this may not be the resort for you.

  Feb 14, 2025
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  Peaceful Family Stay

  Wonderful hospitality and breathtaking property. Everyone we encountered was genuinely happy to see our family, but especially Nelson. He went out if his way to make us feel welcome! From checkin with a beautiful sunset view over the Pacific to helping us celebrate our special stay, he even made our kids feel like special guests! I love the vibe of this whole resort, there are families like us, retirees, honeymooners. Very off the beaten path ocean luxury without overwhelming tourism. The rooms are lavish and fine craftsmanship is everywhere including all of the restaurants. Make reservations, they were booked solid. Food is very good, sometimes took a minute to prepare so make an early reservation if possible. The pool is phenomenal, I think the biggest in central america? Infinity edge out of the ocean and winds around to a shallow end perfect for the kids and big enough to be a pool by itself. Never once felt crowded. Thank you for making our stay so wonderful.

  Feb 13, 2025
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  Third time not a charm.

  We have stayed at this resort before and frankly were disappointed this time. While it still can boast a magnificent pool area, the place seems desperately in need of a refresh. Certainly not up to JW standards; in fact, barely up to the base Marriott standard. There was a ring and stains on our bathroom vanity which remained throughout our one week stay. Hotel also seems terribly understaffed. Previously, a pool attendant would run over the minute we went to put up an umbrella (miss you German, RIP), and help get you towels, drinks - essentially all set up for the day, and check on you. Now, you have to search for someone to help, and good luck. The workers just seem to lack the enthusiastic "Pura Vida" attitude that made the place so wonderful before. Our platinum status was barely acknowledged with no upgrade. Check in was painfully slow, and we had to wait for the room to be ready, even at 2pm. One shining star was Montserrat, our daily server in Restaurant Azul, whose bright smile and accommodating efficient service was an additional ray of sunshine. Adios. Will be looking elsewhere for next winter's getaway.

  Feb 12, 2025
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  Excellente!

  The JW Marriott at Hacienda Pinilla is in a relatively remote location. The nearest town, Tamarindo, is a 30 minute drive to the north. The closest off-premises restaurant or bar is a 35 min walk down the beach to the south. That being said, the hotel offers a broad variety of experiences that made for a very enjoyable week. Now that I've got that out of the way .... The hotel layout is very well planned and architecturally interesting. The Hacienda style is fits nicely into the Costa Rican vernacular. The staff was plentiful, very attentive and appeared to take great pride in their work. This all was evident in how well maintained the hotel is - a testament to both the hotel staff and management. Our room was large with a second floor balcony overlooking the pool. Being from a cold climate, we enjoyed sleeping with the AC off and the balcony doors open, awakening to bird songs each morning (except the night when they forgot to turn-off the music in the pool courtyard). We really enjoyed the large buffet breakfast spread each morning, noontime Mojitos at the pool and cocktails at the Sandbar Lounge for sunset each evening. We visited each of the restaurants for dinner and were never disappointed. Three of the days we made the 35 min. walk down the beach to Lola's at Playa Avellanas for exercise, great people watching, and to take in the surfer vibe over a cerveza frio. Our one piece of advice on that front is to get back before sunset and high tide as there are a couple minor rock scrambles and a small estuary to cross along the way. On one night, we took the shuttle into Tamarindo to change things up a bit. We had drinks at the Green Papaya (cash only) and dinner at La Oveja Surf House. The environment in Tamarindo is the total opposite to the JW Marriott and felt like we had been transported into the Wild West. It was a worthwhile experience nonetheless. We opted out of the excursion tours offered through an affiliate of the hotel as the photos and descriptions made them seem like we'd be taking an expensive and long drive to either the equivalent of an adult waterpark or a curated zoo. This being our first (but not last) trip to Costa Rica, we agreed that we'll need to do our homework if we hoped to experience the unspoiled natural beauty of the Costa Rican Rainforest. We truly enjoyed our stay at JW Marriott, Hacienda Pinilla and hope to go back as part of a longer trip to explore more of this beautiful country. My only advice to the hotel is that they should make their shuttle service more accessible (lower cost or free). The hotel is a jewel and need not feel isolated.

  Feb 08, 2025